Our American Wine Road Trip continues…
We’re ending our epic road trip in the highly underrated (and somewhat undiscovered) wine region of Washington State. The dry, sunny vineyards irrigated by large, glacial rivers mean Washington can grow just about any variety well.
But their ability to do all things well, and a reluctance to pick a signature grape, has meant they sometimes play second (or third) fiddle to their West Coast neighbors. Although that’s changing of late.
Grapes are BIG business in Washington — literally. You can drive nearly 3 miles and cover just one side of a 2,000-acre vineyard. This “big vineyard” approach means the majority of these growers focus only on viticulture.
The regions’ some 1,300 wineries then buy grapes from these big vineyards. As a result, urban wineries have sprung up throughout Seattle and Woodinville, where they can easily sell directly to in-state consumers. Sadly this can result in poor distribution outside of the state for smaller operations.
Hear what Aquilini Wines has to say about making wine in Washington State! Emily Lester interviews Joshua Maloney, Consulting Winemaker.