The Grapevine
Washington's first wine grapes were planted at Fort Vancouver by the Hudson's
Bay Company in 1825. Following the path by early Italian settlers, Walla
Walla had wine grapes growing by 1860, modern production began in the
1960s. American Viticultural Areas AVAs are designated by the U.S. Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau.
In Oregon grapes were first planted in the 1950's, modern production began in 1965. The Willamette Valley
is the State's major wine/grape producing region. Oregon has 15 AVAs that
include 17,400 vineyard acres.
There are over 400 wineries, mostly small family owned operations. Oregon is proud of its Pinot Noir other major grapes
are Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Idaho's first AVA was granted in 2007 in the Snake
River Ava. and as of August 2008 listed 32 wineries and 1,800 acres
of vineyards, the majority being in the Snake River area. The major grapes
are Reisling, Syrah, Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties.
Zillah, WA named after the daughter of the town founder, is 18 miles south of Yakima at the north end of the Yakima Valley.
Long a 'bread-basket' for a variety of agricultural products, Yakima Valley has been recognized as a producer of high-value wine
grapes and in turn, award winning wines.
Hinzerling Winery is the Yakima Valley of Washington State's oldest family-owned and operated winery.
Established in 1976 by the Wallace family, the winery specializes in small lots of high quality, hand-crafted, table and dessert
wines from both red and white grapes. Located in the center of Prosser
Wine Goes with the Good Things in Life
The LIVE program was originally formed by a small group of Oregon wine-grape growers
who wanted to establish a process of certifying vineyards that comply with a specific set of sustainable production practices.
The benefits of LIVE certification are that it helps growers reduce costs by improving efficiency. It also gives recognition to
growers who use sustainable production practices, and like the Salmon-Safe program, LIVE certification offers a marketing
opportunity for growers to showcase their committment to sustainable farming.
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