WA Wine Industry Rapid Growth Pt 2
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. What’s the biggest difference between Washington’s relatively new wine industry and California’s well-established, rich with tradition industry?According to Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, Washington’s wine industry was started by people who were already farmers and knew how to grow crops …
MacNEIL … “It’s why you have big vineyards in Washington, because you have growers like Boushey and Klipsun and, you know, any number of people who started out as growers with no idea. They were farmers with no real idea of becoming a winemaker and teaching themselves how to make wine.”
Auction of Washington Wines executive director, Jamie Peha says another difference is the way they’re laid out …
PEHA … “The vineyards are in Eastern Washington and while there are now many wineries in Eastern Washington in certain locations, you have a lot of wineries on the West Side that bring their grapes over from Eastern Washington to produce, whereas in California it seems like everything is, you now, they’re all in the same location for the most part.”
The collaborative nature of winemakers, MacNeil says also helped with the Washington industry’s success …
MacNEIL … “I think it is the nature of wine, I don’t know, it’s one of the reasons we all love it, right? It’s because most of the people in it are extremely generous of spirit, very inclined to help one another.”
Both encourage all wine lovers, celebrating Washington Wine Month, to get out and explore your favorite wineries and enjoy their creations.