| Lake Chelan | |
| Year: | 2009[1] |
| Country: | United States |
| Part Of: | Washington, Columbia Valley AVA |
| Similar: | Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley AVA, Candy Mountain AVA, Goose Gap AVA, Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Naches Heights AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA, Rocky Reach AVA, Royal Slope AVA, Snipes Mountain AVA, The Burn of Columbia Valley AVA, Wahluke Slope AVA, Walla Walla Valley AVA, White Bluffs AVA, Yakima Valley AVA |
| Soil: | Layers of glacial debris, stream erosion, airborne volcanic & non-volcanic sediment, sand, fine gravel-sized pumice & loam |
| Total Size: | 24040acres |
| Planted: | 260acres |
| Grapes: | Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Chardonnay[2] |
| Wineries: | 16 |
Lake Chelan is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Washington state. The appellation lies about 112miles northeast of Seattle located in north-central Washington's Lake Chelan Valley and is a sub-appellation of the vast Columbia Valley AVA. It lies east of the Puget Sound viticultural area and north or west of the other Washington State viticultural areas. It borders the Columbia Valley viticultural area on is eastern side and does not include any portion of other Washington viticultural areas except the Columbia Valley AVA.[1]
Lake Chelan encompasses 24040acres in the southern and eastern portions of the valley and the surrounding Cascade foothills suitable for viticulture. As of 2009, only 260acres were cultivated producing wine for fifteen wineries. While viticulture has existed in the region since 1891, the area was established as a federally designated wine region by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau