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Bridgman moved to Sunnyside in 1902, and within a short
time, he was elected mayor. Just outside Sunnyside,
Bridgman found two areas ripe for grape vines. He
planted Harrison Hill in 1914, and three years later
added additional vineyard acres at Harrison Hill. In
1917, he planted Snipes Mountain vineyard. The wines
made from these vineyards convinced Bridgman his initial
vision had paid off. He continued to expand his
vineyards.
More and more settlers moved to newly established towns
and cities dotting the landscape of Eastern Washington.
The future of the young winemaking industry looked promising.
But the journey had just begun. The road ahead would
long and arduous.
Prohibition hit the early Washington wine industry
hard. What began as an effort to eliminate problems
blamed on the frequenting of saloons quickly escalated into a
political issue. In 1917, Washington State outlawed the
consumption of alcohol. In December of that year, the 18th
amendment to the Constitution passed, prohibiting the
manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors…
including wine. In January of 1919, three fourths of the
country’s states ratified the amendment. Prohibition
officially began one year later.
During Prohibition, Washington’s grape industry
continued to grow while its fledgling wine industry began to
die. Bridgman was one individual who didn’t lose heart.
In fact, he continued expanding his vineyards, making new
plantings despite Prohibition.
One unexpected positive effect of Prohibition was the
expansion of home winemaking. Many previously
inexperienced individuals began making wine at home; the
law allowed them to do so in small amounts. Grapes for
these home winemaking ventures were purchased from vineyard
owners like Bridgman and Frank Subucco of Walla Walla who
offered a number of varietals for sale. But while
winemaking expanded, wineries closed.
The Repeal
of Prohibition
and the Washington Liquor Act
Eventually, Prohibition’s appeal waned, and the United
States created the 21st amendment, repealing
Prohibition in February 1933. The amendment was ratified by
the end of the year.
Along with the national repeal, Washington State passed
the Washington Liquor Act designed to moderate the drinking of
alcoholic beverages. The act accomplished several
things. It prohibited sales of hard liquor by the glass,
but permitted “taverns” to sell wine and beer. It
established the Washington State Liquor Control Board — a
governing body still in place today. It set up a network
of State liquor stores and authorized them to purchase alcohol
and sell bottled wine. And finally, it gave a tax break
to Washington wineries growing their own fruit. In
effect, this financial break helped reduce competition
from California, giving Washington wineries a chance to get
off the ground.
Following the repeal of Prohibition, Bridgman
re-established his winery and re-named it Upland Winery.
He started by hiring trained enologist Erich Steenborg who
studied at a major wine institute in Germany. Together,
they set out to produce table wines.
Bridgman’s excitement and determination were no doubt
key to a new boom in the wine industry of Eastern Washington.
Many new wineries emerged on the scene, both small and large.
The National Wine Company (Nawico) set up shop in 1935 and
became a major producer of the state’s wine. While
Nawico’s winery was located in Grandview, its business
operations were run in a Seattle office. By 1938, there
were 42 wineries located all throughout the state. Once
again, the picture looked rosy for Washington wineries.
Bad News... World War II and
Fortified Wine
With the arrival of World War II, many wineries could
no longer thrive and eventually had to close. But
wineries that survived were quite successful, including Upland
Winery and American Wine Growers. These wineries,
however, adopted a practice that would serve to accomplish
their undoing: fortifying wine.
The practice of fortifying wine (adding alcohol to it),
started during World War II in response to a shortage of hard
liquor. While drinkers liked having a substitute for
hard liquor, fine wine consumers shied away from the fortified
beverages, which bore little resemblance to European style
wine. After the war ended and the shortage was over,
these wineries were left with no premium wine, only an excess
of fortified wines that couldn’t compete with real hard
liquor. As a result, Upland Winery, once considered
ahead of its time and successful for so many years, began its
demise. Bridgman eventually sold the winery in 1960.
But Nawico managed to survive. Nawico was bought by
Pommerelle (another Washington winery) and renamed American
Wine Growers.
The Trail to Quality...
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Last revised:
12/31/2007
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grape vines and founded Stone
House Winery. Seeking
to raise the quality of winemaking at his winery, Blaine was
among the first to bring a professional winemaker to the
region. In 1903, Blaine hired Paul Charvet, a French
Canadian who also ran a winery in his own home. That
same year, the city of Kennewick hosted the Columbia River
Valley Grape Carnival — the first of its kind in the region
and a telltale sign of an expanding industry.