This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land

Wine Growing Regions Stake Their Claims

By Doug Haugen

When I visit my local wine shops, I peruse the wine selection, torn between buying something I know I like, and trying something I’ve never had before. I look at interesting labels, names of wineries, varietals, and yes, appellations. Among AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), we see all the competition that we see in professional wrestling fandom. (Yes, I did it, I used a pseudo-sports metaphor. Apologies all around.) From the colossal, veteran Columbia Valley to the skillful but rookie Wahluke Slope. And then there are those just waiting to get into the ring with the big boys. Among those are Columbia Cascade, and more imminent, Chelan.

Establishing an AVA is much like picking out a good stage name. It’ll make you recognizable among the competition. This is important for the winemakers and the vineyards, both of which stand to profit from it. It’s implied on the label that a wine from a particular AVA will exhibit characteristics intrinsic to that area, a level of quality, and terroir-driven flavors, aromas and color. Shoppers infer quite a bit from that designation alone: “Oh, I like Walla Walla wines.” Everyone seems to agree that a certified appellation is good for consumer awareness, and therefore good for business.

Since 1933, the end of Prohibition, a series of administrations have been formed, reformed and replaced to regulate the alcohol industry. Today, the Federal Alcohol Administration Act is the foundation for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which has the sole power to certify official AVAs in America.

The process of AVA certification can be gnarly and take years. According to the TTB, “Any interested person may petition TTB for the establishment of a viticultural area.” To petition, someone must present evidence that the area is known by the proposed name, evidence of the proposed boundaries, evidence of unique geographical features as they relate to grape growing, a description of federally recognized geological boundaries, and an official map colored in with the pen of your choice. Sounds easy, but a lot of homework is necessary to get it right.

The cats in Chelan think they have something unique to offer, and AVA certification would help brand the wineries and vineyards in that region, resulting in sales. According to Larry Lehmbecker of Vin du Lac Winery in Chelan, the vineyards there are much cooler than much of the rest of the Columbia Valley, the bud break is later, and the more moderate temperatures caused by the lake itself results in even ripening conditions later in the year. He says “the net result of this is ripening that avoids blasting heat, meaning great fruit flavors, and high acidity.” [Read more about the Chelan’s unique characteristics in Christine Go’s article.]

Chelan applied for an official AVA in 2006, and if they’re lucky, it will be ruled on by the end of this year, but it’s not expected to be approved before the harvest comes in, so the next batch of bottles still won’t have the AVA on the labels. Nancy Sutton, the AVA Program Manager at TTB, told me, “I, unfortunately, cannot provide a time when TTB expects to finalize the Lake Chelan AVA petition. It is still very much in process.” But the people in Chelan remain optimistic about an imminent ruling.

The rules, however, appear to be changing. The TTB has proposed to amend the current guidelines for AVA certification, which are expected to be decided on this year, as well. While Alan Busacca, Ph.D., who developed the petition to the TTB for the Chelan AVA (and was also integral to the certification of many others) told me that they lobbied the TTB, and apparently will be grandfathered into the old rules for certification.

But, Chelan offers a prime example of why some of these rules are changing. One role of the TTB, under the FAA Act, is to establish fair business practices, and this includes protecting unsuspecting consumers from being rolled by rogue wineries. Under this premise, the TTB is responsible for approving all aspects of wine labels. The TTB maintains that if the name of a winery incorporates the name of an AVA, then the consumer is led to believe that the grapes are grown within that AVA, even if a different appellation is specified right there on the bottle. Who knows, maybe people don’t read all the way to the bottom.

For example, Chelan Estate Vineyards and Winery, located in Chelan, has been branding themselves for well over a decade, but owners Rich Nestor and Bob Broderick produce some of their wines from grapes grown in Wahluke Slope. The new AVA rules would see a conflict here, maintaining that consumers would assume the grapes were from Chelan because of the name of the winery. They’re treating this as if a consumer could be deathly allergic to wine from a particular region, but hey, I guess someone needs to look out for us so at least we don’t embarrass ourselves at parties.

Because the TTB is trying to take care of both established businesses and consumers, it hasn’t yet been decided how current wineries will be affected once AVAs are approved, but future applications for AVA certification may have a tough time if it would affect licensed wineries already in operation.

In the meantime, read the labels on the wines you drink. Get to know the various current and future AVAs. This issue will introduce you to some wineries in Chelan and North-Central Washington that you may not be familiar with, and that’s a delicious education.