The Burn of Columbia Valley AVA is a sub-region of the larger Columbia Valley AVA in south-central Washington state, USA. The AVA is located on a benchland on the north bank of the Columbia River. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA to the east and the Columbia Gorge AVA to the west borders it. The Burn of Columbia Valley is triangle-shaped and wholly contained within the larger Columbia Valley AVA.

The Burn of Columbia Valley AVA covers 16,870 acres and has 1,500 acres of vineyards. The soils of the AVA are primarily silty loams and have a higher proportion of organic matter. This results in good plant-available water holding capacity that can deliver sufficient water to the vines during the growing season. The AVA has an average annual precipitation of 8-9 inches.

The Burn of Columbia Valley AVA gets its name from legends of early settlers who set fire to the land in the fall to replenish and rejuvenate the grasslands for their horses in the spring. This area has been known as The Burn for over a 100 years based on old topography maps.

It is a young growing area, with most of its vines planted since 2015, even though the first planting was in 2002. It now has four vineyards, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Syrah, Malbec, Chardonnay, and Sangiovese. Almost all of the grapes go to Ste Michelle Wine Estates for its Borne of Fire.

Borne of Fire Cabernet Sauvignon epitomizes the terroir of The Burn. This rugged yet elegant wine leads with herbaceous aromas. With smooth tannins, the wine has flavors of cherry, currant, and savory spice. A green coffee inflected finish rounds out the overall experience. (Tasting note from elicit.wine).

Cabernet Sauvignon with a grilled burger is one of my favorite pairings. And fortunately for me, my partner is willing to be the chef. He does most of the cooking, and I pick the wine, which is a pretty good pairing. He made a blue cheese-stuffed burger topped with caramelized onions smoked on the Traeger. The recipe is from The Gourmet Cookbook: More Than 1000 Recipes.

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