Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report

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The December issue of Wine Enthusiast has an article I wrote on young, up-and-coming Washington winemakers. You can read the article here. Additionally, the Winter edition of Washington Tasting Room magazine has an article I wrote on the year in Washington wine. You can read this article here.

See a complete list of print publications, most web web links, here.

Enjoy!

With harvest a quickly fading memory, vineyard managers turn their attention to preparing the vines for a long winter’s sleep. And while winter vineyards might not resound with the vivid colors of summer, there is something alluring about slumbering rows amidst a blanket of white.

Resident photographer Richard Duval captured such a scene at Benson Vineyards in picturesque Lake Chelan. “A bit of sun brought some warm color to the vineyard rows standing like sentries on this chilly day,” he noted. “A near-perfect example of how proper winter prep will lead to the greens of spring.”

Click on the picture to see a larger image. Enjoy!

Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Top 100 lists for 2015 have been released. The magazine has three lists that related to wine: Top 100 Best Buys, Top 100 Cellar Selections, and the Enthusiast 100. Northwest wines are well represented on each list, as indicated below (click on the links to see the entire list). The Washington reviews were from yours truly and the Oregon reviews from my colleague Paul Gregutt.

Enjoy!

The November/December issue of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine has an article I wrote on the growth of the Northwest wine industry. You can read the article here.

See a list of other publications, most with downloadable links, here.

Enjoy!

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

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes about how wines age under screwcaps.

The Sacramento Bee writes about Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Bins are stacked. Pickers have moved on. Leaves are turning color as vines prepare for winter. Resident photographer Richard Duval captured this last action of harvest at a Red Mountain vineyard earlier this month. A colorful end to a most colorful season.

Click on the picture to see a larger image. Enjoy!

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

From around the country…

Wine Spectator talks with Ken Wright.

The Washington Post recommends Tenet Wines.

Shanken Daily News writes about growth at Ste. Michelle.

While for some wineries the 2015 harvest season is at its end, others are still crushing and pressing fruit. Resident photographer Richard Duval captured this old-fashioned hand press hard at work at Auclair Winery in Woodinville's Warehouse District. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Enjoy!

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from October 15^th to 21^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes that not all wet years in Oregon are created equal.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Oregon vineyards attract out of state buyers. They also writes at home with Oregon vineyard owners.

The Washington Post writes about Finn River’s Spirited Apple Wine.

Playing catchup, a mega round-up of stories on Northwest wine from August 15^th through September 30^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

Decanter writes about an Oregon producer filing a lawsuit over pesticide drift.

Harper’s UK writes about UK marketing efforts helping to boost exports of Oregon wine.

Canada Metro writes about Oregon wine.

In a triumphant return, a round-up of articles on Northwest wine from October 1^st to 14^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

Australia Business Insider recommends visiting the Willamette Valley.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes that Charles Smith makes it in Seattle.

The Wall Street Journal writes about what goes on in a wine tasting room through the eyes of Chateau Ste Michelle.

Our weekly Harvest 2015 Pic of the Vine comes from the Yakima Valley. Resident photographer Richard Duval captured a colorful morning’s harvest of Sangiovese at Paradisos del Sol, led by winegrower Paul Vandenberg.

Click on the picture to see a larger image. Enjoy!

Resident photographer Richard Duval captured winemaker Kevin Correll of Barrage Cellars strapping down two tons of Cabernet Franc grapes just picked from Yakima's famed Red Willow vineyard! Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Enjoy!

The September/October issue of Vineyard and Winery Management Magazine has an article I wrote on Washington's new Wine Science Center. You can read the article here (Note: Opens .pdf). Additionally, as previously noted, the September issue of Seattle Metropolitan contains this year's Top 100 Washington wines article.

Enjoy!

Our weekly Pic of the Vine, Harvest 2015 as captured by resident photographer Richard Duval is of Syrah from Force Majeure's estate vineyard. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Enjoy!

The September issue of Seattle Metropolitan magazine which contains this year's Top 100 Washington wines is now available on-line. You can read the introduction to the article here. As in recent years, the list is broken down into various sub-lists. These are:

Top 10 wines
Top Bordeaux-style blends
Top Grenache
Top Syrah
Top Merlot
Top Cabernet Sauvignon

Our weekly Pic of the Vine, Harvest 2015 as captured by resident photographer Richard Duval comes from an early morning pick of Merlot grapes at Sagemoor Vineyard. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Enjoy!

Harvest has begun with a bang as the unseasonably warm weather this growing season has accelerated the ripening process. It's a time of great anticipation and frenzied energy both for wineries and for contributing photographer Richard Duval. He plans to criss cross wine communities from Whidbey to Walla Walla with camera at the ready this harvest - so much so that we're shifting the Pic of the Vine to a weekly post throughout harvest and crush.

"For the next six weeks, I'll capture scenes of joy and a bit of anxiety as winemakers and growers hustle to beat the clock and bring in grapes," Duval said.

Today's image is of freshly harvested Tempranillo, captured August 31st from Dineen Vineyard in Yakima Valley. Click on the picture to see a larger image. Enjoy!

The September issue of Seattle Metropolitan magazine is now in stores and features this year's list of the Top 100 Washington wines.

A few words about how I compiled the list this year. As stated in the article, wineries were allowed to send in a maximum of five wines, one in each of the following categories: one $15 or less; one $25 or less; one $25–$50; one $50 or higher; and one white wine of any price. Alternately, if wineries were submitting in only one category, they could submit two wines. Wines were then rated and were subsequently ranked in various sublists based on score, price, and overall excitement about the wine.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from August 1^st to 14^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes about Washington wineries gearing up for harvest.

Asbury Park Press writes about Pursued by Bear.

Wine Spectator writes about wineries fighting back on Illinois lawsuits. They also write about Willamette Valley Vineyards filing a suit over herbicide drift.

Harvest has begun in Washington with Treveri Cellars - a sparkling wine producer - bringing in 18 tons of Chardonnay from the Zillah area this morning. Christian Grieb, winemaker and senior vice president of sales at Treveri, reported that the grapes were at 18.6 Brix. "Some of the berries were already showing some amber color to them!" he exclaimed. "Quite shocking considering this is August 7th."

This is the earliest Grieb's father ever recalled picking fruit in 30 years of winemaking in Washington. "Consider that Mumm just started picking on July 31st," Grieb said. "It's almost California-like this year." The same vineyard Treveri received fruit from today was picked on September 5th last year, almost a full month later. Other sites the winery works with are two to three weeks ahead of 2014, which was also a warm year (see 2015 Growing Degree Days here). Let the harvest season begin!

Picture courtesy of Treveri Cellars.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from July 22^nd 2031^st 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

The Guardian writes about the top 10 bike friendly wine routes, with a callout to the Willamette Valley.

What winemaker Charles Smith does, he does big and that is much in evidence in the newly opened Charles Smith Wines Jet City in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. At 32,000 square feet, the new facility is claimed to be the largest urban winery in North America. We sent resident photographer Richard Duval to take a look.

The July Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine is the 2014 Hogue Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $10 and is widely available. The tasting takes place on Thursday July 30th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from the winery or a local retailer (see below)

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

The July Virtual Tasting wine is the 2014 Hogue Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $10 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Thursday July 30th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from the winery or a local retailer (see below)

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

A mega round-up of articles on Northwest wine from June 22^nd to July 21^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes that wild weather has Northwest growers on their toes.

Wine Spectator writes about Washington Malbec. They also write about the tyranny of light.

Shanken Daily News writes about Washington wine’s key players. Read part two here.

The July/August issue of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine has a cover story I authored on the 10 year anniversary of the Granholm v. Heald decision. This Supreme Court case helped lead to changes in direct-to-consumer shipping laws around the country. Read a .pdf version of the article here.

See a list of other publications, most with web and .pdf links, here. Enjoy!

Veraison - the changing of color of the grapes - is underway in eastern Washington. This pictures is of Syrah at Clifton Hill Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope and comes courtesy of Cait Guyette.

Thus far 2015 has been a very warm growing season, considerably warmer than 2014 (see current Growing Degree Days from Washington State University). Throughout the growing season, most markers have been advanced from their historical average dates, in some cases considerably so. The onset of veraison can only mean one thing: harvest is not far off.

Throughout Washington you can find pockets of growth – recent plantings that speak to the ever-expanding demand for Washington wine grapes. Resident photographer Richard Duval, crisscrossing the state’s wine regions this month, captured this image from Red Mountain, home to Quintessence Vineyard.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from June 8^th to 14^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator looks back on Hedges. They also ask whether wine lists should feature local wines.

CBS San Francisco writes that the west coast drought is a boon for Washington wine.

Forbes gives the best and cheapest threesome in Washington wine.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for May 2015. 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.

These reviews include the first releases from a series of new projects. This includes the first releases from Brennon Leighton (Charles Smith Wines) under his B. Leighton Wines label (B. Leighton 2012 Olsen Brothers Vineyard Grenache Yakima Valley $45, 93 points; B. Leighton 2012 Olsen Brothers Vineyard Syrah Yakima Valley $45, 93 points).

Today, a few pictures from my visit this week to the Walla Walla Valley for Celebrate Walla Walla. Click on the pictures to see larger images.

Enjoy!

The July issue of Wine Enthusiast has an article on Northwest Chardonnay I co-authored with Paul Gregutt (I wrote the Washington section). Additionally, the summer issue of Washington Tasting Room has an article I wrote on Force Majeure. See a list of newsstand locations here.

See a list of other recent publications, most with hyperlinks or .pdf downloads, here. Enjoy!

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for March 2015. 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.

These reviews include some stand-out Syrahs from the 2012 vintage, including the Avennia 2012 Arnaut Syrah Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley ($50, 95 points) and the Rôtie Cellars 2012 Northern Blend Syrah Washington ($40, 94 points). There are also some great values to be had, including the Cadence 2012 Coda Red Mountain ($25, 92 points) and Dumas Station 2012 Cowcatcher Red Blend Walla Walla Valley ($24, 92 points). The reviews also include an impressive - and well priced - release from newcomer J&J Vintners in the form of the J & J 2012 Les Collines Vineyard Syrah Walla Walla Valley ($30, 92 points).

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from June 1^st to 7^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

The New York Times writes that the drought is bearing fruit for Washington wine.

Wines and Vines writes that Northwest growers are undaunted by the weather.

The Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel writes about a Wisconsin native calling an Oregon winery home.

After a long hiatus (sorry), a round-up of stories on Northwest wine from May 22^nd to 31^st 2015. We’ll catch up on previous weeks missed in the future if time allows. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes about Willamette Valley Vineyards launching a series of single vineyard wineries. They also write about Rhone wines in Washington.

Wines and Vines writes that there is a strong market for land in Walla Walla Valley.

With spring comes new releases all around the Washington wine community, and resident photographer Richard Duval is prowling the state capturing as many as he can click. To date, he’s logged road time at the Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Spring Barrel release events as well as winery release events around the Puget Sound.

This striking backlit pour of Kerloo Cellar’s 2013 Blue Mountain Grenache Blanc at the SoDo winery’s release party caught his eye. “Spring releases bring out the energy,” Duval noted. “With new wines comes wine lovers eager to take in the sun and taste the winemaker’s latest magic."

Duval’s work as a wine photographer was the subject of this recent article which can be found here. Click on the picture above to see a larger image.

The May/June issue of Vineyard & Winery Management has a series of articles I wrote. The first is on the search for a perfect closure; the second is on Oregon's Salud! program; the third is on the worsening vineyard labor shortage; and the fourth is on proposed changes to appellation label laws (Note: all links open .pdf files).

Additionally, the May/June issue of Edible Seattle has an article I wrote on Fielding Hills. See a list of newsstand locations.

Enjoy!

Last weekend’s Spring Barrel activities in Yakima Valley proved perfect for all – great weather, lots of local culinary excellence on hand, and enthusiastic wineries bubbling with gracious joy for the throngs of wine lovers who sipped the weekend away. Doggedly crisscrossing the valley’s wineries from Yakima to Prosser, resident photographer Richard Duval spent three days capturing the unofficial start of the Valley’s wine season.

“The wineries are as beautifully varied as any region in the state,” Duval noted of his first of many visits this season. “From elegant rooms to shiny new barrel rooms to big wineries surrounded by expansive vineyards like this image of acclaimed Dineen Vineyard, Yakima Valley’s stunning beauty and slew of wine choices makes for a great wine getaway all season long.”

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

The April Virtual Tasting wine is the 2014 Renegade Wine Co. Rosé Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $11 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Thursday April 30th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from the winery or a local retailer (see below)

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

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from April 8^th to 14^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes about Larry Stone’s new winery and vineyard.

The Miami Herald recommends the Ponzi Pinot Gris.

The Boston Globe writes about a Washington red that pairs with fish.

Resident photographer Richard Duval logged a full weekend at Taste Washington last month, capturing a slew of sips and swirls.

“From the morning seminars to the afternoon’s delights, Washington wine lovers reveled in one of the great wine events in the country," he said.

Here is Duval's photo collage of the event. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from April 1^st to 7^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

The Drinks Business writes about Chateau Ste Michelle sharpening its export focus.

Wines & Vines writes that Red Mountain goes on-line.

From around the country…

The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes that Oregon’s getting excited about Chardonnay.

Playing catchup, a round-up of stories on Northwest wine from March 22^nd to 31^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

The Drinks Business writes about Oregon rose in a can.

From around the country…

Wine Enthusiast writes about eight excellent Oregon varieties that aren’t Pinot Noir.

The Boston Globe writes about Washington state wine.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from March 15^th to 21^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

The Sacramento Bee writes about Washington Riesling.

The Independent Record writes about wines for spring with a couple of Washington mentions.

The Sioux Falls Leader writes about white wines for warmer weather with a callout to the A to Z Pinot Gris.

Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single region wine and food event, is coming up March 26^th through 29^th. I’ll be moderating two seminars at the event this year. The first is on Saturday, March 28^th and is titled ‘The Chardonnay Revival’ where we’ll be focusing on the resurgence of this variety in Washington of late (see a seminar description as well as the list of panelists and wines). Meanwhile on Sunday, March 29^th, I’ll be moderating a seminar titled ‘Appellation Spotlight: Red Mountain’ where we’ll discuss this viticultural area’s rise to preeminence (see a seminar description as well as the list of panelists and wines). Ticket information is here. Come say hello! Also, keep an eye out for suggested wineries to visit during the Grand Tasting at Seattle Metropolitan next week. Happy Washington Wine Month!

Growers in Washington are seeing bud break occur in certain varieties. The onset of the growing season looks to be historically early for some, even compared to the warm 2014 vintage.

“Bud break last year started April 5th, so we are certainly two weeks ahead of that,” said Ryan Driver, vineyard manager at Tertulia Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley. Driver has already seen bud break in Grenache at some of his vineyards.

Chris Figgins of Leonetti Cellar and FIGGINS has seen bud break in his Sangiovese at Seven Hills Vineyard. “I remember bud break in March before but certainly not March 15th!” Figgins said.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from March 8^th to 14^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes about the Northwest’s early growing season.

The Poughkeepsie Journal writes about the Fox Farm Pinot Gris.

The Washington Times writes about Nevada lawmakers vetting a bill to ease restrictions on wineries.

I want to touch briefly on how to keep up with what I am writing about Northwest wine in addition to what is appearing in this space.

I frequently post information about wines I'm sampling for Wine Enthusiast as well as personal bottles on my Washington Wine Report Facebook page. I encourage you to follow this page if you are not already. Additionally, I also tweet about various goings on at twitter.com/wawinereport. My reviews of Washington (and Idaho) wines as well as feature and other articles appear regularly in Wine Enthusiast magazine. While I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine, these are also all freely available on-line (Note: Wine Enthusiast is currently updating its content management system so things should be easier to find in the near future if all goes well).

Below is the first installment of my Wine Enthusiast reviews to be published to this space. They are reviews for the December 31, 2014 issue of the magazine and encompass the appellations that I was assigned to review prior to my assuming review responsibilities for all of Washington October 1st of last year.

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.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from March 1^st to 7^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

D Magazine says to drink Oregon Chardonnay.

Shanken Daily News writes about 14 Hands partnering with the Kentucky Derby to make a limited edition red blend.

The Wall Street Journal writes about the red blend trend.

The March issue of Wine Enthusiast has a feature article I authored on Red Mountain with images from resident photographer Richard Duval (apologies in advance for the six click throughs).

The March-April issue of Vineyard & Winery Management has an article about Antonio Galloni's Vinous (Note: opens .pdf).

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from February 22nd to 28th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

Business Vancouver writes that the Aquilinis press on in their Washington state wine venture.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes about grape growers discussing vintage variation.

Wine Business.com writes about the Oregon Wine Symposium.

The just-released March issue of Wine Enthusiast carries a feature article I authored on Red Mountain, one of the nation’s premier wine regions. The article is illustrated with photographs from our resident photographer, Richard Duval.

“This article was a bit different from some others I’ve worked on with Sean in that we knew we’d be collaborating up front,” Duval said. “It made for a fun photo pairing, like this one from Klipsun Vineyard that the magazine used for the opening spread.” Read the article and see other images here.

See other Pic of the Vine images.

As all of my reviews and scores for Washington wines will now be published in Wine Enthusiast rather than in this space, I want to take a moment to talk about how these scores relate to the rating system that I have used here, how wines are rated and reviewed at Wine Enthusiast, and more generally how I think about wine ratings.

Several years back I published the following comparison of the five star rating system that I have used here as it relates to my original scoring system and also the 100-point scale. I am republishing it here for reference.

The February Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine is the Saviah Cellars 2012 The Jack Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $18 and is widely available. The tasting will take place tonight, Thursday February 26th, from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

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

A round-up of stories on Northwest wines from February 15^th to 21. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Enthusiast writes about Red Mountain rising (article by yours truly). Please bear with the six (!) advancement arrows.

Forbes writes that Gallo does Washington.

The Yamhill News Register writes about record temperatures in Washington and Oregon.

The February Virtual Tasting wine is the Saviah Cellars 2012 The Jack Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $18 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Thursday February 26th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

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

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from February 8^th to 14^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Enthusiast writes about Oregon’s value Pinot Noir.

From the blogosphere…

Great Northwest Wine writes that a rule change would help many Northwest wineries. They also write about the Barnard Griffin Rosé, a Millennial-themed wine event, WAWGG, and that Cayuse won’t use The Rocks District on its labels.

On Monday the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposed a rule that, if enacted, would significantly alter the way that appellation names can be used on wine labels. Specifically, the proposed rule – issued in Notice No. 147 - would allow wineries to use single state appellations of origin on labels if they are in an adjacent state.

Currently, Federal law states that, in order to use an appellation of origin, a wine must be ‘fully finished’ in the state in which the appellation lies. That is to say, a Washington-based winery, for example, cannot use an Oregon located appellation on their label. The proposed rule would broaden this to allow adjacent states to use single state appellations.

2014 was once again a year for the record books in Washington, with the state producing 227,000 tons of wine grapes. This was an increase of 8% over the previous year, though the number was less than the 240,000 tons initially forecast.

Production of white wine grapes shot up 16% with much of this increase accounted for by Riesling, which increased a whopping 26% from 2013. Riesling became Washington's most produced grape variety in 2014 at 50,500 tons, eclipsing Chardonnay (43,000 tons) and Cabernet Sauvignon (42,200).

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from February 1^st to 7^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Shanken Daily News writes about Oregon wine. Read part two here. They also write about Drinkspace.

Memphis City Magazine writes about Pinot Noir by the growler.

Bloomberg writes about a $300 Oregon Pinot Noir.

Buckle your seat belts for a round-up of stories on Northwest wine from January 22nd to 31st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

At Wine Spectator Harvey Steiman writes about Helen Keplinger consulting at Force Majeure. He also writes about thorny brambles versus sunny fruit.

Atlanta Magazine writes about Oregon Pinot Noir.

MainLine Today writes about 10 great wines to BYOB with several Northwest mentions.

The New Hampshire Union Leader writes about the 2012 Adelsheim Pinot Noir.

On Monday, February 9th approval for The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater appellation will be published in the Federal Register. The Rocks District will be the first sub-appellation of the Walla Walla Valley. The region, which is wholly located on the Oregon side of the valley, will be Oregon's 18th federally approved wine growing region.

In the offseason, resident photographer Richard Duval selects certain images and moves into fine art mode. Using various software tools (but not Photoshop), he experiments with tone, light, symmetry, and shadow to create a new image that is then printed on metallic-coated paper and fused to a sheet of aluminum for display. This month’s Pic of the Vine - titled “Blue Vine” - is a recent addition to that collection.

“My intent is to illustrate the wine world we see every day in a different fashion,” Duval said. “I’m always drawn to the natural beauty of the vineyard, but I’m also intrigued by what I might uncover by deliberately and carefully altering the photo’s elements. Blue Vine conjures the stark cold of the winter season but also underscores the precision of the rows, carefully tended throughout the year.”

Click on the picture for a larger image. Enjoy!

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from January 15^th to 21^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wines & Vines writes that Oregon winery wages outpace employment.

Wine Business writes about Helen Keplinger joining Force Majeure as a consultant.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from January 8^th to 14^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

The Courier Islander (Campbell River, BC) writes about the Kung Fu Girl Riesling.

From around the country…

The Capital Gazette (Maryland) writes about the Horse Heaven Hills.

The January-February issue of Vineyard & Winery Management contains five articles I authored, including the cover story on the top 40 viticulture and enology advances of the last 40 years. The issue also includes an article looking at the effects of the liquor privatization in Washington; issues regarding the current supply of American oak; and harvest reports for Washington and Oregon (yes, this was why this site was so quiet last fall).

Additionally, the January-February issue of Edible Seattle contains an article on Ballard’s Captive Spirits titled, “Making Big Gin: Ballard's Captive Spirits - the little distillery that could". See a list of newsstand locations.

See other recent articles, most with web links or .pdf downloads.

Enjoy!

As we start off the New Year, I want to write about plans for 2015 and what you can expect to see in this space. Without further ado.

1. All Washington wine reviews and scores will be now published in Wine Enthusiast magazine

Now that I have posted reviews for all of the wines that were received at Washington Wine Report prior to October 1^st when my responsibilities at Wine Enthusiast changed, all formal reviews and scores of Washington wines will now be published in Wine Enthusiast as opposed to in this space (see my list of Wine Enthusiast coverage areas). I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine. However, these reviews are also freely available at winemag.com, the magazine’s website.

A round-up of stories on Northwest wine from January 1^st to 7^th 2015. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Scene (Wisconsin) writes about Washington wine.

Forbes writes about ten ways to love wine in 2015, with shout outs to Washington and Oregon. They also write about the Four Graces Pinot Gris.

The Washington Post writes about the Washington Hills Merlot.

Happy New Year folks! Starting off the year, a round-up of stories on Northwest wine from December 22^nd to 31^st. Read previous roundups here.

From around the world…

The Montreal Gazette recommends the Kung Fu Girl Riesling.

The Windsor Square (Toronto) asks whether Burgundian Pinot Noir is a fool’s game.

From around the country…

Wine Enthusiast writes about Oregon Pinot Noir.

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Editor

Sean P. Sullivan is the editor of Washington Wine Report and a contributing editor at Wine Enthusiast magazine, covering Washington and Idaho. He has been writing about and reviewing Washington wine since 2005.

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Washington Wine Report is an independent publication focused on bringing Washington wine to you and bringing you to Washington wine. My goal is: to help you select Pacific Northwest wines at a variety of price levels; to keep you up-to-date about the Northwest’s wineries, vineyards, and individuals; to help you plan trips to wine country; and to connect you to the larger wine community.

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