Blog Post
Washington Wine Month
Kerry Shiels • Mar 26, 2019
Because Washington is the most exciting place for winemaking right now.
It is exciting that in March, people celebrate Washington Wines! When my parents planted DuBrul Vineyard in 1992, it was at the beginning of the explosive growth of vineyards in the state. When they started the winery in 2001, it was the same. Soon after, wineries were popping up at a rate of two per week! It makes some sense then, that when I started representing the wines on the East Coast I was often asked what side of the Potomac our grapes grow on.
It’s amazing how far we as an industry have come, and so quickly. Like all things, starting well helps. Walter Clore’s work with varieties and clones means we started with good plant material for the region. In 1982, the legislature earmarked a bottle tax for research money. This commitment to research has enable seminal work in areas like water management, grapevine physiology, pest and disease control, phenolic extraction during fermentation, microbiology, and more. Today, the WSU Wine Science Center houses the viticulture and enology program to train the next generation of grape growers, winemakers, and scientists.
All the research can only help optimize the potential, and in this, we are truly blessed. Eastern Washington, specifically the Yakima Valley, is an incredible place
for wine grapes. Rocky soils and low precipitation create small berries and small clusters for intense fruit, dry air is great for disease control and sustainable farming, southern slopes give optimal exposure, and northerly latitude makes for long warm days with cool nights for balanced ripeness.
The people bring the pioneering spirit of the American West. In the Yakima Valley alone, over 40 grape varieties are grown. The diversity of grapes is just one example of the staggering range of wine styles, philosophies, and growing conditions that happily coexist here. Really, where else can you find world class Riesling and Cabernet in the same region, let alone the same vineyard? DuBrul really is a special place, with all the microclimates, aspects, and elevations.
Add the all together and you get a dynamic, innovative wine growing region that is making great wines now, with potential to get even better. That’s worth raising a glass of Washington wine to.
Even with great weather, there is variation and variability in any vineyard. One of the big sources of variability we see in the Yakima Valley is due to our large difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. These dramatic temperature swings are so important for grape quality, but they do mean that we have to manage the microclimates within the different parts of the vine.
Consistency in the Vineyard helps create wines you can count on
It's incredible to think about now, but the beginnings of DuBrul Vineyard are not far removed from the beginnings of the modern Washington Wine Industry.
