Passport Wine Tour This Weekend! Remember – it’s B.Y.O.G. (bring our own glass)!

The Olympic Peninsula Wineries invite you to come out and enjoy award-winning handcrafted wines superbly paired with fresh Olympic Coastal Cuisine during the Passport Wine Tour this weekend, November 14-15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’re adding a new twist to this year’s event — bring your own glass! It’s a fun opportunity to show off the most unique piece in your collection. We look forward to pouring our wines in your special glass and hearing what makes it your favorite. Tickets for the self-guided tour are $25.00 and entitle holders to a label collection Passport, complimentary wine tastings and samples of local cuisine at each winery.

For the past couple of weeks we’ve been highlighting what each of our wineries will be serving during Passport Weekend on our blog. Today we’re down to the final two — Camaraderie  Cellars and Harbinger Winery, both in Port  Angeles.

Camaraderie Cellars will feature seasonal tasty bites including roasted beet vinaigrette and wine-poached pears, along with Bell Street Bakery’s seasonal vegetable bread. These delicious bites will be paired with Camaraderie’s favorites: a just released Malbec, Tempranillo, and our popular Viognier.

Harbinger Winery will release a limited bottling of our popular seasonal Cranberry Bliss, as well as the 2008 Viognier, 2007 Syrah, and 2007 El Jefe’
(a reserve Spanish blend with a Rhone twist).  These wines will be matched with locally grown foods, including a savory Chanterelle and Chevre blintz made with locally foraged Chanterelle Mushrooms.

Fall is a beautiful time to visit the Olympic Peninsula — we hope to see you this weekend!

Port Townsend Wineries Feature Local Cheeses, Home Grown Appetizers for Passport Weekend

With the holidays just around the corner, now is a good time to start considering which wines you will serve with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. And the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ Passport Wine Tour offers a variety of food (and wine) for thought! Visit the wineries on November 14-15 from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.and sample new and current release wines superbly paired with fresh Olympic Coastal Cuisine. Some of the wineries will feature special limited bottlings for the holidays.

In Port Townsend, FairWinds Winery’s off-dry Gewurztraminer will be paired with an array of cheeses made by Port Townsend’s Mt. Townsend Creamery. Appetizers made with red potatoes grown on FairWinds Farm served with various toppings will be complemented by the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend.

Sorensen Cellars will feature its 2008 Pinot Gris, 2007 Viognier, 2007 Sangiovese, 2006 Cabernet Franc, and 2005 Syrah. The wines will be paired with locally sourced appetizers.

Get away for a weekend and enjoy autumn on the Olympic Peninsula!

Black Diamond’s Cranberry Wine Featured at Passport Wine Tour

With the holidays just around the corner, now is a good time to start thinking about which wines you will serve with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. And the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ Passport Wine Tour is perfectly timed to help with your decision! Visit the wineries on November 14-15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and sample new and current release wines superbly paired with fresh Olympic Coastal Cuisine. Some of the wineries will feature special limited bottlings for the holidays.

Black Diamond Winery in Port Angeles will pour Cranberry Wine – a fresh, tart, slighly sweet favorite with turkey and other holiday fare – along with the following estate-grown fruit and grape wines:

Estate Grown Shiro Plum
Plums grown and tree ripened in Black Diamond’s orchard are hand processed to make this slightly sweet white wine.

Strawberry Rhubarb
Made from Red Rhubarb grown in Black Diamond’s garden and strawberries locally grown in Sequim.

Muller-Thurgau
A slightly sweet white wine with aromatic undertones, fruity flavors and a spicy finish.

2007 Syrah
A full bodied dry red wine rich with fruit flavors

Get away for a weekend and enjoy autumn on the Olympic Peninsula!

PASSPORT WINE TOUR – B.Y.O.G. (Bring Your Own Glass)!

The six artisan wineries of the North Olympic Peninsula invite you to enjoy award-winning handcrafted wines superbly paired with fresh Olympic Coastal Cuisine during the annual Passport Wine Tour, November 14-15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. New this year – bring your own glass! It’s a fun opportunity to show off the most unique wine glass in your collection. Tickets for the self-guided tour
are $25.00 and entitle holders to a label collection Passport, complimentary wine tastings and samples of local cuisine at each winery.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will highlight what each individual winery has in store for Passport Weekend. Today’s post features Port Angeles’ Olympic Cellars Winery.

On Saturday, Nov. 14 guests will enjoy Olympic Cellars’ new white wine release: La Galopine, 2008 Roussanne and Viognier blend from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, paired with fresh oysters from the South Puget Sound, Hood Canal and Discovery Bay, on the winery’s “heated” patio. Featured shellfish farms include Little Skookum Shellfish Growers (Little Skookum extra small and small Pacific
oysters); Hama Hama Oyster Company (Hood Canal extra small and small Hama Hama Pacific oysters); Taylor Shellfish Company (Totten Inlet Kumamoto oysters); and Port Discovery Sea Farms (Snow Creek extra small and small oysters). The oysters will be served both on the half-shell and grilled from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A complete selection of wines will be available in the tasting
room.

Clam Chowder (Grandfather Bishop’s family clam chowder recipe made with Little Skookum Shellfish Growers’ sustainably farmed Manila clams www.skookumshellfish.com/recipes) will be available on Sunday, November 15.

Bell Street Bakery breads made with local, organic grain will be served with spreads made from humus and local organic root vegetables all weekend.

Holiday Wine Release: Cranberry Jubilee

Additional wine specials will be featured to compliment the holiday table, parties and of course to give as gifts.

Online “Passport” Sales Rise in 2008

Many travelers took advantage of the opportunity to purchase their “Passports” on line before departing on the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ first International Passport Wine Tour this past weekend.  A quick click via the winery association’s website enables an easy, secure Pay Pal transaction in advance of all wine tours.

Visitors paired wines crafted locally from old world origin grapes with a selection of foods from some of Europe’s most famous wine growing regions. New taste sensations were discovered, including Sorensen Cellars’ Viognier and goat cheese canapes with apricots and almonds, and Olympic Cellars’ Dungeness Red Lemberger Wine and Alsatian Tarte Flambee.A good time was had by all.

The Olympic Peninsula Winerie’s next event will be the Red Wine & Chocolate Tour. This two-weekend event will take place on February 7-8, 2009 and February 14-15-16 (Presidents’ Day Weekend). More information is available at www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org. Get your advance tickets on line now!