Why (and where) Washington grows great wine

If you live here, you probably have some inkling that Washington is special in a multitude of ways; unrivaled natural beauty, miles and miles of lush coastline, bustling cities and fertile valleys. Unless you really live under a rock you’re probably also aware that we produce an extensive quantity of wine; second in the union, in fact, after California. But to a visitor (or a newcomer) this may seem odd; after all, the cold, wet and often overcast climate of the state’s most populated regions couldn’t be more different from the arid, sunny slopes of Napa, Rioja, Tuscany and other well-known wine regions. So why (and where) is Washington growing all this great wine?

To answer that we need to go back a cool 14,000 years.

At the end of the last ice age a great lake formed behind an ice dam on the Clark Fork River that flows through much of Western Montana. The lake (now referred to as Lake Missoula) filled with glacial runoff as the climate warmed, swelling and swelling until — cataclysmically — it overwhelmed the ice dam and sent a wall of water rushing down the Clark Fork and into the Columbia River basin, flooding much of Eastern Washington and the Willamette Valley before finally draining through the Columbia River into the Pacific ocean. The water carried with it tons and tons of “glaciofluvial deposits” — rich, fertile topsoil — dispersing a layer of nutrient-rich earth over the eastern side of Washington state. This cycle recurred somewhere between 25 and 60 times; while Native American oral tradition maintained this account for generations, it was only recently accepted by modern academics after being corroborated by the geological record.

But that’s only part one — how Washington got its soil. For part two we’re going to discover why Washington’s eastern climate has far more in common with the Napas and Tuscanys of the world than it does with its western cousin.

Here are a few facts to whet your whistle: while it’s twice the land area of Western Washington, Eastern Washington is only home to one fifth as many people. As you may know, land regions farther from the sea tend toward greater temperature variation from winter to summer; this accounts both for Western WA’s hypertemperate, generally rainy climate (where snow and triple-digit temperatures have both been uncommon until recent years) and Eastern WA’s hot summers and cold, snowy winters. What’s more, Eastern WA is affected by the rain shadow effect of the Cascade mountain range, which separates east from west.

The rain shadow effect causes weather systems to dump all their precipitation on the coastward side of the range (see Twilight for more on this) and creates a dry climate behind the mountains. Thus, irrigation and water rights are a huge factor for Eastern Washington wine growers. However, compared to some crops, Vitis Vinifera grape species don’t require too much water; in fact, a state of near-drought (but, critically, not actual drought) benefits the concentration of the grape flavor and can produce excellent vintages.

Let’s talk about how Vitis Vinifera came to our fair state. It’s generally reported that the first plantings of wine grapes were Cinsault, a red variety native to Languedoc-Rousillon and previously planted with success in the hot-climate French colonies of North Africa. These were planted in the 1860s, and a century later the wineries that would become Washington’s flagships (Columbia and Ste Michelle) were established. Over the course of the next few decades Washington’s wine industry refined itself, rolling with the punches as weather events and wine fads shaped the market over time.

When the American Viticultural Area (AVA) system was established in the 1980s Washington began to refine its wine regions even further, separating out into distinct areas of geographic origin. Today there are 20 AVAs in the state, 19 of which are on the eastern side of the Cascades and the 20th of which comprises the entire Puget Sound region. The largest is the Columbia Valley AVA, which contains most of the other eastern 18 within its borders. Other AVAs you may recognize include Ancient Lakes (the area surrounding the Gorge amphitheater), Lake Chelan and Red Mountain. If you see the name of an AVA on a bottle, you can be assured that 85% or more of the fruit that made that wine was sourced from that unique region.

Today, Washington’s top grape plantings by acreage are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. In general, Washington red wines distinguish themselves from their California cousins with higher acidity and less “jammy,” cooked-fruit flavor, generally trending toward bright, fresh fruit flavors of berry and cherry. Washington winemakers often pride themselves on skill in both new- and old-world styles of winemaking, producing offerings in both camps sometimes within the same vintage.

Compared to other American wine regions, Washington indexes high on small, family-owned winery operations which sell most of their wine directly to consumers (without engaging in the complicated American alcohol distribution system that might put a bottle on the shelf in a grocery store). For this reason, Washington state wineries make most of their money from wine clubs, where a consumer agrees to purchase a certain amount of wine from the winery (usually about a case a year) in exchange for a standing discount, free tastings and other perks. While other regions are noted for one “flagship” varietal (Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Napa Cab, etc), Washington really shines when it comes to red blends, flexing its complex climate and diverse range of biomes and varietals winemakers can choose from.

As you can probably tell, I love Washington — I hope you do to. If you’re planning a trip to this wonderland of wine, reach out and let us help you make the most of your time.

Salut, and enjoy Washington!