2004 Visit to Washington State

Visiting a winery is the best way to learn about its wines. You get to see the vines, learn about the fermentation process, and taste the wine while talking to a person who can answer every question you have. What could be better?

Washington State has blossomed in wineries in the past few years. They are now up to 240 wineries across the state, with most found in the eastern Columbia Valley. You might think of Seattle as being rainy and web, but cross over those Cascade mountains and the landscape turns dry, even desert like. The land around the rivers in this region are perfect for grape growing.

If you doubt the power of Washington wines, look at the result of a blind tasting of Cabs from NYC. Compared with other top names such as Caymus, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Palmer, the top four Cabernets were all from Washington State. They were Columbia Crest, Kiona, L'Ecole and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

I was thrilled to be able to get out to Washington State to visit the wineries, take photos, visit the vines and talk with the winemakers on a Sept 2004 trip to the region. I highly recommend getting out to the vineyards any chance you can get. You learn far more about a wine and YOUR reactions to it when you are tasting it with the winemaker, compared to trying random bottles that a magazine tells you that you should enjoy. Many people I know say that choosing a wine based on one person's rating is no better than choosing it based on a pretty label.

So read on about the fun I had visiting the wineries, and then plan your own trip to the Washington wine region! The landscape is gorgeous, and the wines are well worth the trip.

Chateau Ste Michelle Winery Visit
Columbia Winery Visit
Columbia Crest Winery Visit
Snoqualmie Winery Visit
Hogue Winery Visit
Kestrel Winery Visit
Columbia Winery Visit
Kiona Winery Visit
Hedges Winery Visit
Cline Winery Visit

Washington Winery Review Main Page

All content on the WineIntro website is personally written by author and wine enthusiast Lisa Shea. WineIntro explores the delicious variety and beautiful history which makes up our world of wine! Lisa loves supporting local wineries and encouraging people to drink whatever they like. We all have different taste buds, and that makes our world wonderful. Always drink responsibly.