Washington Wine Sales Shoot Up At Rate 10 Times National Average

Sales of Washington wine increased at a rate more than 10 times the national average over the past year, with a double-digit sales increase - 11 percent - for the third consecutive year.

“We’re making good wine,” said Simon Siegl, executive director for the Washington Wine Commission. “Consumers are finally figuring it out.”

Washington wineries sold 6.9 million gallons of wine during the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to statistics compiled by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

In comparison, California, the nation’s largest of 44 wine-producing states, sold 317 million gallons of wine last year, a 5 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Wine Institute in San Francisco.

Washington wines far outshone the national average for wine sales, which increased just 0.9 percent during 1994.