Agriculture

Washington Now Boasts More Than 1,000 Wineries

Wine is a $7 billion industry in the state

By Rob Smith October 18, 2019

a lot of wine bottles put in crates for classified to display in a wine retail shop

Wine is a $7 billion industry in the state

Washington now has more than 1,000 active winery licenses, according to the state Liquor and Cannabis Board.

The wine industry contributes more than $7 billion to the state economy and generates $2.4 billion in revenue.

Twenty years ago, there were only 74 wineries in the state and only four American Viticultural Areas, which produced 24,000 acres of wine grapes. Last year, more than 59,000 acres of vineyards across 14 Viticultural Areas produced 260,000 tons of grapes.

A Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region certified by the federal government.

“To think about where we started and where we are today is absolutely thrilling,” says Washington State Wine President Steve Warner, who notes that there were only 20 wineries in the state in the early 1980s.

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