Washington State Governor Calls California Wine Jug Wine
By: Jameson Fink
Published: April 24, 2012

While extolling the quality of Washington State wine, Governor Chris Gregoire had this to say about California wine: "They make jug wine. We make fine wine." As reported in SFGate, the Governor's comments were made as she signed a budget that would, among other things, help fund a Wine Science Center in Richland, WA.
While certainly California is Washington State's biggest competitor, I wish the Governor would have taken a "rising tide lifts all boats" approach to talking about California, and wine in general. I see the relationship between California and Washington winemakers as one of a collaborative and collegial nature. After all, here in Washington we have a legendary winemaker from California, Napa Valley's Randy Dunn, lending his expertise with Cabernet Sauvignon to help craft a Washington wine. (Get a hold of a bottle of Feather.)
I would like to se the Governor focus on all the positive developments in the Washington wine industry, like the Wine Science Center project, and celebrate what we can learn from what California has accomplished.