Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I recently had the privilege of hearing Dr. Thomas Henick Kling speak regarding the enology and viticulture center at WSU Tri-Cities Washington. Today I will share with you a little about what’s in store for the Washington wine industry.

Until recently the enology and viticulture program at Washington State University was located in Washington lentil country (that’s Pullman) rather than Washington wine country. There were some odd reasons for that but things have now been righted and the program is taking shape primarily on the Tri-Cities campus in the heart of wine country. Under the guidance of Dr. Henick  Kling a perfect site was discovered for a three story gravity fed research and education winery. It is just on the edge of campus and is in the planning stages. Preliminary drawings being created by the architect Terry Thornhill are stunning and fully take advantage of the lands natural slope and views of the Columbia River.  It is quite clever as the central atrium is in the shape of a Bordeaux bottle. The program’s new leader is a talented research scientist in the field of enology and has made several contributions of consequence to the world of wine. But that is a story for another day. The university works closely with the WSU research center in Prosser, which has been working in the field of viticulture in Washington for decades and is providing valuable information to the industry annually. Look for the enology and viticulture center soon at WSU Tri-Cities in wine country. And thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Vine.