Washington Wine is Booming

Filed in archive Vineyards , Wine Making , Wine News , Wineries on June 8, 2006

Washington state's red wine industry has been booming for some time now, and in an area called Red Mountain, more blue prints are being drawn up to make this into a wine and tourism Mecca.

From Herald Net: BENTON CITY - In a tour of Washington wine country, the world's buyers knew the Red Mountain region for its premium red wines. They stood atop the state's smallest winemaking district and drank in the view: acres of vineyards, dotted with homes, wineries - and mounds of brown dirt.

Already home to about a dozen wineries, several more are under construction, including a high-profile partnership between the Northwest's largest wine company and a leading Italian wine family. As many as 40 wineries could be producing wine here in the next decade.

The boom, while welcome, raises concerns about how much development the 4,040-acre Red Mountain appellation can support, prompting industry leaders to begin drafting a plan to limit growth while still allowing potential for restaurants, motels and recreational opportunities.

Red Mountain may be brown now, but it could soon be dollar-bill green for those who buy into the vision for the rural, sagebrush-covered hill.