Lake Chelan AVA

Lake Chelan is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Washington state. The appellation lies about 112 mi northeast of Seattle located in north-central Washington's Lake Chelan Valley and is a sub-appellation of the vast Columbia Valley AVA. It lies east of the Puget Sound viticultural area and north or west of the other Washington State viticultural areas. It borders the Columbia Valley viticultural area on is eastern side and does not include any portion of other Washington viticultural areas except the Columbia Valley AVA.

Lake Chelan encompasses 24,040 acre in the southern and eastern portions of the valley and the surrounding Cascade foothills suitable for viticulture. As of 2009, only 260 acre were cultivated producing wine for fifteen wineries. While viticulture has existed in the region since 1891, the area was established as a federally designated wine region by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau {TTB), Treasury on May 29, 2009 as the state's 11th AVA. The petition to TTB was submitted by Alan J. Busacca, PhD, a geologist licensed in Washington State and a nationally certified professional soil scientist with Vinitas Vineyard Consultants, on behalf of the Lake Chelan Wine Growers Association to establish a registered viticultural area named "Lake Chelan."

History
The first wine grapes were planted in the Lake Chelan region in 1891, but it wasn't until the late 20th century when the area was becoming a popular tourist destination, that a modern wine industry began to develop. In 2002, a group of Chelan wineries started the process of seeking federal recognition as an American Viticultural area. The proposal process was dealt a significant delay when, in the summer of 2007, the TTB issued a "freeze" on approving any AVA petition due to controversy surrounding the proposal for the Calistoga AVA in the Napa Valley region of California. One roadblock that the Lake Chelan AVA petition encountered (which also affected the Calistoga's petition) was the requirement that any winery naming an AVA as a source on their wine labels must source at least 85% of their grapes from the AVA. While there was a grandfather clause in the regulation for wineries existing prior to July 7, 1986, there were at least 5 wineries in the Lake Chelan AVA that contained the word "Chelan" on their labels and opened after that grandfathered cut off date. All of these wineries had to submit to the labeling regulation that less than 15% of the grape used in their wines is allowed to be sourced from outside Lake Chelan AVA.

The TTB eventually lifted that freeze and approved the petition for the Lake Chelan AVA in April 2009 with the designation slated to take effect in late May 2008. The approval made the Lake Chelan Washington's 11th AVA and the second wine region in the state to be recognized in 2009, following the January approval of the Snipes Mountain AVA.

Climate and geography
The climate of the Lake Chelan AVA is influenced by the lake itself which creates a "lake effect" that moderates temperatures throughout the growing season and protects against frost damage in winter by re-radiating heat absorbed during the summer in the later months of fall and winter. This has an effect of extending the "hang time" of the fruit on the vine which allows sugars and acids in the grape to stay in balance as phenols develop that can add complexity to the wine. The AVA is located in north-central Washington, in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains above the Columbia River Plateau. The Lake Chelan region has a higher elevation and unique soil components that differentiate the area from other wine regions of the Columbia Valley located to the south.

Grapes
A wide range of grapes are planted in the Lake Chelan AVA-including Semillon, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Orange Muscat, Muscat blanc, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot gris, Petite Syrah, Sangiovese, Viognier, Carmenere, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Petite Verdot, Pinot noir, Riesling, Syrah, Tannat, Dolcetto, Pinot Meunier and Barbera.