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
Tag Archives: Obelisco
Coronavirus Shuts Wine Festivals and Some Wineries in the Northwest
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.
Second Tasting Room for Obelisco Estate
If you haven’t visited Obelisco‘s new, second tasting room in the Hollywood schoolhouse area of Woodinville, what are you waiting for? This is an opportunity to taste magnificent wine, kick back and enjoy good conversation in a relaxing environment. On weekends, you just might find live music, too.
Obelisco is one of our favorite wineries in Washington state. Winemaker Doug Long is as friendly as he is talented, creative and dedicated. He came here from Napa, where he started his first winery, David Arthur, which was named “Winery of the Decade” by Wine Spectator in 2000. The 1997 vintage scored 99 points.
Once here, he planted a vineyard in the incredible Red Mountain AVA in 2004. And then he applied his Napa Valley winemaking skills to Washington state grapes.
While Doug has received dozens of awards for many of Obelisco’s wines, from Syrahs to Malbecs, our favorites are his Cab-based productions — Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Electrum, Nefer and a refreshing Cabernet Rose’.
And now you can experience these beauties in a comfy, cozy, conversation-friendly tasting room in the schoolhouse area, in addition to the original Obelisco tasting room in the Woodinville wine warehouse.
Shortly before the grand opening, we spent about an hour in the new location, chatting with Doug and manager Ken Abbott, tasting through the lineup and enjoying the ambiance — it was hard to leave!
Obelisco’s second tasting room is located at 14525 148th Ave NE, suite 121 in the Apple Farm Village of Woodinville, near Otis Kenyon and Lauren Ashton and across the street from Alexandria Nicole Cellars.
The original tasting room at the Woodinville wine warehouse is located at 19495 144th Ave NE, suite B-220 in Woodinville.
We hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Margot and Dave
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!