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Introducing a deep conversation about the 2023 Washington State wine grape harvest. I am excited to delve into the 2023 vintage and discuss many aspects of what it takes to make wines of note. This 15-part series will discuss questions about winemaking, the winery, the grapes, and how they become wine. I will discuss these questions and others with Winemaker Pam Adkins of Adrice Wines, as well as other winemakers in Washington. I invite you to join the discussion with your comments below or on Instagram.  Washington is a special place to grow wine grapes and make wine. We grow over 80 grape varieties planted on over 60,000 acres, in 20 AVAs (American Viticultural Area), with soils and climate different in each AVA. Washington is the 2nd largest wine grape producer in the United States and has over 1,000 wineries. The wine-grape harvest generally begins in late August. Usually, white wine grapes: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Albarino, Roussanne, and Marsanne, to name a few, ripen before the red wine grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, Malbec, Italian varietals, and many others. The 2023 growing season and harvest look ‘normal’ in some of the state’s AVAs and a bit unusual in other places; we will discuss this during the coming weeks. Join the discussion as we look at preparations in the winery, preparations at the vineyards, how the grapes get to the winery, how the magic happens, and grapes turn into wine. I will post weekly beginning August 24 through the end of harvest, a date sometime in mid-November.  Portheus Vineyard, Zillah WA. by Lisa Kolick Farmers and winemakers are busy preparing for the harvest. I will highlight these preparations in my next post.
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