Yakima Valley Wine
Yakima Valley Wine. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.
The Yakima Valley AVA was the first wine appellation to be established in Washington State and a recent study by the Washington State Wine Commission highlights that fact. Barbara Glover, Executive Director for Wine Yakima Valley
GLOVER: One of the things we always say is the Yakima Valley really is the backbone of the wine industry because of the concentration of activities that happen here. The vineyards, the production, there's so much that happens over here
About 30% of the states vineyards are located in the Yakima Valley.
GLOVER: This is the first time that I've ever really seen a number of the production side. Out of the 2014 Yakima/Benton Counties there was 9.5 million cases of wine produced which is about 61% of the states total wine production. It doesn't incorporate the vineyard side, the business side, the work side, the tourism. That's just the wine.
Glover breaks down some more numbers for us.
GLOVER: When you are looking at wine production, tourism, distribution it's responsible for 3,600 jobs in this region and it $151.7 million in labor income just right here in our own region and the industry is generating over a billion dollars in business revenues.
She adds that there are over 100 wineries in this region alone.
That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.
