Every time we travel to Manson, in WA’s Lake Chelan AVA, we always visit Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards for excellent wines and notorious stories. It is a must-stop, because of the wines and because of the friendly and knowledgeable co-owners, Judy and Don Phelps, and Julian Shaver. During our trip last month, we were delighted that Judy joined us. And we toasted the winery’s 20th anniversary. She and our tasting room hostess Becca kindly poured us five impressive wines. Their website proclaims “Exceptional Wines and Notorious Stories from Lake Chelan.” That is exactly right. Read on for details.
Tag Archives: Hard Row to Hoe
Hard Row
A visit to Lake Chelan AVA in north-central Washington isn’t complete without a stop at Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards. Our recent trip was no exception. We spent a couple of wonderful hours with owner/founding winemaker Judy Phelps and tasted their current, standout releases. This time, we didn’t see Judy’s husband, co-owner and vineyard manager, Don Phelps, or her managing partner/head winemaker son, Julian Shaver, who were both understandably immersed in Harvest. However, we met hard-working, genial assistant winemaker Clint Hepper, and friendly and knowledgeable hostess, Jasmine Shattuck.
Grand Tasting
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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Summer White Wines
Our enjoyment of summer white wines increases every year. Until recently, our palates preferred Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris/Grigio. But these days, we also appreciate the refreshing, wallet-friendly Turbiana grape from Lugana, Italy and Marsanne from here in Washington state. Most importantly, there are so many wonderful summer white wines. For example, here are 25 that we have enjoyed from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Italy, France, South Africa and New Zealand. Most of them are everyday, good-value porch pounders or deck wines, but a few shine with an elegant meal.