No Bridge? No Problem! Take the Road Less Traveled

Don’t let the six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure (May 1 – June 15) keep you from experiencing spring on the Olympic Peninsula. Consider this “downtime” a catalyst for adventure with the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway (aka Hwy. 101) leading the way! From wine tasting to wilderness beach backpacking to touring the Forks setting for Stephenie Myers’ best-selling “Twilight” series of books, this beautiful region has it all. A number of Olympic Peninsula resorts, inns, B&Bs and vacation rentals are offering spring lodging specials to make your getaway the best it can be. And, for those who prefer to commune more closely with Mother Nature, beautiful campgrounds abound throughout the region.

The Pacific Coast Scenic Byway traverses the east, west and north sides of the Olympic Peninsula in a 284 mile loop, which begins in Olympia and terminates in Aberdeen, located on the Peninsula’s southern edge, or vice-versa. The distance is ideal for a leisurely three-day weekend or longer vacation, but if short on time, choose a destination and continue your exploration on another trip.

To start planning your trip, go to www.visitolympicpeninsula.com.

Hood Canal Bridge Reconstruction
Originally uploaded by Washington State Dept of Transportation

Just What Is Terroir Anyway?

Terroir, prounounced “ter-wah,” is a french word often heard sprinkled throughout wine-centric conversation. But what exactly does it mean? If you’ve ever wondered about that term, the following definition provided by the website Terroir-France.com and accompanying commentary by Wine Press Northwest Columnist Ken Robertson should shed some light.

“A ‘terroir’ is a group of lands from a certain region, belonging to a specific vineyard, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions and winemaking savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.”

Experience Wine from the Olympic Peninsula

Robertson: In the Northwest, I think we mean a little more and a little less than that. What I hear winemakers, winery owners and wine lovers saying when they use the word is they mean the character a vineyard site gives to its wines as a result of its soil, its sun, its wind, its elevation and whatever else the land and climate may have to offer.

For a veteran wine taster with a sophisticated palate, those elements are surprisingly detectible. Most of us pick up some of the elements and may recognize a “terroir” less than consistently. What’s really important to remember is that a well-tended vineyard on a well-chosen site will consistently produce fine wine in the hands of a capable winemaker.

Sun Will Shine on NW Wine & Cheese Tour

What could be better than spending a weekend sipping handcrafted wines wonderfully paired with mouth-watering Northwest artisan cheeses? How about doing your sipping and tasting on the scenic and sunny Olympic Peninsula?!

According to today’s forecast, the sun will shine on the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ inaugural Northwest Wine & Cheese Tour this weekend! So come on out to this beautiful part of our state and experience a taste of spring! All seven wineries will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19.

Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour from Olympic Peninsula Wineries!

Lemberger: Washington’s “Heritage Grape”

The Lemberger grape is rooted in Washington wine industry history. For more than a quarter century this vigorous grape, which begets a fruit-forward, ruby red wine, has thrived in vineyards east of the Cascade Mountain range. But a wine that sounds like a stinky cheese naturally has its share of skeptics – most of which are quick to pass Lemberger by when perusing store shelves for wine. Fortunately, the grape still has a number of champions in the industry today, and they are working hard to change its image.

Medium-bodied with lots of bright fruit and soft tannins, Lemberger is an approachable wine that is sure to appeal to Pinot drinkers, and those who prefer something lighter than a big, bold Bordeaux-style red. The name may stink, but it’s really about what’s in the bottle!

Three Olympic Peninsula Wineries offer handcrafted Lemberger wines, and all are award-winners!

FairWinds Winery’s 2004 Lemberger is oaked and unfiltered; Olympic Cellars’ 2006 Dungeness Red Lemberger wine is made in the Beaujolais-style; and Harbinger Winery’s Rose de Lemberger is a blend of barrel fermented Lemberger grapes.

Visit the Olympic Peninsula Wineries and give Lemberger a try!

Passport Weekend International Wine Tour

If the current economy is putting your dreams of a trip to Europe on hold for a while, head to the scenic Olympic Peninsula and taste your way through France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and even a bit of Early America during the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ annual Passport Weekend.

Each winery will feature a specially selected wine that has been handcrafted locally from grapes grown in Washington State. Most of these varieties have their historical roots in some of the world’s finest growing regions. And for a terrific taste sensation each winery’s highlighted selection will be paired with a small bite of internationally inspired cuisine from the representative country.
Food and wine are an important part of travel and local cultures, and they can provide a strong sense of place while they delight the taste buds. Try some of our delicious combinations and experience some International flavors without venturing too far from home!

So come join us for this special Passport Weekend and be our guest for our International Wine Tour. Sample our own local style of food and wines from around the world. No airline tickets required, and your Passports can be obtained instantly in advance on line or at any of the points of entry!

Passports are limited to just 400 visitors. Advance reservations are available on line until midnight on Thurs, Nov 6th. Any remaining Passports will be available at the door of the wineries on a first come basis. Tasting fees for visitors without Passports will be $5.00 per person per winery

The life of wine

The life of wine is a long traveled road before it arrives at your table. This post will take about two legs of the journed: Vineyard selection and Primary Fermentation.

Vineyard selection: The final taste of a wine starts in the vineyard, where the soil delivers nutrients and minerals to the vines, giving each vineyard a unique and distinguishable flavor from year to year. During the spring to early fall growing season, the sun’s warmth and light allows grapes to go from a sour green state of high acid, low sugar to a very ripe state of lower acid and higher sugar. Drier, sunnier climates (like Eastern Washington) and vineyard locations (ie: the South side of a hill) tend to produce sweeter fruit than fruit planted in cooler, more humid climates (ie: grapes planted on the North side of a hill). The grape’s sugar and acid content is critical to both how much alcohol the wine will have after fermentation, and how dry the wine will be after fermentation. Winemakers look for a subjective balance bertween sugar and acid when deciding when to pick.

Primary Fermentation: Wine grapes are run through a machine that removes the stem and lightly crushes them. The remaining juicy flesh, seeds and skins is call the “must”. If a white wine or a rose’ is being made, the must is then pressed within the first 24 hours (depending on the winemaker’s style) to separate the juice from the skins and seeds. The juice is then moved to tanks, vats, barrels, etc (again, winemaker’s style). Yeast is added to begin fermentation, converting the sugar into alcohol. Sulfites can be added (or not) to protect from any oxidation prior to fermentation…or after, but not during. Red wine is made like white wine, except the jujice remains in contact with the skins and seeds during the fermentation process, thus picking up color, aromas, flavor and tannins.

((Next time Malolactic fermentation, racking, maturation, filtering (or not) and bottling

What about the kids??

Most winery tasting rooms can accomodate looked after children. Wineries in other areas have chosen to handle the situation by posting signs saying “must be 21”. The seven wineries of the Olympic Peninsula Wineries are open to you bringing your children and here are a few things you can do to make it a more enjoyable experience them:

1. Some wineries will provide some sort of beverage for underage folks and some will not. For the wineries that do not, they may be reluctant to let your toddler handle an expensive glass so she can be a “big girl”.

2. Keep them close to you while you are tasting-little people are out of the line of sight of adults whose attention is elsewhere and they can be bumped into and become overwhelmed in a sea of adult legs in a crowded tasting room.

3. Be sure it’s okay to leave them outside to run and play– there may be machinery, traffic, etc that could be dangerous to them.

4. If they have toys to keep them occupied, watch that they don’t set up a GI Joe camp in the middle of the floor where someone may trip on their toys or step on the children.

Children are almost always welcome and a little attention from their parents will make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.