10/25/06 New Wine Appellations Growing

New wine appellations growing. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. You wouldn't think an area that was an immense depositing ground for Ice Age gravel and silt would be as fertile as it is, but the Wahluke Slope is proving to be a good area to grow wine grapes. The Wahluke Slope is another new addition to the growing Mid-Columbia wine industry. The appellation contains 81,000 acres and so far has nearly 5200 acres of vineyards. The area was recently approved as its own American Viticulture area and that can mean bigger dollars. Growers have planted mostly merlot, cabernet, Riesling, syrah, chardonnay & chenin grapes. Growing seasons in area will keep growers busy since grapes near the west end are some of the earliest to ripen while the east end are usually some of the last to be harvested. Only time will tell of the success of the area but it does look very promising. And as usual, where the grapes are, the wineries soon will be. At present, only 2 wineries have made the area home but that will change and with it the tourism industry will not be far behind. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.