At just about every wine get together - tastings or dinner parties - the conversation comes around to how best to promote Washington wines in order to grow the industry. Recently, the Washington Wine Commission announced a new Five Year Strategic Plan focusing on the trade and media, especially print, broadcast and internet.

Whenever I've had an opportunity to comment on the subject of Washington wine promotion, I point out that one key is an emphasis on quality. Governor Christine Gregoire's comment that "They [California] make jug wines. We make fine wine." is particularly apt and telling. While California makes much more wine than Washington, the bulk of its overall production is lower and mid tier wine. Washington has a much higher ratio of premium wine to overall production than does California.

Knowledgable wine writers, especially ones with publications that are influential with the well-educated and well-informed are not interested in writing about mass market wines. Last Jaunary, I noted that Washington wines are getting increased media exposure, a trend that would continue to grow. Check out the monthly "Washington Wine Roundup" in Sean Sullivan's Washington Wine Report to see what's being written about Washington wines around the country. There's a lot of interest in Washington wines out there, and cultivating the media is the key to getting the message out.

As for the trade (restaurants, supermarkets, retailers), this is largely preaching to the choir. But there is still work to be done. In my Review Blog posting of April 16, I noted our mixed experience in finding Washington wines in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One upscale restaurant's list was devoid of Washington wines and one restaurant/wine bar offered a few. Washington needs to overcome the notion among some sommeliers and wine merchants that somehow European and California wines are the only ones worth paying attention to.

In the wine industry, even the big players, new and established, see the benefits of positioning Washington as a producer of quality wines. Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest already have built a reputation for offering high quality-price ratios. And most observers agree that Gallo's acquisition of the Columbia Winery and Covey Run (whose future is uncertain) will be a plus for the industry as a whole.

So, in conclusion, I predict that Washington State will have a bright future as a producer of quality wine. And the Washington Wine Commission is on the right track in focusing on that through nation-wide and world-wide media and trade exposure. There is more work to be done, but we're heading in the right direction.