As Washington's wine industry trembles, landless young labels and historic old vineyards are strengths the state can lean into. Above, Kelsey Albro Itämeri of itä wines and Fiona Mak of SMAK Wines.
The Washington wine industry has been having a rough go. For decades the state has had its fortunes tightly tied to Chateau Ste Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) – so much so that the US wine industry has often used the adage, ‘As Ste Michelle goes, so goes Washington wine.’ In 2021, SMWE accounted for 57% of Washington wine production. In 2022, that fell to 53%.
Until a few...
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