Taste Washington

Did you know that Washington State now boasts 380 wineries, 350 wine grape growers and more than 30,000 vineyard acres? Washington is the second-largest premium wine producer in the United States, next to California.

Not only do we make wine, we make good wine—the Wine Spectator recognized thirteen Washington wines in its annual list of ”Top Picks” last year, and a Washington State vineyard was named among the world's ten greatest vineyards in Wine & Spirits, Fall 2004.
Since March is Taste Washington wine month, a celebration that occurs every year the month leading up to Taste Washington, I thought I’d ask you, on behalf of the 14,000 employees that make up this $3 billion industry…to Drink Washington!
Try any of the 20+ varietals our state grows, like reds Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese, or popular whites Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Viognier.

Learn about our AVAs (federally recognized American Viticultural Areas) by choosing several wines from any of the nine wine growing regions: The Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope Valley, Puget Sound, Red Mountain, Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills or the newly-approved Rattlesnake Hills.

Dine at local restaurants that are hosting special Washington promotions and winemaker dinners for Washington Wine month (a few suggestions are located in this month’s sidebar).

And attend Taste Washington, the state’s premier wine tasting event, on Saturday, April 8, 2006 at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. This year’s one-day event offers:

Eight wine education seminars from 9-11:30 a.m. taught by global experts
A gourmet luncheon from 12-1:30 p.m. featuring a keynote address by world-renowned wine critic Pierre Rovani of The Wine Advocate.
· Tasting with the Masters, a seated tasting from 2-3:30 p.m. Moderated by Food & Wine executive wine editor Lettie Teague, Washington’s two Masters of Wine and three Master Sommeliers will lead guests through an interactive blind taste-off of “Washington State Merlot vs. the World.”
· Grand tasting from 4-7 p.m., where you will receive a Riedel wine glass and entry to the tasting that offers a sampling from hundreds of award-winning Washington wines from more than 180 Washington wineries.

Where there is wine there is food, and this year’s Taste Washington cuisine will be prepared by 35 “Washington Wine Restaurant Award” winners who have been recognized for their ongoing commitment to the Washington wine industry by the Washington Wine Commission.

If that isn’t enough to keep you busy, they are also offering live cooking demonstrations, book signings by leading authors, carnival-like games “Wheel of Wine” and “Ring Toss” to win wine-related prizes and a Caffé Vita Jazz Café with gourmet desserts, espresso and live music.

Tickets are available on online at www.tastewashington.org.


Wow of the Month

I had the pleasure of attending Vine Tales Wine Club (www.vinetales.com) on their first wine excursion last weekend to Cave B, a destination resort winery near Gorge Amphitheatre.

Just two hours from Seattle, this fairly new resort was more impressive than I had anticipated, offering luxury accommodations in cliff houses or cavern lofts with astonishing sweeping views of sky, water, and canyon.

After settling into our room we walked through the vineyards to the winery to meet up with winemaker "Rusty" Figgins and 'thieved' tastes of his 2004 and 2005 wines still in barrel.

The tour was followed by dinner in the Frank Lloyd Wright’s main lodge prepared by Executive Chef Fernando Divina from the on-site restaurant, Trendils. The meal, which was excellent, had a focus on regional fare with an emphasis on organic gardens and was paired with the current vintage of Cave B wines. www.cavebinn.com