I am a proud Pacific Northwesterner.
Except for the summer of 1987, I have lived my entire existence in the Pacific Northwest. I was born and raised in Washington, was married in Oregon and worked for a year in Idaho (for what it's worth, my grandfather lived in British Columbia in his youth). I grew up on the Kitsap Peninsula and have lived briefly in Port Townsend, Wenatchee and Ephrata and spent my college years in Bellingham. I've explored nearly every corner of Washington, and my role as a wine writer has taken me throughout Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.
In other words: I dearly love our little corner of the world.
That's why I am particularly excited about our cover story this issue, in which we explore "100 Great Northwest Wine Destinations." Last fall, Eric Degerman, managing editor, and Jon Bauer, our editor-at-large, came up with the concept of choosing 10 categories of places to visit, then selected 10 destinations within each category.
We used our own experiences to make many of the selections (I think Eric has the broadest Northwest restaurant knowledge of anyone living, thanks to his longtime Match Makers feature). But we also tapped into the expertise of winemakers, who always know the best places to eat breakfast and get espresso. And we also asked readers of our Wine of the Week e-mail newsletter and our friends on Facebook and Twitter, many of whom helped us fill in the gaps in our knowledge and recommended many of the destinations we have highlighted.
The feature begins on Page 26. As you read it, please remember it is not meant to be comprehensive; we'd need a book for that (hmm ... not a bad idea). Rather, it's a starting point for your opportunity to explore. While we certainly hit the highlights in each category, we also purposefully spread the feature throughout the Northwest.
For example, in the category of "Winery Restaurants," we could have filled all 10 (and more) just in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley, thanks to the dedication of that region's wineries and chefs. But then we would have overlooked some wonderful on-site restaurants in Chelan, Yamhill County and the Tri-Cities. The same goes in nearly every category.
We also purposely stayed out of the big cities. I love Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and Boise, and their restaurants, coffeehouses and hotels earn plenty of praise. But we want you to get out of the city and explore wine country as you look through our destination suggestions. In some cases (Woodinville and Yamhill County, for example), you won't have to travel much beyond the suburbs. In others, you will need to pack for the weekend.
And this is not the end of the conversation, either. We would like your feedback on destinations we missed. We want to know your favorite espresso stand in the Yakima Valley or special breakfast place on Vancouver Island. We'll pass these along to our online readers. I would also like to do this again, perhaps picking out new categories as well as revisiting some of those featured here. For example, we started out with a category for golf courses but changed that for picnic locations instead. Have a suggestion for a new category? Pass them along to me, as well.
We love exploring the Northwest, and we hope to see you somewhere along the wine trail.
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In early May, Wine Press Northwest launched a new venture: a weekly wine column. We are making it available to daily and weekly newspapers throughout the Pacific Northwest (and beyond).
So far, the following papers are carrying it: The (Tacoma) News Tribune, Daily Olympian, Bellingham Herald, Idaho Statesman, Tri-City Herald, Wenatchee World, Aberdeen Daily World, Bellevue Reporter, SeattlePI.com and Wichita (Kansas) Eagle.
If you want the new weekly column to appear in your local newspaper, send a note to the editor - and mention it's free.
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Beginning this issue, Braiden Rex-Johnson is changing the focus - and name - of her column.
Braiden began writing for Wine Press Northwest in 2000, and the format has remained largely unchanged: She would take four Northwest wines and pair them with four recipes that rely on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. The column has gone by the name "Market Grapevine" since its inception.
Starting with this issue, Braiden is taking her vast food and wine experience and putting it in words. Her new column, called "Northwest Edge," will feature her "Wow!" moments in wining and dining. In this issue, she explores the Urban Wine Tour in her hometown of Seattle.
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Two books you won't necessarily read about in Wine Press Northwest came out this spring. I contributed to both, so I am loathe to promote them too much for fear of appearing self-indulgent. (That said, I don't get paid royalties on either book, so I do not financially benefit if you purchase copies.)
The first is Swirl, Sip and Savor, authored by Carol Frieberg. It's a terrific book that features small-plate recipes from Northwest wineries. I contributed profiles of about 30 wineries.
The second is North American Wine Routes, published by Reader's Digest. Dan Berger was the project leader on this beautiful volume, and I wrote the chapters on Washington and Oregon.
Andy Perdue is editor-in-chief of Wine Press Northwest.
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