The History of Washington Wines

Washington's first wine grapes were planted at Fort Vancouver by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1825.  By 1910, wine grapes were growing in most areas of the state, following the path of early settlers.  Initially, it was French, German and Italian immigrants who pioneered the earliest plantings.  Wine historians Ron Irvine and Dr. Walter Clore document in their book, The Wine Project, a continuous and connected effort to cultivate wine grapes beginning with those early plantings at Fort Vancouver.  Hybrid varieties arrived in nurseries in the Puget Sound region as early as 1854 and by 1860, wine grapes were planted in the Walla Walla Valley.

Large-scale irrigation, fueled by runoff from the melting snowcaps of the Cascade Mountains, arrived in eastern Washington in 1903 unlocking the dormant potential of the rich volcanic soils and warm, sunny desert-like climate.  Italian and German varietals were planted in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys and wine grape acreage expanded rapidly in the early part of the 20th century.  In 1910, the first annual Columbia River Valley Grape Carnival was held in Kennewick.  By 1914 important vineyards had sprung up in the Yakima Valley, most notably the vineyards of W.B. Bridgman of Sunnyside.

The arrival of Prohibition in 1920 put a damper on wine grape production, but ironically may have helped spawn early interest in home winemaking.  At the end of Prohibition the first bonded winery in the Northwest was founded on Puget Sound's Stretch Island.  By 1938 there were 42 wineries located throughout the state.

The first commercial-scale plantings began in the 1960's and efforts of the earliest producers, predecessors to today's Columbia Winery and Chateau Ste. Michelle, attracted the attention of wine historian Leon Adams.  Adams in turn introduced pioneering enologist Andre Tchelistcheff to Chateau Ste. Michelle.  It was Tchelistcheff  who helped guide Chateau Ste. Michelle's early efforts and mentored modern winemaking in this state.  The resulting rapid expansion of the industry in the mid 70's is now rivaled by today's breakneck pace, where a new winery opens every couple of weeks.

The trend started by a few home winemakers and visionary farmers has become a respected and influential industry that generates an estimated $700 million in sales annually, with shipments of Washington wine going to all 50 states and more than 40 countries around the globe.  Washington ranks second in the country for premium wine production and more than 29,000 acres are planted to vinifera grapes, producing and expected 97,500 tons in 2001.

Significant developments in Washington State include the formation of the Washington Wine Commission in 1987, a unified marketing and trade association.  In 1999, the Commission established the Washington Wine Quality Alliance (WWQA) to spearhead development of industry standards in winemaking and labeling.  Washington is the first state in the U.S. to define standards for "reserve" wines.

The area available for future plantings is immense.  In the 10.7 million-acre (4.33 million hectares) Columbia Valley 16,000 acres (6475 hectares) are planted to wine grapes.  In the sub-regions, the 640,000 acre (259,008 hectares) Yakima Valley has approximately 11,000+ acres (4,451 hectares) planted to vines; Walla Walla has 180,000 acres (72,846 hectares) approximately 1,200 acres (486 hectares) in wine grapes; and the Puget Sound wine region has 60 planted acres (24 hectares).  Red Mountain, Washington's fifth and newest appellation has approximately 4040 acres (1635 hectares), with 700 acres planted to vines.

Washington's wine future is limitless.  As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally.  New acreage and new varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace.  Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.