Washington's Yakima Valley emerges as boutique wine region

The unassuming Yakima valley long went unnoticed by the international wine community. What first appeared to be scrubland and gentle farming areas has exploded onto the scene in the last decade as a wine oasis. Massive amounts of nutrient rich soil were thrust across the lowlands of Washington when a glacial dam carved a path across the face of the state and out to the Pacific Ocean hundreds of thousands of years ago. The result today is a sunny valley, located at the same latitude as the Bordeaux region in France, with prime conditions and optimal soil for raising award-winning vineyards. [Go there...]