For two decades, we have called Taste Washington “the Super Bowl of Wine Events.” It’s the country’s largest single-region wine and food extravaganza, and returned March 6-13 in Seattle after a three-year break because of the pandemic. We went to the Grand Tasting, and had an epic time connecting with some incredible winemakers, and tasting their new releases.
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Tag Archives: DeLille
Taste Red Mountain
We always said we never met a grape from Red Mountain that we didn’t like. And last week’s event, Taste Red Mountain Woodinville, underlined our opinion. Likewise, it was a wonderful way to end Washington Wine Month. We tasted some standout wine, and connected with winemakers. We’ve known some of them for years, while we met others more recently. Read on for details about Red Mountain AVA, the winemakers and the wine. Continue reading
Another Success for Taste Washington
Congratulations to the Washington State Wine Commission and Visit Seattle for another successful Taste Washington March 22-25, 2018. Thousands of people participated in the annual celebration of the excellent wine made in this state — at the Grand Tasting, educational seminars, lunches on local farms, and other events.
Every year, we hope that people did more than taste the fine wine of Washington. We hope they appreciated it, and the hard work by people in our state’s wine industry – from farmers to vineyard managers to those in the production facilities, winemakers, distributors, tasting room staff and more. In particular, we applaud the workers in the vineyards who toil over the grapes and the terroir; the winemakers who balance creativity and science in every barrel and bottle; and their families who support this extreme effort. We definitely appreciated every taste that was poured for us at the Grand Tasting. Our top 25 favorites are listed below. ((Note, some were “under the table” pours!)
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It’s Back! The Northwest Wine Encounter at Semiahmoo
The second annual Northwest Wine Encounter at Semiahmoo Resort will be held April 28-30, when some of the northwest’s most talented winemakers and viticulturists will be holding seminars, tastings and attending a gala dinner:
- Chris Figgins of Leonetti Cellar, Figgins Family Wine Estates and Toil Oregon (WA, OR)
- Mike Sauer of the acclaimed, historic Red Willow Vineyard (WA)
- Chris Upchurch of DeLille Cellars and Upchurch Vineyard (WA)
- David “Merf” Merfeld of Northstar Winery (WA)
- Walter Gehringer of Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery (B.C.)
- Tony Rynders of Panther Creek Cellars (OR)
We have had the pleasure of meeting Mike Sauer, Chris Upchurch and Walter Gehringer in the past, and have tasted wines from all of the attending wineries and vineyards. We also attended last year’s inaugural Northwest Wine Encounter — so we can personally attest to the experiences awaiting you this year at Semiahmoo Resort.
The event is packed with educational and fun times, opening on Friday, April 28 with a “Winemaker’s Reception,” followed by a private beach bonfire with gourmet s’mores at the spectacular resort.
Saturday’s activities include educational seminars hosted by Andy Perdue of Wine Press Northwest, who is also a wine columnist for The Seattle Times. Keynote speaker will be retailer and collector Doug Charles of Compass Wines.
Participants will also have the unique opportunity to taste wines one-on-one with participating winemakers at Saturday’s “Wine Speed Dating.”
Saturday culminates with an intimate Vintner’s Dinner Gala — a five-course meal crafted by Bruno Feldeisen, executive chef at Semiahmoo Resort’s Pierside Kitchen, and celebrity chef Roy Breiman of Coastal Hotels. The courses will be paired by wines from all wineries in attendance.
Sunday’s seminar, “Importance of Place,” looks at the importance of a vineyard’s location (or a location within a vineyard) to the grape-growing process.
The entire weekend package — including two nights at the gorgeous resort — starts at $475 per person. Local residents can phone for more details: (360) 318-2000. Further information is available at Semiahmoo Resort’s website.
We hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Margot and Dave