Washington State University builds wine science center on Tri-Cities campus

Washington State University’s wine science program now has an outpost in Richland. The Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center features laboratories and classrooms, a teaching winery and two-acre vineyard, greenhouses, a Washington wine library, and an event space with a large atrium. Researchers and wine experts regard the facility as state-of-the-art. Named after the state’s largest winery, the Wine Science Center is the newest addition to the WSU Tri-Cities campus. Students and researchers in the viticulture and enology program, which has about 100 students, will begin working there in August. Students working on their bachelor’s and masters degrees will be able to complete all of their coursework at the Tri-Cities campus. The $23 million project was paid for with about $5 million from the state, $7.4 million from the Washington State Wine Commission, and a $2 million federal grant. Ste. Michelle gave the remaining $500,000 needed to complete the Wine Science Center, which is built on land donated by the Port of Benton in Richland. Over the past several years, the winery also has supported research in the viticulture program and raised more than $40,000 each year in student scholarships. The Wine Science Center was designed and constructed by several Spokane companies, including ALSC Architects, Lydig Construction, DCI Engineers and MW Consulting Engineers. The center is expected to provide a major boost for Washington’s wine industry, which is touted as one of the largest in the country.