CASHMERE The Washington Wine Industry Foundation was awarded $128,250 from the Washington State Department of Agricultures Specialty Crop Block Grant program to build a Guide to Sustainable Winery Practices.
Dubbed Winery Wise, the guide is to provide an educational resource to Washington wineries seeking to improve their sustainability.
Winery Wise will be a free and web-based tool with information to help promote sustainability through environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable practices.
Winery Wise was patterned after Vinewise, the successful guide to sustainable viticulture, now operated by the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers and also initiated through grant funds.
A group of volunteer wineries will be identified to measure their changes in energy and water consumption over a year of implementing Winery Wise in Practice.
Data will be compiled and analyzed, providing real life examples of Winery Wise education. Using the information, an outreach plan will provide training opportunities for all Washington wineries.
I am very excited about the opportunity the grant affords us in bringing the Winery Wise guide to full fruition and further propelling Washington State wineries to improved sustainability, says Joy Andersen, Snoqualmie winemaker and Chair of the Winery Wise Steering Committee.
Washington wineries and grape growers represent a high value specialty crop, adding $3 billion to the state economy and $4.7 billion to the U.S. economy annually.
With more than 650 wineries now bonded in Washington State and projections for this number to triple over the next 10 years, Washington wine production provides an opportunity to reduce consumption of water, fuel, electricity, glass and other natural resources through Winery Wise.
Similar stories:
WINE: Commission makes changes to Taste Washington
WINE: Commission makes changes to Taste Washington
SEATTLE — The Washington State Wine Commission and Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau today announced the formation of a new partnership to produce Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event held annually in Seattle.
The Commission will license the event to SCVB, and the Commission will become a presenting sponsor. Beginning immediately, SCVB will assume primary responsibility for producing the event, including sponsorship and vendor arrangements, while the Commission will manage winery participation and other wine-related activities.
“Over 14 years, Taste Washington has grown to become the premier showcase for the Washington State wine industry in the Pacific Northwest,” Kent Waliser, Chairman of the Washington State Wine Commission and general manager for Sagemoor Vineyards said in a news release. “This new partnership will enable Taste Washington to continue to grow into a destination wine and food event on a national level."
Yakima's Vintners Global Resource finds niche selling wine bottles
Yakima's Vintners Global Resource finds niche selling wine bottles
YAKIMA -- The walls of the downtown Yakima offices of Vintners Global Resource are decorated with wine bottles.
Bottles for syrah. Bottles for chardonnay. Bottles for ice wine and champagne.
For founder and president Andy Brassington, these bottles are the foundation of a business that generated $3.3 million in revenue last year.
Wine industry to descend on Kennewick
Wine industry to descend on Kennewick
Wade Wolfe has been in the Washington wine industry a long time, yet he continues to be amazed by its sustained growth.
The owner and winemaker of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser will provide one of the highlights of this week's annual convention of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers when he delivers his "year in review" address to more than 2,000 members of the wine industry.
"Weather will be dominant," he said, referring to 2011's challenging conditions that caused a 20 percent reduction in crop. "We'll talk about what the crop looked like and how the weather impacted it."
WINE: Tickets available for 33rd Tri-Cities Wine Festival
WINE: Tickets available for 33rd Tri-Cities Wine Festival
Tickets for the 33rd Tri-Cities Wine Festival, among the oldest wine events in the Pacific Northwest, are now available.
All events will be Nov. 4-5 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. The Tri-Cities Wine Society stages the festival, which is capped by the Saturday night public tasting of the wines judged in the competition. Results from the professional judging of Northwest wines are announced throughout the evening.
More than 100 wineries and 400 wines are expected to enter in the competition, and most will be poured for the public. It is Washington state's longest-running wine competition. Tickets for the public tasting are $70.
Top 10 Northwest wine stories of 2011
Top 10 Northwest wine stories of 2011
It was a busy and exciting year for Northwest wineries as they battled Mother Nature as well as political and economic winds.
The industry lost some giants to death, and the heads of Washington's and Oregon's industries left their positions. Here are the top wine stories of 2011.
1. Washington voters pass Initiative 1183. In November, voters did away with Washington's state liquor stores by passing the Costco-backed Initiative 1183. Many wineries, wine shops and groceries are still trying to sort out the full effect of the new law, but the bottom line is that Washington's largest wine retailer -- liquor stores -- are going away.
Print
Email Story
