Record harvest in Washington State

Published: 23 July, 2008

A record grape harvest has been reported in Washington State this year.

The crop was up by almost 6% to over 127,000 tonnes, according to new figures from the Washington Wine Commission and the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers.

Robin Pollard, Executive Director of the Washington Wine Commission, said the 2007 harvest had been "stellar".

This was driven by almost perfect weather conditions plus the availability of Washington's wine growers to work collaboratively at peak harvest periods, she added.

Some 14,000 people work full-time in the Washington wine industry.

Ms Pollard added: "Berry size was small, with concentrated fruit flavours. Winemakers and grape growers alike are delighted with the high quality of the fruit, which in future will mean an excellent vintage for Washington wines."

The Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers predicted a record harvest in August this year citing the favourable conditions during bloom and the growing season plus an increase in bearing acreage.

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