EMSI has completed a cluster analysis report on the wine industry in Washington State’s Walla Walla valley, which is booming thanks to smart economic development strategies and the local college’s Institute for Enology and Viticulture. The area is one of the nation’s hottest emerging appellations, producing wines with consistently high ratings and drawing an increasing number of tourists from around the nation. The city of Walla Walla has won national recognition for its historical assets, arts, and culture, and was named one of the top 5 “Best Places to Retire” by CNN Money magazine.

EMSI’s study looks at the past, present, and future of the area’s wine production and tourism cluster and concludes that the wine industry cluster has saved the region from economic stagnation or even decline.

Read the report here.