The Gift of Port Angeles Washington Wines

The magical fruit.

Give the gift of Port Angeles Washington wines this holiday. Offer them as gifts to friends and family, bring them to dinners, and serve them at your table.

Try Black Diamond Winery‘s Shiro Plum, featuring plums from their own private orchard. Talk about local. This dry fruit wine is produced from start to finish in Port Angeles, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

Try the 2002 Grâce from Camaraderie Cellars. It combines grapes from Fred Artz’ vineyard on Red Mountain, Paul Champoux at Mercer Ranch, and Len Parris at Chandler Reach; the Malbec comes from Crawford Vineyard in Prosser. All these bits of Washington State have been blended to create a wine that has won several international awards, including a Double Gold at the San Francisco International Competition. Drink it now or in years to come.

This month’s featured wines at Harbinger Winery are the 2007 Syrah and the 2007 Malbec. The Syrah is big and bold, with hints of leather and licorice and wonderfully deep, fruity aromas. The Malbec has a lovely backbone of tannins and acidity, balanced by ripe berries.

The wines at Olympic Cellars have been made from Eastern Washington’s Sagemore Farms’ and Champoux Vineyards’ grapes for 25 years. There are now three different labels produced at Olympic Cellars: Working Girl, award-winning but affordable; La Dolce Vida, five varietals of premium wine produced in small batches; and Dungeness, a heritage and artist series.

Offer these Washington State wine s as gifts this year. They’ll be much appreciated.

Olympic Peninsula Wine Tour

The Harvest Wine Tour highlights seven Washington State Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula. Our version of a fall harvest festival takes place November 13 and 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A self guided tour, the Harvest Wine Tour encourages people to visit all seven participating Washington State Wineries: Harbinger Winery, Camaraderie Cellars and Black Diamond Winery in Port Angeles, Olympic Cellars in Sequim, Sorenson Cellars and FairWinds Winery in Port Townsend, and FinnRiver Farm & Cidery in Chimacum.

Tickets ($25) are available for purchase in advance, or at the door (on a first come basis). They include entrance and tastings at all seven wineries, a special commemorative wine glass, and samples of tasty local cuisine at each winery. Oenophiles who have their passports stamped at all seven participating wineries will be eligible for gift basket drawing.

The Harvest Wine Tour is a great excuse to get out of the city and visit the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. It’s fun to visit small wineries, each of which has its own distinct personality. Meet the wine makers and learn about the wine first hand while tasting it.

Gray Skies? Drink Washington Wine.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or indeed anywhere on the west coast, you may be feeling a bit down. We live through months of gray skies secure in the knowledge that come summer, our skies will be blue. “Sure it can be rainy”, we tell friends who live elsewhere, “but when the sun comes out, no place on earth can match its beauty.” So where are you sun?

Denuded mountains in Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, and Victoria B.C. way in the distance

View of Victoria from the Olympic National Park, outside of Port Angeles.

Well, those of us who make Washington State Wines can’t make the sun shine in Washington State, but we can help to cheer you. Head to the Sequim area – if it will be sunny anywhere in western Washington, it will be sunny here in the Olympic Rainshadow. Stay awhile, and taste Washington wines and ciders at our seven wineries from Port Angeles to Port Townsend.

A little time on the Olympic Peninsula can make anyone feel better. A walk out to the lighthouse at the tip of Dungeness Spit, in Sequim, is magnificent no matter the weather. A drive up to Hurricane Ridge, outside of Port Angeles, is sure to raise your spirits. Dinner in historic Port Townsend tastes good, rain or shine.

It is imperative to include wine tasting in your Olympic Peninsula holiday. After a drive up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, stop by Harbinger Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, and Black Diamond Winery. After a walk on the Dungeness Spit, visit Olympic Cellars. On your way to Port Townsend, enjoy a cider at FinnRiver Farm and Cidery, in Chimacum, and once in Port Townsend, stop by Sorenson Cellars and FairWinds Winery.

To keep your spirits raised, pick up a few bottles of your favorite Olympic Peninsula Washington Wines and take them home. That way, no matter what the weather does, you can find solace in a glass of good wine.

Even Elk Love Washington State Wine

Last August, a herd of elk wandered through our Washington State Winery on the Olympic Peninsula. We assumed it was because they liked the scent of our wine.

We can’t promise the elk will drop by for some of our Washington State wine this August, but you never know. We can promise you an enjoyable wine tasting experience.

Elk graze near Olympic Cellars, between Sequim and Port Angeles, WA.

Great Wine Takes Dedication

And our winemaker Benoit Murat has it. Benoit is a native of Toulouse, in the southwest of France. The area between the Bordeaux region and the Pyrénées mountains is home to a great variety of wines, and some of the oldest. We are so pleased to have Benoit here with us, bringing his knowledge and experience to Olympic Cellars, one of six Washington State wineries on the Olympic Peninsula.

Benoit is pictured below, hard at work. (more…)

Raise a Glass of Washington Wine to Women

Today is International Women’s Day, and March is National Women’s History Month. Take a moment to consider the many achievements of women throughout history. Think about the women in your families and communities. Learn about women who need help today.

This is a great excuse to gather together a group of girlfriends and head to the Washington State Wineries of the Olympic Peninsula. Let the dads and grandpas watch the kids while you reconnect with good friends. Visit the six Washington Wineries located in Port Townsend and Port Angeles in one glorious trip, or plan to return again and again until you have tried them all.

There is at least one woman behind every winery on the Washington Olympic Peninsula. It took vision and commitment for these women (and their male partners) to establish their businesses, and it is worth visiting these Washington State Wineries to see what they have collectively created.

Washington State Winemakers of the Olympic Peninsula

Olympic Cellars, Womanfest, and MADRE are hosting an event on Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at 6 pm. All are invited to enjoy homemade soup and bread and drink wine by the glass during this local celebration of International Women’s Day; it will highlight the efforts of MADRE to help the victims of the Haitian earthquake.

The suggested donation of $10.00 will go towards MADRE’s relief efforts in Haiti. Olympic Cellars will donate 30% of revenues from wines sold by the glass as well.

A Place in Washington Wine Industry History

The Associated Press ran a story yesterday about the phenomenal growth of Washington’s wine industry. Just 10 years ago, 160 wineries supported the state’s burgeoning industry. Since then the number of wineries has grown nearly 300 percent, with winery #602 receiving its license just last month.

A little known fact, the Olympic Peninsula’s place in our state’s wine industry dates back three decades, to a time when there were a mere 15 wineries in the state!

Port Angeles’ Olympic Cellars, the Peninsula’s first commercial winery, was founded by grower Gene Neuharth in 1979. Formerly known as Neuharth Winery, the name was changed to Olympic Cellars in the mid-80s. Now the woman-owned and operated home of “Working Girl Wines,” Olympic Cellars continues to offer Gene’s popular “Dungeness Red” and “Dungeness White” labels.

Lost Mountain Winery of Sequim was established in 1981 by second-generation Italian winemaker Romeo Conca. Currently owned and operated by Steve and Sue Conca, Romeo’s son and daughter-in-law, Lost Mountain continues to produce premium red wines in old-world style, without added sulfites.

Get away to the beautiful Olympic Peninsula this spring and experience this piece of our state’s wine industry history! Olympic Cellars, Lost Mountain and the five additional wineries that have made the Peninsula their home over the past 30 years — FairWinds, Sorenson Cellars, Black Diamond, Camaraderie Cellars and Harbinger Winery — welcome you!

Hearty Winter Dishes to Nourish the Body and Warm the Soul

Our second post in the winter food and wine pairing series features two recipes from Olympic Cellars. The first is a favorite of Winery Owner Kathy Charlton. The second was provided by Winemaker Benoit Murat, Olympic Cellars’ “resident foodie.”

We hope you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy these tried and true recipes and suggested wine pairings with family and friends this season. If so, please share your “culinary experience” with us! We welcome your comments.

Quick, Warm Your Soul, Minestrone Soup

Soup is my comfort food, particularly when enjoyed with a nice, warm, buttered whole grain roll and a glass of our Gold Medal 2005 Syrah or “Gracefully Aging Red,” our 2006 Zinfandel.

After a long day at the winery, I appreciate a tasty meal that’s fast and easy to prepare. I don’t go into “food stress” with this 15-year-old recipe I found while living in Dallas.
– Kathy Charlton, Owner, Olympic Cellars

2 cups diced zucchini
1/2 cup past shape of choice, uncooked
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (16-ounce) cans of chicken broth
1 (141/2 – ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas and carrots (I just use frozen peas and fresh sliced carrots)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine first 8 ingredients in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese; ladle into bowls. For more interesting flavor, try adding some basil pesto to taste and stir in. Makes 9, one-cup servings.

Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

This recipe, provided by Olympic Cellars’ Winemaker Benoit Murat, is ideal for cold weather and easy to prepare. Pair with Olympic Cellars’ Gold Medal 2005 Syrah.

Ingredients:
2-3 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
1 onion
2 Carrots
Celery
Minced Garlic
Sliced Mushrooms
1 Tablespoon Flour
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Rosemary
1 Cube Beef Bouillon, prepared
Red wine

Chop onion, celery and carrots and set aside in a bowl.

Sear bacon in a large stew pot. Salt and pepper stew meat, and add half of meat to pot. Brown on all sides, and remove from pot. Add remaining half of beef to pot and brown, adding oil if necessary.

Next, combine all browned meat in the pot and add flour, stirring frequently. Remove meat, place in a bowl and set aside.

Place chopped vegetables in pot and stir-fry for a few minutes.

Return meat to pot, adding minced garlic, sliced mushrooms. Add beef broth and red wine, completely covering contents.

Wine can be good stuff so you can drink a part of it before, or cheap stuff for cooking. You will need about 2 bottles.

Add all herbs and simmer, uncovered, for 2 or 3 hours.

Serve as a soup or over pasta, rice or potatoes. You can add the potatoes 20 minutes before serving and allow them to cook in the stew.