 By 2017, the state had over of vineyards, a harvest of of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state.While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half.The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry.