Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2006

Changing 'our' Taste Washington

By Andy Perdue, Wine Press Northwest

In early December, Managing Editor Eric Degerman stuck his head into my office and said with no small amount of angst, "What are they doing to our Taste Washington?"

Two thoughts immediately struck me: The annual Seattle wine-and-food extravaganza has become so important to wine lovers that we think of it as a personal possession. And what, in fact, were they doing to Taste Washington?

First, a primer on where Taste Washington has come from. The Washington Wine Commission event as we know it began in April 1998 at the venerable Paramount Theater in Seattle, where about 1,300 of us packed in on a Sunday evening to taste offerings from about 50 wineries and 25 restaurants. It was a great venue except the oyster bar was by the stage, so everyone crowded to that end of the theater.

It grew and stayed at the Paramount until three years ago, when the wine commission moved it to the more spacious - and admittedly more industrial - Stadium Exhibition Center, next to the Seattle Seahawks field. Several longtime regulars grumbled, but most liked the extra elbow room as the one-day event expanded to about 180 Washington wineries and nearly 100 restaurants. Some 4,000 people were purchasing the $85 tickets for the four-hour spectacle - and many didn't bat an eye at the $125 "early entrance" ticket.

Two years ago, the wine commission added the Magnum Auction on Friday and Education Day on Saturday. Suddenly, this was three days packed with delicious information, wines, food and camaraderie. Who will forget Steve Burns, wine commission director, opening Education Day by imitating Oprah on stage with wine writers Jancis Robinson, Karen MacNeil and Leslie Sbrocco? I wrote in my weekly column that it had developed into one of the finest wine events anywhere.

Additionally, the wine commission was taking this great show on the road, with Taste Washingtons showing up in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Portland, San Francisco, L.A., New York, London and Tokyo. Suddenly, this was a global happening and one of the hottest tickets around.

Since the 2004 event, however, several changes have occurred in the wine commission. Burns moved back to California. His successor, Jane Baxter Lynn, was on the job only a few months before leaving, and now Robin Pollard, former state tourism director, has taken over as director.

And just as Taste Washington has evolved since 1998, so it is changing again. And I hope it's for the best. Here's what to expect April 8:

- One day: The Magnum auction is gone. Education Day and the grand tasting have been combined into one Saturday.

- New venue: The educational seminars will remain at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center and will last until 3:30 p.m. Down the street at the Pier 30 Event Center will be the big tasting, starting at 4 p.m. and finishing at 7 p.m.

- More wineries: Nearly 200 are lined up to be at the tasting. Instead of pouring just one wine, they will be able to provide tastes of multiple products.

- Fewer restaurants: Weekends are tough times for restaurants to participate, so the wine commission has limited Taste Washington to 20 restaurants. They'll no longer be intermingled with the wineries, and wines and dishes won't be paired. (This is what so upset Eric, who writes our Match Makers food-and-wine feature each issue.)

- Fewer tickets: Only 2,000 tickets will be made available, giving the event a more intimate feel.

- More expensive: Tickets for the three-hour grand tasting will run you $125, up rather steeply from $85 general admission last year.

- Winemaker dinners: Because Taste Washington no longer has the bigger emphasis on food, the wine commission is encouraging restaurants to stage winemaker dinners at Seattle restaurants, which will extend Taste Washington well into the evening.

As you can see, these changes are significant, so much so that we've already heard from readers who are stunned, even irate. One Woodinville, Wash., wine lover thinks the entire event has become prohibitively expensive, especially when he factors in babysitting and transportation. A Vancouver, B.C., wine steward who loves Taste Washington has decided to stay home this year because of the cost and the reduced emphasis on food pairing. I'm certain many others will skip it this year, too.

I am not yet sure how I feel. Since we began to sponsor the event in 1999, I have spent most of my time catching up with winemakers before the doors opened and chatting with readers during the bulk of the evening.

In fact, my favorite part of Taste Washington has been the educational seminars. I have had more fun in a blind tasting with six different wines in front of me than I have in a room with 100 wineries. This gives you time to reflect and learn. I think many of you would agree that the wine appreciation aspect is a great joy.

I am willing to give the "new" Taste Washington a chance. I suspect the wine commission will not do anything to ruin what has been a great franchise and an event we all care so much about. Change is rarely easy, but it often is for the better. We shall see.

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