Despite that early season frost was saw last year in late September and early October, it appears the 2019 Washington wine grape harvest was a good one. Washington state Wine Commission President Steve Warner said that early chill cost some growers volume, but it looks like the quality will be outstanding.


“For the most part, maybe smaller wineries or wineries that pick at lower yields got their fruit in. It was the higher yields that that were still hanging when we got hit by the mid-October frost. So, for the most part, the quality is there. We just didn’t have the tonnage. As you know, this is agriculture, so we never know what Mother Nature’s going to throw at us, but I think overall the quality is going to be outstanding.”


Warner added in many ways, the grape harvest has been all over the map in recent years, with great harvest numbers reported in 2016, lower numbers in 2017, up again and 2018, and now off in 2019. But he added while the yields have been turbulent, one thing that’s remained constant, the quality of Washington grapes.


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