Columbia Gorge AVA

Columbia Gorge AVA ( recognized since 10 May 2004) is a wine region in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. The area covers the administrative regions of Hood River County and Wasco County (both in Oregon ) and Skamania and Klickitat in Washington.

Due to a plethora of different microclimates and diverse soils in the Columbia River Gorge new growing conditions that are often grouped together under the name of Terroir arise within the shortest distances over again. The wine-growing region is therefore often advertised with the slogan "world of wine in 40 miles".

Geography

The wine-growing area extends from Hood River and White Salmon in the west to Biggs Junction and Goldendale in the east. In addition to the valley of the Columbia River include parts of the side valleys of the Hood River and the Deschutes River in the area of Oregon, and Klickitat River and the Little Klickitat River on the territory of Washington, also a protected designation of origin.

The region lies east of the volcanoes Mount Hood and Mount Adams, and thus in the lee of the Cascade Range, which protects the area from too much rainfall. The rainfall is significantly lower than in the more westerly Portland despite high values ​​. The annual rainfall varies from 910 mm high in the west of the vineyard to low 250 mm in the east. The climatic diversity allows the winemakers to grow a wide range of grape varieties.