Below is Part III of a report from the Walla Walla Valley including wines from Cayuse Vineyards, Gramercy Cellars, Abeja, Reynvaan Family Vineyards, and Corliss Estates. Read Part I here and Part II here.

Cayuse Vineyards

Though Cayuse Vineyards has been more successful than most wineries in the Pacific Northwest or even around the world, vigneron Christophe Baron is far from finished putting his imprint on the industry. There are always new projects afoot, new frontiers being explored.

“We want to experiment,” Baron explains. One such experiment is a high density vineyard – called ‘3 x 3’ for its tight spacing. Rather than being ploughed by tractor, which wouldn’t be able to make it through the vineyard rows, the site is plowed by horse and the project called ‘Horsepower.’

The November Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine is the 2011 Dunham Cellars Three Legged Red. This wine retails for $19 and is widely available. The tasting will take place from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery.

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific using the hashtag #3leggedred. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

Today’s Fresh Sheet – new and recent releases – includes wines from Stoller Family Estate, Spring Valley Vineyard, San Juan Vineyards, Locati Cellars, Pamplin Family Winery, and Pendulum.

The November Virtual Tasting has been moved from Wednesday November 28th to Tuesday November 27th at 7pm Pacific (the Bruce Springsteen show in Portland is calling Wednesday). Read details about how to participate on Tuesday here.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from November 15th to 21st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes about WSU’s research on Brett.

CNBC writes about Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer.

Wisconsin Gazette writes about the best of Wine & Dine Wisconsin with a shout out to Dusted Valley.

The Today Show recommends the O Chardonnay.

Happy Thanksgiving to Northwest wine lovers everywhere!

Leave a comment here or on the Washington Wine Report Facebook page and let us know what you'll be opening up to celebrate today. Enjoy the day!

You can listen to a spot I did on holiday wines and other things Washington wine on Real Sisters Talk Live Radio here. I come in about 15 minutes in and continue just past the hour. Also, read my recommendations for Thanksgiving wines, some of which were discussed on the show, here. Enjoy!

In tough times, we continue the search for good, inexpensive wines.

Pic of the Vine is a monthly image taken by contributor Richard Duval. See other Pic of the Vine images here.

This month’s image – The Colors of Crush -- comes from Connor Lee vineyard, a source of distinctive grapes found in dozens of Washington wines. While not generally open to the public (or even all that accessible for that matter), wine photographer Richard Duval was shadowing winemaker Kristina Van Loben Sels of Arbor Crest Wine Cellars as she inspected her block of grapes to set the harvest date. A bit of morning mist followed by a touch of sun breaking through the cloud cover was all he needed to capture this image, which he describes as, “one of my favorite from this harvest season.” Download a screen saver sized version of this image at www.vinelines.com

Well folks, Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so it is time to trot out some wine recommendations for the holiday.

Depending on how you look at it, Thanksgiving can either present a near impossible wine pairing challenge – or it can present a wine pairing opportunity. In terms of the challenge, the diversity of food at the table and the assortment of friends and family feasting mean that it’s almost impossible to pick one wine that both goes with all dishes and will please everyone at the table. My solution? Don’t even try.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from November 8^th to 14^th 2012 (otherwise known this week as All Amazon All The Time). Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Washington Post writes about Wine.com trying to one up Amazon.

NBC News writes about Amazon offering wine on-line.

Wine Business.com prints a press release from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates on the 2012 harvest (good read).

Well folks, it’s that time of year again. Time when the annual Top 100 lists start rolling out and time to take a swing at guessing what Washington wines will be in Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list.

First though, for those who haven’t seen them already, check out Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Cellar selections here and Top 100 Best Buys here where Northwest wines are well represented. Also check out Paul Gregutt's Top 100 Northwest wines in the Seattle Times here.

Wineries are tucked into just about every neighborhood in Seattle, from office parks in SoDo to basements in Ballard. In contrast to wineries in less populated areas, which often announce their presence with large signs and spacious buildings, Seattle’s urban wineries often blend into the city where, if you don’t look closely, you might not even notice they are there as you walk by.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from November 1st to 7th 2012. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

No love this week.


From the blogosphere…

Paul Gregutt gives his Top 100 for 2012.

Through the Walla Walla Grapevine writes about the 2012 vintage in Walla Walla.

2011 was Washington’s second consecutive cool growing season, with the vintage winding up to be the coolest on record in many locations. Cooler than average years often seem to be particularly good for white wine grapes in Washington. While I don’t believe the 2011 vintage, in general, reached quite the same heights for white wines as the previous vintage - which was one of my favorites for Washington whites - there were still an abundance of quality wines produced. Below is a look at white wines from the 2011 vintage.

The November Virtual Tasting wine is the 2011 Dunham Cellars Three Legged Red. This wine retails for $19 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Tuesday November 27th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery.

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific on the specified date using the hashtag #3leggedred. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

Note: The date was originally Wednesday the 28th but it has been moved to Tuesday the 27th. 

Today’s Fresh Sheet – new and recent releases – includes wines from Long Shadows, Northstar, Gård Vintners, Ryan Patrick Vineyards, Alder Ridge, Silver Bell Winery, Waterbrook, and Six Prong.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from October 22nd to 31st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes about the top wines of 2011 at the 2012 New World Wine Experience.

The Chicago Daily Herald writes about wine on tap.

Santa Fe New Mexican recommends the Charles Smith Wines Velvet Devil.

Washington Examiner recommends Ash Hollow’s Headless Red.

What follows is a Focus Report on Manu Propria. Download a .pdf copy here. Read previous Focus Reports here. 

Located on a small knoll in the western section of the Yakima Valley, Red Willow Vineyard is hallowed ground in Washington wine country. The vineyard’s chapel is as recognizable an image as any in the industry, the vineyard’s fruit as distinctive as any grown in the state.

Together, Columbia Winery winemaker David Lake and grower Mike Sauer used Red Willow to help shape the state’s industry, exploring a number of different varieties – perhaps most notably planting the state’s first Syrah vines in 1986. Though Lake passed away in 2009, other winemakers continue to walk in his footsteps both figuratively and literally.

Below is a summary of posts for September 2012.

Summary of Posts for September 2012

Harvest Report October 1st 2012

Fresh Sheet October 2nd 2012

Wine Country Porn From the Yakima Valley