Taste Washington,
Often! (Please.)
 By Kathy Kongelbak
Recently The Washington Wine Commission (WWC) held its fourth
annual “Taste Washington Spokane” a wine, food and education event
at the historic Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane. In attendance
were more than 450 guests, 70 volunteers, 100 Washington State
wineries and 30 Spokane-area restaurants. Wineries showcased their
top wines along with wine friendly food samples, wine education
tables, a silent auction and Anthony’s HomePort “Great White Out”
wine and seafood bar.
One of the main goals of the WWC is to raise awareness for
Washington State wines around the world-- another goal is to raise
awareness within our own state. “The Taste Washington concept offers
wine enthusiasts the opportunity to taste a variety of wines and to
determine their preferences,” said Taste Washington director Jamie Peha. “It's educational in a fun way. Meeting wine producers on a
personal level is a big draw and creates an emotional tie to the
wine leaving a lasting impression.”
With more than 350 bonded wineries, Washington State is the
second largest producer of premium wines in The United States,
producing award winning red and white wines such as: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon
Blanc. While we have a nationwide and worldwide market for our
diverse selections of high-quality wines, one is still more likely
to see French, Australian or Californian wines being served in our
own homes and neighborhood restaurants. A statistic I found is that
only one out of five bottles of wine bought in Washington State is a
Washington State wine-- this statistic is much higher for many other
wine producing regions. Example, about four out of every five
bottles bought in France are French.
To see a rise in “local” purchasing of Washington State wines is
paramount for boutique winery Alexandria Nicole Cellars’ CEO, Jarrod
Boyle. As a young company trying to get the word out about their
wines and tasting room, the opportunity to showcase them within our
state, alongside other Washington wineries, is priceless. “The
public needs to see Washington State as a major contender if not
champion in the world of wine, said Boyle. “Per capita, Washington
State wins more awards for quality than any where else in the
world.”
During the event I moved through the four rooms of fantastic food
and wine to find some pairings of my own to share-- few of the
standouts follow…
In the “Great White Out” room the sweet and creamy Kumomto
Oysters from “Anthony’s HomePort” paired fantastically with the
luscious fruit and crisp acidity of Kestrel Vintner’s 2003 Estate
Reserve Viognier-- a beautiful white wine that would pair well
with most light seafood dishes. From the Grand Ballroom succulent
Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin from “Cena- Entrees To Go” held up to
the deep, dark chocolate dipped fruit flavors of Alexandria
Nicole’s 2003 Quarry Butte Red Table Wine—a complex, and well
integrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet
Franc and Malbec.
And my “summer sipper” favorite-- Chinook’s 2003 Cabernet
Franc Rosé gave me cause to
spend some extra time next to the “Palm Court Restaurant’s”
Chocolate Fountain-- complete with sticks of cherries and
strawberries for layers upon layers of dipping-- and reflect on what
a great lifestyle/career I have in this growing industry, this “New
World” of Washington State wines.
I hope each of you will join me in this “New World” by purchasing
a few bottles of Washington State wines.
Kathy Kongelbak
Taste Washington Tri-Cities will
be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick on Friday
September 9th. For more information about this or other “Taste”
events go to:
www.tastewashington.org or call (206) 667-9463.
Photos courtesy Greg Vogtritter.
To view more of what’s going on in Washington Wine
Country check out: www.pictage.com.
Under “Find your Event" type in one of the following categories:
Wine Art, Taste Washington Spokane, Red Mountain, Picnic 2005, A
Night Out, Harvest 2005, Hedges Wave, Taste Washington Tri-Cities,
Wine Country.
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