Washington's Bright New Wine

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Preston Wine Cellars, east of the Columbia River, makes a fine Chardonnay, rich, buttery and well balanced. Flowery Traminers and Johannisberg Rieslings are made by Worden's Washington Winery, outside Spokane. Chateau Ste. Michelle's fresh, fruity, late-harvest Riesling, a subtle Sauvignon, and a spicy Fumé Blanc are delightful by any standard; its reds include a consistently good Merlot. Last year the winery won five gold medals in an international competition in Milan.

The state's wine makers still have much to learn about the economies of expansion and the development of a distinctive style. "They just make what the grapes give them," says one critic. Joel Klein, a former wine maker for Chateau Ste. Michelle who is now organizing his own company, explains: "In California and Europe there are some fairly well-recognized guidelines for wine making. Up here we don't really know yet how best to make these wines." Comments Peter Bachman, Chateau Ste. Michelle's head wine maker: "You have to juggle with what nature gives you." Most experts admit they still do not know which vines will grow best in which areas. Says David Lake, 40, wine maker for Associated Vintners and holder of the prestigious European accreditation Master of Wine: "All of us are involved in experimentation. We are totally dependent on the wines to do what they will. The vineyards here are so young and inconsistent."

The climate and topography of Cold Creek, in south-central Washington, seem suitable for red wines, though the state's reds have yet to receive the acclaim earned by its whites. Wade Wolfe, 34, Chateau Ste. Michelle's overseer for vineyard operations, who has a Ph.D. in grape genetics from the University of California at Davis, thinks that this district may be good for Cabernets and Merlots. Says Tchelistcheff: "The reds are just starting to come up. They need more aging, more know-how, more sculpting by the wine maker." Washington needs to attract more such experts, as California has done so successfully; the state has no breeding ground of oenologists comparable to the U.C. Davis campus.

The young industry also requires greater capitalization, for both expanded production and more effective marketing; even in big cities, the wines are still hard to find. The land, the climate and the demand for good wine, however, are there. Within ten years, they vow in the valleys, Yakima and Columbia will be wine-cellar words.

—By Michael Demarest.

Reported by Deborah Peterson/Seattle

With reporting by Deborah Peterson

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