• In tune with Bells Up Winery in Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains
• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates closes wineries, tasting rooms to public
• Fortuity Cellars recruits winemaker Alexis Sells from Duckhorn
• TEXSOM awards Best Syrah to So. Oregon producer Reustle
• Coronavirus outbreak prompts cancellation of Taste Washington
• Gamay, Grenache Blanc steal show at McMinnville judging
• VineLines Dispatch: Tasting rooms continue to swirl around Woodinville
• Walla Walla Valley wine industry helps raise $55K for food bank
• VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze
• L’Ecole No. 41 recruits Marcus Rafanelli to take over as winemaker

All posts by John Stang

About John Stang

John Stang is a longtime journalist who covers Washington state politics. He lives in the Seattle area.

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  Wine industry advocates applaud 2-year trim in federal excise tax

  While it is up to individual wineries on how they deal with reduced federal excise taxes, industry leaders expect those savings to be reinvested in their operations. Changes in the federal excise tax on wineries went into...

  • Posted January 19, 2018
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  Olympia gives Washington wineries more tasting rooms

  OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill awaits Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature to increase the number of allowable off-site tasting rooms per winery from two to four under a domestic winery license in Washington state. The House in the...

  • Posted April 22, 2017
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  Most Washington wineries won’t need new wastewater permits

  OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington state’s proposed winery wastewater permit system is expected to be applied to only 19 percent of the state’s wineries. That figure comes from Tuesday’s release of the Washington Department of Ecology’s draft permit...

  • Posted April 12, 2017
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  State working on winery wastewater permit system

  OLYMPIA, Wash. – Many questions are being tackled as the Washington state Department of Ecology puts together a permit system for discharging wastewater from wineries. Preliminary answers will likely be unveiled in mid-April when the state is...

  • Posted March 31, 2017
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  6 bills for Washington wineries alive in state Legislature

  OLYMPIA, Wash. — It appears that Washington wineries are on their way to being able to operate as many as four tasting rooms. However, prospects look grim for a proposed tax break for small wineries. Overall, nine...

  • Posted March 16, 2017
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  Tax relief bill for small Washington wineries moves along

  OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill is in motion to make small Washington wineries exempt from paying the Evergreen State’s wine tax. Senate Bill 5427 by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, went to a public hearing Thursday in...

  • Posted February 16, 2017
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  Bill in Olympia would ease laws on alcohol at movies

  OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill is going through the Washington state Senate to allow more movie theaters to serve wine and other alcoholic beverages. Bill 5161 by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, would remove several restrictions on theaters...

  • Posted January 26, 2017
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  State legislators hear Washington wine will be ‘bigger than wheat’

  OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state’s wine industry painted a rosy economic picture to the Washington State Senate Commerce, Labor & Sports Committee last week. “You’re telling me that that wine is gonna be bigger than wheat?” asked...

  • Posted January 23, 2017
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  Lawmakers weigh 4th tasting room for Washington wineries

  OLYMPIA, Wash. — There’s no opposition so far in Olympia after a state Legislature hearing to expand the number of allowable off-site wine tasting rooms in Washington state. The same could not be said about a bill...

  • Posted January 19, 2017
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  Climate change presents possibilities, challenges for Washington wine industry

  Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part report on the influence of climate change and how it might affect the Washington wine industry. There are an estimated 80 acres of vineyards in the Puget Sound...

  • Posted October 24, 2016
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