![]() Washington produces over 40 varieties of wine, the top red being Cabernet Sauvignon, and top white being Riesling. The largest AVA is the Columbia Valley, with almost 11 million acres surrounding most of the other Washington AVAs and extending all the way into a small portion of northern Oregon. Washington has thirteen federally defined American Viticultural Areas (AVA). In the past decade the number of wineries increased by 400%, and the amount of acreage of wine grapes nearly tripled. Since then, that number has increased to a reported 850+ wineries in 2015, according to data provided by the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. In 1981, Washington was home to only 19 wineries. Washington’s wine industry is focused on the premium wine market, meaning wines sold for $8 and higher per bottle. With a record harvest of 227,000 tons of wine produced in 2014, Washington is the 2nd largest premium wine producer (after California) in the United States. The new research and teaching facility includes laboratories, classrooms, a winery, a two-acre vineyard, and greenhouses to train technical personnel. Michelle wine science center, which is considered one of the most technologically advanced oenology centers in the world. Washington State University in Richland is home to the new Ste. There is a whole world of wine science out there specialized research labs for plant physiology, wine chemistry and microbiology, and even molecular biology of wine. Winemakers can now track and record multiple fermentations at the same time by using wireless data transmissions that are sent to a central computer. Modern day winemaking involves specialized fermentation systems that include data monitors, automatic pumps, and temperature control. The science of wine is known as oenology. There is more to winemaking than stomping in a bucket of grapes with one’s feet. Wine grapes are hardly affected by droughts, allowing Washington’s wine industry to continue to expand, and even accelerate during water shortages. Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency in May, but since growing wine grapes requires much less water than other crops, farmers are trading out their apple orchards for vineyards, increasing the amount of wine grown in Washington State. The recent droughts plaguing the western United States have actually created an unlikely surge in Washington wine production. Michelle Wine Estates is the largest producer in the state, owning over a third of all vineyard acreage in Washington. ![]() Growing grapevines requires precise control of water and sunlight, and the climate of Eastern Washington provides ideal growing conditions for the wine industry.Īlthough the majority of grape-growing occurs in Washington’s eastern half, the impact of the wine industry stretches far beyond Eastern Washington’s vineyards. Washington shares the same latitude of renowned wine regions in Northern Europe, giving the two regions similar solar angles and growing conditions. Eastern Washington receives incredibly long hours of sunlight, with 16 hours of sun per day during summer solstice, and 300 days of sun each year. The Cascade mountains create a rain shadow over the Columbia River Basin that only provides around 8 inches of rain per year, but snow packs that feed the Columbia River give Eastern Washington incredible water sources to rely on for wine irrigation in such a dry area. The majority of Washington wine production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half of the state. Wine is a valuable industry to Washington State, whose benefits spill over beyond beverage sales into tourism, food products, equipment sales, and other peripheral industries. The state’s wine industry generates billions each year, creating jobs, attracting tourists, driving exports, and giving Washington a reputation as a world-class producer of premium wine. Washington wine is a fixture found at most fine grocery stores coast-to-coast. Over the past thirty years, Washington’s wine industry has blossomed – hundreds of wineries and tasting rooms have popped up across the state. Is Eastern Washington becoming the new Napa Valley?
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