Naches Heights AVA


Naches Heights is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Yakima County, Washington. The AVA was recognized officially by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury on January 13, 2012, after reviewing the petition submitted by R. Paul Beveridge, owner of Wilridge Winery and Vineyard, to establish the viticultural area named "Naches Heights." The AVA is located entirely within the vast Columbia Valley AVA with the city of Yakima to the southeast in a valley at a lower elevation. The Naches Heights appellation encompasses and contains of commercial vineyards either producing or expecting to produce wine grapes in the foreseeable future. Additionally, it is the first AVA in Washington state to be fully sustainable, with all 7 vineyards practicing in either biodynamic or LIVE certification. At the recognition date, only were under vine, making the AVA the smallest planted wine region in Washington.

Name

The "Naches Heights" name applies to an elevated plateau area in Yakima County, Washington, according to the petition and USGS maps. The USGS topographical maps of Naches, Selah, Yakima West, and Wiley City are used in the written boundary description in the petition to define the boundary of the viticultural area. The area between the Naches River and Cowiche Creek is identified as "Naches Heights" on the USGS maps as well as on a public lands map, according to the petition.

Geography and Climate

Naches Heights is a plateau, ranging from to. The plateau was formed by a flow of Andesite lava that travelled down the Tieton and Naches Rivers from a volcano located south of present-day Mount Rainier and stopped just west of the City of Yakima. The presence of the Andesite lava bedrock distinguishes the Naches Heights AVA from all of the other Columbia Valley AVAs, which are located on basalt bedrock. The soil is primarily a volcanic loess called Tieton loam with some areas of Ritzville loam—with the primary difference being that Tieton loam is shallower loess influenced by Andesite, while Ritzville loam forms deeper deposits with less Andesite influence. The AVA is west of the city of Yakima. Grapes in this area must be irrigated.

Vineyards

The appellation's vineyards include Wilridge Vineyard, Naches Heights Vineyard, Strand Vineyard, Treveri Vineyard, Keller Vineyard, and Kalkruth Vineyard. Wilridge Vineyard is owned by Wilridge Winery of Seattle with currently cultivated. Naches Heights Vineyards was the first vineyard in this area. Wilridge Winery established the first winery and the first tasting room in the area. In 2017, Wilridge established the first distillery in the AVA.

Grape varieties grown in Naches Heights AVA

The grape varieties currently grown in this AVA include: