Fiano (fee-AH-no)

An ancient grape cultivated near Avellino in Campania in southern Italy. The fiano of Apulia is thought to be an entirely separate variety.

Washington State’s first AVA was created in the same year that Gandhi won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Meryl Streep won the Best Actress Award for Sophie’s Choice. What was that AVA?

A. Yakima Valley

B. Columbia Valley

C. Snake River Valley

D. Walla Walla Valley

The Yakima Valley, an American Viticultural Area established in 1983, was the first AVA in Washington State. It’s more than 600,000 acres in size and is located about 155 miles southeast of Seattle on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountain range. The AVA is best known for Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and several prominent Washington vineyards are located here including Boushey, Ciel du Cheval and Olsen. The Columbia Valley AVA and the Walla Walla AVA were both created in 1984, a year after the Yakima AVA. And the Snake River AVA, created in 2007, is not in Washington. It straddles Oregon and Idaho.

Bursting the Bubbles

The legendary winemaking monk Dom Perignon is often credited with inventing Champagne. Actually, he battled bubbles most of his life. Sparkling wines weren’t always magical in Champagne, and into the 17th century, winemakers there were… Continue reading

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