Drink In Life

Washington Wine: The Evolution of the Industry

Posted on March 9, 2021 by drinkinlife

Part Two of My Washington Wine History Series

The explosive growth of Washington wine production in the 1970’s can in part be credited to the extensive commitment to viticultural research led by Walter Clore. What happened from there included a pioneering spirit by Washington grape growers and winemakers, which created a sturdy foundation upon which the Washington wine industry was built.

In the 1970’s as scores of vineyards were being planted in Eastern Washington many of the growers were also establishing their wineries around or close to their vineyards in the Yakima, Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Regions. Some winemakers however carefully considered the unmistakable advantage of building their businesses closer to Seattle and the Puget Sound. Leading the way of Western Washington Wineries was Chateau Ste. Michelle, previously known as Ste. Michelle Vintners until 1976 when the winery built a French style Chateau in Woodinville, WA and formally changed its name. It is also worth mentioning that Chateau Ste. Michelle released its first ice wine in 1978, making it among North America’s first producers of ice wine. Today Chateau Ste. Michelle is known as the Godmother of the Washington Wine Industry and it is the dominate winery in the state with approximately half of Washington’s planted acres of grapes going into Chateau Ste. Michelle Estate wines.

Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA

In the late 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s, throughout Washington families were planting even more vineyards and laying the foundation for their wineries. A few of these wineries and other noteworthy events from this time frame included:

In 1977 Leonetti Cellars, owned by Gary Figgins, was bonded as Walla Walla Valley’s First commercial winery and their 1978 inaugural vintage Cabernet Sauvignon was named the best in the country by Winestate Wine & Spirits Buying Guide.
Gerard and Jo Ann Bentryn founded Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery in 1977 and in 1982 it became the state’s 84th bonded winery.
Quilceda Creek was started by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin in 1978.
After planting their first vineyard on Red Mountain in 1975, John Williams and Jim Holmes launched Kiona Vineyards in 1980.
After crafting wine at home and establishing a vineyard on his family land in Walla Walla, Rick Small and his wife Darcey Fugman-Small founded Woodward Canyon in 1981.
Washington State’s first vineyard designated wines were released in 1981, The Associated Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Willow Vineyard was one of three vineyard designated wines released that year. The other two vineyards included Otis Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and Sagemoore Vineyard in the Columbia Valley.
1982 was a big year for Washington wineries, it was the year that Mike Hogue launched Hogue Cellars, Covey Run opened along with two Spokane wineries, Harold and Marcia Mielke’s Arbor Crest Wine Cellars and Latah Creek Winery which was started by Mike and Ellena Conway.
In 1983 Jean and Baker Ferguson, start L’Ecole No. 41, Barnard Griffin began with Rob Griffin at the helm and Snoqualmie Vineyards opened it’s doors. Also in 1983 the wife and husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey, founded Chinook Wines which was one of the pioneering wineries that established Prosser, Washington as a major wine-producing region in Washington state.
Started in 1987, Thurston Wolfe began making wine in the historic Old City Hall on North Front Street in Yakima.

Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla, WA is established in 1988. You can read about my food and wine pairing experience at Seven Hills on a previous blog post.

The excitement of Washington Wines was continuing to rise as the first American Viticultural Area in Washington was approved in the Yakima Valley in 1983 and accolades for Washington Wines began to make news in the wine world. Washington Grapegrowers begins in 1984 and to serve the wine industry through advocacy and education. Following on the heels of the Yakima Valley AVA, both Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley AVAs received approval in 1984. The formation of the Washington State Wine Commission, a unified marketing and trade association happened in 1987. In 1988, Chateau Ste Michelle was named “Best American Winery” and in 1989 five Washington wines made Wine Spectator’s “Top 100 list” for the first time, they included;

#46-1988 Hogue Johannisberg Riesling Yakima Valley
#55-1986 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
#73-1987 Kiona Chardonnay Yakima Valley Barrel Fermented
#86-1987 Latah Creek Merlot Washington Limited Bottling
#93-1986 Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon Yakima Valley Otis Vineyard

Washington Wine Industry Rides the Merlot Craze

By 1993, Merlot had taken the crown for top red wine in the state, this reign lasted until 2006.

First, it was the popularity of Riesling that propelled Washington Wines, this was followed by Chenin Blanc as well as Muscat. Then as buttery Chardonnays were still a favorite in America, the Merlot craze of the 1990s, exploded and was fueled by 60 Minutes’ “The French Paradox”. Prior to this “Merlot Craze”, in 1990, 90% of all premium wines produced in California included varietals like White Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, White Grenache, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Following the 60 Minutes so-called “French Paradox” episode Merlot in particular proved to be very popular among consumers as consumption of red wine dramatically increased. The Washington Wine Commission made Merlot the marketing focus of the state, putting Washington in an excellent position to take advantage of the new craze. It was certainly a perfect year for Washington to push Merlot into the limelight as the 1990 Merlot Vintage was one of the warmest on record and produced exceptional rich ripe wines.

As Washington was riding the Merlot and red wine trend, more wineries were opening in the state and the Puget Sound AVA was established in 1995. Here is a glimpse of more events and winery opening during this time in Washington:

DeLille Cellars in 1992 was founded by Jay Soloff, Winemaker Chris Upchurch, and Charles and Greg Lill.
1994 Canoe Ridge Vineyard winery officially opens in the historic Walla Walla trolley house.
Mid-January temperatures in 1996 rose to the mid-50s, then dropped as low as minus 18, resulting in widespread damage to more than 40 percent of Washington’s vines.
Taste Washington’s 1st annual month long celebration takes place in March 1996.
In 1997, after years of producing wines for others, Brian Carter created a small production of his own wine, “Solesce,” at the Apex winery where he was residing as winemaker and co-owner. Brian went on to start Brian Carter Cellars in 2006.
Reininger Winery opened in 1997 with a lineup of Bordeaux–style wines sourced from some of the Valley’s oldest vineyards: Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills.
Mark Ryan McNeilly launces Mark Ryan Winery in 1999.
The Washington Wine Quality Alliance (WWQA) was established in 1999 in an effort to develop and introduce standards for winemaking and labeling throughout the state.
In 1999, the Auction of Washington Wines was organized to honored industry leaders for their contributions to the Washington wine industry.

1998 was the year that Norm McKibben started Pepper Bridge Winery in Walla Walla, with Mike Hogue as a silent partner.

Washington Wine Industry Continues Incredible Growth

In 2000 there were approximately 74 wineries in Washington State and by the end of 2009, this number had ballooned to around 386. Some highlights of those nine years;

Lake Chelan wine grape growing continues to see a steady increases in acreage, and the first winery was opened by the Kludt family in 2000, Lake Chelan Winery.
The Red Mountain AVA is established in 2001 and The Washington Wine Industry Foundation is started that same year.
The former CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle launched Long Shadows Vintners in 2002, creating partnerships with great winemakers from around the world.
In 2003, the Washington Wine Institute and its educational partners create new 2-year and 4-year degree programs supporting Washington’s growing wine industry.
2004 records it’s 6th AVA with the addition of the Columbia Gorge AVA.
Horse Heaven Hills AVA is made an official AVA in 2005 and Seattle Magazine has it’s 1st Annual Washington Wine Awards.
Becoming the 8th Washington AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA was established in 2006.
Josh and Lisa Lawrence along with Josh’s dad John Lawrence and uncle Sandy Lawrence launch Gård Vintners in 2006
December 2007 – June 2009; The Great Recession proves that the Washington Wine Industry is not recession proof and many of the state’s grape growers and wineries feel the pinch during this period.
2009 saw the addition of another AVA in Washington when Snipes Mountain AVA was established in January of that year.
The Lake Chelan AVA becomes the 10th AVA with it’s approval in April of 2009.

Lake Chelan, WA

Nine Washington Wines Made the Top 100 Wines in 2009 by Wine Spectator, including 5 in the top 50 and the coveted Number One Spot.

#1-2005 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon CV Reserve
#26-2006 Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley Cailloux Vineyard
#33-2006 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006
#36-2006 Efeste Syrah Red Mountain Ceidleigh
#38-2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet HHH Canoe Ridge Estate

In 2010 many Washington Wineries were still recovering after the Great Recession but despite the hardships the state’s wine industry continued to grow and in that year there was approximately 40,000 acres of vines planted, an increase of 28,900 acres since 1993.

Adapting to Change

Like other wine regions around the world climate and weather have been critical to the evolution of the vineyards in Washington and the last 10 years has proved that climate and weather can test a grape growers perseverance. In Washington, recent warmer spring and summer temperatures have led to even earlier harvests and the state has experienced early fall frosts before vines are fully dormant. These Heat and cold extremes that can damage grapevines and impact fruit and winemaking decisions have become annual topics of discussion in the wine and grape industry as members and students share research at conventions and symposiums.

One avenue for Climate Change discussions can be found at the Washington State University (WSU) where the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Wine Science Center opened in 2015. This world-class educational institution which is dedicated to the state’s wine and grape industries brings grape and wine industry professionals to WSU to share their research and professional perspective on many topics including climate trends, impacts of extreme weather, solutions for mitigating damage and available resources.

Where growth continues in the Washington Wine Industry, adaptation becomes a shifting focus and is further evidence of the enterprising ways that Washington is working at building and maintaining its current status as the 2nd largest wine producing state in the country.

Covid-19 Impact

COVID-19’s continuing toll on the wine industry is unquestionably substantial, with long-term consequences that will take years to recover from. As wineries closed their tasting room doors around the world Washington Wineries, like everywhere else, had to become more innovative and creative in finding ways to make up for their lose in sales. In 2020 Washington wine shipments plunged and the pandemic impacted the state’s large and small wineries in roughly equal measure. Despite the shipment decline, some wineries through strong local support, increased on-line sales and downright Washingtonian Spirit have weathered the storm relatively well, a few have even seen their sales grow as wine and other types of alcohol saw an increase in consumption over the last year. Still, continuing to support our local wineries and small business is as important now as it was at the beginning of the Covid Crisis.

Washington Wine Industry Today

The following statistics (as well as others noted in this post) are from Washington State Wine as of July 2021.

Number of wineries: 1,000+
Number of wine grape growers: 400+
Varieties produced: 80+
Number of AVA’s: 19
Ratio of red to white: 59% red to 41% white
Annual wine production:
Approx. 17.7 million cases
Wine grape acreage: 60,000+ acres

The 2019 Washington State Wine Commission’s annual Grape Production Report stated that the king of Washington grapes was still Cabernet Sauvignon, with 53,740 tons. Coming in second was Chardonnay at 33,540 tons and rounding out the top five varieties was Riesling, Merlot and Syrah. These top five varieties account for 60% of the total production in Washington a number that has remained consistent over the last three years.

Through the year I will be highlighting each of the 16 Washington AVAs, but that number may change as three more potential new AVAs are under what is called “perfected petitions” and are awaiting approval by The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Once the applications are approved, these new AVA names will start appearing on wine labels.

Goose Gap AVA– Located a few miles west of the Tri-Cities and it borders the Red Mountain AVA.
The Burn of the Columbia AVA-This AVA will carve out a section of the Columbia Valley AVA, claiming it as its own.
White Bluffs AVA-North of Pasco, This AVA would be nested entirely within the Columbia Valley AVA.

I hope that the last two blog posts have given you a better picture of the History of Washington Wine. This crash course wasn’t meant to be all inclusive, but was intended to share information and links that would provide you with a good starting point to continue your own exploration into this fascinating wine region.

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” Ernest Hemingway

Images and content © Drink In Nature Photography and Drink In Life Blog.

Washington Wine: The Early Years

Posted on March 1, 2021 by drinkinlife

6 Comments

In celebration of Taste Washington Wine Month, all month long I will be sharing Washington Wine History, Wines and Wineries and two of the newest Washington AVAs that help shape this unique wine region. If you haven’t already read my last post, Washington Wine: The Shaping of a Region I invite you to read that first to familiarize yourself with the landscape of Washington Wine Country because winemaking always starts from the ground up.

All caught up? Great, let’s begin with a little Washington Wine History, and since reading about wine is always better when you are enjoying a glass, I invite you to pour yourself a glass to sip as you read along (of course Washington Wine would be a nice choice, if you have it).

AniChe Cellars Underwood, WA

“To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.” Clifton Fadiman

The Early History of Washington Wine

The history of Washington wine can be traced back to 1825 when just north of the Columbia River at Fort Vancouver, the Hudson’s Bay Company set up a fur trading post, this also marks the site where grapes were first planted in Washington State. When homesteaders began coming from the east on the Oregon Trail in the 1850’s, they brought with them grape cuttings and more grapes were planted in several areas in Eastern Washington as well as the Puget Sound. At this time the wines made from these plantings were primarily made for individual homes.

Sketch of Fort Vancouver 1853 by G. Sohon Image Credit HBC Heritage

Around the Puget Sound Region as early as 1854, hybrid wine grape varieties were arriving in the area’s nurseries and wine grapes were planted in the Walla Walla Valley by 1860. In the Yakima Valley the first vines were planted by a French Winemaker, Charles Schanno, who in 1869 took cuttings from the famous Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and planted them in the Valley. Seattle’s first commercial winery, Wine Creek Winery, was founded in 1889 by the Louis Jaffe family in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. In the Yakima Valley in 1905 Seattle attorney Elbert F. Blaine built Stone House Winery near Grandview.

By 1910, many areas of Washington had wine grapes growing that were planted by early Italian, French and German immigrant pioneers and settlers. The surge in wine grape growing was fueled by large-scale irrigation that began in Eastern Washington in 1903.

The diverse soils and sunny conditions combined with the irrigation of runoff from the melting snowcaps of the Cascade Mountains created the perfect growing environment and wine grape acreage rapidly expanded in the early part of the 20th century. In fact, the first annual Columbia River Valley Grape Carnival was held in Kennewick in 1910 and many Italian and German varietals that were planted in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys were featured there.

The Grandfather of Washington Wine

Grape growing in Washington state, particularly in the Yakima Valley, changed shortly after 1914 when a young attorney by the name of William B. Bridgman arrived in the town of Sunnyside. Bridgman set up a shop and as his law practice flourished, his attention also turned toward the purchase land. Bridgman had grown up in a farming community on the Niagara Peninsula in Canada where his family grew Concord grapes. This viticulture background would become an integral part in the foundation of Washington Wine History. While working as an attorney in Sunnyside, Bridgman also played an important role in the development of Yakima Valley’s irrigation laws. Guidelines to develop and share water resources were authored by Bridgman when he became manager of the Sunnyside Irrigation Canal, which had been established 1893.

Headgate, Sunnyside Irrigation Project Diversion Dam, Yakima River, April 29, 1915 (photo credit-HistoryLink.org)

In 1914, Mr. Bridgeman took a good look at the land that he had purchased and along with the promise of new irrigation laws he saw enough beneficial elements on a piece of property that is now know as Harrison Hill to begin planting wine grapes. These first vines planted by Bridgman included Black Prince (Cinsault), and two varieties that could be grown for both table and wine grapes, Flame Tokay and Ribier. More wine grapes were planted by Bridgman in 1917 on nearby Snipes Mountain to include Muscat of Alexandria and Thompson Seedless (some of which remain today), along with Black Hamburg (a black muscat). Eventually Bridgman expanded his vine planting with Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Carignon, Alicante Bouschet, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Mataro (Mourvedre) and other varieties. In those early years, Bridgman largely sold his grapes to the Italian and Croatian immigrants in the Cle Elum and Rosylyn area who would make wine for their own families and community. These were the first commercial wine grapes grown in the region and they make the beginning of Washington’s Wine Industry.

Soon Bridgman, who was a two-time mayor of Sunnyside became a local celebrity and Sunnyside’s biggest promoter as he encouraged throughout the Valley the business of farming, spurred on by the agricultural bounty of the irrigated farmlands.

William B. Bridgman was the first to plant commercial wine grapes in a region that has been the center of the Washington wine industry ever since. Photo Credit-Yakima Valley Wine Country.

U.S. IS VOTED DRY!

Image from New York Daily News Archive via Getty

Some would say that Bridgman’s timing in pioneering Washington’s Wine Industry wasn’t the best, when rumors of Prohibition began to spread across America. Soon, the alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures and on January 16, 1919 Prohibition was ratified by the states. The alcohol industry was dealt its final blow nationwide, under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on January 17, 1920. This however was not the end of Bridgman’s grape growing endeavor and in fact he saw demand for his grapes skyrocket. How was this possible? Because of a loophole in the legislation that opened the door for home winemakers providing another market for grape growers. The law’s provision allowed the sale of wine grapes to the male heads of households to “preserve fruit” through fermentation and up to 200 gallons a year of self-made wine was permitted. However, this loophole was only beneficial to grape growers and the end of commercial wine production put the breaks on any hopes of building a wine industry in any of the states, including Washington.

It would be 14 years before Prohibition was repealed and although there was much to celebrate on December 5, 1933 it was a slow process building up a wine industry in Washington as more attention was given to the Concord varietals that grew well in the cool, wet western half of the state.

Following the lift of Prohibition, Bridgman launched the Upland Winery in November 1934, it was the 13th bonded winery in Washington. During that time Bridgman worked 165 acres of vines that produced an astonishing 7,000 gallons of wine during the first harvest season. In the years that followed Bridgman continued with his vision of planting and growing wine grapes and he was even contracted to grow more European varietals like Chardonnay and Riesling. Then, between the years of 1949 and 1951, severe winters destroyed many of Bridgman’s vines and this along with public demand forced him to shift from vinifera to sweet, fortified wines. Bridgman sold the Upland winery to his nephew in 1960 and he died eight years later, in 1968. The Upland Winery’s name was changed to Santa Rosa Winery and it eventually closed in 1972. That year the Newhouse family purchased the Upland Vineyard and they worked to increase the acreage with wine grapes.

Today the Newhouse family farms nearly 2,000 acres of land and over half of the acres are planted in table and wine grapes. Although Bridgman never saw the success of the Washington Wine Industry that he helped start, part of his legacy will forever be tied to the Upland Estate Winery, that the Newhouse family opened in 2007.

Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain. Photo Credit WineYakimaValley.Org

Washington Wine experiences budburst in the 1930’s

At the end of Prohibition in 1933, various “Wineries”, in addition to Bridgman’s Upland Winery began to pop up around Washington State. Many of them however were not much more than garage wineries making wine from grapes as well as other types of fruit. In 1933 Washington State’s first State Bonded Winery, St. Charles Winery, was started by Seattle Realtor Charles Somers and his son C.W. Somers. St. Charles Winery was located on Stretch Island near the town of Grapeview in the Puget Sound, which also became home to two more of the 42 bonded wineries registered in Washington by 1937. St. Charles remained in business until the 1950s, it was then purchased and renamed Alhambra before finally closing for good in 1965. I think it is important to mention two other notable business’ which also started up in Seattle in 1935, the National Wine Company (NAWICO) and Pomerelle Wine Company. Both of the wineries mainly produced sweet wines which was common in most parts of the United States until the 1960’s. However, in 1954 a merger happened between these two wineries and the American Wine Company was born. The American Wine Company would eventually go on to create the Ste Michelle Vineyards label for varietal wines. Chateau Ste Michelle is recognized as the oldest winery in Washington state.

The Father of Washington Wine

Walter Clore Photo Credit cahnrs.webteam WSU

In the 1930’s while William Bridgman was busy in the vineyards of Sunnyside, 1934 introduced a young man by the name of Walter Clore who arrived in Pullman, WA after accepting a horticultural fellowship at Washington State College (now Washington State University-WSU). Clore, who had a bachelors degree in horticulture from Oklahoma State University, utilized his time at the College’s agricultural research center to pursue his love of flowers and fruits. Three years later, Clore took a job at the fairly new WSU Irrigation Agriculture Research Extension Center in Prosser. On roughly 200 acres of unproductive land an irrigation system and a collection of experimental fields gave Clore and his fellow scientists the space needed to start working on anything that might grow with irrigation in Central Washington. This research included various vegetables and small fruits, including grapes.

It was during this time that Clore took an interest in wine grapes as a potential crop for Central Washington and Bridgman gave Clore his first grape cuttings. In Washington Wine history this marked the official passing of the wine grape torch from Bridgman to Clore and the start of Clore’s deeper research into wine grapes that would best suit the climate in Washington State. Clore’s vision for the potential of growing premium vinifera grapes and producing fine wines in Washington led to field studies of various varieties at different locations around the state. Also credited as being the leading force in vineyard transformation, Clore was instrumental in every aspect of viticulture to include trellising, pruning, determining which grapes specifically had the ability to withstand the cold temperatures in the region and much more. In the years that followed, the Research Extension Center under Clore’s direction, expanded its plantings to include 45 hybrids, 71 Vitis vinifera, and 10 interspecies Vitis hybrid rootstock.

Clore’s methodical research with wine grape growing in Washington state was instrumental in proving that Washington growers could successfully grow Vitis Vinifera for fine wine production and could also compete with California who was gaining traction in the global wine market. At the time though, with the exception of a few home wine-makers who dabbled in growing varietal grapes, Washington’s Concord grape industry still dominated the grape growing scene.

As Clore continued to be a champion for a stronger winemaking industry in Washington, the 1950’s saw an increase in plantings of Vitis vinifera because of Clore’s work. By the 1960’s there was an increase in “hobby winemakers” who took higher quality European vitis vinifera varietals and began experimenting more seriously with them, soon, more vineyards were sprouting up next to orchards and hop farms, especially in the valleys of Eastern Washington. In 1962, University of Washington professor Lloyd Woodburne led a group of home winemakers to create Associated Vintners, the first Washington winery to work solely with vinifera grapes.

The key year in the history of Washington Wine was 1969, before then any hope of propelling the Washington Wine industry was hindered by protective laws that acted as deterrents to varietal grape growers and fine wine makers. This changed in 1969, when a pair of legislative hearings were held in Seattle and Yakima to determine if the state’s protectionism wine laws should be repealed. Important testimony was heard by the Legislators from two scientists, horticulturist Walter Clore and food scientist Chas Nagel. Despite intense lobbying from the California wine industry, the Washington legislature did change the laws that had hindered widespread growing of fine vinefera grapes and the production of fine wines.

Washington residents finally began to have access to better quality wines at fair prices when the House Bill 100 passed and became law as the state was suddenly flooded with wines from California. With the new inflex of wines from California many Washington wineries went out of business. When the bill passed Washington had only 12 wineries and Napa Valley in comparison had 16. The recovery of the Washington Wine industry took a few years, but to some the change in the laws was seen as a blessing and soon Washington Wines found there place in the wine world.

The 1970’s were a time of re-emergence for Washington Wineries with Associated Vintners (which later became Columbia Winery) and Ste. Michelle leading the way.

Photo Credit Port of Benton

Although many people contributed to the start up and ultimate success of the Washington Wine Industry, many still attribute much of the ground work that was laid to William Bridgman and Walter Clore, the grandfather and father of Washington Wine. In Prosser, WA the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center opened on May 30, 2014, it was established as a tribute to Dr. Clore as well as an education center for visitors to learn the history of the wine grape growing in Washington.

With the next blog post I will cover how the Washington Wine Industry has evolved since the 1970’s and why Washington holds an important place in the wine world today.

If you are interest in learning even more about Washington Wine History here are some recommended resources.