Wine Science Center

Wine Science Center. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The WSU Wine Science Center is one more step closer to reality. Yesterday ground was broken on the site of the new center. Governor Jay Inslee was on hand to help with a shovel.

INSLEE: Today we are celebrating a great marriage of two two things we believe in in the State of Washington, we believe in wine and we believe in science. And in marrying those things here today we are going to grow the Washington wine economy like nowhere else on the planet Earth in the next two decades and you can count on that. That’s going to happen.

Inslee says that the entire world is really starting to take notice of the wines produced in the state.

INSLEE: Today this region just right here has 160 wineries producing award winning wines that have already caught the attention of the world. In fact I think it’s kind of cool that at the Kentucky Derby this year a wine fêted was “14 Hands” from right here. The people of the world are starting to understand this treasure that we have right here in the State of Washington.

But the Governor took a minute to talk about other issues that can help the wine industry.

INSLEE: But I do want to note that we’re not done developing the wine industry just with breaking ground today. There’s other partnerships and other work we need to do. Try to have this as a vision - people driving over an improved Snoqualmie Pass I-90, getting off at the new Red Mountain interchange. Getting here and driving to Walla Walla with improvements in Highway 12.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.