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Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the coast of California. Among the 88 passengers and crew who perished was one of the most cherished people in the Northwest wine industry: Tom Stockley, the longtime wine columnist for The Seattle Times.
Consumers still love their Washington wines but have adjusted their palates to match their pocketbooks.
The USDA this afternoon released its annual grape harvest report for Washington state, and Riesling has surpassed Chardonnay as the Evergreen State's No. 1 wine grape.
In 2008, 28,500 tons of Riesling were harvested, compared with 28,000 tons of Chardonnay, 26,100 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon and 25,400 tons of Merlot.
In the past five years, the growth of Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon have been astonishing. Meanwhile, Chardonnay has been basically flat, while Merlot has grown steadily and Syrah has nearly doubled.
In 2004, Riesling was 16,500 tons, compared with Chardonnay's 28,000 tons. Merlot was the No. 1 red grape with 20,400, with Cab at 18,900 tons and Syrah at 5,900 tons.
Overall, white wine grapes continue to lead the state with 74,800 tons, compared with red wine grapes at 70,200 tons. However, the reds jumped from 59,300 tons last year. In 2004, white grape production was 56,000 tons, while red grapes were at 51,000 tons.
Washington remains firmly No. 2 in the nation in wine grape production. California leads with 3.4 million tons harvested in 2008, compared with 145,000 in Washington. New York is No. 3 with 45,000 tons, and Oregon is No. 4 with 40,600 tons harvested last fall.
Here's a chart of Washington's top five wine grape varieties, showing their growth in the past half-decade:
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Riesling | 16,500 | 18,800 | 23,800 | 26,000 | 28,500 |
| Chardonnay | 28,400 | 26,000 | 28,600 | 26,700 | 28,000 |
| Cab | 18,900 | 17,800 | 20,000 | 21,800 | 26,100 |
| Merlot | 20,400 | 20,500 | 18,100 | 21,300 | 25,400 |
| Syrah | 5,900 | 7,900 | 8,200 | 9,300 | 10,700 |
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