March is Washington Wine Month

This March we celebrate Washington Wine Month, just as the 602nd Washington winery received it's license from the state. As members of our wine club and fans of Washington wine, you probably already know some of the great things about the wines that are produced in this state. Washington wines tend to show bright fruit, balanced acidity and silky tannins. Wineries from around the state are already producing well known varietals - riesling, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah - and many are starting to experiment with lesser known grapes such as malbec (ours is a great example), roussane, carmenere and mourvedre.
The Washington Wine Commission states that Washington is the "Perfect Climate for Wine", and I'm not going to argue. We lay at about the same latitude as the top producing regions in France, meaning that our growing season and angle of the sun is very similar to those great regions. Eastern Washington experiences about 300 days of sun per year giving us a dry growing season with roughly 17 hours of sunlight per day during the summer. We have what is known as good diurnal shift which means that our grapes get plenty of warmth and sunlight during the day to build ripe sugars and cool temperatures at night to let the grapes rest and establish balanced acids.
Regions such as Red Mountain, where we are located, are especially good for grapes. This is due to our southwesterly slopes, poor soils (which are perfect for grape growing), and proximity to the Yakima River that wraps around the base.
With this, I propose a toast to Washington wine. To help me celebrate, go to one of the many tasting events around the state, whether it be the Sip of Snoqualmie or Taste Washington, or one that may be hosted at your local wine shop or restaurant. Take the time to visit the Washington Wine Commission's website to learn more about why this is such a wonderful place for wine production. Most importantly, please don't forget to support your local wine shops who support Washington wineries. Without them, many of the premier wineries in the state would not be where they are today. Go to these independent shops and talk to the people who work there to learn more about the wide variety of great wines that come from this state. I'm sure you'll be really glad you did.