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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a y - J u n e 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 3 1 As a result, many expect interest in the state to only increase in the coming years. "I think that Wash- ington is on the verge of a giant explosion, positively, a real uptick in interest from a number of people," said Robert Nicholson, a principal at International Wine Associates in Sonoma County, a group of wine industry merger and acquisition advisors. "There's a real opportu- nity from a value standpoint." BRAND WASHINGTON One of the effects for the state's industry is expected to be a great- er awareness and accessibility of Washington wines as more produc- ers with national and international sales and distribution teams enter the marketplace. "With Trinchero's team out on the streets, the visibility of Wash- ington increases significantly," said Charles Smith of Charles & Charles. "The more people who have our wine, the more their interest in Washington grows, which benefits everyone including my other wines from K Vintners and Charles Smith Wines. The more their voices are raised, the better the chance that people will hear us. And it's not as if I'm a quiet kind of guy." For many, the increased inter- est in Washington is validation for decades of work. "You can trum- pet your own horn as much as you want but it's really not valid until other people start trumpeting it," said Scott Williams of Kiona Vine- yards and Winery, Red Mountain's first producer. Williams sees the recent invest- ments as a coming of age for the state. "The industry is growing up," he said. "We've passed the startup phase and we're past the adoles- cent phase. Washington is now rec- ognized as one of the better areas in the world to grow grapes." Baseler sees what is happening in Washington as part of a broader Northwest trend. "You look at the quality of land, the availability of land, access to water, the proven success and track record of produc- ers in the Northwest, and the fact that there is a significantly growing market for Washington and Oregon wines; if you want to really produce a great bottle of wine that is of sufficient value, this is the perfect place," he said. Betz summed up the thoughts of many Washington growers and winemakers by saying simply of the recent changes, "It's our time." Sean P. Sullivan is the founder of Washington Wine Report and a contributing editor for Wine Enthu- siast magazine. He has written for a variety of publications includ- ing Seattle Metropolitan, Edible Seattle, Decanter and Wine Press Northwest. Sullivan lives in Seattle. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. Charles Smith of Charles & Charles pre- dicts that his company's alliance with Trinchero will lead to wider distribution for Washington wines. Vineyard Industry Products Visit us at www.vinbiz.com Complete Line of Vineyard Trellis Supplies • T-Posts • Hwy Stakes • Rebar • Pencil Rod • End Posts • Anchors • Wire • Clips • Crossarms • Grow Tubes and more in stock now! Three locations to serve you: Paso Robles, CA : 800.491.9833 Los Alamos, CA : 805.344.1700 Windsor, CA : 800.544.2210 Everything you need for new installations and daily operations! NORTHWEST WATCH SEAN P. SULLIVAN