Washington wines

Northwest wineries latch onto online Amazon sales

Anna King — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:41:37 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – This holiday season, Northwest winemakers are hoping to expand their customer base with a new sales venue. Seattle’s online shopping giant Amazon.com is now shipping wine.

Tom Hedges is co-founder of Hedges Family Estate on Red Mountain in southeast Washington. He says his family has only been selling wine on Amazon.com for about a week.

NW winemakers: 'Normal' 2012 may make for great vintage

Anna King — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:53:06 +0000

BENTON CITY, Wash. – Northwest winemakers say they’re optimistic that 2012 will turn out to be a great vintage. Many of the region’s red wine grapes are just on the edge of starting to change color and ripen. The timing of this color change is a good indication of the coming harvest’s quality.

Scott Williams is a pretty jovial guy. But get this Red Mountain wine grower in the middle of some color-changing grapes and he’s just giddy.

It’s a hot summer day at his Kiona Vineyard.

Gallo buys Columbia Winery and Covey Run Wine

The Associated Press — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:44:15 +0000

YAKIMA, Wash. — Washington's wine industry is marking a new milestone with word that the world's largest privately-owned winery has bought two longtime Washington brands.

E. & J. Gallo Winery announced the purchase of Columbia Winery and Covey Run Wine from Ascentia Wine Estates on Monday. The price was not disclosed.

Study: Washington wines add billions to state's economy

The Associated Press — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:22:58 +0000

YAKIMA, Wash. — A new study shows the Washington wine industry contributes $8.6 billion to the state's economy and creates nearly 30,000 jobs.

Washington Wine Commission leader to leave

The Associated Press — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:56:38 +0000

SEATTLE — The executive director of the Washington Wine Commission plans to leave her post at the end of the year.

Robin Pollard said in a statement Thursday that she is excited to pursue businesses opportunities of her own after six years with the commission.

Northwest wine makers struggle just to keep sales flat

Anna King — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:23:41 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – Northwest wineries are working harder than ever just to keep sales flat. That's what winery owners and market experts are saying as wine lovers gather this weekend for the Columbia Valley's Catch the Crush event.

"We pay our bills," one winery owner told me. "There’s a lot of extra wine out there," said another.

Washington wine science center moving closer to reality in Tri-Cities

Anna King — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:07:21 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – A Northwest wine science center is moving closer to reality with the promise of money from the industry and private donors. The center would be part of Washington State University located on the Tri-Cities campus.

Plenty of people study wine grapes and wine around the world. But each region is different and has different challenges in growing and producing top rated wine. That's why the Northwest wine industry wants a place to research, teach and learn of its own.

Wine grape growers hoping for blast of warmth before first frost

Anna King — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:56:36 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – Northwest wine grape growers are sure hoping their grapes hurry up. The countdown is on until the first freeze when grapes will lose their leaves and stop ripening. And certain red varietals need more sun-time than others to be ready for the bottle.