TTB establishes Columbia Hills American Viticultural Area

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau finalized a rule establishing the 29,387-acre Columbia Hills American viticultural area (AVA) in Klickitat County, Washington. The AVA lies entirely within the existing Columbia Valley AVA and becomes effective September 16, 2026. The designation permits vintners to identify the geographic origin of their wines on labels and advertisements.

The rule follows a petition submitted on behalf of the owner of Cascade Cliffs Vineyard and Winery. Within the proposed AVA, the petition identified approximately 338 acres of vineyards owned by 19 different property owners and operated by four wineries. The area occupies the southern slopes of the Columbia Hills, a 35-mile-long ridgeline that parallels the north side of the Columbia River, and features ice-age-formed stepped terraces and gently-sloped gravel bars.

Soil characteristics are described as two primary map units: the Cheviot-Horseflat-Rockly-Kiona unit, a well-drained mix of basalt-derived colluvium and loess, and the Ewall-Dallesport-Rock Outcrop unit, wind-deposited sand over bedrock and gravel bars. The coarser soils warm more quickly than the finer loess soils common elsewhere in the basin, encouraging deep vine rooting.

Climate data in the petition show that about 80 percent of the AVA lies within a mile of the Columbia River, which moderates temperatures. Average growing-season temperatures range from 63.9 °F to 67.7 °F, with maximums of 74.5 °F to 80.2 °F and minimums of 53 °F to 55.3 °F. Frost-free periods span 194 to 254 days, growing-degree-days total 3,091 to 3,588, and annual rainfall is 10 to 20 inches. These conditions support warmer-climate varieties such as Grenache and Mourvedre.

The proposed rule was published as Notice No. 235 on December 5, 2024 (89 FR 96623) under docket TTB-2024-0007. After reviewing comments, TTB concluded that the petition satisfied the requirements of 27 CFR parts 4 and 9. The final rule does not constitute an endorsement of any wine produced in the Columbia Hills AVA.