Olympic Peninsula Wineries

As you review the past year and consider the year to come, we at Olympic Peninsula Wineries would like to encourage you to be a locavore.

This is what being a locavore in Washington State looks like.

We don’t mean to suggest that you should eat and drink only locally produced foods and drinks 100% of the time (though what an accomplishment that would be).   The joys of biting into colorful, juicy Satsumas during grey Pacific Northwest winters are too great to overlook. We do hope you’ll consider the benefits of eating locally: to your health, to the environment, and to your local economy.

This blog is no place for a diatribe, so we’ll keep it short and sweet. Eating locally:

• keeps your money in your community
• reduces your carbon footprint
• tastes and feels good

Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest are lucky: we can eat a varied diet of foods grown and raised here twelve months a year. We can grow kiwis and tomatoes and greens and berries in our backyards. We can find a wide variety of artisan, farmstead cheeses, free-range chickens, and grass-fed beef at farmers markets. We can eat wild salmon and Hood Canal oysters. We can drink Washington State wine and cider and beer.

In short, eating local in Washington State means eating pretty darn well.

Be kind to yourself in 2012. Be a locavore.

Winter can feel long in the Pacific Northwest. Endless days of grey ceiling skies can tamp down our souls and dampen our spirits. We sit and watch our creativity sink into the sodden earth with the rain.

That may be a bit melodramatic, but most of us have had days like that, during the winter, here in the Pacific Northwest.

The Dungeness Spit, shrouded in mist and fog; perfect.

We can wallow in it, or we can stand up, brush the moss from our shoulders, and head to the Olympic Peninsula.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re walking through a forest of towering Douglas Firs. It feels like they’ve reached up and tickled the heavens, and that the raindrops are really tears of mirth.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re bent into the wind, walking out on the Dungeness Spit, and the the spray from the Salish Sea jumps up to kiss your cheeks.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re curled up with a good book in a quiet inn, next to the person you love most in the world.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re sitting in a cozy restaurant, with a glass of Washington State Wine or Cider grasped in your hands.

So when you find yourself feeling that the rain has washed away your spunk, come to the Olympic Peninsula. Take a ferry if you must, and stand on the upper decks where the wind will blow some spirit back into you. Find a place to stay. Strap on snow shoes and explore the Olympic Mountains. Put on your rain jacket and head out to the Hoh Rain Forest. Watch a good movie at The Rose Theater in Port Townsend. And after a full day, sit down and drink a glass of Washington State Wine or Cider, made right here, on the Olympic Peninsula.

You’ll feel better.

Hurricane Ridge is one of the Olympic Peninsula’s treasures.

Sunny, snowy, Hurricane Ridge.

The summit stands over 5,200 feet above sea level, so the road from Port Angeles heads up and up and up. Once at the top, visitors enjoy amazing views of the interior Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and beyond. The view alone is well worth the winding drive.

At this time of year, Hurricane Ridge is covered with snow. There is a small ski and snowboard area well suited to skiers of all levels, and many powdery bowls, steeps and glades open to expert skiers and snowboarders. Folks who normally head to the Cascades may be surprised by all Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area has to offer these days.

For many of us, the best part of winter sports is the Après Ski that begins once the skis and snowboards are securely loaded on the car. We hope that those of you planning to ski at Hurricane Ridge this weekend will stop by Olympic Peninsula Wineries for our annual Holiday Open House. Consider it a fresh twist on an old tradition.

The Holiday Open House takes place from noon to 5 p.m., November 10 and 11, 2011, at all eight of our Olympic Peninsula Wineries and Cideries. Harbinger Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, Black Diamond Winery, and Olympic Cellars are all located in the Port Angeles area. Eaglemount Wine & Cider, Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Sorensen Cellars, and FairWinds Winery are located in or outside of Port Townsend. All are perfectly situated for Après Ski wine tasting.

The Holiday Open House is a great time to hand-pick Washington State Wines for holiday parties. It’s also a great time to select wines for gifts. Visiting the individual wineries allows you to taste the wines you normally only look at on the shelf. It’s a fantastic opportunity.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to start considering Christmas and Hanukkah. This year, gift a gift that can be truly enjoyed. Give a bottle of  Washington State Wine from the Olympic Peninsula.

Give special gifts this year. Give Washington Wine made on the Olympic Peninsula.

Find the perfect wines for the oenophiles in your life by attending our Holiday Open House. All eight of our Olympic Peninsula Wineries and Cideries will be open from noon until 5 p.m. on December 10 and 11, 2011. Make a weekend of it (holiday shopping need not be dreary), and visit all of them.

Take your time. Stretch your legs at beautiful, rural, Eaglemount Wine & Cider and Finnriver Farm & Cider. Spend a few hours at the Port Townsend wineries, Sorensen Cellars and FairWinds Winery. Pass the night in Port Townsend, where you can enjoy an excellent meal at Fins Coastal Cuisine or The Silverwater, then head to Port Angeles on Sunday, where you can leisurely taste at Olympic Cellars, Black Diamond Winery, Harbinger Winery, and Camaraderie Cellars. You may even want to make a long weekend of it.

If you know your oenophiles to have certain preferences, talk to the pourers at the various wineries. They’re in the best position to help you find the right wines.

Won’t it feel good to have your holiday shopping finished by the 12th?

Eating local is all the rage right now, and with good reason. When we eat fruits and vegetables grown near our homes and meats from animals raised near our homes, we’re supporting our local economy. Locally grown and raised food often comes from small farms that don’t use nasty pesticides. They treat their animals humanely. By choosing to eat locally, we’re choosing to support a more sustainable way of life.

Try a sparkling wine or hard cider from Washington State this Thanksgiving.

More and more restaurants are turning to small, local suppliers for their produce and meats. Increasingly, they’re serving local wines, beer, and even spirits, too. This is heartening for us small, independent producers of Washington State wines.

This Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for the bounty of Washington state. Let’s give thanks by being locavores. Let’s put as much on our tables that was grown, raised, and produced in Washington State as we can. The more local, the better.

Fortunately, we don’t have to go without wine. Washington State Wineries produce some truly extraordinary wines and ciders. It will not be hard to find an appropriate local accompaniment to any Thanksgiving feast, no matter what you’re serving.

Many of you had the opportunity to sample a great variety of wines and ciders made by our member Olympic Peninsula wineries this past weekend, during the Harvest Wine Tour. If you did, there is a good chance you’ve already selected a few bottles of Washington State Wine or Cider to enjoy on Thanksgiving. If not, read on.

Sparkling wines and cider go very well with Thanksgiving feasts, complementing both white and dark turkey meat, sweet dishes like yams, and just about everything else on the table. Finnriver Farm & Cidery and Eaglemount Wine and Cider have a lovely selection of ciders, including the awarding winning Artisan Sparkling Cider from Finnriver. FairWinds Winery of Port Townsend makes a mean Firewood Mead, which would be festive addition to Thanksgiving day.

Syrah is an excellent red for Thanksgiving tables laden with turkey. Try the award winning 2008 Syrah from Camaraderie Cellars, or the award winning 2007 Syrah from Eaglemount Wine. Sorensen Cellars also has an excellent Syrah from 2006.

White wine drinkers should consider serving the award winning 2009 Viognier from Harbinger Winery. The award winning NV Working Girl White from Olympic Cellars, which combines Chardonnay and Riesling, is another excellent choice.

Try a mulled Syrah from Black Diamond Winery after dinner. It will be a perfect way to conclude a Washington State Thanksgiving Feast.

Play fun cork games during the 2011 Harvest Wine Tour of Olympic Peninsula Wineries.

The Harvest Wine Tour of our Olympic Peninsula Wineries starts today. We hope to see many familiar faces and welcome new people to the Washington State wineries and cideries of Port Townsend, the Chimacum Valley, and Port Angeles.

Please read on for a brief guide to wine tasting. We hope this will help you negotiate and appreciate the wines you sample this weekend.

Wine tasting is about more than just taste. It examines the sight, scent, and taste of wine. The experience begins with the uncorking (which is why many restaurants offer the cork for sniffing), and ends when the aftertaste has faded.

Be sure to note the following aspects:

• The appearance of the wine in the glass. Hold your glass up the light and tilt it. Note the colors. Then swirl the wine and watch the legs run down the sides of the glass – the thicker and slower the legs, the fuller the body of the wine will be. Think of the difference between skim milk and whole milk.

• The aroma of the wine in the glass. Swirl the wine for about 10 seconds, then put the glass to your nose and breathe deeply. Do this a few times. How many various scents can you distinguish?

• The taste of the wine. Take a sip and savor it before you swallow. Does it have a heavy or light texture (again, think of skim vs whole milk). Is it sweet? Fruity? Dry?

• The finish of the wine, or aftertaste. How does the wine linger in your mouth after the sip has been swallowed?

Consider a wine’s complexity, character, and potential. Would you enjoy drinking this wine alone, or do you think it would be best served with food? If served with food, what kind of food? Spicy, sweet? Rich and creamy? Meaty?

We look forward to seeing you tasting Washington State Wine this weekend during the Harvest Wine Tour of Olympic Peninsula Wineries. Enjoy the wine and cider you taste. Have fun with the experience. Drink responsibly and pace yourself. Cheers!

Olympic Peninsula Wineries invite one and all to the 2011 Harvest Winery Tour, November 11 – 13. This is a wonderful opportunity to taste Washington State wines and ciders created on the Olympic Peninsula. Visit eight wineries over the course of three days, tasting and comparing as you go.

Explore the wines of western Washington State during the 2011 Harvest Winery Tour.

There is an art to wine tasting. Vintners and sommeliers work hard to create flights that will highlight the flavors of different vintages and varietals. An event such as the Harvest Winery Tour allows participants to explore Washington State Wines in depth. It is simply not to be missed.

Vertical wine tastings explore one varietal in depth. During the upcoming Harvest Winery Tour of Olympic Peninsula Wineries, Olympic Cellars will be offering vertical tastings of their Syrah and Cabernet Franc; 2007, 2008, and 2009 vintages will be poured. This is a great opportunity to explore how different elements, such as weather, can effect a vintage.

Horizontal wine tastings explore wines of the same varietal and vintage but from different wineries. Folks participating in our 2011 Harvest Winery Tour may create their own horizontal tastings as they go. Better yet, buy a few bottles along the way, and host a horizontal wine tasting back at home, with friends.

Wine tasting is almost always available at the Washington State Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula. Many of the wines we make are created in relatively small batches and can’t be found on the shelves of every supermarket. We’re thankful for events such as the Harvest Winery Tour, which allow us to pour and share a variety of our wines.

Since this is a harvest festival, there will also be food. Each winery will have appetizers as well as wine. These tasty treats should highlight the wines served.

Please see our 2011 Harvest Wine Tour page for more details.

Fall wine tasting is a tradition as old as that of making wine.

Come to the Harvest Winery Tour on the Olympic Peninsula, November 11 - 13, 2011.

In France, vintners have created a special beverage that’s only available shortly after the harvest. In the wineries of the Loire Valley, it is known as Bernache; elsewhere in France it is known as vin nouveau. Whatever you call it, it’s worth a taste. It’s a sugary juice that is in the very first stages of becoming a real wine. Experienced vintners can actually tell something about the future wine from sipping un vin nouveau. The rest of us just enjoy it.

It only stands to reason that harvesting and pressing grapes puts folks in the mood to taste the results of one’s labor. That’s what has inspired our Olympic Peninsula Harvest Winery Tour.

You won’t find any Bernache on the Olympic Peninsula, but you will find a healthy selection of local wines made from Washington grapes.

Eight Washington Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula participate in the Harvest Winery Tour. Make a weekend of it, meandering from Port Townsend to Port Angeles with stops in the Chimacum Valley. It will be a scenic weekend, and a gustatorily delightful one.

Each winery will serve appetizers to complement their wines. Have your ticket stamped at all eight wineries and you’ll be eligible to win a lovely gift basket.

The Harvest Winery Tour takes place November 11 – 13, 2011. To purchase tickets by phone, please call 800.785.5495. Additional information is available at Olympic Peninsula Harvest Winery Tour.

In the next few weeks there will be several opportunities to sample Washington State Wine and Cider from the Olympic Peninsula.

Toast the arrival of autumn with Washington Wines and Ciders from the Olympic Peninsula.

1. Seattle Lamb Jam

If you love the taste of lamb, you’ll love the third annual American Lamb Jam in Seattle. Enjoy lamb prepared in a variety of ways by 20 of the top chefs in Seattle. Camaraderie Cellars, a Port Angeles, Washington Winery, will pour their wines at the event. Please see Seattle Lamb Jam and Camaraderie Cellars for more information.

2. A Taste of the Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula boasts many small farms and is a leader in the Farms-to-Table movement that is sweeping the country. Sample their fresh fare and a selection of wines from our Olympic Peninsula Wineries on Nomember 5, 2011 at the Elks Ballroom in Port Angeles. Live music, a silent auction, and an art exhibit round out the event.  The Taste of the Peninsula benefits the YMCS of Clallam County. More information is available at A Taste of the Peninsula.

3. Harvest Winery Tour

Our Olympic Peninsula Wineries join together each fall to celebrate the harvest. We invite the public to visit our wineries on the Olympic Peninsula for a Harvest Winery Tour, November 11, 12, and 13, 2011. Guests will sample Washington wines and ciders and enjoy a variety of appetizers inspired by the fall harvest. Additional information is available at Harvest Wine Tour.

Nothing says autumn quite like apple cider. For centuries, people have celebrated the fall harvest of apples by pressing them into cider. Hot apple cider, sparkling apple cider, and hard apple cider are the quintessential beverages of autumn.

Don’t let this autumn pass you by without stepping onto a farm and celebrating the apple.

Fall at Finnriver Farm on the Olympic Peninsula.

Finnriver Farm and Cidery in Chimacum is hosting an Apple Festival this Sunday, October 16, 2011, from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be apples, hot apple cider, apple brandy, and a variety of artisan hard ciders. There will also be family games, face painting, and music all day. The incomparable Cape Cleare salmon cart will be on hand with delectable dishes like their salmon sandwich, and Finnriver will serve a few tasty sweet treats.

Why stop at just one Washington State cidery? Head over to Eaglemount Wine & Cider while in the Chimacum Valley and sample their ciders. The wine studio at Eaglemount Winery is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery and Eaglemount Wine & Cidery are members of Olympic Peninsula Wineries, a group of Washington State Wineries and Cideries making wine on the Olympic Peninsula.

Celebrate the apple this Sunday, October 16, 2011.