It was established on January 6, 2006, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by the Wahluke Slope Wine Grape Growers Association (WSWGGA), represented by Alan J. Busacca, Ph.D., proposing the establishment of the viticultural area named "Wahluke Slope."

Wahluke Slope is approximately 145 miles (233 km) southeast of Seattle and immediately north of the Hanford Reservation of the United States Department of Energy (USDOE).

"Wahluke" is a Native American word for "watering place," The appellation is within the vast Columbia Valley AVA and encompasses 80,490 acres (126 sq mi) with approximately 8,931 acres (3,614 ha) under vine which is nearly 15 percent of the state's total wine grape acreage.

Wahluke Slope has one of the driest, warmest climates in the state, allowing nearly complete control of vine vigor and ripening through irrigation.

This provides both ample drainage for vinifera vines and greater uniformity in plant vigor and ripening than seen in other areas of Washington.