When we contemplate the cold weather, our wine thoughts typically turn to rich reds in front of a cozy fire or paired with a hearty meal. But winter whites and rosé have a place too, especially during the holiday season. In addition, holiday whites and rosé are food-friendly and wallet-friendly wines. For example, white wine and rosé pair with seafood, shellfish, salads, pasta and Asian dishes. Consequently, read on to find out our Top 25 holiday whites and rosé from Washington, Oregon, California, B.C., France, Italy and New Zealand.
Tag Archives: Savage Grace
Warm Weather Whites
With the warm days easing into summer heat, an array of white wines have caught our attention. Overall, these are super summer sippers to pair with your patio or deck, poolside or lakeside. They also complement fish, crab, scallops, oysters, shrimp, prawns, sushi or a tasty summer salad.
Until recently, our palates preferred Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris/Grigio. However, this year we discovered beautiful wines ranging from the unusual white Cabernet Franc (Blanc Franc) to the wallet-friendly Turbiana grape from Lugana, Italy.
Most importantly, there are so many wonderful wines to explore this summer. For example, here are some that we have tasted from Washington state, Oregon, British Columbia, Italy, France, Iberia and New Zealand.
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!
Woodinville Wineries
Now that we don’t live in Seattle anymore, we have to carefully choose the wineries we want to visit on our trips to Woodinville.
It is not an easy task! Woodinville Wine Country boasts 108 wineries now — an amazing growth rate since 30 tasting rooms when we started Write for Wine in 2007.
Here is a list of the wineries (in alphabetical order) that we tend to visit most often — they are among the best, although there are more. So spend your time wisely – do your homework and develop a plan before you go!
- Alexandria Nicole Cellars
- Ambassador Wines
- Avennia
- Baer
- Barrage Cellars
- Chateau Ste. Michelle (Estates)
- Darby
- DeLille Cellars
- Efeste
- Fidelitas
- Forgeron
- Gard Vintners
- Gorman Winery
- Guardian Cellars
- JM Cellars
- Laura Ashton
- Obelisco
- Otis Kenyon
- Savage Grace
- William Church
- The Woodhouse Wine Estates
For a list of all wineries in the area (including maps), restaurants and events, check out the Woodinville Wine Country website.
We highly recommend visiting Woodinville wineries every month, because there are always new releases to taste and a warm, welcoming tasting room where you can learn about wine and have fun at the same time.
Cheers!
Margot and Dave