Washington Wines

With over 750 wineries and 13 AVA's, the state of Washington is the second largest producer of premium wine in the United States, behind only California.  And at the Spokane Branch of the International Wine & Food Society, we are proud to serve many vintages from the Evergreen State at our events, which make for excellent pairings.

Since the first grapes were planted here by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1825, our wine industry has earned a reputation for both quality and excellence.  In fact, here are some interesting statistics about our phenomenal growth from the Washington State Wine Commission:

• In 1981, Washington produced 2.0 million gallons of wine.  By 2010, that number had shot up to 20.1 million gallons
• Currently, there are over 43,000 acres dedicated to growing wine grapes in the state
• Wine production is at 12 million cases per year
• Over 25,000 jobs are created in our state by the wine industry and nearly 70,000 jobs nationally
• Our wineries have an $8.6 billion dollar impact on the state's economy and a $14.9 billion dollar impact on the national economy annually

Having up to 16 hours of sunlight during the summer months, the state's terroir grows over 80 types of grapes, mostly from the vitis vinifera family with our leading varietals being Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Gris.  In fact, the Spokane Branch has its own wine cellar with over 1000 bottles, many of them highly allocated Washington wines, including multiple vintages of Quilceda Creek (with two 100 point Cabernets), Leonetti, and Cayuse.

So if you've never tried a glass of wine from our state, purchase a bottle and support our local vintners and winemakers!