The Northwest's Oldest Wine-growing Appellation.

The Northwest's Oldest Wine-growing Appellation.

Susan Allen
Susan Allen
It's Vine to Wine Wednesday on the Fruit Grower Report I'm Susan Allen and today we're featuring the Northwest's oldest wine-growing appellation. Yakima Valley. The official American Viticultural Area (AVA) was designated in 1983. Barbara Glover, Executive Director for Wine Yakima Valley

GLOVER: One of the things we always say is the Yakima Valley really is kind of the backbone of the wine industry because of the concentration of activities that happen here. The vineyards, the production, there's so much that happens over here

About 30% of the states vineyards are located in the Yakima Valley.

Yakima Valley cultivates 17,000 acres of wine grapes, the most of any appellation in Washington State, and the entire Pacific Northwest. Typically Yakima Valley is known for producing over half of Washington's wine production, but some years that number can run higher as Barbara Glover explains:

GLOVER: When you are looking at wine production, tourism, distribution it's responsible for 3,600 jobs in this region and it $151.7 million in labor income just right here in our own region and the industry is generating over a billion dollars in business revenues.

And with over 100 wineries in that region alone just think of the endless opportunities for wine tasting.

That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Susan Allen on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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