Lake Chelan AVA Established / Paso Robles Westside AVA Expansion Revoked

Quick break from finals to post this.

Beginning May 29, 2009, the TTB will recognize another American Viticultural Area in Washington State. The new Lake Chelan AVA will cover 24,000 acres around Lake Chelan, and be nested within the current Columbia River AVA. Don't know much about its wine potential personally...the only time I've ever been to Lake Chelan was when we needed an abandoned desert area in which to film a Mad Max style car chase for a school movie project. No word on whether Thunderdome Chardonnay will be available anytime soon...

Secondly, the TTB has withdrawn its notice of proposed rulemaking for the creation of the Paso Robles Westside AVA in California. Without getting into it too much there appears to have been significant disagreements among Paso Robles' vineyards about both the name and geographic significance of the proposed AVA. The notice does give an excellent view into the sorts of commenting and considerations that go into establishing a new AVA.