Merlot grapes have had a strong presence in Washington State since 1956 when the late Dr. Walter Clore brought cuttings into the state, according to Peter Bos, wine instructor at South Seattle Community College. Clore, considered the grandfather of Washington’s wine industry, included Merlot in the first wine grape trial planted in 1960 at what is now WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser. The French varietal was commercially planted for the first time in the state in 1972 at Sagemoor Farms in Pasco and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Cold Creek Vineyard, with the first commercial Merlot wine […]