31 Days of Washington Wine in 140 Characters or Less

To celebrate Washington Wine Month, held each year in March, I thought it might be fun (and educational) to tweet #WAwinefacts each and every day of March. This was a really fun project and I learned so much more about Washington wine in the process. There were a few days I messed up (i.e. posted the one for the 3rd after midnight so it was technically the 4th. But hey, I hadn't gone to bed yet, so it was totally still the 3rd. Also missed the 8th because I was out of town and ended up posting a 2 for 1 on the 9th), but overall I achieved my goal! 31 days of March and 31 different #WAwinefacts! I compiled them all here so you could have a quick educational lesson on how the juice in our fine state has come to be.

To celebrate #wawine month, I think I'll tweet a Washington #wine fact daily! #wawine in 140 characters or less. Time to start researching!
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 1, 2013

#WAwinefacts: There are over 750 wineries in Washington.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 1, 2013

#WAwinefacts: There are 13 AVAs in WA, with the oldest being Yakima Valley (1983) and newest being Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley (2012).
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 2, 2013

#WAwinefacts:in WA, the leading white varietal is Chardonnay, while the leading red varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 4, 2013

#WAwinefacts: the ratio of white to red wine produced in WA is 55% white and 45% red.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 4, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Annual rainfall in Eastern Washington (the major grape growing region) is 8 inches.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 5, 2013

#WAwinefacts: early history of #wawine industry can be traced to intro of Cinsault grapes by Italian immigrants to the Walla Walla region.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 6, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The earliest grape vines planted in Washington state were at Fort Vancouver in 1825.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 7, 2013

#WAwinefacts: WA was one of the 1st states to usher in prohibition, going dry in 1917 and shutting down most of the state's wine production.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 8, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Western WA is responsible for less than 1% of the state's wine production (growing grapes).
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 10, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The large Columbia Valley AVA, established in 1984, covers more than a third of the state and crosses over the border into OR.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 10, 2013

#WAwinefacts: #WAwine production is around 12 million cases. That's a lot of juice!
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 11, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Average hours of summer sunlight in WA is 17.4 hours per day, about 2 hours more than California's prime growing region
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 12, 2013

#WAwinefacts: In 1993 there were 11,100 acres (4,492 hectares) of planted grapes in WA - In 2011: 43,000 acres (17,401 hectares).
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 13, 2013

#WAwinefacts: In 1981 there was just 19 wineries in Washington. By 2011 there was 740 wineries!
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 14, 2013

#WAWinefacts: By 1910, wine grapes were growing in most areas of Washington state, following the path of early settlers.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 15, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is very small, with a thick skin, creating a high 1:12 ratio of seed (pip) to fruit (pulp).
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 16, 2013

#WAwinefacts: There are over 350 wine grape growers in Washington.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 17, 2013

#WAwinefacts: There are 30+ varietals produced in Washington state.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 18, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Cabernet Sauvignon has the most acreage planted in Washington, followed by Merlot.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 19, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 20, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Following the end of Prohibition, WA's fledgling wine industry was based primarily on fortified sweet wine production.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 21, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Threat of severe frost has influenced viticultural practices incl usage of wind machines to churn/circulate air in vineyards.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 22, 2013

#WAwinefacts:This year’s @tastewashington is the 16th “vintage” of the event! #TasteWA
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 23, 2013

#WAwinefacts: In the 1950s and 1960s, the precursors of the state's biggest wineries (Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Winery) were founded
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 24, 2013

#WAwinefacts: In growing season, E. WA experiences wide diurnal temp variation (up to 40 °F difference in daytime highs & nighttime lows).
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 25, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The Wahluke Slope AVA was established in 2006 and produces, on average, around 20% of the state's wine grapes.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 26, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The Horse Heaven Hills AVA was established in 2005 and is home of some of the state's largest and oldest vineyards.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 27, 2013

#WAwinefacts: Early #wawine industry focused predominately on white wines but, led by "Merlot-craze" of 1990s, focus has shifted to reds.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 28, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The main grapes used in wine production in Washington are Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 29, 2013

#WAwinefacts: The wines of Washington State are often characterized by their bright fruit flavors and crisp acidity.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 30, 2013

#WAwinefacts: WA produces nearly every style of wine including rosé, sparkling, fruit, fortified, still and late harvest dessert wines.
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 31, 2013

And there you have it! 31 days of #WAwinefacts to celebrate #WAWineMonth. I hope you learned something new! Cheers!
— Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) March 31, 2013