Members of Grape Juice Plus travelled to the Evergreen State of Washington to witness two of its own tie-the-knot. On August 3, the Friday before the wedding ceremonies, the group visited some wineries in the city of Woodinville, which is approximately thirty minutes northeast of Seattle. Washington is the second largest producer of wine in the United States, and Woodinville is the largest grouping of winery tasting rooms in the Puget Sound appellation, allowing for maximum tastings with minimum travel.
The day began with six of the participants going to the Redhook Brewry for lunch because the two organizing members were late leaving Seattle. By the time they arrived, the others' meal was finished and the group gathered at Chateau Ste. Michelle, the largest winery in Washington. Unfortunately, none of the sparkling wines or ports were available for tasting, but there were plenty of white wines and a few red wines on the list. Some of the more popular were the 2000 Semillon, and Gewurztraminer, 1999 Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and sweet Muscat Canelli. Walking back to the parking lot past the stage for the Yes concert taking place that evening, the Vineyard Cats went literally across the street to Columbia Winery. A free tasting was available, as well as a $5 reserve tasting. Standouts included the 1997 & 1999 Chardonnay, 1999 Syrah, and the progressively sweeter 2000 "Spirit of Washington" Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and "Cellarmaster's" Riesling. Some picks from the reserve offering were the 1996 Otis Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998 Otis Vineyard Chardonnay, and 1999 Red Willow Vineyard Sangiovese. When the wedding party had to head off down the road to the Nestle Regional Training Center in Carnation to take care of rehersal business, the remaining two members drove the other direction about a quarter mile to Silver Lake Winery. The tasting room opened in April and is in the midst of having a patio built out front for picnicing. Some picks from the list were the 1998 Fume Blanc, 1999 Cabernet/Merlot blend, Gewurztraminer, and sweet Late Harvest Riesling, 1997 Reserve Chardonnay, and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1995 "Herve" red Bordeaux-style blend. There was even a 1994 Brut sparkling wine available. The surprise of the tasting was the hard ciders bottled under the Spire Mountain label. Apple, pear, and spiced apple are the three flavors produced. The rain predicted by the weatherman had yet to hit the ground by the time the last couple drove off down the highway towards the Redmond Inn.
Nicole, Adam, Michelle, Marge, Jill, Chad, Chad, & Mike tasting some wine at Columbia Winery.
Here's everybody's thoughts on the day:
- Nicole S. - This wine tasting journey was a nice break from the stress of preparing for the wedding. Although I'd visited both Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia in the past, it was great to go again with our group and get out for a while. Chateau Ste. Michelle is always a big hit with me. I enjoy the atmosphere in the tasting room as well as the staff's willingness to let visitors taste their whole list. While I also enjoyed Columbia, their atmosphere is a little more corporate feeling to me and that detracts a bit from the overall experience.
As a side note, I realize that I was not in my best mood that day, so thanks for putting up with me and being there for me. It meant a lot.
- Chad N. - For me, a chance to wine tasting in Washington won't happen very often, so I was more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity. Chateau Ste. Michelle's tasting room had a comfortable feel to it, I just wish it had been a little easier to find the bottles and prices of some of the wines. The wines I tried were good. Lots of whites. I would have liked to try more than four. I also would have liked to try a sparkling wine, because that's all I really knew them for before the visit. Columbia Winery's tasting room had more a store feel about it, but was still inviting. I liked their circle bar set-up, because it would allow so many more people to taste if it was crowded. They seemed to have more high-end wines as well as more sweet wines than Chateau Ste. Michelle. I would have tried more from the reserve list if it hadn't cost $5. I wish everyone would have had the chance to try Silver Lake because it was pretty good wine, but the cider would have stole the show. I would also like to apologize for being late. We would have had more time to possibly take a tour or try more wineries.
Grape Juice+ ||
Miscellaneous ||
Publications ||
Shopping ||
Wineries