2013 Charles Smith Wines ViNO Pinot Grigio (Screwcap)

Charles Smith Wines is based in Walla Walla, Washington. It was founded in the late 1990s by Charles Smith, a self-taught winemaker who grew up in California and managed rock and roll bands in Europe before getting into the wine business in Washington. In 2001 he released his first wine, the 1999 K Syrah. He started a wine label called House Wine, which he then sold to Precept Brands. In 2006 he started Charles Smith Wines. Grapes are sourced from five Washington AVAs. Charles Smith Wines includes several labels. They are K Vintners, Charles Smith Wines, Secco Italian Bubbles, Charles & Charles and Vino. Varietals produced include Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Riesling, Pinto Grigio, Chardonnay and Viognier.

Washington State, with 59,000 vineyard acres, is the second largest producer of wine in the United States. Wine was made in the state as early as the mid-19th century, but Prohibition and, later, restrictive state laws killed the wine making business in the 20th century until the 1960s, when laws changed and large and small producers started making wines. An influential horticulturalist and agriculture professor name Walter J. Clore studied various grape clones in the 1960s to find the best ones for Washington, and by the 1970s Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and Columbia Valley had all become important grape growing areas. The best vineyards in the state are east of the Cascade Mountain range, where hot dry summers and cold winters are conducive to successful viticulture. Numerous grape varieties are grown, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc at the head of the list.