Washington’s $350 million wine industry is celebrating the news this week that a wine produced in the state garnered the No. 1 “best wine” award for 2009 in an international competition sponsored by Wine Spectator magazine.
The annual rankings are used to market and sell wines throughout the world, which makes the award a “huge deal,” said Clark County vineyard owner Walt Houser of Bethany Vineyards & Winery in Ridgefield.
“This brings a lot of recognition to the whole state. … It means you can get the best wines in the world in our state,” Houser said. “We’ve known that all along.”
This is the first time a Washington wine has won the magazine’s top ranking, said the Washington State Wine Commission in announcing the award.
The newly released 2005 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve ($27) beat 17,000 wines in blind taste tests to become the top choice. Judging was based on a combination score that considered value, availability, and “excitement,” the commission said.
Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list also included eight other Washington-produced wines, more than in any previous year.
“Being acknowledged as having the wine of the year by Wine Spectator is a great honor,” said Robin Pollard, executive director of the state wine commission in Seattle. “Seeing more Washington wine on the list than ever before also proves this is no one-hit wonder, but that Washington truly stands out among the wine regions of the world.”
According to wine commission research, there are 350 vineyards and 650 wineries operating in Washington, generating more than $3 billion for the state’s economy and employing more than 14,000 people.
California secured 21 spots on the Top 100 list, while global benchmark France landed 17 spots. These results further highlight Washington’s achievement, given its relatively small size with wineyard acreage of just 6 percent of California’s, Pollard said.
Rating process
According to Wine Spectator, the annual list, which debuted in 1988, reflects “significant trends, spotlights successful regions and recognizes outstanding producers.” The top choices were made from among new 2009 wine releases. Of the 17,000 that were tasted, 3,800 wines earned outstanding ratings of 90 points or higher on a 100-point scale, magazine editors said.
Because of this year’s economic downturn that has had a negative impact on global wine sales, especially the market’s higher priced wines, the magazine focused more on value as editors made this year’s choices. The average Top 100 price per bottle was $40, down from the past two years. Quality, however, remained high, with an average score of 93 points for the Top 100, matching the previous three years. Thirteen countries are represented.
Jeremy Brown, who with his wife, Heather, owns Rusty Grape Vineyard in Battle Ground, said the Wine Spectator recognition was overdue.
“Washington has been producing fabulous wines for a long time,” Brown said. “It’s good to be part of the state’s wine industry. This will solidify in the public’s mind that Washington is a great wine-producing state. We should all be able to sell more wine because of this.”
Annual sales of Washington wines throughout the U.S. have already been outpacing overall sales, increasing 9.1 percent this year through August to $346.7 million, compared with a 4.7 percent increase for all U.S. wine sales.
Columbia Crest has vineyards and a winery in the Horse Heaven Hills along the Columbia River near Paterson, east of the Columbia River Gorge. The operation, established 20 years ago, is part of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
