 The climate is greatly affected by the marine influences of nearby Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean which contributes to mild temperatures, wet winters and dry summers – all of which make it ideal for some cool climate grape varieties.The region experiences more sunshine than Bordeaux and is drier in average precipitation than Burgundy.The early Washington wine industry focused predominately on white wines but in recent years, led by the "Merlot craze" of the 1990s have shifted the focus to the state's red wines.