The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA facts for kids
| Wine region | |
Rough location of The Rocks District (red) within Walla Walla AVA (black)
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| Official name | The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
| Year established | 2015 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Columbia Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, Oregon |
| Climate region | Arid |
| Soil conditions | cobbles |
| Total area | 3,770 acres (1,526 ha) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 250 acres (101 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 19 |
| Grapes produced | cabernet franc, grenache, malbec, Syrah, tempranillo, viognier |
| No. of wineries | 3 or 4 |
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA (The Rocks District) is an American Viticultural Area that is a sub-appellation of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, which itself is a sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley AVA.
It is named for the city of Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and a unique alluvial fan resulting in rocky soils with "baseball sized" basalt cobbles covering the earth, and is notable as being "the only AVA in the United States whose boundaries are defined by the soil type". Unique wine flavors are said to result from the mineral composition, hydrology, and temperatures of the volcanic rocks.
History
Washington State geologist and terroir consultant Kevin Pogue submitted the proposal for the new AVA to the U.S. government. The AVA was published for comment in the Federal Register in February 2014, and was established in February 2015.
