Harvest has begun in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Amos Rome Vineyards in the Lake Chelan appellation picked Chardonnay from its Block ’98 Estate Vineyard on August 19th. The grapes will be used for sparkling wine.

Co-owner Briana Clark said that this was the earliest Amos Rome has picked fruit. The winery’s previous earliest start to harvest was August 23rd in 2021.

Tirriddis also picked Chardonnay for sparkling wine August 19th. The fruit comes from a high elevation vineyard in the Yakima Valley.

Meanwhile Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain appellation picked old vine Sauvignon Blanc on August 20th. Others said that they were planning to start picking grapes for sparkling wine or still white wines on Monday August 25th or shortly thereafter.

The start of harvest corresponds exactly to the average date since 2013. Both the average and the median start date have been August 19th. (See growing season markers for the Columbia Valley since 2013.)

Overall, the 2025 growing season has been near ideal to date. Growing Degree Days, a measure of heat accumulation, are just slightly above the long-term average. Years with “average” conditions in the Columbia Valley often yield exceptional results.

Of course, the quality of wines in the region is as much dictated by how the growing season finishes as anything that comes before that. That part of the story will be written in September and October.

Image courtesy of Amos Rome Vineyards.

NB: There will be a brief station break. Articles will resume September 3rd, after the holiday. 

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