Terry Thompson is such an ardent fan of Washington wines and winemakers that he sold his successful commercial interiors business in 2009, enlisted his entire family and a "dream team" of industry professionals and spent over a year creating URBAN enoteca (Ue), a warm and welcoming "wine center" that debuted last December just south of downtown Seattle.

VICTORIA - "They look happy," the woman seated behind me on the Victoria Clipper exclaimed as two super pods of orca whales danced port, starboard and forward of the high-speed catamaran as we crossed from American into Canadian waters.

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Not so very long ago, the chances of finding a gourmet meal in a Northwest casino were about the same as landing a royal flush in poker.

Attention Seattle wine lovers and visitors to our fair city!

Spring brings a sublime selection of fresh foods to Northwest kitchens: baby greens, peas and herbs; new-laid eggs and grass-fed lamb; and the first catches of salmon and halibut.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright. But for Northwest cooks, succulent shellfish, heavy meat and game dishes and rich desserts paired with the proper wines make our holiday seasons bright.

As the cool days of autumn arrive, Northwest cooks return to their kitchens to celebrate the season with regional favorites such as oysters and shellfish, pumpkins and root vegetables, rich meat and game dishes, cranberries and new-crop nuts.

After one of the worst winters on record, followed by a dubious start to "spring," Northwesterners are keeping fingers crossed that summer delivers warmth and sunshine along with our region's (typical) bounty: fresh asparagus; heirloom tomatoes and peppers; plump cherries, berries and stone fruits; and succulent summer salmon.

As winter recedes, Northwest cooks welcome the serenity of spring and the fresh, delicate foods it brings. We celebrate the arrival of baby new potatoes and greens, seasonal celebrations with lamb as the centerpiece, the first catches of salmon and halibut and the appearance of the first rhubarb and strawberries.

Oh come all ye faithful foodies and wine lovers as we create a festive holiday feast befitting our region's wintertime bounty. We'll begin with a lush cheese-and-Dungeness-crab appetizer, segue to a sumptuous butternut squash bisque, move to red wine with fish for dinner and conclude with chocolate and Port.

The arrival of fall is a felicitous time when Northwest cooks head back to their kitchens to welcome the season's bounty of Dungeness crab and shellfish; game meats, pork and beef; hearty greens; walnuts and hazelnuts; apples and pears.

Each issue, Braiden Rex-Johnson matches four Pacific Northwest wines with fresh regional ingredients.