News

From the WWI

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board has announced William (Will) N. Lukela's hiring as agency director. Lukela replaces Rick Garza, who retires in July after 38 years of state service. Garza is leaving after 10 years as director and 25 years overall at the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Lukela’s first day at the Liquor and Cannabis Board will be July 10, 2023.

Read full news release from the WSLCB here.

2023 After Hours Wine Walks & the 2024 Passport to Taste program.

Its that time of the year again to sign-up for wine events.

Please click on the hyperlinks and read over each opportunity. Details for each are outlined inside the sign-up forms. The After Hours wine walks are open to current winery members (from any state). As for the 2024 Passport, this is available to any WA winery in the Greater Woodinville Area that would like to participate. So, please sign up as soon as your winery decides to participate in the event/program.

• 2023 After Hours Wine Walks (sign-up closes on June 27th)

• 2024 Passport to Taste (limited space)

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Cheers,

James

We often get asked about “after-shift” drinks for staff at bars and restaurants. What is an after-shift drink? Is it legal? What are the parameters surrounding it? READ MORE --> HERE

Washington Wine Reports Larger Harvest, High Quality in 2022
Annual wine production report shows 240,000 tons of wine grapes harvested last fall

Washington’s 2022 wine grape harvest was marked by a significant increase in tonnage. The Washington State Wine Commission’s annual Grape Production Report, compiled with information provided by all Washington State wineries and growers, showed 240,000 tons of wine grapes were harvested in 2022, an increase of 34% over the previous year. The vintage produced top-quality grapes. 

“Winemakers and growers alike are thrilled about the quality of the 2022 fruit, with exceptional flavors and high natural acidity,” said Chris Stone, VP of Marketing & Communications, Washington State Wine Commission. “It’s a standout vintage for Washington wine.”

The growing season started with a cold, wet winter, followed by cool weather through bloom. Warmer temperatures arrived late, in mid-June, putting the growing season two weeks or more behind recent years. This led to a late start to harvest. 

“Most growers picked very little fruit in September—a stark contrast compared to the past few years,” Stone recalled. 

Late September and October brought nearly unprecedented warm weather and perfect growing conditions throughout the Columbia Valley, allowing fruit plenty of time to ripen. This, along with the cool start to the season, contributed to bigger berries and clusters, and therefore a heavier crop overall.

“2022 was a bit of a nail-biter through the spring, but luckily we were handed an absolutely gorgeous fall which allowed the fruit to ripen perfectly,” Stone said.

Cabernet Sauvignon remained steady as Washington’s top variety at 67,015 tons and 28% of total production. Chardonnay was second at 39,450 tons or 16% of the total. Both varieties showed significant increases over the prior year, 32% for Cabernet Sauvignon and 54% for Chardonnay. This was due to a combination of both the lighter 2021 harvest and the heavier 2022 crop. Riesling, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris rounded out the top seven varieties, which altogether equated to 88% of the crop. 

White varieties experienced a 50% increase, while red varieties grew by 23%. Several white varieties experienced a significant increase, specifically Pinot Gris which grew by 70% and Sauvignon Blanc which grew by 54%. As a result, red varieties accounted for 57% of total production in 2022, versus 62% in 2021.

Farmers received an average of $1,370 per ton, a decrease of $90 from the previous year. Cabernet Franc received the highest average price per ton at $2,074.

Resources for Media:
•    2022 Washington Wine Grape Production Report
•    2022 Washington Wine Vintage Overview
•    2022 Washington Wine Grape Harvest – Key Stats
•    2022 Harvest Photos, courtesy Richard Duval Images

MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Bradshaw, Washington State Wine Commission
(206) 495-5844 / hbradshaw@washingtonwine.org

Twenty-four wineries will showcase wines at Taste Red Mountain on Saturday, April 22

This spring, Red Mountain wineries and growers will be in Woodinville for the region’s annual Taste Red Mountain event. This grand tasting on April 22 features 24 Red Mountain wineries in a celebration of the renown region, offering an opportunity to meet and taste with winemakers without traveling to Eastern Washington. Tickets are available now on the event website.

Participating wineries include Hedges Family Estate, Klipsun, Col Solare, Fidélitas, and others (the full list can be found below). Red Mountain’s powerful Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and more will be available, alongside hors d'oeuvres by Twelve Baskets Catering. More than 60 wines will be featured from the 24 wineries, highlighting current releases as well as library selections. Red Mountain wines will also be available for purchase.

The Red Mountain AVA is one of the smallest and most densely planted AVAs in Washington. Nestled at the base of Red Mountain, the AVA is bordered to the west by the Yakima River, which provides irrigation and moderates extreme temperatures in the summer and winter. The vineyards are planted on a southwest slope, providing optimal sun exposure needed to ripen the region’s calling cards: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. The first vines were planted here in 1975, the region became an AVA in 2001, and Red Mountain has earned worldwide recognition for its top-tier quality ever since.

The Winemakers Reserve is a beautiful event venue within a winery, with ample space for guests to explore all the wineries in attendance. The venue has ample parking available. Tickets are $100 and are available for purchase now.

Participating Wineries: 

Anelare Winery
Ambassador Wines of Washington
Aquilini Wines
Barnard Griffin Winery
Canvasback Winery
Col Solare
DeLille Cellars
Domaine Magdalena
Eagle Harbor Wine Co.
Elk Haven Winery
Fidélitas
Guardian Cellars
Hedges Family Estate
Klipsun
LIMINAL wines
Mark Ryan Winery
Market Vineyards
Obelisco Estate
Pacific Rim & Company
Page Cellars
Palencia Wine Company
Red Mountain Trails Winery
Tinte Cellars
Upchurch Vineyard

ABOUT RED MOUNTAIN AVA

Red Mountain is a premier winegrowing region in southeast Washington with a storied reputation for world class Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. The region is named after a hill that turns scarlet red with cheatgrass in late spring, and which quietly looms behind the area’s most celebrated vineyards. In addition to several award-winning wineries offering a host of hospitality experiences on Red Mountain itself, Red Mountain wines can be enjoyed across Washington, as the region cultivates the most sought-after fruit in the state for wineries in Walla Walla, Woodinville and beyond. Red Mountain is a destination for collectors of Napa wines, but especially for lovers of powerful red wines. For more information, please visit redmountainava.com.

PR Contact:
Kayt Mathers: kayt@playnicepr.com
Cassondra Bird: cassondra@playnicepr.com

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest and among the largest premium wineries in the U.S., today announced that Shawn Conway has been named Chief Executive Officer. Conway is a seasoned executive with thirty years of experience in leadership roles across several consumer product categories. Most recently he served as the CEO of Peet’s Coffee, and prior to that he spent nearly a decade at SKYY Spirits.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to join this incredible company,” said Conway. “Ste. Michelle has long been one of the most admired and respected wine companies in the world, with a portfolio of iconic and renowned wines. I look forward to working with this very talented and dedicated team to bring an unparalleled wine experience to our existing customers and extend our reach to the next generation of wine lovers.”

“Shawn is a proven leader and the ideal person to help us achieve our strategic vision of sustainable, profitable growth,” said Brian Vos, Ste. Michelle Board Member and retired CEO of The Wine Group.  “We’re confident that under Shawn’s leadership the company will deliver a premium wine experience to even more consumers.”

Conway has held multiple positions in general management, operations, supply chain, and finance in high-growth, premium-branded specialty food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with a major in Finance from Santa Clara University.

Ste. Michelle’s Executive Leadership Team, comprised of Toby Whitmoyer, President, Washington; Amy Prosenjak, President, Oregon; David Bowman, President, California; and Mike Lee, Chief Financial Officer and President, Operations & Supply Chain, will continue in their respective roles and report directly to Conway.

About Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is among the largest and most admired premium wine companies in the U.S. and the pioneering winery of the Pacific Northwest. With a distinguished history that began on December 5, 1933 – when the founder filed the original articles of incorporation at 9:02 a.m. on the very day Prohibition was repealed – Ste. Michelle has always challenged convention and seized opportunity.

Principles rooted deeply in executional excellence and relentless focus drive Ste. Michelle’s passion for producing the highest quality wines, dedication to the consumer and a commitment to our communities.

The Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio features the leading wineries from the world’s most renowned wine regions, including Chateau Ste. Michelle, 14 Hands, Columbia Crest, Col Solare and Spring Valley Vineyard from Washington; A to Z, Erath, and REX HILL from Oregon; Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Patz & Hall from Napa and Sonoma, respectively; Marchesi Antinori of Italy; and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte of France.

For more on the rich history of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and its entire portfolio of premium wineries, please visit www.smwe.com.

Windsor, CA, January 18, 2023 — Vinoshipper, a leader in direct sales and compliance in the wine industry, has released its first annual report providing a unique and comprehensive perspective based on e-commerce transaction data from greater than 2,000 craft alcohol producers across more than 40 states.  

“We are pleased to release this important report that shows strength in direct sales across our industry,” said Vinoshipper CEO Steven Harrison. “The data shows us, that overall sales are trending upwards with a total revenue increase of 5.9%. Given the huge increase in sales seen by craft producers in 2020, this is excellent to see DTC sales continuing to build.” 

The report analyzes wine sales data across U.S. regions, demographics, varietals (including mead and cider) and unit price and quantity. For example, largely due to price increases, gross sales totals rose in California, Oregon, Virginia and Arizona. In California, a price per liter increase of 26.2 percent was large enough to outweigh a 16 percent decline in total liters sold. 

More details include:  

• 2022 reset the bar for price per liter across all products, with all three alcohol types (wine, cider and mead) extending to a three year high.  

• The largest rise in gross cart value per sale was in wine and sparkling, which increased 11.8% to $125.18, driven mainly by an increase in the price per liter. 

• Across the wine and sparkling alcohol type, the $20 - $30 category was the most popular product price category, at 33% of all liters sold, up from 31% in 2021. 

• Baby Boomers and GenXers increased their share of gross sales overall. 

The range of data includes micro to small wine, cider, and mead producers and represents nationwide craft alcohol direct to consumer sales. These are based on actual sales and are not projections or data modeling. 

About the Company
Vinoshipper is an end-to-end compliance, tax, and e-commerce platform that gives wineries, distilleries, and other alcohol producers the ability to sell directly to consumers while navigating the complexities of regulatory compliance and tax collection in real time.  

Read the entire report here.

For more information, please contact pr@vinoshipper.com, or visit www.vinoshipper.com.

Woodinville Wine Country adds Laura Hackenbracht to the team as 2023 gets off to a busy start. Stepping into a newly created role of Administrative Coordinator, Hackenbracht will oversee the management of the organizations scheduling, procedures, and the Woodinville Visitor Center. Along with aiding in the development of new member benefits, providing businesses that are part of the association with additional value.

Laura Hackenbracht grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from Western Washington University. Laura has over ten years of experience working in education organizations in various human resources and operational roles. She prides herself on her accomplishments helping organizations create processes and procedures that are effective, efficient, and customer service focused to better support employees and the community. When not at work, Laura enjoys hiking with her dog, rock climbing with her husband, dance parties with her toddler, and relaxing with a glass of wine or a cocktail. Laura is excited to bring her skills and enthusiasm to the administrative coordinator position with Woodinville Wine Country and contribute to making a positive impact on the region.

"We look forward to brining Laura onboard as her skills are a much needed element to the success of our organization," said executive director, Adam Acampora.

Hackenbracht starts her new role January 9th and can be contacted at Laura@woodinvillewinecountry.com

Woodinville, WA (November 7, 2022) - Woodinville Wine Country (WWC), a destination marketing and trade organization for the wine tourism industry in the greater Woodinville area, has secured a $10,000 Technical Assistance Grant from the State of Washington Tourism. With those funds, WWC will partner with Community Benchmark to launch a new initiative aimed at increasing business growth through coordinated comparison with their peers. Using Community Benchmark's proprietary algorithms, wineries in the WWC will be able to measure the relative success of their tasting rooms and discover new growth opportunities. This initiative is seen as an important step in developing Woodinville Wine Country into a premier wine tourism destination.

“We've been wanting to work with Woodinville wineries for some time. We are incredibly excited to be working with the Woodinville Wine Country to help each member winery and other wine tourism stakeholders be even more responsive to the regional trends.” says Founder, John Keleher. “I personally am excited to be a part of a new era in Woodinville Wine with their new leadership. Combining Woodinville information with what we're already doing in Walla Walla will create a much more complete picture of Washington Wine."

“Deploying Community Benchmark across our region is vital to us understanding the true impact the wine tourism industry has on our state and community.” said Adam Acampora, Executive Director of Woodinville Wine Country. “Having hard data readily available for our wineries and our partners will allow them to make smart decisions in how they grow their operations. While giving WWC the ability to better deploy our marketing resources in attracting new tourists to the region.”

The use of this economic analytic system would not have been possible without funding made available through a new Grant Program created by the State of Washington Tourism. The Technical Assistance grant was designed to subsidize the cost of industry specific expertise for tourism related projects.

“A review committee of industry experts believed research and data from this project would support Woodinville Wine Country in several ways.” said Matt Ozuna, Destination Development Manager with SWT. “It will help assess economic impact, marketing strategy, and competitiveness with wine destinations across the U.S. The Technical Assistance Grant from the SWT will allow Woodinville Wine Country to track and analyze metrics associated with those key objectives.”

In the coming months, WWC will work with its winery members to ensure a critical mass of wineries participate with Community Benchmark to ensure sample success. The initial sign up period kicks off November 10th, 2022.

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About Woodinville Wine Country

Woodinville Wine Country is a 501(c)(6) destination marketing and trade association who represents the growing presence of the Washington state wine industry in the Greater Woodinville area. The association’s mission is to serve our members, by supporting the development and promotion of a world-class wine tourism destination.

About State of Washington Tourism

SWT is a 501(c)(6) organization and serves as the official destination marketing organization for the State of Washington. It has and will continue to work closely with destination organizations, rural communities, tribes, and tourism/hospitality-related small businesses in Washington State. Its mission centers on destination promotion and destination development across the state. SWT procures and administers funds for statewide destination promotion activities, including strategic marketing plans and community-based destination development projects.

About Community Benchmark

Community Benchmark is a privately held company based in Santa Rosa, California. Founded by John Keleher, Community Benchmark uses proprietary algorithms to measure the relative success of tasting rooms and helps wineries discover new growth opportunities. Industry experts, including Wine Business Monthly serve as advisors to Community Benchmark. For more information visit communitybenchmark.com. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

SEATTLE (September 29, 2022) –Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine & food festival, will return March 9-12, 2023. This year’s festival will feature the iconic two-day Grand Tasting on March 11 & 12, featuring over 250 wineries alongside dozens of the state’s best restaurants. Other favorite events will also return, including The New Vintage, Sunday Brunch, and the celebrated Seminar Series calling together some of the nation’s leading wine experts. New this year, the festival welcomes Pacific Standard, a nautically inclined evening on the Piers, and a highly anticipated Dinner Series, bringing wine lovers and winemakers together to enjoy a meal prepared by premier chefs. The Washington State Wine Commission has teamed up with Seattle-based production company SE Productions to bring Taste Washington back for its 24th year after a three-year hiatus. “We’re excited to be working with SE Productions to relaunch our beloved Taste Washington,” said Chris Stone, VP of Marketing and Communications for the Washington State Wine Commission. “Taste Washington is a pinnacle festival for our state, and we can’t wait to see the Washington wine family gathering together in Seattle this March for the best one yet!” Long-time production partner, Visit Seattle, will act as a consultant this first year back to maintain the spirit of the festival. “We are honored to have played a role in the evolution of Taste Washington and are thrilled to pass the baton to the incredible SE Productions team and will be cheering them on as they take the event into its next chapter. Between the passion and vision from the SE team and the unparalleled wine and food offerings of this region – it is sure to be a can’t-miss festival,” says Ali Daniels, Senior Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Seattle. SE Productions is rooted in the culinary industry with established chef relationships through their many food & beverage experiences including their most recent event Field To Table, the first ever dining series on a professional sports field. In addition to the incredible lineup of Washington wines, guests can anticipate an impressive culinary integration for the 2023 festival. “Our team is thrilled to produce this festival alongside the Washington State Wine Commission. Many of our chef partners have shared their enthusiastic support for our new venture with Taste Washington and look forward to creating innovative dishes to showcase alongside the incredible variety of wines that Washington has to offer,” says Sam Minkoff, co-founder of SE Productions. “As a past participant in Taste events, I am incredibly excited to see what this powerful team will do with the organization,” says Chef Kristi Brown of Communion. “I feel that SE Productions’ vision, coupled with the legacy of the Washington State Wine Commission, is a partnership that will know no limits to great success.” Tickets for Taste Washington are expected to launch in early December on the Taste Washington website. Sign up for the Taste Washington newsletter to stay up to date on announcements.