US: Washington Wine Builds on Diverse Climates

(Decanter) - A month ago Precept Wine Brands LLC acquired the 174-acre Skyfall vineyard near Benton City, the company’s latest deal in an expansion that promises to take sales to 1 million cases this year. Planted with just 32 acres of vineyard as well as 88 acres of sweet cherries and other fruit, Skyfall will see Precept replant more than 68 acres to grapes. 

Coupled with the acquisition in May of Yamhela, a Pinot Noir vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in Oregon, Precept now boasts approximately 4,200 acres of vineyard across the Northwest.

The purchase was emblematic of winemaking in Washington state, which is distinguished from regions such as neighboring Oregon to the south and British Columbia to the north, where the estate winery model has set the pace.

Washington, by contrast, likes to mix things up. 

By the numbers

WinesVinesDATA lists 676 wineries in Washington state, but just 291 (or 43%) have a vineyard. By contrast, nearly two thirds of the 3,579 wineries listed for California—2,235 (or 62.5%) have their own vineyard. The percentage increases to 72% of the 546 wineries listed in Oregon, and in British Columbia a staggering 192 of the 241 listed wineries (80%) have vineyards.