08/01/06 Seeking Wine Grant

Seeking Wine Grant. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The Red Mountain wine appellation in Eastern Washington State is one of the fastest growing wine areas in the Northwest. A number of new wineries are currently in the construction phases. Local communities are supporting the growth through tourism and business grants. The Port of Kennewick has agreed to seek a state grant towards bringing a new wine incubator to Red Mountain. Tammy Huffman is the ports director of finance. HUFFMAN: This grant is a feasibility study and then if we are able to be funded for the feasibility study we would actually go and try to apply for another grant to be able to construct the buildings. Washington is the second largest wine producer in the country with more than 400 wineries currently. Wine incubators help new wineries get up and running while providing jobs and sales taxes from wine sold. HUFFMAN: That whole thing with the wine incubator building you would have different bays and potential for different tenants in there that could get involved in the business and expand. I know the Port of Walla Walla has one, too. I'm not sure how they are operating theirs yet because theirs is just in the process of finally constructed but they did get grant funding for theirs too. According to Huffman, the port already has been approached by one potential tenant for the new incubator. The Port director Tim Arntzen has also show other port properties to 2 wineries. Yakima Valley Community College is currently in the planning stages for their new wine incubator business in Grandview, Washington. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.