February brought an abundance of snow to Washington wine country. Undeterred by the cold and the drifts, contributing photographer Richard Duval spent a day in Yakima Valley en route to the Washington Winegrowers Association conference in Kennewick.

The following article appears in the March issue of Wine Enthusiast.

In Washington’s earliest days as a grape-growing region, the state was thought too cool to successfully ripen many warm-climate red grape varieties. Subsequently, cool-climate white grapes, especially Riesling, dominated production and brought early acclaim.

The sun never sets on vineyard work in Washington wine country. With spring inching closer, vineyards need pruning and shaping.

From opposite ends of the state, contributing photographer Richard Duval captured two such examples last week. Under grey skies, Greg Osenbach pruned estate vines at his Whidbey Island Winery. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles due east, a cold but clear morning illuminated the freshly pruned vineyard of Two Mountain Winery in Yakima Valley.

The following article is from the Winter issue of Washington Tasting Room Magazine.

Six new AVAs on the horizon, a stellar vintage for white wines, greener packaging and new winery management are among key trends shaping the state’s wine industry

Washington saw its sixth straight warm vintage in 2018. Near perfect weather conditions in September and October capped off the growing season, with winemakers expecting high quality wines to result. Here’s a look at some of the trends we saw this year in the state’s wine industry.

A newly proposed program by the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) would allow state penitentiary inmates to work at a Walla Walla vineyard and hopyard. The program would be run in partnership with a local management company, Walla Walla Vineyard Management (WWVM). The goal is to provide inmates with skills that could be used upon release.

Well, 2019 is here, and everyone needs a New Year’s resolution or two, especially ones that are achievable. This year, my resolution is to drink more Riesling. Specifically, it is to drink at least one bottle of Riesling per month, each month in 2019.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all! May your holidays and New Year be filled with family, friends, and, of course, great Washington wine.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for December  2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

116 wines reviewed in the December 1^st and 31^st issues of Wine Enthusiast.

Washington growers and winemakers consistently use one word when describing the weather during 2018’s harvest: perfect.

“It was the best weather I’ve ever seen,” said Dick Boushey, who manages vineyards in Yakima Valley and Red Mountain. “We probably harvested some of the best fruit I’ve ever picked.”

Below is a look at what was picked, when, and where in Washington during October 2018.

Harvested ended for some growers in warmer sites toward the end of September, whereas for others it stretched into mid to late October and even into early November for larger production wineries.

2015 is the third in what I refer to as Washington’s ‘staircase vintages’ from 2013-2015, where each growing season was a step up in heat accumulation from the previous one (read a recent post comparing these three vintages here).

Three warm vintages result in very different wines

After a vintage in 2012 where heat accumulation was a near perfect match for 20-year historical averages in Washington, 2013 through 2015 saw three increasingly warm growing seasons. While it is tempting to characterize each of these years as simply producing ‘warm vintage wines,’ side-by-side tastings reveal significant differences.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for November 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

181 wines reviewed in the November issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Bodegas Valdemar, a fifth-generation family winery based in Spain, is in the process of building a facility in Washington. The winery, which will be called Valdemar Estates, is expected to open in spring of 2019.

“We decided to do this big step to Washington State, and we are really, really excited about it,” says Jesús Martínez-Bujanda Mora, who recently relocated to Washington with his wife and three-year-old daughter to focus on the project.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for October 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

280 wines reviewed in the October issue of Wine Enthusiast.

We’re at the six week mark of harvest!

Harvest began in Washington this year on August 17th, with a pick of Chardonnay for sparkling wine at Hilltop Vineyard in Yakima Valley. Most winemakers I’ve spoken with recently have reported they have brought in about 60% of their fruit and expect to continue harvesting for the next several weeks. Hillary Sjolund, consulting winemaker at Wine Boss in Richland, provided on Facebook the following summary of 2018, which I have combined with her summary from the same point at previous vintages:

With harvest in full swing around the state, contributing photographer Richard Duval is always on the road, looking to capture images of great wines in the making. Last week, he touched down in the Columbia Gorge hamlet of Lyle, home to Syncline Wine Cellars. As luck, the calendar, and the harvest gods would have it, he arrived on the day of Syncline’s harvest of its Nelson Vineyard Syrah.

The October issue of Seattle Metropolitan contains a listing I wrote of Washington's 30 most exciting wines of 2018. This list was culled from sampling over 1,000 wines. Long time readers should note that this list is a reimagining of the annual Top 100 list that I have written for the magazine since 2010.

“Muscadet makes a lovely hot-weather aperitif – ice cold, low alcohol, and insistently neutral, which I’ll admit does sound eerily similar to the selling points of Bud Light,” writes Paul Zitarelli in his debut book, 36 Bottles of Wine, which will be released later this month.

Many lovers of Northwest wine will no doubt recognize Zitarelli’s name and often humorous writing style from his Seattle-based, email-driven retail wine company, Full Pull Wines. Though Full Pull offers wines from around the world, Washington and Oregon are at its heart, with Zitarelli’s engaging writing and incisive palate making the engine go. Zitarelli also serves as wine columnist for Seattle Magazine.

All around the state, vineyards are showing the full display of harvest colors. At Clark County's Bethany Vineyard and Winery, contributing photographer Richard Duval captured this image of Golubok grapes, a Russian variety favored by owner/winemaker Walt Houser. Just weeks away from harvest, these grapes will eventually be used for blending in Bethany wines.

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Harvest began today in Washington, with Treveri Cellars picking 25 tons of Chardonnay from Hilltop Vineyard in Yakima Valley. The fruit was picked at 18.1 Brix for sparkling wine. Treveri picked their first fruit in 2016 on this same date.

Let harvest begin!

Photo courtesy of Treveri Cellars.
Already picked your first fruit? Leave a comment on the date, variety, and vineyard.

Though not yet a common practice, camping in style in a vineyard - known as glamping - is on the rise in Washington. Contributing photographer Richard Duval spent a colorful day with glampers at Stillwater Creek Vineyard, just north of Royal City. Stillwater offers a striking vista from a tent happily ensconced by deep green vines.

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for September 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

119 wines reviewed in the September issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Veraison, the changing of color of the grapes, has started in the Columbia Valley. The picture here is of Carménère at Weinbau Vineyard, a Sagemoor Vineyards property on the Wahluke Slope, from July 16^th.

On the same date, Quilceda Creek noted veraison beginning in Cabernet Sauvignon at their Lake Wallula Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Ryan Driver, vineyard manager at Tertulia Cellars, also noted veraison starting in Tempranillo at Rivière Galets Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley.

Harvest approaches!

Picture courtesy of Sagemoor Vineyards.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for August 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

81 wines reviewed in the August issue of Wine Enthusiast.