You can’t get much more local than the 40 or so wines made in places like Bainbridge, Lopez, San Juan or Vashon islands.
GROWING WINE grapes east of the Cascades is easy. Loads of sunshine, wide-open spaces, plenty of heat and — in most years — ample water.
Growing wine grapes around Puget Sound is a different proposition. It’s cool, cloudy and crowded. To grow grapes here takes an intrepid spirit.
Selling wine made from Columbia Valley grapes also is reasonably simple. Everyone wants to drink riesling, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. But even syrah is easier to sell than wines with names such as Müller-Thurgau, siegerrebe and Madeleine angevine.