I am thrilled to announce today an expansion of my responsibilities at Wine Enthusiast. As of the beginning of this year, I will be covering Oregon and Canada for the magazine, in addition to my current responsibilities of Washington and Idaho. I am truly excited for the opportunity to cover the Pacific Northwest and Canada in full.Let me start by saying that I have a great admiration for Oregon wines and winemakers. I have tasted and enjoyed the state’s wines for many years. In fact, some of my earliest wine inspirations two decades ago came from Oregon. I also briefly reviewed Southern Oregon wines for Wine Enthusiast from 2013 to 2014, and I covered Oregon wine as part of my beat as Northwest correspondent for Vineyard & Winery Management magazine from 2013 to 2017. I have previously attended IPNC, ¡Salud!, and the Oregon Wine Symposium. I have spent a good deal of time in the state with winegrowers. I am excited to spend more time there in the coming years and to focus on the region, its producers, and its wines more intently. I firmly believe Oregon is making some of the highest quality wines in the world and that the region has accomplished as much as any American wine region. It will be an honor to cover all parts of the state the state, to review the wines, and to help tell the story.
Canadian wine meanwhile is, for many Americans, a gem that remains hidden. For a variety of reasons, few of the country’s wines are imported to the US. That is a shame, as there are wonderful wines being made in Canada. I have traveled to Canadian wine country previously and have tried many of the wines. I also reviewed Canada for Wine Enthusiast briefly from 2013 to 2014. I look forward to peeling back the curtain on the exciting wine being made there.
For people and producers in those regions who may not be familiar with me, I grew up on the east coast and moved to Seattle, Washington in 2000. It was at that time that I became interested in wine. I started Washington Wine Report as a friends and family email list in 2005, reviewing and writing about the state’s wines and wine regions. I launched Washington Wine Report as an on-line site in 2007 – fifteen years ago this year. I left the corporate world (biotech and software) at the end of 2009 to dedicate myself to writing about wine full-time. I began writing for Seattle Metropolitan magazine late the following year and started writing for Wine Enthusiast at the beginning of 2013. I continue to write for both magazines. During that time, I have reviewed almost 15,000 wines and have written over 400 articles. I have also written over 1,800 blog posts for my own site.
Prior to coming to the west coast, my background was in science and research. Both very much inform how I approach tasting and reviewing wine. They also inform how I think about the subject more generally. My goal in reviewing wine is to be objective as one can be, to provide consistency in approach, and to give every wine the exact same shot as every other wine. To accomplish this, all wines I review for Wine Enthusiast are sampled blind in varietal sets without exception. In these tastings, I do not sort by any other factor than variety, including price, appellation, or vintage (read more about how I taste wine here).
In writing about and reviewing wine, I also believe that it’s important to be regionally based and to spend time in wine country. It’s important to kick the dirt, to have one’s finger on the pulse, and to get to fully know the producers, their history, and their wines. I look forward to doing each of these things in my new coverage areas. I will try and represent these regions as fully and as passionately as I can. In addition to spending time in the regions I cover, I also always have an ‘open door’ policy. That is to say, I am always happy to meet with producers, talk with them on the phone, and, in today’s world, Zoom with them to get to know them and their wines more fully.
For those who are already familiar with my work and are wondering how this change might impact what I currently do, I do not anticipate making any changes in the approach I have had at Wine Enthusiast for the last nine years. In terms of reviewing, I have typically tasted approximately 1,400 wines per year for Wine Enthusiast, which is nowhere near my capacity. I will have some assistance in processing samples (specifically opening boxes and sorting wines), which will assist with throughput. Otherwise the way that I taste and review wines will remain unchanged. The effort that I have put into covering Washington and Idaho will remain unchanged. If anything, I expect that covering other regions will add to the perspective I bring, which will benefit all.
I have long said that this is the Golden Age for wine in the Pacific Northwest. I believe that with all of my heart. I look forward to continuing to cover this unique period of time in this area and to now cover the region in full.
Popular Posts
-
Chateau Ste Michelle , the Pacific Northwest’s largest winery by a mile, has put its flagship Woodinville property up for sale. The 118 acre...
-
After nine and a half years, I am moving on from Wine Enthusiast. I started at the magazine as a contributing editor at the beginning of 201...
-
In the interest of completeness, below is the full statement I was provided by Chateau Ste Michelle on Monday June 20th regarding moving w...
Editor

Sean P. Sullivan is the editor of Washington Wine Report and a contributing editor at Wine Enthusiast magazine, covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Canada. He has been writing about and reviewing Northwest wine since 2005.
Blog Archive
-
▼
2022
(23)
-
▼
January
(7)
- Mark Ryan purchases full ownership of Underground ...
- Walla Walla outpost coming to Woodinville
- California coup for Rocky Pond Winery
- Take the 2022 Northwest Chardonnay Challenge!
- Walla Walla’s Buty Winery to close
- Change in responsibilities at Wine Enthusiast
- A look at Washington's 2018 and 2019 vintages
-
▼
January
(7)
Pages
Labels Cloud
14 Hands
2010 Initiatives
2020 Washington Merlot Challenge
2021 Washington Syrah Challenge
Abacela
Abbey Page
Abeja
Adams Bench
Adelsheim
Airfield Estates
Alder Ridge
Alexana
Alexandria Nicole
Alternative Closures
aMaurice Cellars
Amavi
Ambassador
Anam Cara
Ancestry
Ancient Lakes
Andrew Januik
Andrew Will
Anelare
Angel Vine
Anne Amie
AntoLin
Apex Cellars
Archery Summit
Ardor
Argyle
Arlington Road Cellars
Array
Ash Hollow
Ashan
Auclair
Avennia
Baer Winery
Bainbridge Vineyards
Balboa
Barnard Griffin
Barons V
Barrage
Barrister
Beresan
Bergevin Lane
Bergström
Betz Family Winery
Board Track Racer
Bonair Winery
Bookwalter
Boomtown
Boudreaux Cellars
Brandborg
Brian Carter
Bridgman
Brooks
Bunchgrass Winery
Bunnell Family
Buried Cane
Buty
Cadaretta
Cadence
Cairdeas
Cana's Feast
Candy Mountain
Canoe Ridge
Canon del Sol
Cartel Wine Group
Cascade Valley Wineries
Castillo de Feliciana
Castle Rock Winery
Cave B
CAVU
Cayuse Vineyards
Cedergreen Cellars
Charles and Charles
Charles Smith Wines
Chateau Rollat
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chehalem
Chelan Estate
Chelan Ridge
Chinook
City Limits
Cloudlift Cellars
Clubhouse Cellars
Co Dinn
Col Solare
College Cellars
Columbia Crest
Columbia Gorge
Columbia Winery
Concentric Wine Project
Cooper Mountain Vineyards
Cooper Wine Company
Corked Counter
Corked Wines
Corliss Estates
Corvidae
Corvus Cellars
Cote Bonneville
Cougar Crest
Covey Run
Covington Cellars
Crayelle Cellars
Cuneo Cellars
CZ Cellars
Darby
Daven Lore
DeLille
Delmas
Desert Wind
Distant Bay
DiStefano
Domaine Pouillon
Domaine Ste Michelle
Donedei
Double Canyon
Doubleback
Dowsett Family Winery
DuBrul Vineyard
Duck Pond Cellars
Duckhorn
Dumas Station
Dunham
Dusted Valley
Dynasty Cellars
Efeste
Eight Bells
El Corazon
Eliseo Silva
Elk Cove
Elsom Cellars
Ensemble Cellars
Envious Cellars
Erath
Eritage
Estrin Estates
Eyrie
Fall Line
Falling Rain
Fidelitas Winery
Fielding Hills WInery
Figgins
Five Star Cellars
Fjellene
Flying Dreams
Flying Trout
For a Song
Force Majeure
Forgeron
Full Pull Wines
Furion Cellars
Gard Vintners
Giant Wine Co
Gifford-Hirlinger
Gilbert
Glencorrie
Goedhart
Golden Ridge
Goose Ridge
Gordon Brothers
Gorman
Gramercy Cellars
Grand RĂªve
Grosgrain
Guardian
Hard Row
Harvest 2010
Harvest 2011
Harvest 2012
Harvest 2013
Harvest 2014
Harvest 2015
Harvest 2016
Harvest 2017
Harvest 2018
Harvest 2019
Harvest 2020
Harvest 2021
Hawks View
Haystack Needle
Heaven's Cave
Hedges Family Estate
Helix
Hestia Cellars
History
Hogue Cellars
Hoodsport
Hors Catégorie
Horse Heaven Hills
Horsepower Vineyards
Hyatt Vineyards
Idilico
Intrinsic
Isenhower Cellars
itä
Jaine
Januik Winery
JB Neufeld
JM Cellars
Jones of Washington
Juliette's Dazzle
K Vintners
Kaella Winery
Kerloo
Kevin White
Kiona
Kontos Cellars
Kyra Wines
L'Ecole
La Crema
Lake Chelan AVA
Lange
Lantz Cellars
Latitude 46 North
Laurelhurst Cellars
Lauren Ashton
Lawrelin
Leonetti Cellar
Liberty Bay Cellars
Liminal
Lobo Hills
Locati Cellars
Lodmell Cellars
Lone Birch
Lone Canary
Long Shadows
Lost River Winery
Magnificent Wine Company
Maison Bleue
Manu Propia
Mark Ryan Winery
Maryhill
Matthews
McCrea Cellars
McKinley Springs
Mercer Estates
Merf
Michael Florentino
Milbrandt Vineyards
Modern Wine Project
Monesia's Song
Morrison Lane
Mosquito Fleet
Mountain Dome
Naches Heights
Naches Heights AVA
Napeequa Vintners
Native Sun
Nefarious
Nelms Road
Nicholas Cole Cellars
No Girls
Nodland
Northstar
Northwest Wine Round-up
Nota Bene
Novelty Hill
NW Totem Cellars
NW VIne Project
NxNW
Obelisco Estate
Olsen Estates
Oregon
Oregon wine round-up
OS Winery
Otis Kenyon
Ott and Murphy
Owen Roe
Pacific Rim
Palencia
Palouse
Pamplin
Pandora
Parejas
Passion
Patterson
Patton Valley Vineyard
Paul Gregutt
Pendulum
Penner-Ash
Pepper Bridge
Phylloxera
Pic of the Vine
Plumb Cellars
Pomum Cellars
Pondera
Ponzi
Portteus
Pour Me
Powers
Proletariat Wine Company
Proper
Prospice
Puget Sound
Purple Star
Quilceda Creek
Rainstorm
Ramseyer Vineyards
Randall Harris
Rasa Vineyards
Red Diamond
Red Mountain
Red Willow
Reininger
Renegade
Result of a Crush
Rex Hill
Reynvaan Family Vineyards
RiverAerie
Riverhaven Cellars
RMV Cellars
Robert Ramsay
Robison Ranch Cellars
Ross Andrew
Rotie
Royal Slope
Rulo Winery
Russell Creek WInery
Rusty Grape Vineyard
Ryan Messer
Ryan Patrick
Sageland Vineyards
Saint Laurent
Salida Wines
Salmon Harbor
San Juan Vineyards
Sandhill
Sapolil Cellars
Savage Grace
Saviah Cellars
Scarborough
Screwcaps
Seattle Area Wineries
Seufert
Seven Hills Winery
Shady Grove Winery
Sheridan
Silvara
Silver Bell
Silver Lake Winery
Sineann
Six Prong
Skylite Cellars
Sleight of Hand
Smasne Cellars
Snipes Gap Vineyards
Snipes Mountain
Snoqualmie
Sockeye
Sodovino
Sol Stone
somme de parties
sonoris
Soos Creek
Sparkman Cellars
Spindrift
Spokane Area
Spring Valley
Steele Wines
Stella Fino
Stevens Winery
Stoller Vineyards
Stomani Cellars
Stonecap
Stottle
SuLei Cellars
Sweet Valley Winery
Swiftwater
Syncline Cellars
Syrah
SYZYGY
Tagaris
Tamarack Cellars
Tefft
Tempus
Tenor Wines
Tero Estates
Terra Blanca Winery
The Burn of Columbia Valley
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
The Walls
Three Rivers Winery
Thurston Wolfe
Tildio
Time & Direction
Toil
Townshend Cellar
Tranche
Treveri
Trisaetum
Trust
Tulpen Cellars
Two Mountain
Two Vintners
Upland Estates
Va Piano Vineyards
Valdemar Estates
Viento Wines
Vin du Lac
Vinyl Wines
Virtual tasting
Virtue Cellars
W.T. Vintners
Wahluke Slope
Walla Walla Valley
Walla Walla Vintners
Walter Dacon
Washington Hills
Washington wine round-up
Waterbrook
Waters
Waving Tree
White Bluffs
Whitestone
Whitman Cellars
Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley Vineyards
William Church
Willow Crest
Wilridge Winery
Wind Rose Cellars
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Scores
WineGirl Wines
Wines of Substance
Woodhouse Wine Estates
Woodinville Wine Cellars
Woodinville WIneries
Woodward Canyon Winery
Yakima Valley
Yellow Hawk Cellar
Zerba Cellars
Zero One Vintners
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment will be published after it has been moderated.