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SUMMER tour W ine Yakima Valley will host a summer tour on July 27 for the general public. The tour will visit: Kestrel View Estates, home to some of the state's oldest Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec vineyards; DuBrul Vineyard, one of the region's highly acclaimed vineyards; and Kiona Vineyards, planted by pioneer John Williams in what would become Red Mountain, a sub-appellation of Yakima Valley. For information about purchasing tickets, go on-line to wineyakimavalley.org. the state's wine industry, said Dr. Wade Wolfe, co-owner of Thurston Wolfe Winery. When wine writers and tourists wanted to visit wineries and see grape growing, "this was the place to come," he said. But as the industry matured and other growing regions developed, there was more to talk about, more places to visit, and more wine to taste. "In a way, Yakima Valley got forgotten about and lost," he said during an exclusive interview with Good Fruit Grower. Wolfe joined Washington State's wine industry in 1978, and was vineyard operations director at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery and general manager at Hogue Cellars before pursuing full-time winemaking in 2004 at Thurston Wolfe, the winery he and his wife, Becky, launched in 1987. Wolfe has been active in statewide winery and grower associations as well as grower and winery groups in Yakima Valley. Getting lost A combination of factors played a part in Yakima Valley losing recognition as a wine area, said Wolfe. For one, Wolfe believes that the voluntary group organized to promote Yakima Valley wines had become complacent in the 1990s. The group was promoting only a few annual wine events and was not actively reaching out to wine writers, trade representatives, or even consumers on the west side of the state, he said. Additionally, some Yakima Valley wineries were not staying as current as possible with winemaking practices, and in the early years, some varieties were planted in the wrong locations. When the popularity of red wines exploded in the 1990s, Washington quickly tried to change from being primarily a producer of white wines. "There was a big expansion into red varieties, and red grapes were planted everywhere," he said. "To be honest, a lot of mistakes were made in where varieties were planted, and there were some quality issues throughout the state." Some sites were too cool, others too hot, and overproduction in terms of yield was common. "The result was that Yakima Valley was getting a reputation that its white wines were okay but reds, not so good," Wolfe noted. Less talked about, he said, has been the impact of clean planting material on wine quality. When Washington's first major grape expansion began in the 1970s and 1980s, plant material was imported from California nurseries because that was the only source for certified, virus-free plant stock. Clean plants In the 1990s, grapevine leafroll disease was observed in many vineyards throughout Washington, with heavy concentration of the disease in Yakima Valley, according Unmatched Performance, Quality Built and Affordable! Best Technology We have been using Victair Sprayer on our own farm for 40+ years. When I went into business for myself, the Victair was a natural choice. It has exceptional coverage (what else do you buy a sprayer for), it's easy to maintain, and using lower HP tractors saves on fuel costs. While in the commercial application business for 35 years, we have sprayed grapes, almonds, tree fruit, citrus, walnuts, and pecans. This sprayer can handle them all. Because of the small droplet technology (50 micron), we can use less water while maintaining coverage and, therefore, less chemicals—usually 30 to 40 percent less. This is the compact sprayer that can really handle the big jobs. It's the best technology on the market. Larry Meisner, Kerman, California H.F HAUFF . COMPANY INC. ENGINEERING RELIABILITY & PERFORMANCE 2921 Sutherland Park Dr., Yakima, WA 98903 509-248-0318 hfhauff@gmail.com www.goodfruit.com fax 509-248-0914 www.hfhauff.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER June 2013 39