Great Northwest Wine
July 26, 2017

After four straight years of record wine grape crops in Washington, growers expect the 2017 vintage to be down by as much as 10 percent.

And early signs of veraison – when grapes start changing color – have started showing up right on time in vineyards, meaning harvest is on track to start in early September.

“Our last estimate is down a bit, though we have plenty of crop out there,” said Kevin Corliss, vice president of vineyards for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

Corliss indicated estimates put this grape crop down by as much as 10 percent over last year’s record harvest of 270,000 tons. As Ste. Michelle Wine Estates uses two out of every three grapes grown in Washington, its estimates have proven to be a good barometer for how the crop will look for the entire state.>>>Read entire article on Great Northwest Wine