Renditions of Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Safeco Field in Seattle coincide with the annual re-awakening of the Northwest wine industry.
Worries about winter kill have subsided, even though bud break — then frost — becomes an issue. But at least driving conditions are no longer barriers as wineries throw open their doors.
Savvy buyers who follow the winter wine competitions start rolling into tasting rooms to load up SUVs. That’s ultimately the name of the game — selling and sharing wine. It’s a win/win situation for the wineries and the wine tourists.
However, here are some ideas that go beyond those bottom-line transactions.
By the way, the Mariners play at trading partner Baltimore on April 5-6, so parking for Taste Washington ($85) will be easier. Visit tastewashington.org.
Primers for wine touring season. This year, the opening pitch of the Northwest barrel tasting campaign is around Lake Chelan in Washington. Chelan Nouveau runs April 19-27 as area wineries offer the new whites and rosés. Vineyard tours and live entertainment are available. Call 866-789-5071 or go to cometothelake.com.
On deck is the Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting on April 25-27.
In the hole is the Walla Walla Valley Spring Release Weekend — also known as “Leonetti Weekend” — May 3-4.
The Inland Empire, which includes Spokane and the Idaho Panhandle, holds its barrel tasting May 9-11. That’s Mothers Day weekend. There are 10 members in the Spokane association, and Coeur d’Alene Cellars is just 30 minutes to the east. Its No. 6 Wine Bar will be open that weekend.
The North Central Washington folks stage theirs May 16-18, with the Columbia River Wine Country members on May 17-18.
Memorial Weekend in Wine Country for the Willamette Valley is May 24-26.
To book a bus trip/barrel tour of the burgeoning Southern Oregon Winery Association, go to sorwa.org.
A new tool for your glove box. How many folks use their glove box for gloves? I store maps, Advil and condiments in my wife’s glove box.
The Oregon Wine Board partnered with regional wine organizations to create the new “Discover Oregon Wine Country” tool kit. This package is billed as everything someone needs to plan a wine trip in the state. Included is a state overview, regional information, maps and winery/vineyard listings for Benton County, Columbia Gorge, Dundee Hills, Lane County, Southern Oregon, Umpqua Valley, the Willamette Valley and the Walla Walla Valley.
Cost is $5, and it is delivered via USPS First Class mail. To order, go to oregonwine.org then select “Experience Wine Country” and “Brochure.”
A taste of Tofino. Outdoors enthusiasts and romantics view Tofino, British Columbia, as one of the prime destinations in the Northwest. Here’s another reason to visit the Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver Island. The sixth annual Tofino Food and Wine Festival will be staged June 6-8 at several locations. More than 50 B.C. wineries will be featured, along with area chefs, island purveyors, live music, artists and authors. Slow Food will be a central theme.
It’s an amazing drive from Victoria to Tofino. Rod Butters — a Match Maker alumnus — raised the profile of the famed Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, prior to launching Fresco in Kelowna. For info, contact event coordinator Kira Rogers at tofinofoodandwinefestival.com.
Walk, wine and art in Idaho. The Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association stages its Art Walk once a month on either the first or second Friday. Art galleries display new exhibits for area artists, and Coeur d’Alene Cellars’ tasting gallery downtown is a regular participant.
Its Barrel Room No. 6 plays host to a local jazz ensemble each night of Art Walk, which gives guests a chance to take in music, enjoy cheese and chocolate plates and sip the award-winning wines of Warren Schutz.
The first scheduled Art Walk is April 11. Local artist Sarah Jane Gates’ work with watercolors ranks among the best in the Northwest, and it adorns each bottle of Coeur d’Alene Cellars.
She’s also part owner of the winery. For information, go to cdacellars.com.
Become a Vine Vixen. The folks at Kestrel Vintners have kicked their legs up on the “Ladies Club,” and it’s tied closely to the Prosser, Wash., winery’s two most popular wines — the Lady in Red and the Platinum.
The focus is on bringing women together and using the wine to raise funds for charity. Kelly Koon, an award-winning concierge in Seattle, created the concept and is well connected to the Washington wine industry. Her group is casual, fun and inclusive. You select a 1940s-style pin-up girl as your avatar so when the women are online in discussion groups, they are their pin-up. For events and info, see VineVixens.com.
A Tour and toast to Jackson. Bonneville Hot Springs Resort and Spa in North Bonneville, Wash., continues to expand awareness for sarcoma, and some elite Columbia Gorge wineries are joining the cause.
Jackson’s Tour de Spa raises funds for children with sarcoma cancer. Jackson Hill of Portland was just 12 when he lost his life to sarcoma in 2005.
On April 18, four wineries on both sides of the Columbia — Pheasant Valley, Syncline Cellars, The Pines 1852 and Wind River Cellars — will pour their wines at the resort. Jackson’s parents, David and Melissa, will join them.
There will be hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and live entertainment. Cost is $20, and it all goes to the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation. Appoint a designated driver or look into a discounted stay at the spa. The cycling tour for Jackson is July 12. See bonnevilleresort.com.
Get in touch with a vine. Here’s another take on eco-tourism. Chateau Faire Le Pont in Wenatchee, Wash., now has an Adopt-a-Vine program. Owner/winemaker Doug Brazile invites you to learn the various stages of winemaking within a vintage, starting with pruning on April 5 to crush to racking in October and bottling in January 2009. Brazile is your guide, and each event is capped by a reward of wine and cheese. It’s $100 per person. Call 509-667-9463 or visit fairelepont.net.
Red wine gives you wings. Birds on the wing know a good spot to rest is Secret House Winery in Veneta, Ore. In fact, winery owner Patti Chappel provides a hedgerow habitat on the 54-acre estate just to attract birds.
On May 10, she brings wine lovers and birdwatchers together for the Third Annual Fern Ridge Wings and Wine Festival. It celebrates International Migratory Bird Day and focuses on Fern Ridge Reservoir. Last year, nearly a dozen bird experts were featured speakers. Activities begin at 7 a.m., and the schedule includes bird and nature walks, children’s activities, canoe trips, educational talks and, of course, a wine tasting booth.
One of the highlights will be a four-hour van tour that begins at Secret House and visits three other Eugene-area wineries — Sweet Cheeks Winery, Hinman Vineyards and King Estate. The day concludes with “Dinner in the Cellar,” which starts at 6 p.m. Fees and RSVPs are required for some activites, so fly to WingsAndWineFestival.com.
Behind the scenes in Woodinville. One of the toughest tickets in Northwest wine touring is the Passport to Woodinville. This year, it’s April 12-13. The Sunday-only ducats are long gone, but they print 3,500 of the full-weekend passports.
Woodinville has grown to more than 30 wineries, and this is the only time to visit them all. Several rarely open their doors to the public. And there are plenty of restrictions. You can visit each winery just once. Tickets are sold only online. And you must pick up your passport and glasses at Columbia Winery. (It appears they will need to find a new location in 2009 with the winery’s pending move to Sunnyside).
Passport tickets go for $65, a $15 bump from last year. You can grab the passport ahead of time April 5-6 — the same weekend as Taste Washington. Passports must be purchased in advance via woodinvillewinecountry.com.
Spring out to the Gorge. On concert nights, the Cave B Inn at Sagecliff is an attractive alternative to the drunken debauchery that — at least during the Lollapalooza era — reigned supreme in the Campground at the Gorge.
From now until April 30, you can experience the Inn, Cavern Room or a Cliffehouse as part of their “Springs Beginnings Package.” It includes a bottle of Cave B Sauvignon Blanc, two boxed picnic lunches for a hike and a wildflower guide with trails map for the Gorge. Evening turndown service will leave a packet of wildflower seeds.
Packages start at $195 per night. Call 509-785-2283 or go to sagecliffe.com.
What is your favorite thing to do in Northwest wine country? Send your ideas to edegerman@winepressnw.com.
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