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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2019)
B5 THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, NOvEmbER 30, 2019 Washington state now a force in wine world By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. — When Craig and Vicki Leuthold opened the Maryhill Win- ery in 2001, there were about 100 wineries in the state of Washington. That number has since exploded to more than 1,000 wineries this year, and the remarkable growth is likely to continue. Maryhill Winery, just south of the remote town of Goldendale, is part of that growth. It has recently opened tasting rooms in Spo- kane and Vancouver, Washington, and is in the process of opening a tasting room in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville. “Our timing was great,” said Craig Leuthold, whose winery produces 60 variet- ies. “Washington wine has really increased in popularity.” Washington has become a force in the wine industry. The state has the nation’s sec- ond-highest number of wineries, after Cal- ifornia. But California, which has around 3,700 wineries, remains much bigger than anyone else in the United States, selling more than $40 billion worth of wine in this country. Within the U.S., wines from California are the top sellers, followed by commerce. wines from It was first used Australia and Italy. Washington by ranks the fourth Aztecs to flavor in the sources of wine sold in the U.S., said Steve Warner, president of Washington State Wine, the industry’s trade group. “More Washington wine is sold in the United States than French wine,” he said. The state’s wine industry generates about $2.4 billion a year in revenues and contrib- utes more than $7 billion a year to the state’s economy, Warner said. Washington’s wines are consistently top- Elaine Thompson/AP Photo ranked, he said. Barrels of wine are moved into storage at Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville, Washington. has a higher percentage ied “Washington colors of the flowers. of 90-rated wines than other top wine-pro- Washington also has skilled farmers and Jens Hansen, owner of Uva Furem winery in like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon and ducing regions in the world,” Warner said, winemakers, graduates of winemaking pro- Maple Valley. Hansen retired from the Air have money to invest in the industry, he said. Many of the state’s best wineries are clus- referring to the 100-point scale for rating grams at numerous local colleges, Henick- Force, moved to the Seattle area and decided tered around the old town of Walla Walla, wines. “We are competing against wine Kling said. to become a winemaker. There were about 20 wineries in 1981. regions with 28 generations of winemak- “I feel like the Washington wine commu- which used to be known primarily for sweet ers, who were doing it before America was That grew to 100 wineries by 2001, just over nity is a lot like the Air Force in that every- onions and as home of the state penitentiary. Now it is home to world-class winemakers. a country.” 500 by 2012 and just over 1,000 now, War- one looks out for each other,” Hansen said. Most of the industry’s success stems from ner said. Growth has been averaging more Warner expected the strong growth rate About 70 grape varieties are grown in the state’s climate and soils, Warner said. than 70 new wineries per year for the past Washington, with the most popular reds to continue. “The line is not flattening,” he said. “I Wine grapes like long sunny days and cool seven years. being cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Char- nights, which the vineyards in the central Washington’s growth is no surprise, as donnay and white Riesling are the most wouldn’t be surprised if we get to 2,000.” One factor that could limit growth is cli- and eastern part of the state enjoy. the number of wineries and wine consump- common whites. The area also gets little rainfall compared tion continue to grow in the United States. Most of Washington’s wineries are fairly mate change, but Washington also seems with other grape-growing regions, which is “The growth in wineries around the coun- small. The owners “are passionate about fortunate there. try is very exciting as wine sales continue wine and work full-time and crush grapes on a plus, he said. The mighty Columbia River, which irri- gates much of wine country, is predicted to Washington still has plenty of available to grow, particularly at the premium end,” weekends,” Warner said. land at reasonable prices in wine country, said Gladys Horiuchi of the Wine Institute, There are a smaller number of midsize be a stable water supply for many years to said Thomas Henick-Kling, director of the which represents California wineries. wineries that enjoy national distribution, come, Henick-Smith said. Heat spikes in the summer might dam- enology and viticulture program at Wash- Wine shipments to the United States from plus a handful of industry giants like Cha- teau Ste. Michelle, he said. ington State University in Pullman. age grapes, he said. But farmers are mov- all foreign Copy and domestic sources grew 1% Reduced to 75% from original to fit letter page The acreage dedicated to grapes for wine in 2018. The Wine Institute said people are More investors from outside the state ing vineyards to higher elevations looking is rapidly expanding. Twenty years ago, drinking more premium wine, which starts are joining the industry, Warner said. It also for cooler ripening weather. there were 24,000 acres of grapes. Today at $8 per bottle. “Here in Washington we’re pretty sta- helps that Washington has long had a lot of there are 59,000 acres of vineyards. The 1,000th active license was issued to wealthy people who work for companies ble,” Henick-Smith said. Need help getting health insurance by the Dec. 15 deadline? GET FREE LOCAL HELP! www.OregonHealthCare.gov | 1-855-268-3767 1139 Exchange Street Astoria, OR 97103 503-440-3909 duganins.com
