—story by Ross Courtney
—photo by TJ Mullinax
Washington wine industry leaders painted a picture of a state rightsizing on Feb. 11, Day 2 of the Washington Winegrowers Association’s annual WineVit growers conference in Kennewick, Washington.
“What you’re seeing is sort of our industry correcting itself here in Washington state,” said Kristina Kelley, executive director of the Washington State Wine Commission.
The state crushed 150,000 tons of wine grapes in 2024, down from 159,000 the previous year, Kelley said, citing preliminary crush report data. That puts the state on par with 2008 and 2009.
Meanwhile, the state has 50,000 acres of wine grapes, down from about 60,000 a year ago, Kelley said.
Kelley told growers that contraction of volume and acreage in Washington parallels the same trends in California, France and other wine production regions. Meanwhile, wine, beer and spirits all have seen consumption decreases, she said.
Also, the alcohol industry at large is under advocacy pressure, sometimes called “New Prohibition” or “Neo-Prohibition,” said Marty Clubb, owner and managing winemaker of L’Ecole No. 41 in Walla Walla. The U.S. Surgeon General has called for cancer warning labels on alcohol, while some Washington state lawmakers are trying to reduce the drunk-driving blood alcohol content level from .08 percent to .05 percent.
Wine organizations are pushing back on both of those issues, said Clubb, a longtime board member of WineAmerica and the Washington Wine Institute, arguing the lower drunk-driving limit will put a dent in moderate drinking.
It was not all gloom for the industry still finding its way in the wake of drastic cuts by its largest producers over the past two years. The five-speaker line up for the State of the Industry session highlighted a few bright spots.
For one thing, consumption of Washington wine is still falling, but the drop is slowing down, Kelley said. It decreased by 6 percent in 2024 after double-digit drops in 2022 and in 2023.
Meanwhile, sales of wine in the price range of $15 to $25 per bottle were strong through September, speakers said, while the average direct-to-consumer bottle price was over $40.
Aromatic whites are seeing growth, as well.
“Washington needs to capitalize on that and market aromatic whites as something the state does exceptionally well,” said Ryan Hill, director of education and promotion for Evergreen Family Wines.
“California cannot sniff our aromatics; I think we can all agree on that,” said Hill, who considers his job as promoting the entire state, not just his winery.
The state’s warm days and cool nights give aromatic white grapes — Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris — a unique balance of sugars and acids that California can’t mimic, Hill said.
Hill also advocates for the state boosting promotions of “sub-appellations,” zeroing in on the differences between the 21 American Viticultural Areas within the greater Columbia Valley. •
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