Premium wine comes from premium grapes and the best grapes are grown in the Wahluke Slope AVA.  The Wahluke Slope AVA  is an isolated, south-facing plateau bordered on the west and south by the winding Columbia River, to the north by the Saddle Mountains, and to the east by the Hanford Reach.  The desert heat and abundance of water create the right conditions for production of premium wine grapes. 

The slope is comprised of about 81,000 acres with about 5,200 acres of grapes currently used in production; this makes up close to 20% of the 28,000 acres of wine grapes grown in the state of Washington. 

Mike and Lois Thiede have 28 acres of several varietals of grapes.  Besides growing grapes for their own winery, they sell to several other wineries, including many small winemakers.

The Wahluke Slope, along with Red Mountain, is Washington’s warmest site, with heat units exceeding 3,000 year in and year out. The desert heat and abundance of water create the right conditions for large-scale production of fine wine grapes. It does especially well with Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.