Stats and Facts

Economic Impact of Washington's Agricultural Sector Nov 2010

The Economic Impact of Washington State Wine and Grape Apr 2012

USDA GRAPE REPORTS

USDA GRAPE STATS

WINERY SURVEY REPORT: The very first survey of its kind, this report, also sponsored by WWIF and compiled by the USDA-NASS, provides wine production data covering 2006.

VINEYARD ACREAGE REPORT:  The Washington Wine Industry Foundation sponsored this report, compiled by the USDA-NASS for the 2006 crop year, with funds from a partnership grant awarded to WWIF by the USDA-RMA.

TONNAGE DATA
Historical Tonnage and Bearing Acres with Average 1997 - 2006
View the PDF file of WAWGG tonnage and bearing acres with average, dating back to 1997.  Listed by varietal.                     

WASHINGTON AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS BULLETINS
To save the costs of printing and mailing, the Washington Agricultural Statistics Service is making their bulletins available online at http://www.nass.usda.gov/wa/.

WASHINGTON STATE FACTS:
Information courtesy of the Washington Wine Commission               

Did you know:

1 grape cluster = 1 glass
75 grapes = 1 cluster
4 clusters = 1 bottle
40 clusters = 1 vine
1 vine = 10 bottles
1200 clusters = 1 barrel
1 barrel = 60 gallons
60 gallons = 25 cases
30 vines = 1 barrel
400 vines = 1 acre
1 acre = 5 tons
5 tons = 332 cases


There are almost 400 species of oak trees, although only about 20 are used for making oak barrels. Of these, only 5% are suitable for making high-grade wine barrels. The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years!

 


How big can a wine bottle get?  Capacity (in liters) followed by the number of standard-size bottles contained:

Standard (.75) 1
Magnum (1.5) 2
Jeroboam (3) 4
Rehoboam (4.5) 6
Methuselah (6) 8
Salmanazar (9) 12
Balthazar (12) 16
Nebuchadnezzar (15) 20

 

 

National rank:

2nd largest premium wine producer in the United States

 

Number of wineries:

600+

 

Number of wine grape growers:

350+

 

Appellations:

Ten American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), as recognized and defined by the United States Treasury Department; Alcohol & Tobacco Taxes & Trade Bureau

1. Yakima Valley - 1983
2. Walla Walla Valley - 1984
3. Columbia Valley - 1984

4. Puget Sound - 1995
5. Red Mountain - 2001
6. Columbia Gorge - 2004
7. Horse Heaven Hills - 2005
8. Wahluke Slope - 2006
9. Rattlesnake Hills - 2006
10. Snipes Mountain - 2009

 

Varieties produced: 30+ varietals

 

Leading white varietals:

  1. Riesling
  2. Chardonnay
  3. Sauvignon Blanc
  4. Pinot Gris
  5. Gewurztraminer
  6. Viognier
  7. Chenin Blanc
  8. Semillon

Leading red varietals:

  1. Cabernet Sauvignon
  2. Merlot
  3. Syrah
  4. Cabernet Franc
  5. Malbec
  6. Pinot Noir
  7. Sangiovese
  8. Lemberger

 

Ratio of white to red: 52% white to 48% red

 

Wine Production: 20.073 million gallons*

 

Wine Grape Acreage: 31,000+ acres or 12,545+ hectares

 

Record Harvest: 2008 with 145,000 tons

 

Estimated retail value: Winery Sales = $437.64 million*

Retail and Restaurant Sales = $135.782 million*

Distributor Sales = $37.34 million*

 

Full-time equivalent wine-related jobs: 19,000 in Washington, 29,000 nationwide*

 

Wine-related wages paid: $579 million in Washington, $850 million nationwide*

 

Total economic impact on Washington State: $3 billion*

 

Total economic impact on US Economy: $4.7 billion* 

 

Wine Market Segment: Washington State is focused on the premium wine maket segment (wines sold for $8 and higher).

 

Average hours of summer sunlight: 17.4 hours per day, about 2 hours more than California's prime growing region

 

Annual rainfall: Eight inches (20.32 cm) in Eastern Washington (the major grape growing region) 48 inches (121.92 cm) in Western Washington

 

Wine Grape Acreage Growth:

  • 1993 - 11,100 acres (4,492 hectares)
  • 1997 - 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares)
  • 1999 - 24,000 acres (9,712 hectares)
  • 2002 - 28,000 acres (11,331 hectares)
  • 2003 - 29,000 acres (11,736 hectares)
  • 2004 - 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares)
  • 2005 - 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares)
  • 2006 - 31,000 acres (12,545 hectares)*

 

Winery Growth

  • 1981 - 19 wineries
  • 1996 - 80 wineries
  • 1997 - 101 wineries
  • 1998 - 129 wineries
  • 1999 - 160 wineries
  • 2000 - 163 wineries
  • 2001 - 170 wineries
  • 2002 - 208 wineries
  • 2003 - 240 wineries
  • 2004 - 300 wineries
  • 2005 - 360 wineries
  • 2006 - 460 wineries
  • 2007 - 540 wineries
  • Today - 600+ wineries

 

Wine Production Growth

  • 1981 - 2.0 million gallons (7.5 m liters)
  • 1996 - 5.3 million gallons (19.9 m liters)
  • 1997 - 9.6 million gallons (36.3 m liters)
  • 1998 - 10.9 million gallons (41.5 m liters)
  • 1999 - 10.0 million gallons (38.0 m liters)
  • 2000 - 14.0 million gallons (52.7 m liters)
  • 2001 - 15.5 million gallons (58.5 m liters)
  • 2002 - 17.7 million gallons (67.3 m liters)
  • 2003 - 17.3 million gallons (65.5 m liters)
  • 2004 - 16.5 million gallons (62.9 m liters)
  • 2005 - 19.0 million gallons (72.0 m liters)
  • 2006 - 20.0 million gallons (75.8 m liters)

*According to Economic Impact Study performed by MKF Research using 2006 data

 

< Back