SUNNYSIDE -- Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. By Ingrid Stegemoeller, Wine Press Northwest.

One of Washington's first grape-growing regions has received federal approval to become its 10th appellation or American Viticultural Area.

Establishment of the Snipes Mountain AVA in Yakima County was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday and becomes official Feb. 20.

The 4,145-acre area needed its own designation, said Todd Newhouse, owner of Upland Estates Winery on the mountain. It allows wines made from grapes grown on Snipes Mountain to put the name on their labels.

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OUTLOOK (AP) - A central Washington vineyard known for being one of the first in the state to grow European wine grapes is seeking federal recognition as a distinct wine grape-growing region. Todd Newhouse, manager of Upland Vineyards, has submitted papers to the federal government to create the Snipes Mountain American Viticultural Area. If approved, the area would encompass 4,145 acres between Sunnyside Granger, southeast of Yakima. "It's a pretty unique site, not just for Washington, but for the Yakima Valley," Newhouse said. "It's so different, climate-wise and soil wise, from what's around it, that it needs to be designated."

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