Yakima Valley AVA

Change comes to all of us, looked for or not. When you're talking 26 years, change comes from a number of directions. For Martin Olsen of Olsen Estates, three major changes stand out. His family has been farming for 100 years in the Valley. In 2006, they broke ground for their own winery and opened a tasting room in 2007. "It was a big change to go into the wine business," says Martin. "We had always been on the production side of agriculture. Our job stopped after harvest. Now it continues as we produce our own wine."

Another change for Martin is the familiarity people have with the geographic area. "When I attended the University of Washington and said I was from Prosser, no one knew where it was. If I said ‘eastern Washington,' they'd say ‘oh, Spokane.' Now the region has gone from an agricultural community to a tourist destination. There's a lot of development in the Valley now."

The third change he sees is the amount of production, based on the amount of education growers have gained. "We've learned a lot about wine growing in this region. We don't just buy land and plant any varietal. Site selection is so important. We prepare the ground for the right varietal. There wasn't this knowledge in the early days and we made mistakes on vine site selection. We've grown up as a region and are being smart about what we're doing. We have to if we're to compete in the world market."

Dick Boushey of Boushey Farms grew up in Sumner and moved to the Valley in 1974 to work/manage the orchard his parents bought. Like Martin, he's seen the changes education and experience have brought about. "We grew grapes in some areas we shouldn't have, so now we have that knowledge and have reversed those decisions. For instance, we used to grow Merlot grapes at 700-800 feet. Now we grow at 1200 feet on the ridge of Rattlesnake and Snipes Mountain. Grapes ripen better and survive winters better. We've migrated to leaner, rockier soil. Higher up, we escape the winter/spring frost."

Growers have also diversified. "It's a real strength in the Valley," Boushey says. "We understand where the good sites are to grow grapes and have the workforce and equipment to do it right. I sell to about 25 wineries from small to large. With consistent customers, you can farm to the style of wine they want."

One of the biggest changes that Dick sees is the level of sophistication and confidence in growers and winemakers. "It all started with Dr. Walter Clore. He was a one-man show. He wrote our bible—10 years of grape variety responses and winemaking trials. Our quality and skill levels have grown. The Washington State University Research Center has been a huge resource of knowledge for growers. There scientific approach is exactly what we need. For example, in the area of irrigation practices we have learned that we can get by with almost half the water we used to use. Quality is up 100 times. We have learned, from research, that with proper canopy management, we raise better grapes, have less disease and less pest problems. Research has helped us adapt to the unique growing conditions of Washington state. They've really kept us competitive. I don't know where we'd be without them."

Another change took place when people moved away from the early days of making fortified wines. "When things changed, trained enologists and viticulturists came in—Kay Simon, Clay Mackey, Wade Wolfe, Stan Clark, David Lake, Robert Griffin, Brian Carter. We took a leap at that point. We suddenly had some expertise; we were all self-taught and these people had studied. Our quality jumped."

Kay Simon of Chinook Wines agrees with Dick on the increase of sophistication due to the assistance of the WSU Research Center. "It is staffed by a stellar group of researchers," she says. "We didn't have that in the beginning. Wade Wolfe, Clay and I were working off what we had studied and experienced, whereas now there are research centers. Viticulture in Washington is not identical to California. We had so much to learn. We're more sophisticated now because of the natural learning curve as well as the technological advances—we have more tools and information."

Kay also feels the difference in the number of people making wine in the Valley. "Twenty-five years ago, we knew every single winemaker and grower in the state by name. Now when I'm in Seattle, I see new brands I know nothing about. Brands! Someone has created a winery, grown grapes and produced wine and I've never even heard of them. Besides the increase in numbers of people making wine, they also go to the Research Center for assistance and advice. In earlier days, winemakers relied on each other."

A trend everyone sees and knows will continue is the increase in tourism. Not just the people who visit, but those who want to get into the grape-growing/winemaking industry. Some wineries are started by individuals who have a love of wine; they often maintain outside jobs. There are also people who want to be in the business of winemaking; they'll buy bulk wine and bottle it. As Kay says, "There's room for both models, but it will change the Valley over time." Dick agrees, saying "Lots of people from other areas are coming into the Valley. Many come from different industries and they have a different perspective than the old timers."

Growers and winemakers in the Yakima Valley have dealt with change in a very positive fashion. Lessons learned have been incorporated into daily life, and they've maintained the personal relationships that make it a wonderful place to live and work. The first 25 years for the AVA have been pretty impressive. It will be great fun to see what comes next.

Connie Adams/March 2009