Coalition prepping for wine promotions

Brochures, signage in the works

GRANT COUNTY — People inside and out of the Basin will be hearing about local wines next year.

Formed in May, the Grant County Wine Promotion Coalition is in the process of developing signs and promotional materials, initiating a marketing campaign to help increase awareness and sales of products.

The coalition received an $8,400 Washington State Department of Agriculture grant in July.

"We wanted to do a really nice brochure piece that would go out to all the chambers, visitor centers, grocery stores, rest stops — anywhere where there's bulk rack brochures, that's where we want to go," promotional director Denise Arango said. The coalition will cover as far as Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Portland, Ore.

The coalition will also erect promotional, directional signage in strategic locations throughout the county on roads, highways and along Interstate 90, as well as big billboards, presently being decided upon, Arango said.

"A billboard can't have a lot of information on it, because you drive by too fast, so it's got to be easy to read, let people know that they've just entered wine country in Grant County, that kind of a thing, and make them aware that they need to start looking for the wineries," she said.

Bids are just now coming in. Arango said the process takes time for proofing and ensuring the materials meet the coalition's expectations. She said she would like to have the brochures out by the first of the year, but everything is to be determined.

The ports of Quincy, Royal Slope, Mattawa and the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce comprise the coalition.

"We're convinced that we have the wine growers or the wine grape growers, and we actually have two different entities opening wineries along Highway 26," said Royal Slope port director Cathy Potter. "We think that there's going to be a California surge up this way, according to the news."

"We've got 6,000 acres of wine grapes on the Wahluke Slope, and with the new appellation, it's to our benefit to start promoting that industry down there," Port of Mattawa manager Mike Conley explained, noting there are two wine production wineries, but only one tasting room. "Where that takes us down the road, I don't know, but you're going to start seeing a lot more bottles with the Wahluke appellation name on it."

Conley thinks the Port of Mattawa's role will be to identify the vineyards.

"We just think it's the right next step for that industry here," he said.