The Beverly, Wash., AVA encompasses 2,415 acres within the Columbia Valley AVA.

Land around unincorporated Beverly, Wash., was approved as an American Viticultural Area by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau late last month.

The new area in Grant County, which encompasses roughly 2,415 acres, is nested entirely within the Columbia Valley AVA.

It is northeast of Yakima, Wash., between the Royal Slope AVA to the north and Wahluke Slope AVA to the south.

Good for growers

Colleen Frei, executive director of Washington Winegrowers, said the designation is great for grape farmers as it raises awareness about the diversity of terroir in the state.

“That continues to highlight Washington state as an incredible wine region,” she said.

“Our state as a whole has many distinct wines. To be able to show that is fantastic,” she added.

Growing conditions

Distinguishing features of the Beverly, Washington AVA include low, rolling hills with gentle to moderate slopes at an elevation of 515 to 950 feet.

The new AVA is warm and windy with coarser, well-drained soils than most of the surrounding regions.

The area allows for warmer climate cultivars that require more heat to ripen. Cooler climate grapes also will ripen faster and accumulate more sugars.

High winds in the area can reduce mildew pressure on the vines and promote development of smaller grapes with thicker skins.

“The vineyards deliver intensely complex, rich wines that age well,” said Tom Merkle, director of vineyard operations for Four Feathers Wine Services, in a news release. Four Feathers manages three vineyards within the AVA.

“It’s a place to grow robust red wines,” said Kevin Pogue, a Whitman College professor of geology, in the news release. Pogue wrote the AVA petition for the area.

AVA background

Beverly Washington AVA is the state’s 21st AVA and the seventh approved since 2020.

“Each new AVA is a sign of continued growth and maturity for the Washington wine industry,” said Kristina Kelley, Washington State Wine Commission executive director, in the news release.

The new AVA is one of the smallest in the state.

According to bureau paperwork, Zirkle Fruit Company in Selah, Wash. and local vineyard owners and winemakers proposed a new “Wanapum Village” AVA in the area in 2022.

Wanapum tribe members expressed concern about the name and that was changed to the Beverly, Washington AVA in 2023.

Starting Nov. 29, wineries may submit a label request to use Beverly, Washington AVA as the appellation of origin.

For a wine to be labeled with an AVA name or with a brand name that includes an AVA name, at least 85% of the wine must be derived from grapes grown within the area represented by that name.

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