Vineyard Takes Root Friday at WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. — More than 200 wine grape vines will be planted Friday morning, June 15, to create a training vineyard at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
 
Chancellor Vicky L. Carwein will be among the volunteers helping plant the vines. Media availability is from 10 to 10:30 a.m. The site is near the intersection of George Washington Way and Sprout Street, about three trees past the WSU Tri-Cities sign.  
 
Six different varieties will be part of the first block of the vineyard, which will provide hands-on experience for students in the Viticulture and Enology program.
 
“Students will be able to apply the scientific principles underlying grape growing and wine making,” said Bhaskar Bondada, WSU Tri-Cities assistant professor of Viticulture and Enology.  
 
The quarter-acre section will have about 30 vines each of three red wine varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah) and of three white wine varieties (Chardonnay, Gewürtztraminer, and Riesling). They will be planted in 12 rows, each about 100 feet long. The first quality grapes should be harvested in fall 2009, Bondada said.
 
Preparation for planting the vines included installing 1,340 feet of irrigation pipe. The training vineyard project has been supported by Irrigation Specialists, Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards, Bookwalter Winery LLC, and Inland Desert Nursery.
 
For more information on earning a Viticulture and Enology bachelor’s or master’s degree — offered on WSU’S Pullman and Tri-Cities campuses — see www.wineducation.wsu.edu.