Home


About


Books


Connections


Perspectives


Tasting Notes


Wine Recos


Categories

« August 2007 | Main | October 2007 »

September 25, 2007

Washington wineries going beyond the bottle

With the official arrival of fall, Washington wine country will see more folks visiting to taste new releases and experience the harvest season. I thought it might be useful to list the state's wineries that went beyond the bottle to connect me to the who, what and where of their wines. Of the twenty wineries and tasting rooms visited these last few months, the following places (in alphabetical order) received either a four (highly recommended) or five (exceptional) cork rating: Amavi Cellars (Walla Walla) Basel Cellars (Walla Walla) Brian Carter Cellars (Woodinville) Covington Cellars (Woodinville) Dama Wines (Walla Walla) Fort...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 10:20 AM |

September 20, 2007

What wineries do you enjoy visiting?

In The Seattle Times today, I was delighted to see a column entitled, "Winery fans toast top choices for tours". Readers describe their best experiences touring wine country in the Pacific Northwest, with most of the favorites located in Washington state. I am excited to hear these stories, as they provide a good list of places to visit in the coming months. What struck me the most in reading this list was the emphasis folks placed on the quality of staff, service, and setting. The quality of wine certainly counts for a lot in one's experience, but most folks...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 08:57 AM |

September 19, 2007

Experiencing the crush of harvest season

The cooler temps and shortening days here in the Pacific Northwest signal the harvest season is upon us and with it comes crush. While reading the updates on this year's harvest, I am reminded of Brian Doyle's excellent book, "The Grail: A Year Ambling & Shambling Through an Oregon Vinyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir Wine in the Whole Wild World". If you have ever been curious about what it's like to work in a vineyard and/or winery during crush, then this is the book to read. In this wonderful account, Doyle shares the year he spent...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 09:21 AM |

September 18, 2007

Review: The Tasting Room - Wines of Washington

One of the things my wife and I enjoyed most about traveling around northern Italy was visiting an enoteca to taste the local wines. At each place visited, we could find a variety of wineries represented with dozens of tastes to choose from and sample. There were also light snacks or bar food to complement whatever you were drinking. It was just a wonderful way to discover and enjoy wine. I had always thought this concept would do well in the US, especially here in Washington state. After recently visiting The Tasting Room in Pike Place Market, I have...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 10:42 AM |

September 12, 2007

Review: Woodhouse Family Cellars

The Woodhouse Family Cellars winery is located in an industrial business park southwest of downtown Woodinville. But don't let that dissuade you from paying them a visit to sample their wines. This family owned and operated winery has taken strides to make you feel welcome in their unique setting. The raised herb gardens leading into their tasting room are a nice touch, as this would otherwise be a rather drab entrance. When you enter the tasting room, you can't help but feel really small due to the cavernous warehouse space. With an adjoining commercial kitchen, it's clear this winery was...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 05:46 AM |

September 09, 2007

Review: Chatter Creek Winery

There's probably no other winery in Woodinville Wine Country offering as many wines for a $5 tasting fee as Chatter Creek Winery. It seems they are either fully committed to satisfying your thirst or just want to ensure you experience the full gamut of their wines. On the Saturday I visited, they were pouring two white and seven red wines. Tasting fees are refundable with a wine purchase. They also served bread and cheese at not charge. The Chatter Creek tasting room is located in an industrial area of Woodinville north of downtown. As mentioned in my post about their...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 06:59 PM | | Comments (1)

September 07, 2007

Review: Covington Cellars

Covington Cellars is owned and operated by David and Cindy Lawson, who named the winery after their hometown, Covington, WA. David, the winemaker, and Cindy, the tasting room manager, opened the winery in 2002. I had a really good time tasting their wines, experiencing their winery and hearing the stories Cindy shared during my visit. Their winery is located north of downtown Woodinville in what appears to be an industrial complex. Their close neighbors include Chatter Creek Winery, Stevens Winery and Ross Andrew Winery, who all suffer equally from a setting that suggests a self-storage facility. Even still, it is...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 02:10 PM |

September 06, 2007

Review: Brian Carter Cellars

Brian Carter Cellars is a fun place to enjoy and discover new wine. Located south of downtown Woodinville, Brian Carter Cellars maintains a temporary tasting room near the construction site that will become Woodinville Village. This new residential/retail/wine community will be home to four boutique wineries, with Brian Carter opening a brand new facility sometime in late 2008. Their tasting room offers outdoor seating and plenty of room inside at the tasting bar. The place was busy when I arrived, with folks seated at all of the outdoor tables, clearly enjoying the beautiful weather with their wine. The tasting room...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 01:15 PM |

September 05, 2007

Review: Novelty Hill-Januik Winery

What an incredible facility Mike Januik and his design team have created at the new Novelty Hill-Januik Winery. This extraordinary winery makes its older, more established neighbors look staid and stale. Novelty Hill-Januik was clearly designed to encourage visitors to linger, allowing one to connect to Mike's wines in ways that extend beyond the bottles being poured at the tasting room bar. In fact, it is a place one should dedicate an hour or more to slow down, relax and enjoy the setting, the people, the food, and of course, the wine. From the parking lot, the concrete exterior can...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 10:33 AM | | Comments (1)

September 04, 2007

Review: Tilth Restaurant

Last week, my wife and I went to Tilth Restaurant for dinner, where we enjoyed a fantastic food and wine experience. Tilth is unique not only for its focus on local, organic foods, but also for being one of only two restaurants in the country to receive the Oregon Tilth organic certification. The restaurant was started by chef Maria Hines, who had established quite a strong reputation at Earth and Ocean restaurant. Tilth is located on 45th in Wallingford in a converted house that was once home to an Asian restaurant. The new paint outside and redesign inside provide...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 09:12 AM |

September 03, 2007

Touring Woodinville Wine Country

On Saturday, I decided to head east to Woodinville Wine Country, where I ended up visiting half a dozen wineries. Overall, I had a really good time discovering new wines, meeting nice folks, and learning more about these wineries. You can expect to see reviews of each winery in the week ahead. In the meantime, here are few quick highlights from my visit. All wineries were well staffed with knowledgeable folks eager to answer questions and ensure your glass was full. With the notable exception of Novelty Hill-Januik, most of the wineries I visited were housed in industrial or nondescript...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 11:56 AM |


twitter-beyond-the-bottle.jpg

 Subscribe in a reader


Recent Posts


www.flickr.com
Thad Westhusing's items tagged with wine More of Thad Westhusing's stuff tagged with wine

Archives

Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under a Creative Commons License.