Congratulations to the Washington State Wine Commission and Visit Seattle for another successful Taste Washington March 23-26, capping off Washington state Wine Month.

Thousands of people participated in the annual celebration of the excellent juice made in this state — at the Grand Tasting, educational seminars, lunches on local farms, and at restaurants, wineries, hotels and retailers that offered special deals and promotions throughout the month.

But 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, marketing specialists, tasting room staff and more.

In particular, we applaud the workers in the vineyard 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.

And there were some delicious bites too. Our favorite was these amazing Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies from Blazing Bagels. (Their bagels were mouth-watering too, of course!)

We also enjoyed seafood from Anthony’s Pier 66, Ivar’s, Ray’s Boathouse and The Crab Pot. We munched on a lot of crab cakes this year!

Here are some of our favorite wines, in alphabetical order:

• Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2014 Quarry Butte Red Bordeaux Blend ($26)
• Ambassador Wines of Washington 2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($38)
• Andrew Will 2013 Champoux Vineyard Red Blend ($74)
• Avennia 2015 Oliane Sauvignon Blanc ($28)
• Barrage Cellars 2012 “Cease and Desist” Cabernet Franc ($35)
• Barrister Winery 2013 Cabernet Franc ($31), pictured left with Petit Verdot & Barrister’s Block
• Bartholomew Winery 2014 Tannat ($32)
• Betz Family Winery 2013 Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon ($75)
• Boudreaux Cellars 2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($115); winemaker Rob Newsom and his daughter Keely are pictured below
• Canvasback 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($40)
• Cooper Wine Company 2014 L’inizio Bordeaux Blend, Red Mountain ($55)
• Double Canyon 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($65)
• Efeste 2013 Big Papa Cabernet Sauvignon ($60)
• Fidelitas 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($50)
• Figgins 2013 Estate Red Bordeaux Blend ($85)
• Lauren Ashton Cellars 2013 Cuvee Estelle Red Bordeaux Blend ($50)
• Maison Bleue 2014 Voyageur Syrah ($50)
• Obelisco 2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($50)
• Saviah Cellars 2013 “The Stones Speak” Syrah ($55)
• Secret Squirrel 2013 Red Bordeaux Blend ($25)
• William Church 2014 Keystone Reserve Series, Reserve Syrah ($55)

There were so many other wonderful wineries pouring at Taste Washington, but we unfortunately could not visit every table.

As far as we’re concerned, every month is a good time to celebrate Washington state wine.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave