{"id":8879,"date":"2017-11-03T15:02:15","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T19:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdpmag.co\/?p=8879"},"modified":"2025-09-02T13:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T17:24:10","slug":"the-wine-region-of-washington-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/en\/fine-dining\/the-wine-region-of-washington-state\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wine Region of Washington State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have to make a confession right off the bat, I did not know the Washington area very well until last year. I admit to being more of a fan of Oregon, but it’s during my meeting with the people of Columbia State Winery, including oenologist Juan Mu\u00f1oz-Oca. So let’s take a look at this part of the United States with The Wine Regions of Washington State – \u00a0one of the frequent guest invited region of La Grande D\u00e9gustation de Montr\u00e9al<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wine Region of Washington State – History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Doug Marshall of Washington Wines explained to me, it’s been a long time since he made wines in the region. Washington’s first grapes were planted in Fort Vancouver by the Hudson’s Bay Company (no matter how funny it was a Canadian company that started planting in that area) in 1825. In 1910, wine grapes grew in many areas of the state, following the path of early settlers. French, German and Italian immigrants pioneered the first plantations. Hybrid varieties arrived at nurseries in the Puget Sound area in 1854, and in 1860 grapes were planted in the Walla Walla Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large-scale irrigation, fed by runoff from the melting snow of the Cascade Mountains, began in eastern Washington in 1903, unleashing the dormant potential of the land and its arid and sunny climate. Italian and German grapes were planted in the Yakima and Columbia valleys and the area of wine grapes quickly expanded in the early 20th century. The climate of the region adapts better to these varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n