Wine Acreage Keeps Growing Pt 2
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. Growing grapes for Washington's high quality, premium wines has come about with growers taking a sensible tack ...
KEVIN CORLISS ... "You know, Washington with our climate, we really need to focus on quality. We have a relatively cool and short season so we really can't compete when it comes to high quantity wines and grapes. We focus on quality and it's been that way throughout the entire history of our state and that pays off."
Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estate's Vice President of Vineyards, Kevin Corliss says so far, the reds rule ...
KEVIN CORLISS ... "I think red varieties in general are going to continue to be strong. We have gone through an adjustment in volumes in whites and a lot of white varieties have been either re-planted to reds or grafted. Whites are growing as well, but they're not growing quite as fast as red and eventually we're going to start to see the need for additional white varieties."
Corliss says it's a great time to be in the wine business ...
KEVIN CORLISS ... "Grapes work out well into the whole agricultural mix in Eastern Washington and people are continuing to plant them, in new places as well. Places that I haven't seen grapes in my whole career are popping up with new vineyards in them. That's kind of exciting."
Corliss says the Ste. Michelle portfolio is getting better and better as they look forward to the winery's 50th Anniversary this year.
We'll have more on Chateau Ste. Michelle's big 50th celebration and the events planned for it in the weeks ahead.
