Grapes

Already the second-largest producer in the nation, Washington State’s trade in wine and wine grapes is booming: the industry has grown eight percent a year, according to recent data. Thanks to a nearly-ideal nexus of temperature, precipitation and soil quality, that growth faces few impediments. In the mean time, the state has gained a reputation for its vintages: High quality, wide variety, and all at an affordable price.

Section:Gallery

Sat., Dec. 2, 2017

Bunches of cabernet sauvignon grapes hang on an old-growth vine, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at Bacchus Vineyards north of the Tri-Cities.

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Greg Lipsker, of Barrister Winery, bites into a cabernet franc grape as he tests for sugar levels, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in the Bacchus Vineyard near the Tri-Cities. D

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Greg Lipsker, of Barrister Winery, tests his cabernet sauvignon grapes for sugar levels with a portable brix refractometer, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in the Bacchus Vineyard north of the Tri-Cities.

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Rows of grapes grow in the Bacchus Vineyard along the Columbia River across from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

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Greg Lipsker, of Barrister Winery, tests a cabernet franc grape for sugar levels with a portable brix refractometer, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in the Bacchus Vineyard near the Tri-Cities.

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Petit Verdot grapes for Barrister Winery at Dionysuys Vineyards grow on the vines, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, near the Tri-Cities.

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Dionysus Vineyards is located across the Columbia River from the Columbia Generation Station and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

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A worker trims away unusable bunches of petit verdot grapes, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in the Dionysus Vineyard north of the Tri-Cities.

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Bins of petit verdot grapes are readied for shipping, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at Sagemoor Vineyard north of the Tri-Cities.

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A wasp lands on a bin of petit verdot grapes, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at Sagemoor Vineyards.

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Lacey Lybeck is the vineyard manager at Sagemoor Vineyards near Pasco, Wash.

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Volunteer Chris Berg tosses away a bunch tempranillo grapes during a crush Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Barrister Winery in Spokane, Wash.

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Volunteers crush syrah grapes for Barrister Winery as a BNSF train rolls past Railroad Avenue, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, in Spokane, Wash.

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A skateboarder rolls down Railroad Alley as volunteers Chris Verg, bottom left, Roland Lamarche, bottom right, Don Franklin, top left, and Craig Flynn handle tempranillo grapes during a crush at Barrister Winery, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Spokane, Wash.

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Tempranillo grapes and juice rain down during a crush, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.

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A train rolls along Railroad Avenue as volunteers Don Franklin, left, and Craig Flynn, handle tempranillo grapes during a crush at Barrister Winery, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Spokane, Wash. The vibrations from the trains helps stir the wine in the vats.

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Zach Weber, cellars master at Barrister Winery, cleans the crusher destemmer machine, after handling tempranillo grapes, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.

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Tyler Walters, Barrister Winery assistant wine maker, punches or stirs the fermenting grapes, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.

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Grep Lipsker tests tempranillo grapes for their brix, or sugar levels, after a crush, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Barrister Winery in Spokane, Wash.

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Cabernet franc is among the finest offerings at Barrister Winery.

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