KITTITAS COUNTY—Troy Goodreau's love affair with wine started
many years ago. At an age when his peers had other interests, he
was making wine. Goodreau took a wine diploma course when he was
14.
"I was the biggest bootlegger in junior high," Goodreau
jokes.
But the passion has stuck with him over the years. Today he owns
and operates the only licensed winery producing wine in Kittitas
County. It's called Thrall and Dodge Winery, appropriately named
for its location on Dodge Road off of Thrall Road, a few miles
southeast of Ellensburg.
Goodreau says winemaking is both an art and a science. For those
who have a romantic vision of the process, he says it's a lot of
hard work.
The Washington wine industry is growing rapidly and a group of
Kittitas County residents, including Goodreau, want a taste of that
success. Over the past few years, the wine industry has been
emerging in Kittitas County and promoters hope to keep the momentum
going.
The wine industry in Washington, though still in its infancy
compared to France, Italy or even California, is growing
dramatically. As the second largest wine producing state in the
country (second to California), Washington has more than 680
licensed wineries, according to the Washington Wine Commission.
In 2005 that number was only 360 and in 2000 there were only 155
wineries in the state.
"If we're together it creates a synergy and energy in this
valley that will make us a wine destination," Goodreau said.
Kittitas Valley
Goodreau started a group called Kittitas Valley Vintners in 2007
as a means to help promote the wine industry in the county. Members
include other winemakers, vineyard owners and wine-related business
owners from the area. One specific campaign slogan pegs the county
as the gateway to wine country.
"We all understand that we're not known as a wine region,"
Goodreau said, but he hopes that will soon change.
The group is working to get a sign posted on Interstate 90 that
indicates wine country starts in Kittitas County and steers people
off the beaten path to explore the towns and countryside.
The wine brand fits in with the county, Goodreau said, because
grapes are an agricultural crop and tourism is a major aspect of
the wine industry.
"Kittitas Valley has always been a farming community," Goodreau
said. "Winemaking is a farming industry.
"Ellensburg is already a tourist town and wine is a tourist
industry."
He said in proximity to Seattle, this is the closest valley and
if it can be recognized as a wine destination, hotels and
restaurants will be full and the county will see increased
revenue.
Critical mass
Gary Cox echoes Goodreau's enthusiasm to create a wine country
in the county. Cox owns Cox Canyon Vineyards in the canyon along
the Yakima River just south of Ellensburg.
"We now have a critical mass in Ellensburg," Cox said. "There's
now five wineries. That's a critical mass that kind of puts us on
the map."
Cox said people who are heading to Yakima wine country and the
Columbia Basin are coming via Interstate 90.
"This needs to be the gateway," Cox said. "Make Ellensburg a
destination, not a pit stop."
Cox said his aim is to not only introduce wine in the county,
but also show all the recreational opportunities and other
activities available.
"Show them all the different things to do," Cox said. "Fly
fishing, antiquing, mountaineering... I do all these things so I
know what I speak of."
Jobs are another benefit, Cox said.
"Every job we create in the Washington wine industry will never
be exported," Cox said. "The more jobs we create grows our
industry."
The Washington Wine Commission reported that the wine industry
accounted for $3 billion in revenue statewide and $4.7 billion
nationwide in 2006. The commission is in the middle of a new study,
and spokesman Ryan Pennington said he expects those numbers to be
much higher.
Pennington said there's been a significant increase in tourism.
Hundreds of wineries have opened and thousands of acres of grapes
have been planted since the last study.
Education is another important part of the equation, Cox said.
He referenced the World Wine Program at Central Washington
University.
"That has done wonders for filling the gap for wine knowledge,"
Cox said.
What makes us different
World Wine Program coordinator and instructor Amy Mumma said
focusing on being the gateway to wine country is a bad idea.
"Everyone is fighting over that," Mumma said. "I think it's just
a huge mistake."
Why not be a part of wine country, rather than a gateway, she
said, explaining that the term might further portray Ellensburg as
a pit stop.
"Kittitas County is going to have to develop its own identity,"
Mumma said.
Mumma holds academic credentials from France, England and the
United States and knows about the worldwide wine industry.
"I'm actually excited that we're actually starting to see a wine
industry here in Kittitas County," Mumma said.
Mumma suggests the county try to make its mark in the wine
industry in a different way than Yakima.
"We have different soils and climate," Mumma said. "We'll be
growing different flavors... points of difference are
important."
Kittitas County should support Yakima and Yakima should support
Kittitas County, she said.
Tasting wine
Vineyards and wineries aren't the only keys to having a thriving
wine industry. Mumma said tasting rooms such as the newly opened
Brix Elevage Wine Co. and Gard Vintners, as well as retail shops
like Gifts of the Vine and Ellensburg WineWorks, add to a
successful wine region.
Wine tourists have to have access to places that sell local and
world wines. "The Valley Cafe is huge," she said, referring to the
award-winning restaurant's extensive wine list.
"We can't forget Suncadia," Mumma said, referring to the
resort's restaurants and Swiftwater Cellars winery set to open this
fall.
Mumma said one of the challenges to creating a good wine
industry in the county is identity.
"Washington faces an identity crisis," she said. In the store,
"you're faced with this wall of wine," making it hard for people to
pick out a Washington wine.
Ron Cridlebaugh, executive director of the Economic Development
Group of Kittitas County said the tourism draw is a big plus with
the wine industry, which amounts to more money in the local
economy.
"I credit the wine industry with the revitalization of Walla
Walla," Cridlebaugh said.
He said about five to seven wineries must open to have the
critical mass necessary for a wine infrastructure.
"I could see a winery opening up in Roslyn and Cle Elum,"
Cridlebaugh said.
He said he's spoken with two wineries in the last 18 months that
have shown interest in the county. The key, Cridlebaugh said, is to
get them before they go somewhere else.
"I'd love to see us with about 15... and I think we'll get
there," Cridlebaugh said. "It's just good for everybody."
More wine coverage inside Saturday's print
edition:
- Why here? Why is Kittitas County a good
environment for wine grapes?
- The economy: How is the recession affecting
the industry?
- Local business: A look at some new and
existing wine businesses in the area.
