Gerardo Cambron, cellar lead for Col Solare winery, sniffs a glass of sparkling Grosgrain Vineyards 2022 Lemberger Blanc de Noir on Feb. 7 during the Grand Tasting at WineVit, the annual convention of wine grape growers, at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington. (Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower)
Gerardo Cambron, cellar lead for Col Solare winery, sniffs a glass of sparkling Grosgrain Vineyards 2022 Lemberger Blanc de Noir on Feb. 7 during the Grand Tasting at WineVit, the annual convention of wine grape growers, at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington. (Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower)

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A full room gathered to kick off WineVit, the annual convention and trade show organized by the Washington Winegrowers Association in Kennewick, Washington, on Feb. 5 for a conversation about welcoming a diverse next generation to the wine industry. The discussion included, from left, Todd Newhouse, Devyani Gupta, Sadie Drury, moderator Lakaya Renfrow at the podium, Ashley Trout, Rosanna Lugo and Victor Palencia. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) WineVit opens with a discussion on diversity in the wine industry

Niche varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Semillon and sparkling Lemberger Blanc de Noir — and the opportunities that could come with them — were on the menu Wednesday during the Grand Tasting event at WineVit, the annual conference of Washington’s grape growing industry in Kennewick, Washington, Feb. 5–7.

Inside the Toyota Center, participants sampled six wines, intended to mark a departure from the state’s traditional Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as a panel of winemakers discussed them.

“To expand your mind,” Tyler Williams, winemaker at Kiona Vineyards and moderator of the panel, said in a follow-up conversation with Good Fruit Grower after the tasting.

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Kristina Kelley, executive director of the Washington State Wine Commission, shares the pillars of the industry’s new five-year strategic plan during a state-of-the-industry session Feb. 6 at WineVit, the annual convention organized by the Washington Winegrowers Association. “Washington wine on every table” is the vision, she said, which means making wine for everybody and every occasion. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) WineVit State of the Industry session looks at national challenges to wine consumption and local opportunities for growth

The panelists discussed unique features of Washington wine, such as low alcohol content, ice wines and blending Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, as the industry looks to pivot away from abundant reds in the wake of cutbacks by the state’s largest winery, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. 

In the nearby Three Rivers Convention Center, the final day of WineVit featured a Spanish-language session on viticulture plus sessions on grafted vines and production costs.

Trent Ball of Yakima Valley College told the audience about updates to the industry’s cost-of-production calculator. Ball and his colleagues have a beta version of the calculator available and are asking growers and wineries to try it out and provide feedback.

Find the calculator online at: https://rayv25.sg-host.com.

—by Ross Courtney