Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report

I am delighted to announce that I have accepted a Contributing Editor position at Wine Enthusiast. At the magazine, among other things, I will be responsible for reviewing wines from the following areas:

Washington – Wines labeled with the following AVAs or regional designations as well as all Precept Wines.¹

Ancient Lakes
Columbia Gorge
Horse Heaven Hills
Lake Chelan
Naches Heights
Rattlesnake Hills
Snipes Mountain
Wahluke Slope

Oregon – Wines labeled with the following AVA designations

Columbia Gorge
Southern Oregon
Applegate Valley
Red Hill Douglas County
Rogue Valley
Umpqua Valley

Canada – All regions

Idaho – All regions

As many of you may know, Wine Enthusiast Contributing Editor Paul Gregutt has previously covered these areas. My acceptance of this position should in no way be construed as Paul stepping back from his coverage of Northwest wines for the magazine. Rather, it is a reflection of the dramatic increase in wineries in these regions over the last twelve years – an increase of 800+ in Washington and Oregon alone. Quite simply, it is no longer possible for a single individual to cover this entire region. I should note that these changes also reflect a desire by Wine Enthusiast to increase its coverage worldwide.

This position will bring some changes to this site. What it means is that I will no longer be formally reviewing wines with these AVA designations in this space effective immediately to avoid any potential conflicts. I will, however, provide impressionistic notes on wines from these appellations occasionally (that is, notes with no formal rating) and will be republishing Wine Enthusiast scores here on occasion after they have gone to print. The latter will be obvious as there will be numerical scores and the notation ‘(Wine Enthusiast).’ (NB: I also will not be reviewing any wines for Wine Enthusiast that I have previously reviewed in this space).

For my readers, this will lead to a few oddities where some wines from a winery are reviewed here and others are reviewed at Wine Enthusiast given that so many wineries draw from multiple appellations across the Columbia Valley. This is, unfortunately, unavoidable, and I will do my best to draw attention to where this is the case.

However, I firmly believe that this position will only further enhance the depth of my coverage here, and I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work for Wine Enthusiast and to work alongside Paul Gregutt covering Northwest wine. I look forward to having you with me on the journey!

Note: Wineries that wish to submit wines for review to Wine Enthusiast can read the magazine’s Tasting and Review FAQ here or visit winemag.com/contactus for more information about their Tasting and Review program. Wineries who wish to submit wines for review to Washington Wine Report may contact me directly at wawinereport@gmail.com.

1. Paul Gregutt is currently doing consulting work for Precept Wine and I will therefore be reviewing these wines regardless of their AVA designation.