Oregon Public Broadcasting

It takes good grapes to make great wine. But it takes good roads for tourists to reach the vineyards and buy it.

Eastern Washington officials are asking Governor Chris Gregoire to pay for a new freeway interchange for Red Mountain. Correspondent Anna King reports.

Red Mountain is actually a brownish hill, but it's known for bold red wine.

Forty wineries are expected to pop up there in the next decade. But to get there, you have to navigate through congested Benton City, or pick your way along the backroads.

Now Red Mountain winemakers and politicians want the mountain and the nearby city of West Richland to have their own interchange.

Ed Shaw represents the winemakers and grape growers. He says there could be as many as a million visitors a year in the next decade.

Ed Shaw: "Looking down the road as we see the growth, we're going to have to plan for that growth. Somehow we have to stay ahead of the curve, and not just let it happen helter skelter so we end up with one big parking lot like they have in Napa."

They've asked for nearly $7 million. That might be a long shot given Washington's other transportation needs and a looming budget deficit.