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 Walla Walla Cellars (Walla Walla)
Novelty Hill-Januik Winery (Woodinville)
Reininger (Walla Walla)
The Tasting Room - Wines of Washington (Seattle)
Whitman Cellars (Walla Walla)
Woodward Canyon (Walla Walla)

After compiling this list, I am reminded there are over 450 wineries in Washington I still need to visit! I hope to see you in Washington wine country this fall discovering new wines and connecting to the people and places producing them. If you happen to visit a winery in the coming weeks, please share your experiences, good, bad or indifferent, using the comment form below.