The state budget may be squeezed, and the jobless rate still tops 8 percent statewide, but the Washington wine industry is growing at a rate that’s positively intoxicating.Despite the effects of the Great Recession, the industry’s contribution to the economy has increased to $8.6 billion a year, according to a new study from the Washington State Wine Commission, a promotional group financed by wineries and vineyard owners. That’s up from the $3 billion a year counted in a similar study in 2007.
Just a couple of days ago, Gov. Gregoire touted the quality of the state’s wines in comparison to wines from California, the only state that produces more wine than Washington. The occasion was her signing of a construction-projects bill passed by the Legislature this year that includes $5 million for a Wine Science Center in Richland.
To read the full Wine Commission study, click here.
To read this post in Spanish, click here.
