Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/155925
NORTHWEST WATCH SEAN P. SULLIVAN Yakima Valley Renaissance Washington's oldest AVA is finally getting its due his year Yakima Valley celebrates its 30th anniversary as an American Viticultural Area. Since its earliest days, the valley has been the workhorse of the Washington state wine industry. Still, despite being the state's first federally approved grapegrowing region, the valley has struggled to establish a national identity the way Walla Walla Valley has. More recently, however, an increasing number of Washington winemakers have begun turning their attention to Yakima Valley fruit. plantings of morio muscat still produce a crop on Snipes Mountain – it wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that commercial vineyards started to become more widespread. As Associated Vintners (now Columbia Winery), Ste. Michelle Vintners (now Chateau Ste. Michelle) and others increased production, many longtime farmers began planting grapevines to diversify their crops. One of them was Mike Sauer. He started in 1972 planting a small nursery to chasselas and chenin blanc. Unaccustomed to growing Vitis vinifera, he used what knowledge he had. "We treated them like Concords," Sauer recalled. "None of them survived the winter. To this day we have not grown those varieties again." Not discouraged, in 1973 Sauer planted Red Willow Vineyard to cabernet sauvignon. The vineyard has since become one of the crown jewels of the + Yakima Valley's early grapestate's wine industry. growers were challenged by Sauer said that early on, learning how to farm their the focus was simply on vines and identify proper tonnage and Brix. "Winevineyard locations. making was hardly even + Though long the source of considered," he said. "I the majority of wine grapes still have my first contract grown in Washington state, I ever had with Associated recognition for the region Vintners. The parameters has lagged. were 21-24 Brix – this was for cabernet sauvignon. We + Vineyard-designated wines would notify the winery have recently helped about two weeks before increase awareness of we were going to pick the Yakima Valley. grapes. That was how it + The diversity of grapes worked in those days." AT A GLANCE Vineyard designates from top sites, including Red Willow, Boushey and DuBrul (shown), are helping to promote the Yakima Valley name. Yakima Valley has long been Washington's fruit basket with apples, cherries, hops and other crops grown there since the 1800s. While the valley also has a long history of growing wine grapes – 1917 w w w. v w m media.com STEEP LEARNING CURVE Winemaker Wade Wolfe of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser came to WashS e p t - O c t 2 0 13 grown in the valley is leading an increasing number of wineries to source from Yakima. | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 25