Many people we know are enjoying wine from the safety and comfort of home by ordering bottles online, utilizing curbside pickup services and participating in creative winery promotions during COVID-19.
We too are supporting wineries during these tough times. Here are some bottles we have poured (so far) in April.
What’s in Our Glasses Lately?
In April, our wine picks included whites, rosé and reds from Washington State and Spain. Some were wallet-friendly, while some were for special occasions – for example, our wedding anniversary and my birthday. And we enjoyed every single pour. Continue reading →
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!
This is a continuation of our random thoughts from Taste Washington, held March 23-24 in Seattle. To start at the beginning, please read Part 1 first.
Another perennial favorite, 2010 Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon, from Betz Family Winery, continues to showcase how this grape shines in Washington state.
Smart thinking from Col Solare — at their booth, they offered an educational (and tasty) experience of how wine develops over the years, with a side-by-side tasting of the 2007 and the 2003 vintages.
Somehow, we were lucky enough to taste Cooper Wine Company‘s stellar 2008 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon. This standout wine wasn’t on the tasting list provided when we arrived at the event.
Thank you to all our friends who poured us a little-extra-special something from under the table!
Speaking of friends, Bob Silver noted in his blog WA|Wine|PR that the Double Canyon 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon was “the favorite wine that I met at 2013 Taste Washington.” He described it as “Big honkin’ fruit from Horse Heaven Hills, wonderful structure and balance” – so you know we’ll be checking this wine out in the near future. Our palates are similar to Bob’s – he’s never steered us wrong with his many recommendations over the years.
Efeste‘s 2009 Big Papa is drinking so well right now that we need to get to Woodinville to pick up more, stat! Just one taste underlined why Washington wine expert Paul Gregutt described this beauty as capturing the best of Washington in a single bottle.
As expected, we enjoyed JM Cellars’ 2010 Longevity and 2010 Tre. We can’t wait until May, when John Bigelow’s 2012 Red Mountain Sauvignon Blanc is released. We savored a pour at Taste Washington, and indeed, this wine demonstrates the true characteristics of the grape. A perfect summer sipper on the deck!
Another favorite was Sparkman Cellars 2010 Kingpin Cabernet Sauvignon, also sourced from Red Mountain. I adored Sparky’s tasting notes: “Will develop for many years and last well past the end of the world.”
There were so many more wineries that we did not have the time (or fortitude) to visit! And then there was the food!
Six of seven Woodinville wineries that make up the Grape Killers generated lots of fans and fun at their annual “Holiday in the ‘Hood” wine tasting event last night in Woodinville’s Wine Warehouse District.
Winemakers, and friends, from Gorman Winery(Chris Gorman), Mark Ryan Winery(Mark Ryan McNeilly), Darby Winery(Darby English), Guardian Cellars(Jerry Riener), Baer Winery (Lisa Baer) and Sparkman Cellars (Chris Sparkman) offered some amazing wines, appetizers and good cheer. Perfect example? Chris Sparkman appeared dressed as Elvis. (Photo courtesy of our friend Taryn Miller)
Not surprisingly, we enjoyed all the wines we tasted at Grape Killers Holiday in the ‘Hood party. But these were our favorites:
Gorman Winery2008 Bully Cabernet Sauvignon (blended with Petit Verdot), Red Mountain
Sparkman Cellars 2009 Kingpin Old Vine Cab (blended with Petit Verdot), Red Mountain
Darby Winery2009 Dark Side Syrah (100% Syrah), Yakima Valley
Baer Winery 2009 Arctos, a Cabernet-driven blend, Columbia Valley
Guardian Cellars2008 The Rookie Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Mark Ryan Winery2009 Dead Horse Red, Bordeaux blend, Red Mountain
Do you sense a trend here? Indeed, our palates prefer Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends, and as Dave said, “I never met a grape from Red Mountain that I didn’t like.”
You could tell the six winemakers (plus Tim Stevens of Stevens Winery who couldn’t participate this time) are pals who hang out together in their spare time. Their camaraderie was evident at each of their tasting rooms. This was a night full of smiles and laughter!
And to top off the good fun, a portion of all wine sales will benefit Woodinville’s Homeward Pet Adoption Shelter.
If you didn’t make it to the Grape Killers event last night, be sure to stop by these wineries in the future. They make good juice!