Washington Wineries

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Washington's Wineries

Second only to California for quality, many of Washington's wines are superb, and their wineries are picturesque. Along Rattlesnake Hills in Yakima Valley, the Hyatt Winery offers a relaxing patio upon which to sip wines and watch the wind lazily stir the windmill, with Mt. Ranier just visible in the far, far distance (literally on the other side of the state).

Further up the hills sloping from Yakima Valley in southeastern Washington, Mt. Ranier is easier to spot from the vineyards of the Portteus Winery, a small family operation that makes lushous reds.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were ripe for the picking
when we were there in mid-September.
Surprisingly, the fruit was tastier than table grapes,
with the added feature of pit-spittin' fun.

Back to School

It's Patty's fault. A couple of years ago she sent us a bottle of L'Ecole No. 41 wine. The wine was tasty and the label was unique, so we had to stop in Walla Walla on our way up to Tacoma. There we got a lesson in the differences between wines of the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley appellations, both of which L'Ecole bottles in their 1915-built converted schoolhouse winery. I'm no wine professor, but I'd give L'Ecole an A for quality and atmosphere.

L'Ecole No. 41's label, left, is so different, we bought an etched bottle with a hand-painted label to decorate our kitchen.
The tasting wines are listed on a chalkboard, below. I don't remember classes being this interesting in elementary school.

A Lesson in Wine Economics

There are two kinds of wineries: family owned and corporate. You can't always tell them apart from their names or labels. The folksy labels of Snoqualmie, above, hide the fact that this winery is now part of the large UST conglomorate that owns Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, 14 Hands, Erath (Oregon), and Stag's Leap (California).

Similarly, when we stopped at the nicely appointed Sagelands Winery in Yakima Valley, the wine pourer's business card showed how the winemaking business is just that—big business.

It is almost always a better experience to go tasting at the small, family-owned winery, where the winemaker himself shares his expertise and enthusiasm along with the fruit of the vine.

N'West Washington Wines

We spent a couple of days wine tasting with Tom and Patty in northwestern Washington. At left, the Columbia Winery in Woodinville offered a great selection of whites and reds and had a nice gift selection, where Cherie bought a wine bottle-holding picnic backpack. Matt and Mel rounded out the picnic backpack with glasses, corkscrew, and other accessories.

Cherie is pretty jazzed about tasting wines on a rainy day with Patty and Tom.
How's the wine, hon?

Welcome to the Chateau Ste Michelle parlor
The reserve tasting room invites visitors to sample the wines and enjoy a relaxing chat in the parlor. That's the idea, anyway. In reality, the reserve tasting was a bit rushed and the pourer was as friendly as your Swedish sixth grade gym teacher. "You vill swill and den drill out ze door" was her tone. Good thing the wine was more approachable than the server.

We weren't about to let the pouring (server nor weather) get us down in Woodinville. No siree. Patty, Cherie, and I were just getting a glow on when Tom snapped our picture.

Ditto for Tom and Patty, as they paused in front of the Chateau's signature barrel, below.

With a name like Matthews...
...it couldn't be all bad. And it wasn't. The reds from this small warehouse winery just north of Chateau Ste Michelle were in fact deep and rich, and tastings were served in big Riedel glasses. That's an indication of the pride and seriousness of the vintner: to serve his wines in only the best glass.

Furthermore, the winemaker was experimenting with various types of fermentation, including fermenation in a concrete vat, at left.

Olympic Wine
Our last winery stop in Washington was in the far northwest, near Port Townsend on the Olympic peninsula.

The Sorensen winery is a small operation based in a warehouse district. But the tasting room was well appointed and the wines were good quality

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AZ Roadtrip
Bryce Canyon
WA Wineries
Homecoming
WA Sights
OR Wineries
Napa/Sonoma
Paso Robles

or Return to the Homecoming Home Page or Return to the Family Photo Album

A Lesson in Wine Economics There are two kinds of wineries: family owned and corporate. You can't always tell them apart from their names or labels. The folksy labels of Snoqualmie, above, hide the fact that this winery is now part of the large UST conglomorate that owns Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, 14 Hands, Erath (Oregon), and Stag's Leap (California).
Similarly, when we stopped at the nicely appointed Sagelands Winery in Yakima Valley, the wine pourer's business card showed how the winemaking business is just that—big business.	It is almost always a better experience to go tasting at the small, family-owned winery, where the winemaker himself shares his expertise and enthusiasm along with the fruit of the vine.

N'West Washington Wines
	We spent a couple of days wine tasting with Tom and Patty in northwestern Washington. At left, the Columbia Winery in Woodinville offered a great selection of whites and reds and had a nice gift selection, where Cherie bought a wine bottle-holding picnic backpack. Matt and Mel rounded out the picnic backpack with glasses, corkscrew, and other accessories.

Olympic Wine Our last winery stop in Washington was in the far northwest, near Port Townsend on the Olympic peninsula.
	The Sorensen winery is a small operation based in a warehouse district. But the tasting room was well appointed and the wines were good quality

To continue, click on a thumbnail below...
AZ Roadtrip	Bryce Canyon	WA Wineries	Homecoming	WA Sights	OR Wineries	Napa/Sonoma	Paso Robles

or Return to the Homecoming Home Page				or Return to the Family Photo Album