Wine Road Trip

Wine Road Trip. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Feel like a road trip? The Washington Wine Commission is once again setting off on their annual wine road trip designed to help producers and buyers connect. David Flaherty,

Marketing Director for Wine Commission explains.

FLAHERTY: This will be our 8th Road Trip. Each year a select group of the countries most influential trade come out to Washington State and they immerse themselves in wine country with those who live and work here. We have 52 attendees from 18 states all ages and backgrounds, Basically Road Trip, we will travel from Seattle to Walla Walla and feature small group exercises in the vineyards and the wineries. We have focused seminars, regional tastings, dining experiences and just some serious fun with the leaders of our industry.

It’s not a coincidence that Road Trip happens during this time of year.

FLAHERTY: Our whole mission at the Wine Commission is education so this is a slice of today’s wine world elite. They’re buyers with backgrounds - some of them are from large national operations like Costco, Total Wine and More, Vino Volo but additionally we have fine dining buyers from around the country as well including New York City, Portland, San Diego just to name a few.

They get a chance to get up close and personal with not only the wines but the winemakers.

FLAHERTY: There is no education like being on the ground with our people, learning in their wineries and vineyards tasting their wine with them and being led through all the exciting things that are happening here right now. We really play the long-game here at the Wine Commission. We’re trying to drive interest and demand for 5, 10 years down the line in the future. So they essentially become our ambassadors for what’s happening.

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