Seattle, Wash.—Cabernet Sauvignon has dethroned Riesling in Washington state, according to the latest vineyard census the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducted of vineyards of an acre or more.
 

The census, the seventh of its kind, determined that the area devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon has more than tripled during the past decade to 18,608 acres, more than half the 35,852 acres planted to red varieties in the state, and closing in on the 19,593 acres devoted to white grapes.
 

The surge in new plantings saw Cabernet Sauvignon knock Riesling off the throne as the most-harvested grape variety in 2015, with a total take of 47,400 tons. Riesling, for its part, fell from a peak of 50,500 tons in 2014 to 44,100 tons in 2015 and 41,300 in 2016. Growers harvested 71,100 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2016, putting the variety on track to bust through 75,000 tons this year as new plantings continue to come into production.