AVA update

Lake Chelan is in and Paso Robles Westside is out, as the US government continues to selectively approve new appellations and baulk on others.

Lake Chelan last week became the eleventh American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Washington state. There are just 15 wineries and 260 vine acres in this 24,000-acre area, with Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir among the varieties planted; more vineyard and winery development is expected in this region, situated midway between Seattle and Spokane in the north-central part of the Columbia Valley appellation which, with 11 million acres (5 million hectares)...