The following article appeared in Wine Enthusiast on-line April 28, 2020. 

When people think of Washington State, they often think of ever-soggy Seattle. In fact, most of Washington’s winegrowing regions are east of the Cascade Mountain range, in arid and semi-arid desert climates.

The country’s second-largest producer of wine, Washington has 14 federally approved winegrowing regions, or appellations, with six more in review. Each has a distinct topography, soil and climate that produce unique wines.

With warm temperatures during the growing season and a relative lack of rainfall, irrigation is required in most vineyards. However, this gives growers a fine degree of control that has led to consistent quality across vintages.

Here we take you on a tour of some of Washington’s key appellations and wine regions. Also highlighted are upcoming virtual events to learn more about these region’s producers and their wines.

Read the rest of the article here.

Image by Richard Duval.