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Walla Walla Valley

Location: Washington / Oregon, United States

Legal name: Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area

Nested under: Columbia Valley

Regulatory body: TTB

Official designation: 27 CFR §9.91

Walla Walla Valley is modeled here as the appellation/legal-origin layer for the existing EncyclopediaOfWine region row. It identifies the protected label name associated with Washington / Oregon, while the original region row remains available as legacy geographic context until downstream links are fully migrated. The AVA crosses state lines and is parented under Columbia Valley for broad origin context. Commonly associated grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Viognier. AVA status in the United States is origin-based rather than grape-prescriptive: it protects a delimited place-name and does not require one authorized grape list or a European-style production recipe.

Permitted Grapes

No AVA-specific grape restrictions. Commonly associated grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Viognier.

Notable Rules

AVA label use is origin-based: under 27 CFR §4.25(e)(3), at least 85 percent of the wine must be derived from grapes grown within the viticultural area, and American wine must be fully finished within the State, or one of the States, in which the AVA is located. The AVA does not impose a grape-variety list or European-style production code.

Also Known As

Walla Walla Valley AVA, Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area

Sources & References

  • eCFR / 27 CFR §9.91 — United States appellation and AVA framework; public regulatory reference.

REFERENCE NOTE

This entry is written as an educational overview and may synthesize public regulatory, historical, and editorial sources. It is not an official regulatory record.