By Eric DegermanSpecial to the TCAJOBThe sweet news about the establishment of the Candy Mountain American Viticultural Area gives the Washington state wine industry its 16th AVA.Candy Mountain, a portion of which is in the Richland city limits, recently became the tiniest AVA in the state at 815 acres. Its...

Thomas Henick-KlingWSU Viticulture & Enology ProgramDirector, WSU Viticulture & Enology ProgramNumber of employees you oversee: 11 faculty, 4 staffBrief background ofyour organization:The WSU Viticulture & Enology (V&E) Program provides educational opportunities for those interested in grape growing and winemaking.We offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees as well as online certificate...

A gift from the Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation is delivering much-needed space and equipment for hands-on student learning at Washington State University’s Wine Science Center in north Richland.Named for the late Washington farmer and entrepreneur Paul Lauzier, the foundation, which supports a range of causes including community development, education, health,...

Think of a unique piece of property.Maybe it’s a plot of land you own that is situated perfectly to be added to the Badger Mountain trail system.Maybe it’s a charming house or commercial building in downtown Kennewick. Maybe it’s a vineyard in the heart of Red Mountain.If your ultimate goal...

Sandpiper Farms creates Water from Wine nonprofit to fund clean water workBy Arielle DreherIn a way, the family behind the local nonprofit Water from Wine is bringing the first miracle of Jesus turning water into a wine into a modern-day context, leveraging the rich wine-growing potential in the vineyard at...

120 students now enrolled in viticulture, enology undergraduate programSeven years ago, Becca DeKleine was the lone College of Agriculture student walking at Washington State University’s Tri-Cities campus commencement.She carried the department’s banner by herself.She and three others graduated together with an emphasis in viticulture and enology in 2011. The others...

Four Feathers Wine Estates processed 15,000 tons of grapes last yearThe winemaking happening inside Four Feathers Wine Estates in Prosser is no small operation.The more than 100 towering silver tanks can store three million gallons within the 50,000-square-foot warehouse and process some 15,000 tons of wine grapes a year.Four Feathers’...

Public plaza, space for food trucks to be completed this summerNow that wine is being made and poured at Kennewick’s waterfront wine village, the community can look forward to the next ribbon cutting, as the second phase is set to get underway this summer.A larger-than-expected crowd gathered for the Feb....

By Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman, Wine News ServiceWhen Rob Griffin arrived in Washington wine country from his native California in early 1977, he never dreamed he’d be most famous for making pink wine.Yet today, the owner/winemaker of Barnard Griffin in Richland may be making the best rosé in America....