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WAWGG is now Washington Winegrowers Association

By Andy Perdue on February 8, 2017

KENNEWICK, Wash. – The organization that has led Washington grape growers for more than two decades, has a new name and new mission.

At its annual meeting and trade show, the Washington Association of Wine Grae Growers Unveiled its refresh: It’s now simply Washington Winegrowers Association, or Washington Winegrowers.

“Our aim is to enhance industry performance. Our new name and logo is just part of a larger journey to become even more mission-driven in everything we do, to help members and the broader industry,” said Todd Newhouse, manager of Upland Vineyards in Sunnyside and chairman of the organization.

The new name and logo are the culmination of a two-year process when WAWGG’s board of directors began looking at the organization and how it might be able to further meet the demands of the growing Washington wine industry.

“Many members who once only grew grapes now have both vineyards and wineries,” said Vicky Scharlau, executive director of Washington Winegrowers. “People from all over the country are taking notice of Washington State and investment in infrastructure from both the supply-side and production-side has exponentially expanded. Our new name and logo is reflective of the industry growth.”

Washington Grapegrowers began in 1984 and has served the wine industry through advocacy and education.

It’s annual convention features as many sessions directed toward the winemaking side of the business as the grape growing. And the trade show features as much equipment for winemaking as for the agricultural side.

The change comes after two years spent interviewing industry members and thought leaders about the organization and what direction it should take in the future.

Washington Winegrowers differs from the Washington Wine Commission in Seattle, which is a quasi-governmental agency that is tasked with marketing and promoting the state’s wine industry. In the past year, the wine commission has dedicated significant resources to research in the wine and grape growing industry.

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About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is founding partner of Great Northwest Wine LLC and a longtime wine columnist. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books.