Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery (© Paige Foster | Dreamstime.com)

Only California produces more wine than the State of Washington and the weak dollar is making the unique offerings from the state’s wineries more attractive than ever to foreign buyers.

With winegrowers such as family-run Mercer Estates in Washington's Columbia Valley dedicating themselves to producing wines that exceed expectations, the Washington Wine Commission is marketing the state’s wines as high quality offerings at a reasonable price.

The Tri-City Herald has run a story about the commission’s annual Wine Experience program. This year, “Seventy-eight international wine importers, distributors, and hoteliers from more than 20 countries are touring the Mid-Columbia for a taste of Washington wines.”

Fifty-two of Washington’s wineries, including 40 from Eastern Washington, are participating to help the international visitors “sample wines, visit wineries and learn about viticulture and enology research that helps make Eastern Washington wines unique.”

The program has previously “introduced more than 500 people -- including those from Finland, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Mexico, and Sweden” to the wines of Washington State. Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom have been identified as primary target markets, but this year the commission is placing special emphasis on reaching out to emerging economies in places like China and India. Robin Pollard, executive director of the Washington Wine Commission says people there "are developing their palate."

If you’d like to read the article in the Tri-City Herald cited above go to: World getting taste of Washington wines