Wine festivals and some wine release weekends are canceled. Numerous wineries are shutting down tasting rooms or taking special measures to deal with COVID-19 Coronavirus. Below are some event and winery updates as of today (March 14). However, this list does not cover all local wineries. Overall, the situation is changing daily. Therefore, check directly with your favorite wineries to find out their status. And please support the industry by stocking up on wine during this difficult time.
Tag Archives: Northstar
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
Our Top 65 Washington Wineries
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 or Bellingham 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.
We welcome ten newcomers to our list this year, and thank you for the 2016 wine experiences you brought us — Ambassador Wines of Washington, Canvasback, DeLille Cellars, Matthews Winery, Mullan Road Cellars, Savage Grace, Spring Valley Vineyard, Tildio Winery, Upchurch Vineyard and Two Vintners.
Write for Wine’s Top 70 Washington Wineries (in alphabetical order):
- Alexandria Nicole Cellars
- Ambassador Wines of Washington
- Andrew Will
- Avennia
- B. Leighton
- Barrage Cellars
- Barrister Winery
- Bartholomew Winery
- Betz Family Winery
- Boudreaux Cellars
- Buty Winery
- Canvasback
- Chateau Ste. Michelle
- Columbia Crest
- Cooper Wine Company
- Cote Bonneville
- Darby
- DeLille Cellars
- 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
- L’Ecole 41
- Lauren Ashton
- Leonetti
- Long Shadows
- Maryhill
- Matthews Winery
- Mercer Estates
- Mullan Road Cellars
- Obelisco Estate
- Otis Kenyon
- Passing Time
- Quilceda Creek
- Reynvaan
- Ross Andrew
- Savage Grace
- Seven Falls Cellars
- Sinclair Estate
- Sleight of Hand
- Spring Valley Vineyard
- Stottle Winery
- Tildio
- Two Vintners
- Upchurch Vineyard
- 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!
Our List of Top 60 Washington Wineries
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 Cellars Kiona, Leonetti, Passing Time, Reynvaan, Seven Falls and 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!