Wine is big business in Washington state, the second-largest wine producing state in the nation, with an economic impact of more than $10 billion. But how do you keep an industry vibrant, growing and influential decade after decade when challenges such as drought, pest management and wildfires are becoming more disruptive?

The answers might lie within a custom-designed, technologically advanced wine science center that provides a world-class hub for researchers and a teaching center for future generations of viticulturists and winemakers. Known as the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Wine Science Center, the innovative facility opened its doors ten years ago on June 4, 2015, on the Richland campus of Washington State University.