Lake Chelan & North Central Washington

It’s Not Just About Apples Anymore

By Christine Go

North Central Washington? It’s not just for apples anymore! The “Apple Capital of the World” has become one of Washington’s burgeoning wine regions. In the past ten years, the Columbia Cascade region, comprising the two pending AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) of Lake Chelan and Ancient Lakes, along with wineries around Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and the U.S. side of the Okanogan, has grown from three wineries to forty-four wineries. Most of these are boutique wineries, each producing about 800 to 3,000 cases annually.

According to George Valison, the executive director of the Columbia Cascade Winery Association, the local wineries banded together in 1998 to promote their wine region, and the official association was formed in 2002. This region does not have its own official AVA designation, but George said that they are in the process of raising funds to pursue an AVA petition.

“Columbia Cascade” took its name from its biggest influences: the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains. Follow the Columbia River as it travels south through the region, and you’ll see the diversity of the terrain—from the glacier-carved valley of Lake Chelan, to the alpine beauty of Leavenworth in the Cascade Foothills, to the Ancient Lakes area around Quincy, with majestic basalt cliffs towering above the Columbia River. George emphasized that there’s plenty to do here, besides winetasting of course, everything from theater to white-water rafting.

The scenery is gorgeous, and there are various recreational activities available, but what else makes the Columbia Cascade region so special? Alan Busacca, Ph.D., who worked on the Lake Chelan AVA petition, says it’s the geology and soils. Both the impressive land formations of Eastern Washington and its soils were created by the Lake Missoula floods during the last Ice Age. However, Lake Chelan had 2,000 feet of glacial ice protecting it from those floods, so its soils are derived from the crystalline granite of the Cascade Mountains. Alan also explained that approximately 12,000 years ago, a huge eruption of nearby Glacier Peak showered the Lake Chelan region with pumice and ash. Bottom line: the soils in the Lake Chelan valley are different from the soils in Columbia Valley, and they’re even different from the rest of the Columbia Cascade region.

Besides the geology and soils, Lake Chelan itself also plays an important role in grape-growing. Most of the vineyards in the valley are just off the lake. Heather Neff of Nefarious Cellars says that from a viticultural standpoint, the area is special, because the lake creates a unique growing climate. According to Alan, this advantageous climate is due to the “lake effect”—in the summer, Lake Chelan absorbs a great deal of solar energy, creating a heat sink. This phenomenon moderates the temperature of the vineyards around Lake Chelan, so they rarely exceed ninety-five degrees during the summer, unlike warmer areas, such as Ancient Lakes or the Wahluke Slope. Why is this important? Grapes shut down their photosynthesis at temperatures above about ninety-five degrees, which interrupts grape-growing.

Lake Chelan also acts as a heat reservoir; during the winter, it gives off heat to the surrounding air, keeping the vineyard temperatures milder than adjacent valleys of grape-growing areas. Compared to other AVAs, the vineyards around Lake Chelan are much less likely to suffer frost damage, even during Arctic cold blasts.

So who should we thank for being the first to plant wine grapes in the Columbia Cascade region? Ron Irvine of Vashon Winery states in his book The Wine Project that “Dutch” John Galler, a German immigrant, was the first grower. In 1873, he planted wine grapes near Wenatchee, and made wine from those grapes. Around Lake Chelan, the first grapes were planted in 1881 by Peter Wapato.

Dutch Galler and Peter Wapato may have been visionaries, but this was still apple country, after all. Tree fruits (primarily apples) remained the crop of choice for over a hundred years. In the 1990s, the prices for apples dropped, and suddenly wine grapes became a more lucrative option for growers.

In the Lake Chelan valley, the first growers to convert orchards to vineyards in modern times were Bob Christopher and Steve Kludt. In 1998, they ripped out apple orchards, and planted wine grapes. Steve went on to form Lake Chelan Winery in 2000, which was the first bonded winery in Chelan County. In 2002, Lake Chelan Winery released its first wine.

Also in 2002, Larry Lehmbecker and Michaela Markusson of Vin du Lac Winery in Chelan County converted seven acres of their orchard property to vineyard. That same year, Benson Vineyards Estate Winery planted twenty-three acres of wine grapes, and now only crafts wine from estate-grown grapes. Today Lake Chelan has thirteen wineries that are open to the public, and more than 150 acres of vineyards. Grape varieties planted include Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the Ancient Lakes area, Cameron Fries of White Heron Cellars had been making wine since 1986. In 1991, he planted a vineyard in Trinidad, located between Quincy and Wenatchee. Varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah, Rousanne and Viognier. Other growers followed; for example, in 1998, the Milbrandts planted Evergreen Vineyard seven miles northwest of George, a town famous for its nearby Gorge amphitheater. Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Viognier, Semillon, Chenin Blanc are the varieties grown there. Ten years later, the Ancient Lakes region is home to four wineries, and now has approximately 1,000 acres of wine grapes planted.

What’s next for this area? The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) is currently reviewing the Lake Chelan AVA application, and approval is expected later this year, or at the beginning of 2009. In the near future, there are plans to open eleven additional wineries in the Columbia Cascade area, making this one of Washington’s fastest-growing wine regions.