Hope you enjoyed my recent wine voyage to southern Oregon in the last edition. The next stop on my wine journey is Washington, the Evergreen State.
The Mighty Columbia | Courtesy Washington Wine Commission
With its reputation for an endless cold and rainy season, it might surprise you to know that Washington State is the second leading producer of wine in the United States. This is possible because almost all the grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley where the Cascade Mountain Range acts as a rain shadow draining wet Pacific storms before they reach this southeast part of the state. This region is also a high-desert plain and viticulture is only possible because of the mighty Columbia River and its subsidiaries that provide irrigation for the vineyards.
These rivers were born of massive floods and ice flows that rampaged to the Pacific from Montana millennia ago that also deposited the complex soils that are a primary reason Washington produces world-class wine. Creatively named AVAs, American Viticultural Areas, such as Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills, Ancient Lakes and The Rocks also feature near ideal climate with warm days and cool nights, that, along with the soils, produce grapes with beautiful and complex fruit profiles, energizing beams of acid and mineral components that brings the best of Old- and New-World flavors and textures.
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“… grapes with beautiful and complex fruit profiles,
energizing beams of acid and mineral components that
brings the best of Old- and New-World flavors and textures.”
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Although many producers make their wine in the Columbia Valley and have tasting rooms there, many others transport the grapes to the Seattle/Woodinville area for winemaking, tasting and distribution. This makes Washington a great wine destination for those who prefer either bucolic or urban wine adventures.
Washington Big Guns | Lou Phillips
Quality wines can be found at all price points. Even the value producers you see at markets and restaurants everywhere, such as Columbia Crest Winery, 14 Hands Winery and Columbia Winery, offer well-made and interesting wines. At the premium end of the spectrum wineries, such as Quilceda Creek Vitners, Leonetti Cellar and Cayuse Vineyards, to name but a few, are making wines that stand up to anything from Napa or France, and often outscore far more expensive wines from those regions.
Washington Wine Country | Courtesy Washington Wine Commission
The star reds varietals are Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, and excellent white wines are crafted from Chardonnay and Riesling. As a matter of fact, there is more Riesling made in Washington than all of Germany. Some Rieslings to look for are Poet’s Leap and Eroica at the top tier and Kung Fu Girl – yes that’s its name — in the bargain category.
Whether your tastes are for substantial reds or bright whites and whether your price point leans to Mercedes or Chevy, Washington wines deliver value, quality unique tastes. Also their wine commission has one of the most interactive, fun and educational Web sites around. For more information, visit washingtonwine.org.
Lou Phillips is a Level 3 Advanced Sommelier and his consulting business wineprowest.com assists in the selling, buying and managing wine collections. He may be reached at (775) 544-3435 or lou@wineprowest.com. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for more wine columns.
