State Of The Art

A LITTLE MORE than a year ago, Robin Pollard was named executive director of the Washington Wine Commission and Washington Wine Institute (its lobbying arm). Pollard's background was in state government, managing the Boeing 787 project, overseeing a variety of economic-development programs, and directing the Washington State Tourism Office.

Pollard, who had no previous experience in the wine industry, has dramatically reshuffled the priorities and goals of the wine commission. I thought it would be interesting to get her thoughts on the industry and her plans for promoting Washington wines in the global marketplace.

We conducted this interview long distance (by phone and e-mail) between my home in Waitsburg, Walla Walla County, and VinExpo Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, where Pollard and a group of Washington vintners were wooing potential buyers.

Q: How important economically is the wine industry in Washington, compared with other agriculture?

A: According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the agriculture industry as a whole has a $29 billion economic impact on the state economy. This includes raw agricultural products, food processing and affiliated industries such as transport, farm inputs, etc. The wine commission's most recent survey (from four years ago) found that the wine industry accounts for $3 billion.

But with the number of wineries increasing 400 percent in the past decade (to more than 400 today), the wine industry is the fastest-growing sector of agriculture in the state. Unlike other agricultural commodities, wine also provides the added value of attracting visitors — wine tourism.

Q: You seem to be making wine tourism a high priority. Doesn't Eastern Washington have a reputation for being hot, dry, dusty and notably lacking in amenities?

A: Washington wine tourism is already an estimated $20 million industry, attracting 2 million visitors to Washington wine country annually. Wine tourists stay longer and spend more in an area than the average tourist, and more than 39 percent say that they plan a repeat visit.

We've made great strides, but overall awareness of Washington as a wine-tourism region remains relatively low. We need continued investment by the tourism industry in quality lodging, restaurants, transportation, attractions and amenities. We also have a critical need for updated tourism statistics and visitor-profile data for strategic planning.

Q: The industry's new marketing slogan is "The Perfect Climate For Wine." You recently tested it out with a print, radio and billboard campaign in Tampa, Fla. How did that go?

A: Tampa was the test-market campaign to generate consumer awareness and increase demand for Washington wines. The ads juxtaposed Florida "surf" with Washington state "turf" to connect the two regions and demonstrate that Washington wines pair perfectly with Florida gulf seafood.

Thirty-eight wineries traveled to Florida to launch the campaign with a first-ever Washington wine tasting in Tampa. The largest retailer in Florida launched a "Washington State Wine Month" in all its stores. Early results are promising, with many new Florida media and distributors inquiring about our wineries and the campaign.

Q: And now you are in Hong Kong for VinExpo Asia-Pacific. Is this a fishing expedition or a real sales opportunity?

A: It's a fact-finding mission, to see what the potential is, to make contacts, to better understand the marketplace in the Asian countries. We've had many buyers from all of Asia stopping by; some familiar with our brands, some we have to explain where Washington is located. We believe there is a very bright future for Washington wines in the Asian market.

Q: The big Taste Washington event last spring drew some sharp criticism from the media and the trade: too much wine, not enough food, awkward space, too expensive, etc. Your response?

A: Change is inevitably accompanied by criticism, but we received far more positive feedback than negative; the education seminars were a huge hit and will continue to be a vital component to the event moving forward. We are surveying the industry and consumers, and we will take their feedback into consideration when planning next year's event.

2007 will be an exciting year for us, as it is the 20th anniversary of the commission's founding, the 20th anniversary of the Auction of Washington Wines and the 10th anniversary of Taste Washington. We are currently developing a five-year business plan, which will provide a strategic road map for our marketing initiatives.

We will be placing greater emphasis on broad-reach consumer marketing, building on the success of our Tampa campaign to expand into new national marketing in future years. International marketing will continue to play an increasing role in our plans. We will also ramp up funding for vital research and education initiatives to support our ever-growing industry.

Paul Gregutt writes the Wednesday wine column for The Seattle Times and covers Northwest wine for the Wine Enthusiast magazine. Write to him at wine@seattletimes.com.