Covid-19 forced tasting rooms across Washington to close, winemakers had to adapt or get crushed
Washington has become one of the world’s premier wine growing regions in two short generations, thanks in large part to masterful control of bacteria, both beneficial and harmful. But the state’s winemakers have never encountered an organism like the novel coronavirus.
Ryan Crane launched Kerloo Cellars in 2007 with just $10,000, but quickly became one of Washington’s most-admired young winemakers. Featuring a battery of 90-plus rated wines, his popular Sodo tasting room was packed most weekends.
Enter Covid-19. Crane shuttered his tasting room, convinced it was the only certain way to keep his team safe, and has run out of money as a result. On top of that, he’s juggling the day-to-day educational needs of his growing family.
“We haven’t seen the worst of Covid. There is a storm coming – a tsunami wave – and it’s cresting. I think it’s going to hit full force in about October, and it’s going to crush a lot of great family wineries and restaurants. It will be devastating for Seattle, for the state and for the country,” Crane said.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2020/08/06/washington-winemakers-struggle-with-shutdown.html