Washington State is a unique place to produce wine. Much of the world if asked would think of the only the rainy, green Seattle area; home of Amazon, Microsoft, killer whales and ferry boats. However the majority of the State of Washington is more like Southern Spain. A dry and arid high dessert, rolling hill and grass covered plateaus. This is cowboy land! Think of the scenery form an old western movie and you have a good idea of the terrain of this breathtaking landscape.
Sage brush and old trains along the Columbia River
Two major factors have had the most impact on how the land was formed and why it is so good for agriculture. The ice age floods known as the Missoula floods and the Cascade Mountains. The flood brought 540 cubic miles (2,200 cubic km) of water from what is now Montana across Idaho and Washington State. The force of this massive amount of water carved out the gorges and valleys that make for the great vineyard sites of modern times. As you drive across Eastern Washington you will see plateau with rolling hills sloping down to the rivers and creeks of the high dessert. The approach to the Columbia River feels like a moon scape with giant rippling hills. The waluke gap on the Columbia River give a good visual of just how massive these floods were. Leaving a giant gap in the middle of a mountain where the waters cut through the Basalt.
The Terroir of Washington
Sand and silt deposits
It also deposited much of the soil found in the 14 AVA’s. The second important geographical feature, the Cascade Mountain range separate the Puget Sound (the green, rainy area everyone thinks of as the Pacific North West) from the high dessert that is on the Eastern side of the mountains. All of the rain and weather coming off of the Pacific Ocean hit against the mountains. This causes all of the rain, fog and mist to stay on to the Western side of the Cascade Mountains in the Seattle area. Keeping Eastern Washington dry, sunny and perfect for growing grapes, apples, peaches and just about anything else that could benefit for 300 days of sunshine a year. This rugged land is super hot and dry in the Summer and very cold and snowy in the winter. Challenges in growing grapes here can include heat stress in Summer, requiring that much of the vineyard land be irrigated. Water as a general rule is not as issue with the snow runoff from the Cascade Mountains. In the Winter with the extreme cold the concern becomes frost so strong it can kill the vines. Smart site selection and vineyard management can minimize these risks.
Red Mt. AVA
looking from red mt. AVA towards horse heaven hills AVA
Vines were planted in the state in 1825 by the Hudson Bay Company on the western side of the Cascades. By the 1860’s grapes had made the trip over the Mountains with German and Italian immigrants. Surprise they grow a lot of Riesling in Washington!!!!! Many were looking to the fertile Colombia Valley to set up a new life and establish themselves as farmers. As with all American wine regions prohibition had a very strong impact on the wine business. It caused a complete shut down of legal wine making. It was not until the 1960’s that quality wine really became produced on a quantity scale. The Washington State wine scene today is growing quickly. The state now boosts 700+ wineries and has a huge verity of attention for outside. Wine royalty like the Antinori family and New York Master Sommelier Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars have all invested in wineries in Washington in the last 10 years. This combined with the already existing group of talented wine makers and the smart implementation of the Washington State Wine Commission. A group set up in the 1980’s who’s mission is “…..to raise awareness and demand for Washington State wine through marketing and education, while supporting viticulture and enology research to drive industry growth.”
The new wine research center
The state is on its way to giving California a run for its money in the fine wine market. A challenge facing Washington state wines is one of identity. In the world of wine, every region is “known” for something. For example Burgundy has Pinot Noir, California has Cabernet & Chardonnay the Rhone Syrah and so on. It helps get the message out about who you are if everyone is growing the same grapes and spreading the same message. One of the great thing about the state is that they can grow almost everything. This at the same time makes it hard to have a unified loud voice about what is happening so that the world gets the message clearly about what is it is the wine producing region can and is doing. On my visit I was most moved by the Syrah, Bordeaux blends and Riesling. I had great sparkling wines, Chardonnay and even a Picpoul. Pinot Noir seems to be one of the few grapes that is not a home in Washington, one assumes because of the heat and sensitivity of this grape. However just about every other fine wine grape you can think of is gown in Washington. It is an exciting place and still holds much opportunity for drinkers and wine makers. I look forward to seeing what the next 10 years bring in terms of wine and innovation from Washington State. With such investment into the future of the industry and by American standards very reasonably priced wines. The possibilities are endless!
Exciting wineries in Washington State
Here are a list of wineries I find exciting. Washington has had amazing grow lately with international groups, local farmers, well know Sommelier and everyone in between exploring what the state has to offer. One of the few places for making exciting wine in the USA that is still a wild west and by comparison affordable to get land. The potential has not yet been realized but it is on the way to being a world class wine making area. The producers below are all doing it differently but share the belief that with lots of hard work Washington State can make great wine.
Gramercy Cellar, Owen Roe, Betz, Abeja, Hedges, Andrew Will Winery, Charles Smith Winery, Quilceda Creek
For educational material check out the Washington State Wine Commission website
