Last Thursday evening, the Washington Wine Commission (WWC) held a media reception to promote the upcoming Taste Washington on April 5 and 6. The event was attended by various media folks including those covering wine in the traditional press as well as a few bloggers. It was hosted by Robin Pollard, Executive Director, and Shayn Bjornholm, MS, Education Director, both of the WWC.

Robin, Shayn and other members of the WWC were very hospitable, making their way around the room introducing themselves and offering their support toward media coverage for Taste Washington. As a blogger, it was interesting to be included in this assembly of mostly traditional media, which suggests that the WWC understands the impact wine bloggers are having on the industry.

Besides getting to know the people at the WWC, the reception offered an opportunity to meet some fellow wine bloggers who live in the Seattle area. I finally met Margot of Write for Wine and also came to know Duane of Wine Foot, one of the newer blogs on the Washington wine scene.

Duane and his brother, Darin, put together some great coverage of the event on their blog. I am really excited about Wine Foot joining the new media fold here in Washington, as we need more folks blogging about our state's wine. I am looking forward to following Duane's blog in the weeks and reading his experiences with Washington wine.

Besides meeting folks, I enjoyed tasting some of the 70 bottles of wine the WWC poured at this event. There were a couple dozen whites and more than four dozen reds, which offered a good cross section of our state's wines. There were some new discoveries and old acquaintances amongst the many bottles.

Overall, I enjoyed the white flights more so than the reds. The table of whites including a number of dry rieslings, which I think are some of the best being produced. I also enjoyed a few blends of chardonnay and viognier as well as one white varietal off the beaten path, a siegerrebe.

The red wines included a number of standouts, but proved to be a bit challenging due the number available to taste. After sampling a few big, full-bodied syrahs, cabs, and blends, my palate was getting taxed. Even when spitting, it was hard to sample but a dozen or so of these reds, as many were 14.5% alcohol or higher.

This should not be taken as criticism of the selection, for there were come terrific reds being poured. As stated earlier, it was a representative sample of Washington state, which tends to skew toward more ripe, extracted, high alcohol wines. Why this situation exists in our state is becoming a more frequently discussed topic in the blogosphere these days. Regardless, I was clearly in the minority in favoring the whites, as most of the people attending were crowded around the red wine tables sampling many bottles one after another.

And I would expect the same at Taste Washington next month, for there is probably no other event in the state where you can observe so many wine enthusiasts crowding the tables, holding their glasses out for a taste of an old favorite or a newly discovered release. No matter what your taste in wine, you will find something to enjoy at Taste Washington. In fact, if you're looking for an event that provides a useful cross-section of our state wines (over 200 wineries) paired with some amazing food (many leading restaurants), then save the date and get your ticket to Taste Washington on April 5th and 6th.