Washington State Wine
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Washington State Wine does
The Washington State Wine Commission is a state government agency — quasi-governmental body established under Washington law and operating under the authority of the Washington State Department of Agriculture — that serves as the statutory industry representative for Washington's licensed wineries and wine grape growers. It is headquartered at 1201 Western Avenue, Suite 450, in Seattle, WA, with an 11–50 employee footprint supporting a statewide constituency of approximately 970 wineries operating across 58,000 acres. Its mandate spans industry promotion, marketing, research funding, sustainability certification, and international market development for Washington-grown wines (the underlying industry is valued at more than $6 billion).
Its core offerings are programmatic rather than commercial products. The flagship digital property is the Map My WA Wine mobile app (iOS and Android), which indexes 1,000+ wineries, tasting rooms, and vineyards for wine touring discovery and is paired with the WA Wine Directory and wine-touring region content on washingtonwine.org. Physical and research assets center on the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center — a $23 million, 40,000-square-foot facility at Washington State University's Tri-Cities campus in Richland — operated through its flagship partnership with WSU. The commission also runs the Sustainable WA sustainability certification (recently paired with Salmon-Safe for dual vineyard certification), the WAVE viticulture/enology seminar series co-sponsored with WSU, signature events including Taste Washington, the Auction of Washington Wines, and WA Wine Month, the Sommlight conversation series hosted by Marketing Director David Flaherty, the Breaking Ground farmer ambassador program, and the Field Blends cross-regional trade collaboration.
The commission's revenue model is statutory rather than transactional. It is funded by mandatory assessments on every wine grape grower and winery in the state, including a legislatively appropriated 1/4 cent per liter of all wine sold in Washington routed to WSU for viticulture, enology, and agricultural economics research. Approximately 20% of the commission's annual budget — more than $1 million annually since 2017 — is dedicated to grape and wine research, with the balance supporting marketing, events, and international programs. It does not sell products directly to consumers; pricing models are not applicable. The go-to-market motion is event-driven (Taste Washington, Auction of Washington Wines, WA Wine Month) and partnership-driven (WSU for research and education; Salmon-Safe for certification; Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as naming partner on the Wine Science Center).
Washington State Wine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Washington State Wine
- Legal name
- Washington State Wine Commission
- Website
- https://washingtonwine.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Washington State Wine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wine Industry Association and Promotion
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Vineyard Certification & Sustainability Programs (Organic, Biodynamic, Regenerative, GAP) (AFAGAJAL)
Keywords
Where Washington State Wine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Washington State Wine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Industry Assessments: Washington's wine research program is funded by all wine grape growers and wineries in the state through grower and winery assessments. Washington State legislation appropriated funding of 1/4 cent per liter of all wine sold in the state to WSU for research programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Washington State Wine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Washington State Wine Commission is a state government agency that promotes and supports the Washington wine industry through marketing campaigns, signature events, viticulture and enology research funding, sustainability certification (Sustainable WA), international marketing, and consumer-facing wine tourism tools such as the Map My WA Wine mobile application. It represents licensed wineries and grape growers, funded by industry assessments rather than direct product sales.
Product overview
Washington State Wine Commission operates as a state-level wine industry promotional organization rather than a technology product company. Its primary digital product is the Map My WA Wine mobile application (iOS/Android), which serves as a wine touring guide. The organization also manages various programs including WA Wine Month, Taste Washington, Auction of Washington Wines, Sustainable WA, Breaking Ground farmer ambassador program, Sommlight podcast series, and WAVE (Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology) seminars. The Wine Science Center represents a physical research facility rather than a digital product offering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Map My WA Wine Mobile App
Companies that use Washington State Wine
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Washington State Wine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Washington State Wine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Washington State University (WSU)flagshipWashington's wine industry partnered with WSU to build the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center at the WSU Tri-Cities campus in Richland. The industry invested $9.4 million in the $23 million facility. WSU provides viticulture and enology education and research, with a new V&E department launched in January 2023.
- Salmon-SafecoreSustainable WA partnered with Salmon-Safe, a leading U.S. regional eco-label focused on watershed protection, to offer dual vineyard certification for Washington winegrowers.
- Ste. Michelle Wine EstatesflagshipMajor naming partner for the WSU Wine Science Center. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates contributed to the $23 million Wine Science Center investment.
- Washington State Department of AgriculturecoreThe Research Committee is composed of Washington State Wine Board members appointed by the Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, with fiduciary oversight of the industry's research program.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Washington State Wine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oregon Wine Board: State-level wine commission for Oregon, funded by industry assessments to promote Oregon wine, fund viticulture/enology research, and support wine tourism. Operates a near-identical mandate to Washington State Wine in an adjacent Pacific Northwest region.
- Wine Institute: California's primary wine trade association, representing roughly 1,000 wineries and affiliated businesses. Shares the same industry-association role — promotion, research advocacy, international marketing, and policy representation — as Washington State Wine, but at a much larger scale.
- Wine America: National trade association representing the U.S. wine industry across all 50 states. Comparable function as an industry-wide advocacy and promotion body, with overlapping scope on research funding, sustainability, and federal policy work.
- New York Wine & Grape Foundation: New York state agency supporting the grape and wine industry through research, marketing, and education programs. Mirrors Washington State Wine's mandate and assessment-funded model in a different climate region.
- Virginia Wine Board: State-level marketing and research body for Virginia wineries. Performs the same promotional, research, and tourism-driving role as Washington State Wine, with analogous funding from industry assessments.
- Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association: Statewide industry association representing Texas wineries and growers. Shares Washington State Wine's promotional, educational, and policy-advocacy mandate, with analogous funding and programmatic structure.
Regional players
- Napa Valley Vintners: Trade association for Napa Valley wineries focused on regional promotion, education, and appellation advocacy. Highly comparable in function but operates at a smaller regional scale and within a globally recognized premium appellation.
- Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance: Regional wine alliance for the Walla Walla Valley AVA, which is partly within Washington. Directly comparable regional marketing and tourism-promotion body, though narrower in geographic scope than Washington State Wine.
- Finger Lakes Wine Alliance: Regional wine promotion alliance for New York's Finger Lakes AVA. Performs a similar tourism and marketing role as Washington State Wine, but at a sub-state regional level rather than statewide.
Broad incumbents
- Ste. Michelle Wine Estates: Washington state's largest and most iconic winery and the naming partner of the WSU Wine Science Center. Comparable in that it operates entirely within the Washington wine ecosystem and contributes to industry research funding, but as a commercial producer rather than a trade body.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Washington State Wine social profiles
Digital presenceWashington State Wine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Washington State Wine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Washington State Wine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Washington State Wine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Washington State Wine
What does Washington State Wine do?
The Washington State Wine Commission is a state government agency that promotes and supports the Washington wine industry through marketing campaigns, signature events, viticulture and enology research funding, sustainability certification (Sustainable WA), international marketing, and consumer-facing wine tourism tools such as the Map My WA Wine mobile application. It represents licensed wineries and grape growers, funded by industry assessments rather than direct product sales.
Is Washington State Wine a public or private company?
Washington State Wine is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Washington State Wine founded?
Washington State Wine was founded in 1950. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Washington State Wine based?
Washington State Wine is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Washington State Wine make money?
One revenue line is on record: industry Assessments.
Who are Washington State Wine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oregon Wine Board, Wine Institute, Wine America, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Virginia Wine Board and Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association. Regional players are Napa Valley Vintners, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance and Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Washington State Wine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Washington State Wine.
What industry is Washington State Wine in?
Washington State Wine's product category is Wine Industry Association and Promotion. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAGAD, Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours, with a secondary code of AFAGAJAL, Vineyard Certification & Sustainability Programs (Organic, Biodynamic, Regenerative, GAP). Its SIC code is 8600.