Washington State's Irrigated Wine Grape Industry

Washington State’s Irrigated Wine Grape Industry

Riesling grapes at Bonair Winery in the Yakima Valley.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERNT ROSTAD.

Washington State has become well known as a producer of high-quality, good-value wines. With thousands of acres of wine grapes across the state, predominantly in the irrigated high desert of central and eastern Washington, the wine grape industry is a major player in the state’s agricultural landscape. Much of this is thanks to the state’s irrigation infrastructure. The irrigation districts and Reclamation projects in the Yakima and Columbia River basins play a major role in providing valuable water to Washington’s fertile lands—including its vineyards.

In this interview, Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Winegrowers Association, speaks with Irrigation Leader Editor-in-Chief Kris Polly about the organization and the irrigated agriculture it represents.

Kris Polly: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

Vicky Scharlau: I grew up in Wisconsin on a dairy farm and graduated from the University of Wisconsin (UW) with a degree in agricultural journalism and a minor in agricultural economics. I moved to Washington State, where I had family friends. I started working with the Washington State Department of Agriculture and spent 3½ years there before being hired by the Washington State Apple Commission. I worked there for about 10 years in many capacities and then worked as president of the Washington State Horticultural Association. In fall 1999, after I left that position, a member of the wine grape industry called and asked me what I was doing next. I was starting consulting, and he said, “That’s great, because the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers [now the Washington Winegrowers Association] is looking for a part-time executive director.” That’s where it started. I have served as the organization’s executive director since then.

Kris Polly: Would you give us an overview of the Washington Winegrowers and its history?

Vicky Scharlau: The Washington Winegrowers, which adopted its current name about 3 years ago, was created in the early 1980s, when the Washington wine industry started finding its feet. The association has since grown to about 1,000 members, including vintners and winegrowers. With the changes in the wine industry, many growers now also have wineries, and many wineries also own their own acres. The industry, which was previously more strictly divided into two separate categories, has become homogenous and vertically integrated. Our members also include companies that provide products and services.

Our tagline is “Advancing the Industry,” which we do by assimilating and disseminating complex information that is relevant to the industry, both on the wine grape growing side and on the wine production side. Our goal is to promote the well-being of the industry. We do that through increasing public and political awareness. We operate both in our state capitol, Olympia, and in Washington, DC. We establish connections between different related interests and provide information to governmental agencies, elected officials, and staff.

Maryhill Winery in the Columbia Gorge.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE WINE AND ANDRÉA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY AND SERGEI AKULICH.

Kris Polly: How is the organization funded?

Vicky Scharlau: We are a completely membership-based organization. We also hold industry-focused educational events throughout the year, the biggest of them being our annual convention and trade show.

Kris Polly: Is there a difference between wine grapes and other types of grapes, like table grapes?

Vicky Scharlau: There are really four sectors in the grape industry: wine grapes, juice grapes, table grapes, and raisin grapes. Each of them is grown and handled very differently.

Kris Polly: Would you give us a sense of the scale of wine grape growing in Washington?

Vicky Scharlau: All of Washington State’s wine grape acres could be dropped within the perimeter of California’s Sonoma Valley. We’re not very big compared to California, but wine grape growing is expanding steadily, incrementally, and successfully. We currently have 57,000 acres. Washington State really has the perfect climate for wine grapes. We are known for growing world-class apples, cherries, and other fruits, so it stands to reason that our soil and climate also provide the perfect atmosphere for worldclass wine grapes and wine.

When the fathers of Washington wine started the industry decades ago, they realized that they couldn’t compete at the scale and magnitude of California, so they intentionally positioned Washington State to compete at a higher level of wine quality. Our sweet spot is not at the bottom end of the scale with cheaper wines, but at the premium level. Great quality and good value is the place where Washington State can consistently compete. That’s our niche in the wine trade. Wine connoisseurs recognize that they can get better quality wines at lower costs from Washington State as compared with many other parts of the world.

Kris Polly: Where in the state are wine grapes concentrated?

Wine production in Washington State.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE WINE AND ANDRÉA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY.

Vicky Scharlau: You can find wine grapes all over the state, from the Canadian border in the north to the Oregon border in the south—in fact, we share some of our American Viticultural Areas with Oregon—and from the Olympic Peninsula in the west to the Spokane area in the east. The acres are predominantly found in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys from Yakima down to the Tri-Cities. There are also wine grapes near Walla Walla, up to Mattawa, and into the Chelan Valley. There are little pockets of grapes in largely the same areas where you’ll find tree fruit.

Kris Polly: What makes Washington State such an ideal location for growing wine grapes? Is it soil, climate, or water?

A panoramic view of Silver Lake Winery, located outside of Yakima, Washington.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABHINABA BASU.

Vicky Scharlau: It is all three. We have volcanic soil, winddeposited fine sand, and silt from ice-age flood deposits. Many of Washington’s wine grape growing areas are in the high desert of eastern Washington, which has warm days and cool nights. That is perfect for wine grapes as well as for tree fruit, especially apples. Grapes don’t need a great deal of water, but they have to have it when they need it. The fact that large sections of eastern Washington, as well as some sections of western Washington, are irrigated provides an intentional and purposeful amount of water for the growth of wine grapes.

Kris Polly: How are the grapes irrigated?

Vicky Scharlau: Wine grapes are grown in a number of irrigation districts, including the Columbia Basin Project, the Sunnyside Irrigation District, the Roza Irrigation District, and the Kennewick Irrigation District, as well as in the Walla Walla area, all the way up into the Wenatchee Valley, and in areas beyond, including in Chelan. Most wine grapes are drip irrigated. It’s quite a chore to put in the systems once you’ve planted your grapes. There are a few overhead irrigation circles left, but that is not ideal for wine grapes because it can’t be as precisely regulated as drip irrigation can be.

The method of irrigation depends on the area as well. We’ve put a great deal of research funds and educational initiatives into questions about the best way to irrigate wine grapes when it comes to timing and amount. It depends on the variety of wine grape and what the grower is trying to achieve in terms of flavor profile.

Kris Polly: Is there a yearly cycle for growing and harvesting wine grapes?

Vicky Scharlau: The growing season is from late spring through harvest. Harvest occurs from late August through September and October, depending on fall temperatures.

Kris Polly: What are some of the water conservation measures that winegrowers are employing?

Vicky Scharlau: I think the biggest factor affecting water use and conservation from the educational side is making sure that the industry understands how much water a grapevine needs and when. There are many assumptions growers have been making without research to back them up. Over the past 30–40 years, we’ve learned a great deal. We have been working closely with researchers at Washington State University. Throughout the irrigated West, we work closely with our sister organizations in California and help spread new information from research that is done there. If we can use less water and still keep plants healthy, thriving, and productive, the growers are enthusiastic about doing it.

Kris Polly: What trends do you see in the wine grape industry today?

Horseback riders at Celilo Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE WINE AND ANDRÉA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY AND SERGEI AKULICH.

Vicky Scharlau: The challenge for the wine grape industry and the factor that makes it different from the other specialty crops in the United States is that our growers don’t really grow grapes, they grow wine. We are at the mercy of changes in consumer taste. That depends to some degree on generational shifts. The Baby Boomers are aging out, and as they do, new consumers of wine and wine products are coming in. We have to keep up with a dramatic shift in taste and in wine consumption preferences. When I was growing up, the only alcoholic beverage you could find in a can was beer. Now, you can find everything from malted beverages that resemble hard liquor to wine. Many of our wineries can’t keep up with the demand for wine in cans. Those demands change quickly, and it is difficult to keep up with the trends, because it takes a grapevine years to come into full production. If we find out today that a new variety is becoming hot, it will take at least years to shift production toward it. That is not easy to do, considering that you only get one harvest a year from a grapevine.

The Benson Vineyards Estate Winery, on the shores of Lake Chelan.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE WINE AND ANDRÉA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY AND SERGEI AKULICH.

Kris Polly: What are the most popular varieties right now?

Vicky Scharlau: For Washington State, the big reds are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, and the most popular whites are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Riesling has been considered our most popular grape historically, and we’re still making outstanding Rieslings, but the acres of Riesling have dropped a bit and the market has flattened out.

Kris Polly: What are the irrigation-related challenges that winegrowers in Washington face?

Vicky Scharlau: Just a few years ago, some large wineries were looking to put in more acres, and they were frustrated because if they could find the right land, they couldn’t find water. Our challenge is not only access to land, but also getting water on it. We have become knowledgeable about the best kinds of soil and the best locations in which to grow certain varieties, but those locations also have to be in relatively close proximity to a winery facility, because trucking grapes for hours can damage them. The additional challenge is that we’re not looking for small blocks. To be efficient, a grower needs hundreds, if not thousands, of acres. That new, watered land is very valuable to us.

Kris Polly: What is your vision for the future?

Vicky Scharlau: Consumer trends affect the wines that are produced, which affects demand for grapes, which shifts the structure of the industry, which shifts how we promote and protect the industry. The association has to change along with all those shifts. We aim to become more adept at being a wine state and to improve our abilities to grow wine grapes, educate ourselves with research, and advocate at the state and federal levels. We continue to operate in an environment that is not conducive, healthy, or encouraging for farmers in production agriculture. That is especially true in Washington State. I hope we come to understand that quickly, before we start driving farmers out of the state or into retirement. We have some of the most sought-after land in the West right here in Washington State—just look at the largest Bureau of Reclamation project in the United States, the Columbia Basin Project. If we can’t find an environment that promotes farmers, including wine grape growers, wineries, and vintners, we will lose that advantage. Operating in that environment is a challenge for the association. It is difficult to be nimble and to meet the needs of both large and small growers and vintners, operating with one foot in Olympia and the other foot in Washington, DC. Finding programs that can help our growers and vintners and all specialty crop growers in the West will continue to be important. Additionally, the rapid changes in and the increase in regulation represents an incredible burden. I feel like I’m frequently the bringer of bad news when communicating with the industry. Out of need, we’re becoming more about advocacy and less about education, which is really unfortunate. But together, we must AG-vocate for future generations!

Vicky Scharlau is executive director of the Washington Winegrowers Association. She can be reached at (509) 782-8234.