Olympic Peninsula Wineries respond to Covid-19 virus closures

Governor Inslee included winery and cidery tasting rooms in yesterday’s closures to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus.  Following the restrictions for bars and restaurants, here is what the Peninsula’s wineries and cideries are doing:

  • Camaraderie Cellars will be open for wine club pick-up and purchases March 21 & 22 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call 360-417-3564 ahead at other times to arrange an appointment or curbside pick-up.
  • Eaglemount Winery-Cidery will be open for bottle sales and local delivery Friday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • FairWinds Winery will be closed until further notice.
  • Finnriver Farms has cancelled their events and is open regular hours for bottle purchases.
  • Harbinger Winery will be open for bottle sales on Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with only one transaction allowed in the winery at a time and sanitizing between customers. They are also offering delivery within Clallam County with a minimum 6 bottle order.
  • Marrowstone Vineyards will be open for bottle purchase and shipping orders on Friday – Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. They are also offering local delivery for call-in purchases at 360-385-9608.
  • Olympic Cellars Winery is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for bottle purchases and shipping orders.
  • Port Townsend Vineyards is open normal operating hours for bottle purchase, shipping orders and wine club pick-up. Sunday – Thursday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • Wind Rose Cellars is closed until March 26. They will reopen March 26 – March 28 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for bottle purchase and wine club pick up (March 28 until 5:00 p.m.).  After that date, they will be open Friday’s and Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for bottle purchases.

Please note that none of these wineries or cideries are offering on site tastings or consumption of purchases.  Online sales, phone in orders for shipping or pick up (or delivery in some cases) are welcome at any of the venues. 

Slight Changes to Red Wine, Cider & Chocolate Tour

Olympic Peninsula Wineries is excited to welcome you for Red Wine, Cider and Chocolate.  Hopefully you have been keeping up with the activity on Facebook to see all the exciting activities, food and wine that will be happening during our event.  We want to update you on a few changes that you will notice during Red Wine, Cider and Chocolate.

Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board contacted our winery association just before Christmas to let us know that we need to Change the way we’re running our tours. The biggest change that you might notice is that there will be a sign that says “Tour Tasting Here”.  One of the requirements for the LCB is that the “Ticketed Tour Event” tasting areas and the wineries/cideries’ tasting areas are kept separate.

When you check in, whether at your first stop or your last stop, you should be sure to get your passport stamped.  If a member of your party will taste at only one or two of the wineries and didn’t purchase a ticket, please let the check in person know.  They will collect the $10 tasting fee and make sure that they taste in the correct area.

Please be patient with us all as we work to comply with these new requirements. We look forward to sharing good food, excellent wine and friendship with all of you. Thank you!

Day Trip From Seattle Part III

Our last two blogs posts have given your driving routes for a tour of Olympic Peninsula wineries from Seattle. Here, we finish that itinerary with our last two winery stops.

Stop #7: Camaraderie Cellars

After Black Diamond Winery and their beautiful views, head back down Black Diamond Rd. towards Port Angeles. Continue onto Pine St. and then turn right onto W 16th St. Get back on US 101 W for about a mile and then turn left on Benson Rd. About a third mile up the road, Camaraderie Cellars will be on the left, at 334 Benson Rd.

Stop #8 Harbinger Winery

harbinger-winery-olympic-peninsulaIt’s a quick mile and half to our final winery: Harbinger. Simply head back to Hwy. 101 from Benson Rd. Take a left onto 101 West and about a mile down you will see Harbinger Winery on the left at 2358 Highway 101 West.

What a day! This is a good 8-9 hours of wine tasting and touring. You will see a wide array of Olympic Peninsula communities and environments. By the time you pull away from Harbinger Winery, you are sure to be ready for some dinner. Stop in Port Angles for  a delicious dinner at one of our recommended restaurants. After all that, you can make your way back to the Bainbridge Ferry on Hwy 101. Or, if you’re done driving for the day, stay on the Olympic Peninsula for the night in a hotel, bed and breakfast or inn.

Upcoming Olympic Peninsula Event: Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour

Looking for a good weekend to come up and visit us this spring? May 4th & 5th is our annual Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour. We invite you to sip and savor new wine releases and ciders paired with a variety of cheeses crafted by local, artisan creameries. The Olympic Peninsula Wineries and eight local creameries will treat visitors to a truly local culinary experience, with interesting pairings that provide an authentic sense of place.

Day Trip from Seattle, Part II

In our last post, we began outlining a driving route for someone visiting the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle. Here is more of a perfect day on the Peninsula:

Fourth Stop: Wind Rose Cellars

Leave Eaglemount Winery outside Port Townsend and drive to Sequim. This adorable town, famous for it’s lavender fields, is home to the Olympic Peninsula’s newest winery, Wind Rose Cellars.

Head West on Hwy 20 for about two miles. Hit Hwy 101 and take a right. About 16 miles down, take the East Washington St exit and take a right on N. Rhodefer Rd. Take another right on W. Sequim Bay Rd and then a final right on Bell Bottom Road. Wind Rose Cellars will be on the left at 233 Bell Bottom Rd.

Fifth Stop: Olympic Cellars

Half way between Sequim and Port Angeles is a huge, historic barn, which houses Olympic Cellars.

Get back on Hwy. 101 N and drive about nine miles. Olympic Cellars will be on your left, so you need to exit the freeway at Agnew Cutoff and get back on in the opposite direction briefly. You can’t miss the big Olympic Cellars barn! 255410 U.S. 101, Port Angeles.

Sixth Stop: Black Diamond Winery

Keep heading West on Hwy 101 for about 6 miles until you arrive in the town of Port Angeles. Follow the signs to Forks and stay on 101 through town. Take a right on South Pine St. This road curves to the left and becomes West 16th. Then, take a full left onto South Pine  St. and continue on to Black Diamond Road. About three miles up the road, you reach Black Diamond Winery on the right, at 2976 Black Diamond Rd. Enjoy the scenic vineyard and delicious fruit wines here.

We have two more wineries to guide you toward. Come back later this month for the rest of the driving route!

 

 

Charter Washington Wine Tasting Tours

The Olympic Peninsula is blessed with eight great wineries. You can visit all of them on a fun-filled day that takes you from Port Angeles to Port Townsend and back. Or, depending on where your starting point is, you can use our suggested wine tour route to plan your day.

Do It Yourself Driving Tour

If you are coming from the East (Seattle, Bainbridge, Pudget Sound) go west on Washington Hwy 101 just a couple of miles past Port Angeles to Harbinger Winery. Located in a chic, sheet metal facility right on Washington Highway 101, you can’t miss it! Next stop is the beautiful grounds of Camaraderie Cellars, just one mile east on Benson Road.  Continue back to the east on  Hwy 101 through Port Angeles to Olympic Cellars, housed in a beautiful historic barn on the highway about half-way between Sequim and Port Angeles.

Continue on Hwy 101 east to Sequim and visit the Olympic Peninsula’s newest winery, Wind Rose Cellars, located in downtown Sequim.  Continue on HWY 101 east to Discovery Bay and the turnoff to Hwy 20 north. Eaglmount Wine & Cider’s woodland tasting room is just 3 miles away.

Berries at the Finnriver Farm and Cidery

Travel north on Hwy 20, turn off to FairWinds Winery’s country setting just a little further north.  On your return to Hwy 101, travel south on Route 19 towards Chimacum.  The last stop on your Olympic Peninsula Winery journey is Finnriver Ciderand sustainable farm, located off Center Road. Or, take the pressure off everyone and charter a tour.

Chartered Wine Tours

All Points Charters & Tours is a full-service tour and company located on the northern Olympic Peninsula. Willie Nelson, owner, has more than 15 years experience in providing the best in tour and charter services. He hosts a great full-day wine tour on Saturday. The tour costs only $85 per person, including lunch in Port Townsend and tasting fees. Please make reservations by calling (360) 565-1139 or (360) 460-7131. Sit back and enjoy the scenery between stops and don’t worry about your driving ability!

For Mothers Who Like Wine

Anyone whose mother likes wine need worry no more about how to celebrate Mother’s Day. Treat mom to a day of wine tasting on the Olympic Peninsula.

Mother's Day wine tasting Olympic Peninsula

Nice weather? Treat mom to a picnic on the beach.

Eight Washington State Wineries and Cideries call the Olympic Peninsula home. Some of the wines they produce are made from grapes and other fruits grown right here, on the peninsula. Come learn all about what they do during a Mother’s Day outing.

Have fun finding your favorite wines. Do you and Mom prefer sweet whites or robust reds? Perhaps you like dry whites or softer reds. Have you tried artisinal hard cider?

Make a weekend of it so you can take your time and wine taste at your leisure. Stay in a hotel overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Townsend, a vacation rental in Sequim, or a historic Bed and Breakfast in Port Townsend. Discover the many fine restaurants that call the Olympic Peninsula home: the Alderwood Bistro in Sequim; Fins Coastal Cuisine in Port Townsend; the Ajax Cafe in Port Hadlock. Get picnic fixings at the Port Townsend Farmer’s Market, or the Chimacum Corner Store.

You’ll find many varietals at our member Olympic Peninsula Wineries. Help your mom find her favorite during a Mother’s Day weekend wine tasting extravaganza!

 

New Year’s Resolution: Be a Locavore

As you review the past year and consider the year to come, we at Olympic Peninsula Wineries would like to encourage you to be a locavore.

This is what being a locavore in Washington State looks like.

We don’t mean to suggest that you should eat and drink only locally produced foods and drinks 100% of the time (though what an accomplishment that would be).   The joys of biting into colorful, juicy Satsumas during grey Pacific Northwest winters are too great to overlook. We do hope you’ll consider the benefits of eating locally: to your health, to the environment, and to your local economy.

This blog is no place for a diatribe, so we’ll keep it short and sweet. Eating locally:

  • keeps your money in your community
  • reduces your carbon footprint
  • tastes and feels good

Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest are lucky: we can eat a varied diet of foods grown and raised here twelve months a year. We can grow kiwis and tomatoes and greens and berries in our backyards. We can find a wide variety of artisan, farmstead cheeses, free-range chickens, and grass-fed beef at farmers markets. We can eat wild salmon and Hood Canal oysters. We can drink Washington State wine and cider and beer.

In short, eating local in Washington State means eating pretty darn well.

Be kind to yourself in 2012. Be a locavore.

Find Inspiration in Mountains, Forests, and Wine

Winter can feel long in the Pacific Northwest. Endless days of grey ceiling skies can tamp down our souls and dampen our spirits. We sit and watch our creativity sink into the sodden earth with the rain.

That may be a bit melodramatic, but most of us have had days like that, during the winter, here in the Pacific Northwest.

Dungeness Spit

The Dungeness Spit, shrouded in mist and fog; perfect.

We can wallow in it, or we can stand up, brush the moss from our shoulders, and head to the Olympic Peninsula.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re walking through a forest of towering Douglas Firs. It feels like they’ve reached up and tickled the heavens, and that the raindrops are really tears of mirth.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re bent into the wind, walking out on the Dungeness Spit, and the the spray from the Salish Sea jumps up to kiss your cheeks.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re curled up with a good book in a quiet inn, next to the person you love most in the world.

It doesn’t matter if the skies are grey when you’re sitting in a cozy restaurant, with a glass of Washington State Wine or Cider grasped in your hands.

So when you find yourself feeling that the rain has washed away your spunk, come to the Olympic Peninsula. Take a ferry if you must, and stand on the upper decks where the wind will blow some spirit back into you. Find a place to stay. Strap on snow shoes and explore the Olympic Mountains. Put on your rain jacket and head out to the Hoh Rain Forest. Watch a good movie at The Rose Theater in Port Townsend. And after a full day, sit down and drink a glass of Washington State Wine or Cider, made right here, on the Olympic Peninsula.

You’ll feel better.

Seattle Cider Summit

Finnriver Farm & Cidery and Eaglemount Cider will pour their ciders at the Cider Summit N.W. in Seattle on Saturday, September 10, 2011. Artisanal Ciders from around the world will be represented at the South Lake Union Discovery Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Come try them all!

Finnriver Cidery and Eaglemount Cider will be at the Seattle Cider Summit.

No two ciders are alike. The upcoming Cider Summit is a unique opportunity to taste ciders from Washington State, Oregon, California, Michigan, British Columbia,  France, and the United Kingdom. You’re sure to find distinct differences, and your sure to want to bring a few bottles home with you. The good news is, you can.

Owners and cidermakers will guide guests through the samplings, which will be poured in 3-ounce and 6-ounce portions. This event is for folks 21 years of age and older. Dogs are welcome.

Live music and a great variety of food vendors will round out the Cider Summit N.W. in Seattle:

  • Alan Hager and James Miller From Portland: 12 – 2 p.m.
  • Drummerboy, featuring Kimball Conant on guitar: 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Drummerboy, featuring Eric “Two Scoops” Moore on piano: 4- 6 p.m.

To purchase tickets and learn more information about this event, please visit Cider Summit Seattle.

Please see Eaglemount Cider and Finnriver Farm & Cidery for more information about these Olympic Peninsula, Washington State Cideries.

Get Out and Admire the View

Early September is a fantastic time to visit Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. As of this writing, there is snow only at the highest elevations. Hiking trails are open and views are out of this world.

Good company, glorious views, and a bottle of Washington Wine from the Olympic Peninsula. Perfect.

Much of the summer was a bit of a disappointment, at least with respect to weather. Low clouds and a low snow line did not inspire hiking. These last weeks of warmth and sun have helped remedy that, and the coming weeks should bring more of the same.

Plan a trip to the Olympic Mountains. Hike if you like, or simply sit and enjoy the stunning views from the top of Hurricane Ridge. You’ll feel the mist clear from your mind. You’ll feel happy.

We suggest you never visit the Olympic Peninsula without stopping by one or more of our member Washington Wineries. Speak with the wine makers, taste some wine, and bring home a bottle of Washington Wine to enjoy as you remember your glorious time on the Olympic Peninsula.

Please visit Olympic National Park for up-to-date information about hikes and conditions.

August Events Featuring Olympic Peninsula Wines

Several of our member Olympic Peninsula Washington State Wineries are involved in special events around the Sound this month. They’re different, their fun, and they’re certainly worth a look. Now that summer has finally reached the Pacific Northwest, get out and enjoy it!

Toast a successful jump with Olympic Cellars Washington State Wine.

  • Pair Washington Wine with skydiving? Why not. Join “The Working Girl First Jump Club” for an evening of Tandem Skydiving into the field behind Olympic Cellars Winery on August 10 and August 24. Jumps start at 5 p.m. and will run hourly in groups of 5 – 6 until all have jumped. Participants will certainly be served Olympic Cellars Washington State Wine, but not until after the jump. Friends and family are invited to watch at the winery and enjoy a picnic dinner while waiting. For more information, please see Olympic Cellars.
  • The Finnriver Farm Cider Dinner is less likely to make your adrenaline run, but it too promises to be a superlative event. Join the folks from Finnriver Farm and Cider  and Chef Mark Bodinet at the Copperleaf Terrace, where you’ll be treated to inspired cuisine paired with Finnriver Washington State Ciders and fruit liqueurs. Copperleaf Terrace is located at Cedarbrook Lodge, a tranquil setting south of Seattle. The five-course dinner is a farm-to-table meal made with local ingredients, including Finnriver Farm’s own strawberries. For the menu, please visit Cedarbrook Lodge. To make a reservation, please call 206.214.4282. The cost is $55 per person (plus tax and gratuity), and seating is limited to the first 24 guests.
  • Camaraderie Cellars Washington State Wine will be available at the Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival, August 6, 2011. The festival will highlight Chef Kevin Gillespie, 2 time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation “Rising Star Chef of the Year” award, known for bringing the farm to the fork. There will be celebrity chef appearances, a cook-off finale, and wine seminars, among other exciting events. Additional information is available at the Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival.

Award Winning Washington Wines

We are thrilled and honored to announce that several Olympic Peninsula wineries / cideries were winners in the prestigious 2011 Seattle Wine Awards.

Fifteen esteemed wine professionals met at the Rainier Club in mid April to taste and evaluate wines made from Washington grapes. Competition was stiff, and the winners listed below are truly delighted to have been recognized.

Visit the Olympic Peninsula and taste our award winning Washington wine.

Camaraderie Cellars:
Gold medal for 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gold medal for 2008 Syrah.
Gold medal for 2008 Cabernet Franc.
Silver medal for 2008 Elégance.
Silver medal for 2008 Grâce.

Eaglemount Wine and Cider:
Silver medal for 2008 Osprey.
Bronze medal for 2007 Raptor Reserve.
Bronze medal for 2007 Syrah.

Finnriver Cidery:
Double Gold medal for their Artisan Sparkling Cider.

Harbinger Winery:
Double Gold medal for 2010 La Petite Fleur.
Gold medal for 2010 Raspberry Bliss.
Silver medal for 2009 Viognier.

Olympic Cellars:
Double Gold medal for 2007 Cabernet Franc
Gold medal for 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Bacchus.
Gold medal for NV Working Girl White.

We invite you to visit our Washington State Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula; try our  award-winning wines and ciders for yourself.

Learn more about the 2011 Seattle Wine Awards at Seattle Wine Awards.