Back in June, Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grapevine was the first to welcome me to the world of Washington state wine blogs. At the time, she told me that she found out about my new blog about Washington state wine through a Google alert. Four months later, I finally got around to setting up my own Google alert for Washington wine. Wow — people are really talking about the fine wines in our state. I receive up to ten alerts each day to prove it. Brilliant!

For example, I discovered this interview with Paul Gregett, author of Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide. He shared some very interesting pearls of wisdom–in particular he noted that many more wines are being released at a young age these days for many reasons.
•  It’s very expensive for a winery to inventory wines.
•  Consumers seem to be more interested in fresh, fruity flavors than in the complexities of mature wines.
•  A lot of wines don’t improve with age.
•  Winemaking has changed so that wines are designed to be consumed young.
•  There is pressure from the wine press and trade to get new vintages out as soon as possible.

But have no fear, Gregett also said,  “Many winemakers are crafting terrific red wines that are delicious upon release.”

Cheers!