At the height of the season, Washington vineyards burst with color and sheer beauty. Winter? That’s a different story. Vines shut down for a long sleep and color is fleeting and muted. But there is beauty to be found. Resident photographer Richard Duval captured this winterscape of Riesling at rest from Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla.

“Winter is crucial to healthy vines and great grapes,” he noted. “Relying on energy stored through the growing season, vines can weather the cold, which, in fact, helps produce higher quality grapes come the new season.”

Click on the picture to see a larger image. See previous Pic of the Vine images here.