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Walla Walla is known as Washington's wine capital. But as the economy has faltered, a trend is emerging. Eastern Washington winemakers are heading West over the Cascades.

They're opening tasting rooms in Woodinville wine country -- near Seattle -- to be closer to their customers. This week -- as winemakers process their latest grape harvest -- we're looking at how the wine industry is adjusting to the new economy.

In part one of The Crush, Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports on the westward expansion of eastside vintners.

There's a new tenant in the Hollywood Vineyard Shopping plaza in Woodinville. Where there once was a day spa, now there's a hip, industrial feeling wine bar.

The Dusted Valley Vintner's tasting room in Woodinville, Washington

It's Dusted Valley Vintner's tasting room. It's so new they're still hammering as Colleen Berard conducts a wine tasting.

Colleen Berard: "This is our 2007 Walla Walla Syrah."

On this day, Guy and Karen Brouillette of Colorado sit at the Birchwood bar swishing and sipping the wines. They're on a Western Washington and Oregon wine tasting trip.

Guy Brouillette: "The actual winery is located where?"

Colleen Berard: "In Walla Walla."

That's a line you're hearing a lot more in Woodinville these days. In the past year, six Eastern Washington wine makers have opened tasting rooms in this Western Washington wine mecca.

Cynthia Daste: "And we've got at least probably five or six others that are looking to open."

Cynthia Daste is Executive Director of Woodinville Wine Country -- an association of more than forty wineries and tasting rooms clustered in the Woodinville area.

The most famous of which is Chateau Ste. Michele -- known as Washington's oldest winery. Daste says she averages a call a week from Eastern Washington winemakers inquiring about opening a tasting room in Woodinville.

 Cynthia Daste: "What's happened with a bad economy is people are finding that people are doing as they call the stay-cations, so people are not traveling to Eastern Washington like they used to. The great thing about being here is you can come out in an afternoon -- you don't have to travel for the entire weekend."

One winemaker who's about to make the leap over the Cascades is Jon Martinez of Maison Bleu. He's actually closing his current tasting room in Prosser, Washington and opening a new one in Woodinville.

Jon Martinez: "There's four million people over in the Seattle area. There's one million in all of Eastern Washington. So obviously there's a lot more people within an hours‚ drive of Woodinville."

Martinez says the bad economy helped him make the decision. Visits to his tasting room in Prosser have dropped by half over the past year. Martinez admits he's gotten some grief for leaving Eastern Washington. But says he has no choice.

Jon Martinez: "I got to take care of my own business -- bottom line. If I don't do these things then I won't be here. And so what good is that going to be?"

Martinez will still make his wine in Prosser. He hopes to reopen a tasting room East of the Cascades in the future.

One winery that was an early pioneer in this Westward movement is J. Bookwalter out of the Tri Cities, Washington.

It opened a Woodinville tasting room a year ago. Manager Nick James says it was profitable within the second month.

He's happy to see others follow -- especially if it helps put Woodinville even more on the wine map. 

Nick James:  From our standpoint is the more wineries moving over the better because it creates a destination and we want to be a part of that."

Back at the Dusted Valley tasting room, the decision to establish a presence in Woodinville also appears to be paying off. The Brouillette's from Colorado are so impressed with the wine -- they've decided to buy several bottles to ship home.

Karen Brouillette: "And then we're going to do two of the Cabernets and four of the BFM."

It's a $500 sale that wouldn't have happened if Dusted Valley didn't have a Western outpost