We all know that California is America’s No. 1 wine-producing state, but it may not be so obvious that the No. 2 position belongs to Washington.
Here’s a look at some of the numbers…
* 165,000 – Number of tons of grapes harvested in 2009.
* 14 – Percent increase from the previous record of 145,000 tons, harvested in 2008.
* 35,000 – Number of tons of Riesling grapes harvested, closely followed by…
* 34,700 – Number of tons of Chardonnay grapes harvested.
* 24 – Percent increase in Chardonnay production over 2008. It could well be that Riesling will lose its production crown in 2010. However, opinions on that subject vary among Washington winegrowers.
* 2,600 – Number of acres of young vines that will come into production within the next two years.
* 28,500 – Number of tons of Cabernet Sauvignon crushed in 2009.
* 205,000 – Number of tons of juice grapes harvested in 2009. Most of those grapes are Concords.
For a complete report on the Washington wine industry’s growth, follow this link: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/881873.html
