Mark your calendars for the third annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival on August 4 at Four Points by Sheraton. This is a fun event, whether you live in Bellingham, Birch Bay, other parts of Whatcom County, or the Vancouver and Seattle areas.
The wines that are poured will be the winners of gold, double gold and Best in Show from an earlier judged competition. More than 125 wineries will be pouring wines from “the only judged wine competition between Seattle and Vancouver.” Continue reading →
Happy New Year! As we begin 2017, it’s time for our annual Top Washington Wineries List. Why 65 wineries? The list grew to 65 from 60 last year, and from 50 the year before, as we were introduced to new wines or new wine experiences.
The way to get on our list is fairly simple; we only have two criteria: wineries must offer great juice and good people who provide an excellent wine experience. Perhaps we had fun or learned something in a tasting room or at a wine event such as Taste Washington, Taste of Tulalip,Seattle Wine and Food Experience,Bellingham Bay Rotary Grape and Gourmet orBellingham Northwest Wine Festival. Perhaps someone from the winery gave us a call, or sent us a personal note or samples. Or perhaps we were invited to an incredible winery party.
These people might be the winemakers or the winery owners; in some cases, they are the hard-working staff in a tasting room who went out of their way to make us feel welcome or the amazing workers in the vineyards where it all begins.
As the new year begins, we want to reflect on the wineries in Washington state that made our list of Top 60 Washington Wineries.
The way to get on our list is fairly simple; we only have two criteria: wineries must offer good juice and good people who provide an excellent wine experience. Perhaps we had fun or learned something in a tasting room or at a major wine event such as Taste Washington, Taste of Tulalip or Seattle Wine and Food Experience. Perhaps someone from the winery gave us a call, or sent us a personal note or samples. Or perhaps we were invited to an incredible winery party.
These people might be the winemakers or the winery owners; in some cases, they are the hard-working staff in a tasting room who went out of their way to make us feel welcome or the amazing workers in the vineyards where it all begins.
Why 60 wineries? The list grew to 60 from 50 last year, as we were introduced to new wineries or new wine experiences in 2015. We welcome the newcomers to the list, and thank you for the 2015 wine experiences you brought us — Andrew Will, B. Leighton, Cote Bonneville, Dynasty Cellars, Ensemble CellarsKiona,Leonetti, Passing Time, Reynvaan, Seven Fallsand Stottle Winery.
Write for Wine’s Top 60 Washington Wineries (in alphabetical order):
Alexandria Nicole Cellars
Andrew Will
Avennia
B. Leighton
Baer
Barrage Cellars
Barrister
Bartholomew
Betz Family
Boudreaux Cellars
Buty Winery
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Columbia Crest
Cooper Wine Company
Cote Bonneville
Darby
DiStefano
Double Canyon
Dunham Cellars
Dynasty Winery
Efeste
Ensemble Cellars
Fall Line
Fidelitas
Fielding Hills
Figgins
Force Majeure
Forgeron Cellars
Gard
Gorman Winery
Guardian Cellars
Hard Row to Hoe
JM Cellars
Kiona
L’Ecole 41
Lauren Ashton
Leonetti
Long Shadows
Maryhill
Mercer Estates
Northstar
Northwest Totem Cellars
Obelisco Estate
Otis Kenyon
Passing Time
Quilceda Creek
Reynvaan
Ross Andrew
Sleight of Hand
Seven Falls Cellars
Sinclair Estate
Sparkman Cellars
Stottle Winery
Va Piano
Vin du Lac
Walla Walla Vintners
William Church
Windy Point
Woodward Canyon
Woodhouse Wine Estates
To these people, we thank you; we support you. Cheers to Washington state wine!
Happy new year! Margot and Dave Write for Wine — it’s Wine O’clock Somewhere!
There’s only one week left to buy your tickets for the Seattle Wine and Food Experience at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. If you like good wine, beer and food – and seriously, who doesn’t? – mark your calendars for this delicious experience on Feb. 26.
In addition to the wonderful wines of Washington, our neighbors to the south, Oregon, are also featured this year. And face it, there aren’t many events where plentiful choices of both Washington and Oregon wine are available for tasting.
And let’s not forget Stag’s Leap, Francis Ford Coppola Winery and other California wineries will also be pouring, along with wineries from Idahoand around the world(France, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Australia and Argentina).
There’s something for everybody, including beer and ciderand spirits, non-alcoholic beverages and coffee.
Did we mention food? Seattle Wine & Food Experience showcases too many Washington restaurants to name, so here is the list. You’ll be able to nibble on tasty treats such as barbequed beef slider, Kona coffee-rubbed filet, boeuf Bourguignon stew, seafood salad, roasted lamb leg, foie gras and much more.
The cost for this explosion of tastes is $49 in advance or $60 at the door (cash only).
Mark your calendars for the third annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival on August 4 at Four Points by Sheraton. This is a fun event, whether you live in Bellingham, Birch Bay, other parts of Whatcom County, or the Vancouver and Seattle areas.
