Outlook vineyard seeks federal label

OUTLOOK, Wash. – A central Washington vineyard known for being one of the first in the state to grow European wine grapes is seeking federal recognition as a distinct wine grape-growing region.

Todd Newhouse, manager of Upland Vineyards, has submitted papers to the federal government to create the Snipes Mountain American Viticultural Area. If approved, the area would encompass 4,145 acres between Sunnyside and Granger, southeast of Yakima.

“It’s a pretty unique site, not just for Washington, but for the Yakima Valley,” Newhouse said. “It’s so different, climatewise and soilwise, from what’s around it, that it needs to be designated.”

Snipes Mountain is a 4,700-foot peak that overlooks much of the area. Newhouse contends the area’s special soil helps Upland and four smaller vineyards grow distinct wine worthy of recognition.

Federal approval as a grape-growing region could help Snipes Mountain growers gain a large following, said Ryan Pennington, spokesman for the Washington Wine Commission. He pointed to the attention growers on Red Mountain, near Benton City, received when the area was similarly recognized in 2001.

“It’s still relatively unknown at this point,” Pennington said of Snipes Mountain. “They haven’t really established their calling card, but that’s absolutely not to say they can’t or won’t.”

Washington state has nine distinct wine grape-growing regions that have been recognized by the federal government. The last two, central Washington’s Wahluke Slope and Rattlesnake Hills, were awarded AVA status in 2006.

Upland Vineyards was started in 1917 by Washington wine pioneer William B. Bridgman. His vineyard was one of four in Washington that started producing wine in 1934, shortly after Prohibition ended.

But unlike most other Washington wine producers at the time, Bridgman grew European grape varieties like semillon and pinot noir, according to Ronald Irvine and Walter J. Clore’s 1997 book, “The Wine Project: Washington State’s Winemaking History.”

The Newhouse family took over Upland Vineyards and its related winery in 1972. Today, Upland grows more than 25 grape varieties, including two from Bridgman’s historic European vines. The vineyard has 535 acres in production.

The family has “just been slowly expanding and branching out,” Newhouse said. “This will be one more tool to ensure that we’ll be able to continue on into the next generation.”

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury is accepting public comment on the application through June 27.