When we left Walla Walla in late June en route to a weekend party in Montana, we made a spontaneous decision to stop in Spokane and see Greg Lipsker, owner and skilled winemaker of Barrister Winery. We couldn’t stay long, but that didn’t prevent Greg from pouring a few excellent wines. Greg has a large portfolio of beautiful wines, all of which have the signature style of a soft mouthfeel and gentle tannins. Contributing to this style is a unique story – the wines are “train settled.” What does this mean? Read on for details. Continue reading
Category Archives: Spokane
Taste WA 2023
It’s back! Taste WA 2023 is going to be epic. For two decades, we have called this festival “the Super Bowl of Wine Events.” It’s the country’s largest single-region wine and food extravaganza. So what are you waiting for? Taste Washington is around the corner, and you do not want to miss this explosion of tastes, fun and education on March 6-13 in Seattle — especially because organizers understandably cancelled the in-person activities for three years because of the pandemic. In addition, some early bird pricing is available if you get tickets soon.
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Liberty Lake
We originally tasted wines from Liberty Lake Wine Cellars a year ago, and appreciated them. The trend continues, after receiving three samples of current releases from winemaker and co-owner Mark Lathrop: Reserve Syrah, Petit Verdot and Merlot (in time for Merlot Month). Liberty Lake is a boutique Washington state winery near Spokane, focusing on bold reds from Red Mountain. Read on for details about these tasty wines and the Liberty Lake story.
WA Wine Fun Facts
Every year, we love to share WA Wine fun facts about the wonderful wine industry in Washington state. Therefore, we hope you enjoy this updated 2020 version, courtesy of Washington Wine. First, Cabernet is still King in this state (29% of crop), followed by Chardonnay (16%). Riesling, Merlot and Syrah round out the top five, which altogether equate to more than 80% of the crop. Second, Cab Franc received the highest average price per ton. Overall, for four years now, red varieties account for nearly 60% of the total WA crop.
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