What follows is an excerpt from an article published in Washington Tasting Room Magazine. 

Glancing back, last year was certainly one defined by challenges. First there was the pandemic, with wineries scrambling to adjust to a radically changed landscape. Almost overnight, they needed to find new ways to engage their customers and sell wine, changes that were compounded by sharp reductions in restaurant sales and the number of people traveling to wine country. Then after a near ideal growing season, wildfire smoke blanketed the state right in the middle of harvest.

Despite it all, many wineries found creative ways to not only survive 2020 but to thrive. Additionally, while the smoke no doubt added to the stress of the year, most winemakers are cautiously optimistic they dodged serious issues. Harvest numbers reportedly dipped below 200,000 tons for the first time since 2012, due in part to a combination of unrelated factors involving both Mother Nature and market changes.