Washington State Wine Commission: Washington hits 1,000 winery licenses with room to grow

The Washington wine industry has surged in recent years. As one of the state’s top agricultural products, which draws tourists and local enthusiasts alike, an industry that started as a small part of the state’s economy has propelled itself into the second largest producer of wine in the United States.

With the explosive growth of the industry in recent years, Washington has consistently and steadily pushed forward in numerous categories: licensed wineries, acres under vine, tons of grapes crushed, diversity of grapes grown and economic impact. As the Washington wine industry launches into this new decade with the momentum of the past two, the opportunity for innovation and growth is greater than ever.

In the past year, Washington surpassed 1,000 active winery licenses. According to the most recent report from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, there are 1,014 active winery licenses in the state. What makes this more impressive is that this growth has largely occurred in the past 20 years: in 2000, there were 74 wineries, equating a 1,370% increase to today.

Between 2005 and 2018 one new winery on average opened per week. The grape-growing side of the industry has expanded as well. The number of acres under vine more than doubled from approximately 28,000 in 2002 to over 59,000 acres in 2019, and the tons of grapes crushed saw a 7% compound annual growth rate between 1996 and 2018. Furthermore, this boom only represents a fraction of what could be planted in the state.

A handful of new applications for American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Washington have being perpared, further segmenting the winegrowing regions of the state into more specific geographic and climatic areas. To add to 14 existing AVAs, seven new regions are in the process of perfection, a significant step in the approval process overseen by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

The creation of the new AVA’s will open the door for additional plantings, as well as create more specific designations within current AVAs. Washington has proved itself as an ideal region for grape growing, with substantial room for expansion in acreage planted. Experts in Washington’s agriculture industry estimate a total of 200,000 potential acres could be planted in wine grapes in our state, meaning that even with the doubling of acreage under vine in the past 20 years, the state is only about a quarter of the way planted. This agricultural elbow room creates an environment that fosters experimentalism and a trailblazing spirit — traits that have marked the Washington wine industry from its inception.

With over 70 grape varieties planted in the state, wineries are not hemmed into one making one variety or style of wine. The Washington wine industry is in the unique position of being established enough in the wine world to be recognized for producing high-quality wines at a significant scale, and young enough to be free to branch out and experiment with new varieties and winemaking techniques.

Many of the founders and pioneers of the industry are also still active in the industry, continuing to make wine or consulting with the next generation of producers. Winemakers here employ experimentalism and a maverick mentality that pushes boundaries and constantly asks the question, ‘What wines can we make here?’ while building on the foundation of a shared history and tradition of world-class wines. As new vineyards come online and new players enter the stage, Washington’s sense of what it does well will only continue to expand. Wine in Washington is gaining steam—and we’re just getting started.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Washington State Wine Commission: Washington hits 1,000 winery licenses with room to grow."