Washington wine country has only been producing premium wines for some 50 years, no time at all compared to many of the world’s winemaking regions. Yet in that half-century, Washington has become the United States’ second-largest wine producer, behind California. And each year, Washington winemakers deliver an ever-more-impressive portfolio of world-class wines.

It’s not easy. Washington state wineries face serious obstacles, most notably the region’s climatic extremes.