Overview of the Pacific Northwest Grape Industry

Table 3 provides production statistics for Washington juice grapes and for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho wine grapes.

Juice Grapes (Vitis labrusca)

Virtually all of the 22,000 Pacific Northwest juice grape vineyards are located in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys of Washington. In 1994, 181,000 tons of Washington juice grapes were processed. These were 96% Concord (a red variety) and 4% Niagara (a white variety). Washington has been first in the nation in juice grape production since 1977, when it surpassed New York. Washington juice grape vineyards have higher yields, higher sugar-acid ratios, and milder labrusca flavors than vineyards in the other major juice grape-producing states (Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). This makes Washington grapes very attractive to processors. Juice grape acreage has decreased slightly in the past three years, due to the price per ton falling below the cost of production for some growers in 1993 and 1994. Prices improved in 1995 and 1996. Acreage is expected to remain stable.

Wine Grapes (Vitis vinifera)

According to the Washington Wine Commission, which does a wine grape acreage survey every three years, Washington had 12,862 vinifera wine grape acres in 1994. Acreage is increasing rapidly in Washington, as wineries increase in number and expand production, creating a strong demand for more grapes. The total acreage in the state devoted to wine grapes increased 19% from 1991 to 1994.

The Oregon Agricultural Statistics Service, which conducts an annual wine grape acreage survey funded by the Oregon Wine Advisory Board, reported 7,100 total acres of wine grapes in Oregon in 1995, of which 5,600 were bearing acres. This represents an increase of 8% more than 1994.

The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission records wine grape acreage annually. There were 610 acres of wine grapes in Idaho in 1995. This was a decrease of about 200 acres (25%) from the previous year, as vineyards were removed from poorer sites.

White varieties make up 60% of Washington wine grape acreage. The major white variety is Chardonnay (24% of total acreage), followed by White Riesling (17%), Sauvignon Blanc (6%), Chenin Blanc (5%), Semillon (5%), and Gewurtztraminer (2%). Red varieties comprise the remaining 40% of the total acreage. The major red varieties are Merlot (20%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Pinot Noir (2%), Cabernet Franc (1%), Grenache (1%), and Lemberger (1%).

Grape acreage in Oregon consists of 53% white varieties and 47% red varieties. As in Washington, the major white variety is Chardonnay (21%). Trailing Chardonnay in grape acreage are Pinot Gris (12%), White Riesling (10%), Gewurtztraminer (3%), Sauvignon Blanc (2%), Muller Thurgau (1%), Pinot Blanc (1%), and Semillon (1%). The red grape acreage in Oregon is largely Pinot Noir (39%), but Cabernet Sauvignon (4%), Merlot (2%), and Zinfandel (1%) are also important.

Idaho grape acreage consists almost entirely of white varieties. Although no data exist on the exact acreage of each variety, White Riesling, Chardonnay, and Chenin blanc are thought to be the most widely grown. Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Semillon also grow well in Idaho.

Washington supported 85 wineries in 1994, a significant increase from 19 state wineries in 1981. Washington wineries crushed 44,000 tons of grapes in 1994 (13,000 tons of red grapes and 31,000 tons of white grapes), and sold more than six million gallons of wine. Oregon had 101 wineries in 1994, compared with 3 in 1970. Oregon wineries in 1994 crushed 9,537 tons of grapes, more than one-third of which were Pinot Noir, and sold 1.5 million gallons of wine. Idaho, whose first winery, Chateau Ste. Chappelle, was founded in 1976, and whose second winery, Weston Winery, opened in 1981, had 12 wineries in 1994. No data are available on the amount of grapes crushed by Idaho wineries.

Washington contains four approved viticultural areas (ava or appellations) as designed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. An appellation is a delimited grape-growing region with geographical features that set it apart from surrounding areas in terms of historic name, climate, and geographical characteristics. If an appellation is named on a wine label, at least 85% of the grapes in the wine must have been grown within the appellation borders.

The four Washington appellations are Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, and Puget Sound. The Columbia Valley, which includes portions of the Columbia and Snake River drainage systems, encompasses 57% of Washington's total wine grape acreage. The Yakima Valley is much smaller than the Columbia Valley in terms of total land area, but it contains 40% of the state's wine grape acres. The Walla Walla Valley has about 90 acres of wine grapes (less than 1% of the state's total), but many award-winning wines come from this appellation. Puget Sound, which has 33 vineyard acres, includes the islands and land adjoining Puget Sound, and extends into the Cascade foothills. This region's high humidity, rainfall, and frequent cloud cover generally make it unsuitable for vinifera grapes.

Oregon has five appellations. Three are located wholly within Oregon: Willamette Valley, Umpqua Valley, and Rogue Valley. The state shares two other appellations with Washington: Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley. The Willamette Valley, the southern extension of the Puget Sound trough, contains 77% of Oregon's vineyard acreage. The east-west running Umpqua Valley located south of the Willamette Valley contains 7% of Oregon grape acres. The Rogue Valley also has about 7% of the state's vineyard acreage; it is the southernmost and smallest of Oregon's viticulture regions. The Oregon portion of the Columbia Valley appellation extends from Boardman to Hood River and includes a 450-acre vinifera vineyard in Boardman (most Oregon vineyards have fewer than 30 acres). About 8% of Oregon's vineyard acreage is in the Columbia Valley, and less than 1% is in the Oregon portion of the Walla Walla Valley.

Almost all commercial Idaho wine grape acreage is located along the Snake River from Boise to Ontario, Ore., and is especially concentrated in an area called the "Treasure Valley." The climate in this region is very similar to that in the Columbia and Yakima valleys in Washington. Idaho grape production practices, yields, and pest problems are nearly identical to those in Washington.

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