Washington state is producing some of the best wine grapes around.

A combination of a long growing season, perfect climate, and know-how on the part of the state’s growers have led this region to grow world class fruit. At Musto Wine Grape we carry some delicious Washington State wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.

What to expect from Washington fruit

Structure, bright red fruit, great tannins, concentrated flavors.

Where is our Washington fruit from?

We source from Rattlesnake Hills (notable for its elevation, which is higher than most other WA AVAs), Wahluke Slope (ripe and full bodied wines full of varietal character hailing from one of the driest and warmed WA locations), and Red Mountain (known for growing some of the state’s most highly acclaimed fruit, known less for its New World ripe fruitiness and moreso for its big, rich, terroir-driven resulting wines).

Yeast recommendations are as follows:

• D80 – for big, structured reds
• D254 – bring out ripe fruit, jam, and cedar notes
• RP15 – to bring out red fruit and mineral notes

Fermenting recommendations

Consider adding FT Rouge or oak dust to function as your “sacrificial tannins.”  Using tannin additives during fermentation can help the grapes themselves to retain their tannin which in turn helps to sustain the resulting wine’s structure and color. Adding fermentation tannins do not add oak flavor – so if you do want to oak your wine, you would do that during the aging process.

Washington fruit is known for being lower in YAN so be sure to make some nutrient adds if need be. Try Fermaid O and/or Fermaid K

Are you excited to work on your Washington state grapes? Reach out with any questions you may have about the grapes you purchased through us at Musto Wine Grape!