BENTON CITY — Washington's wine industry has made a lot of money for folks over the years, but none more dear than the $21 million collected to aid children with serious medical needs.
The annual Auction of Washington wines, which raises money to help offset costs for uncompensated care at the Seattle Children's Hospital, brought its message east to Red Mountain on Aug. 9.
The event is set this coming weekend at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.
The formal event features some of the Seattle area's finest chefs and the state's finest wines. It all goes to get folks in the mood to bid on items that include winemaker dinners and invites to fancy digs.
But this year, a pre-event was held at Col Solare Winery on Red Mountain featuring wines and food from local facilities.
John Bookwalter, owner of Bookwalter Winery in Richland and chairman of the Washington Wine Commission, said the organization wanted to bring a taste of the event to Eastern Washington.
Often winery owners can't make the trip to the west side for the auction, which has been in existence since 1988.
"People from Eastern Washington use the Children's Hospital, so we wanted to have a key element of the event staged here, and our initial event was very successful," Bookwalter said. Eighteen wineries participated, with food furnished by Prosser's Picazo7Seventeen. Folks paid $150 for a ticket.
This week on the west side there will be dinners and tastings starting Thursday leading to the gala auction Saturday.
There were several new wineries and some old favorites poured last Sunday.
Corvus Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $52 -- Silky tannins with big berry aromas and flavors, tasty finish.
Grand Reve, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $55 -- Voluptuous beginning with inviting oak for a smooth entry and an agreeable red currant flavor and supple tannins.
Goedhart Family Winery 2007 Syrah, Red Mountain, $50 -- Smoky oak and Christmas spice aromas with a delicious jammy blueberry flavors.
Bookwalter 2008 unoaked Chardonnay-Viognier blend, Conner Lee Vineyards, $18 -- A fun crisp white that is aromatic and goes well with a variety of seafood dishes. Shows apples and citrus characteristics.
Col Solare 2006 red blend, Red Mountain $75 -- The first from the estate vineyards. A charming blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Opens with milk chocolate, with soft and elegant tannins and a spicy black cherry finish.
*Bob Woehler has been writing about Northwest wines since 1978. E-mail him at bwoehler@charter.net or check out his past columns at winepressnw.com.
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