The Washington wine industry is going to get another shot in the arm with the designation of the state’s newest American Viticultural Area.
As of Monday, the Horse Heaven Hills area in south-central Washington will become the seventh federally recognized viticultural area and will join the Columbia Valley, Columbia Gorge, Puget Sound, Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley as areas recognized for their wine grapes. The United States Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has officially awarded this beautiful hilly south-sloping track of land that consists of 570,000 acres appellation status because of its distinctive topography, temperatures and wind conditions.
“Cool,” you might be thinking, but what’s that really mean and how does it directly affect the growers, wineries and wine lovers? (As in you and I)
Well, it really all depends on what is done to capitalize on the opportunity by the growers and the wineries that are located in the new appellation and the wineries that utilize the fruit from those vineyards. Three of the most important words in the wine business (I guess really in all businesses) are “Marketing, marketing and, of course, marketing.”
“The biggest impact of the new AVA designation, at least initially, will be as a marketing tool for the wineries. To create an identity that is unique and with the highest level of quality being the common denominator,” said Paul Champoux whose Horse Heaven Hills Champoux Vineyards produce some of the most coveted fruit in the state.
“It really is exciting that we can make a difference in the way people perceive wine with the addition of giving it a sense of place. It is somewhat like the European model, where the most important aspect of a wine is where it is from,” Champoux said.
I can’t imagine it being too difficult to capitalize on the Horse Heaven Hills AVA status given the track record of high quality grapes that has been grown in this area over the past 30 or more years and the resulting world-class wines that have been produced. But, just the AVA designation alone doesn’t necessarily equate to the world beating a path to their door.
“Walla Walla has really made the most of their opportunities with regard to marketing their AVA,” said John Bell. His new Wills Hall Winery uses grapes from several vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills area and, as a Boeing Wine Club home winemaker for the past several years, Bell has had an opportunity to be impressed with the wine grapes coming out of that area.
“It really is a privilege to be able to pursue my passion for making wine and be able to have the added benefit of using such wonderful fruit. Vineyards such as Alderidge and Champoux are really raising the bar and will certainly help put the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in the global spotlight. Walla Walla has got it, Red Mountain is getting it and Horse Heaven Hills will undoubtedly have it,” Bell said.
There are currently more than 6,000 acres of wine grapes planted in the Horse Heaven Hills, and it is estimated that nearly 70 percent of the total region could produce high quality grapes.
The predominant varieties of grapes in the region include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, riesling, semillon and sauvignon blanc with approximately thirteen other varieties planted. Horse Heaven Hill’s 20 vineyards produce grapes for some of the top wineries in the state, including Andrew Will Winery, Betz Family Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon, among many others.
“I really think that the Horse Heaven Hills will evolve into one of the top appellations in the country because its such a unique and great environment for grape growing,” said Jarrod Boyle, owner of the Horse Heaven Destiny Ridge vineyard, which is the sole source of grapes for his Alexandria Nicole Winery in Prosser. “The soil profile is so conducive given that it has such great drainage. It is a sandy loam on top of broken basalt so you can have so much more control and really irrigate to taste.”
The economic impact will be most recognizable with pricing, both with the raw materials (grapes) and with the end product (bottled wine). Along with adoration comes the good old supply and demand that, as we all know, has an impact on the cost of goods sold.
The extent of that impact on the consumer in the form of bottle prices is anyone’s guess. The wines that have come out of Walla Walla have tested the upper end of the spectrum but have moderated a bit based on the market.
The potential for expanded tourism is one of the things that I find most intriguing about this new designated AVA in Washington. It’s exciting to envision more wineries locating in this part of the state and creating the conditions where the rising tide will float all boats.
“It is a significant achievement for our entire industry, as it allows vintners to distinguish wines produced from Horse Heaven Hills vineyards and allows consumers to easily identify these quality wines from our state. Appellation status also brings notoriety to the region and will help boost tourism,” said Robin Pollard, executive director of the Washington Wine Commission.
This notoriety will most likely extend beyond attracting just die-hard cork dorks, such as myself, and bring interest from wineries out side of Washington.
“Napa Valley’s Pine Ridge Winery, which also owns Archery Summit Winery in Oregon has just bought a large number of acres right next door to my property, and they plan on building an estate Winery in the next few years,” Champoux said. “They wanted the best land in the state to do this project and I guess they found it.”
As legend has it, the name Horse Heaven Hills was coined by a cowboy by the name of James Kinney, whose heard of horses wandered off up a hillside and were found on an upland plain munching on succulent bunch grass. “This has to be horse heaven,” Kinney declared. Based on the agricultural direction that this beautiful part of Washington state is headed, it could easily be considered “Grape Heaven Hills.”
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