Washington Wine Shipments Rebound in 1Q 2021

Waterbrook Winery (image from Precept Wine)

The Washington wine industry appears to have turned the corner following a challenging year that included a severe 7% contraction in shipment volume. 

Shipments of packaged wines by Washington wineries grew by 8% in the first quarter of 2021 versus the same period a year earlier. The increase was driven by surging out of state shipments, while DTC sales and in-state shipments were down modestly on a year-over-year basis. 

Led by Precept Wine, the state’s largest wineries were responsible for the strong first quarter performance. Washington’s small wineries were hit harder by Covid-19 and continue to lag, though there has been some improvement over the past six months. 

Performances continue to be highly uneven across wineries within all size segments and Washington wine still has considerable ground to makeup: the trailing twelve-month shipment total remains nearly one million cases below the pre-pandemic peak in Q2 2019. 

See the Washington Winery Report for comprehensive information on the size and performance of Washington State wineries. It provides 2020 shipment and production totals for all 1000+ wineries as well as more detailed metrics, including breakdowns by sales channel and historic data, for wineries that shipped at least 1,000 cases. Visit our website at www.VinEconomics.com to learn more about Vintage Economics. 

Chris Bitter 

Vintage Economics 

Bitter@VinEconomics.com 

206-981-6885