05/29/07
(Tuesday) - Washington Wine Highway Improves with Age
The second annual Washington Wine Highway event was recently held on the grounds at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, May 26th-27th. This wine tasting event is put-on by the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce with the goal of bringing the State’s wine industry to the people of Western Washington. Given that most of the wine produced in Washington State is done so east of the Cascades, it makes sense to bring that experience into to the Puget Sound where a majority of Washington’s population resides.
The event is designed to follow the route, or “highway”, between the several wine and culinary regions across Washington State, including Woodinville, Columbia Valley, Yakima, Walla Walla, etc. Each of the various regions and activity areas were covered by large white tents, which provided good protection from the elements – rain or sun depending on which day you chose to attend. Within each of the main tented pavilions numerous tables were setup to highlight the wineries, restaurants, artisans, and hospitality/tourism information within each area. And while the tents did keep out the rain it was a little cold, which made tasting the red wines a more difficult.
All in all the Wine Highway event was rather well put together. Definitely more so than last year when you had to cross the street to Columbia Winery beforehand to check-in and then again at the end to order your wine. This year everything seemed a little more organized and thought out, which goes along with a second year event. I definitely believe that the Washington Wine Highway will continue to grow into one of the premiere wine tasting events in the state. -MP
05/28/07
(Monday) - Lance Baer, a Talented Winemaker and Good Friend
Lance Baer, owner and winemaker of Baer Winery in Woodinville, passed away unexpectedly last week. Besides being a very talented up-and-coming winemaker in Washington State, Lance was also a good friend. His laid back approach to wine and winemaking was a breath of fresh air and he’ll be surely missed by all that knew him.
-JC & MP
05/25/07
(Friday) - Wine & Spirits Features Great Wine at Great Values!
Congratulations to all the Washington wineries/wines featured in the June 2007 issue of Wine & Spirits Magazine, which included the “100 Top Values of the Year”. Over 12 months their panels tasted 2,275 new releases that sell for $15 or less with the top 100 wines offering the best ratio of quality to price. In the tasting introduction, Wine & Spirits also had this to say about Washington State in regards to American Merlots: “Washington State also turned out some exemplary examples, from the lean, peppery bargain-priced Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2004 ($11) to Pepper Bridge’s rich, sun-filled 2004 Columbia Valley”.
Washington wines featured in the "100 Top Values of the Year":
• Domaine Ste. Michelle, Columbia Extra Dry Sparkling Wine (88 Points) - $12
• L’Ecole No. 41, 2005 Columbia Valley Semillon (88 Points) - $15
• Genesis by Hogue Cellars, 2005 Washington Riesling (88 Points) - $15
• Columbia Crest, 2003 Columbia Valley Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon (86 Points) - $8
• Pavin & Riley, 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot (87 Points) - $10
• Columbia Crest, 2002 Columbia Valley Grand Estates Shiraz (87 Points) - $11
-JC & MP
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