Tour the Olympic Peninsula Wine Harvest

Bring your own glass to the 2010 Harvest Wine Tour of Washington State Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula.

Fruits

The amazing taste of fall.

Our Harvest Wine Tour takes place November 13 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all seven member wineries. This is a great excuse to head to the Blue Hole in Sequim, which will probably be in high demand come mid November. Olympic Cellars on the road to Port Angeles, and Camaraderie Cellars and Black Diamond Winery in Port Angeles will serve an assortment of autumnal appetizers alongside their wines.

The Olympic Rain Shadow stretches to scenic Port Townsend, where Sorenson Cellars and FairWinds Winery will serve their finest Washington State Wines and FinnRiver Farm and Cidery will amaze you with their delicious hard cider. Tasty treats will accompany the wines.

For extra fun, each winery will host a scavenger hunt for wine-related items during the weekend.

This is a self-guided tour: start in Port Angeles and work your way to Chimacum, start in Port Townsend and work your way back, or criss-cross the peninsula. Your itinerary is up to you. Our wineries supply outstanding Washington State wines and ciders, food, and fun.

Tickets for this self guided tour are available in advance or at the door on a first come basis for $25.00 and entitle you to complimentary wine tastings and appetizers at each winery during the weekend. A tasting fee of $5.00 per person per winery will apply to non ticketed visitors.

For additional information and tickets, please visit our Harvest Wine Tour page.

Sailing Adventure in Port Townsend

Fall means wind, and wind means sailing. It’s an exciting time to take a sailboat out from Port Townsend, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, so why not run away for the weekend and do just that? After a day on the water, head to one of the Washington State wineries in Port Townsend for a little wine tasting – it will help warm you from the inside out.

Run Away to Port Townsend and enjoy sailing with the Port Townsend Schooner Company.

The Port Townsend Schooner Company runs sailings out of Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend aboard their 59′ traditionally rigged Pinky Schooner, Pleiades. They specialize in two-hour tours of the Port Townsend Bay but will also make longer journeys to Protection Island, out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, or beyond. You may make arrangements for full day sailings if you like, to simply let them take you where they will. Once you board, sit back and enjoy views of the historic waterfront town of Port Townsend and the Olympic Mountains rising beyond, or roll up your sleeves and relax. The choice is yours.

Should you decide to bring a picnic on board with you, consider stopping by one of the three wineries in Port Townsend and Chimacum for a bottle of Washington State wine or cider: FinnRiver Cidery in Chimacum has terrific hard cider; FairWinds Winery features a lovely white Burgundy, Aligote, as well as a tasty Lemberger; and Sorenson Cellars has a lovely 2007 Viognier that goes well with dried fruits and chèvre – perfect for a sailing picnic.

For more information about the Port Townsend Schooner Company, please visit their website.

Biking and Wine Tasting on the Olympic Peninsula

Looking for a reason to leave the city and head to the Olympic Peninsula? How about a bike ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail?

The Olympic Discovery Trail currently stretches from the Jamestown S’Kallam Tribal Center in Blyn (about 6 miles south of Sequim) to Ediz Hook in Port Angeles. Much of it follows an old railroad route. It runs between Highway 101 and Sequim Bay and alongside the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Angeles. In the future, this trail will stretch from Port Townsend to the coast of Washington by La Push.

Washington State Wineries of the Olympic Peninsula support the completion of Olympic Discovery Trail. It provides a safe alternative to road biking, while connecting many communities on the north Olympic Peninsula. (more…)

Fun Film Festival in Port Townsend

Each fall, after summer crowds have thinned and locals have bid farewell to the last of the wooden boats, an expectant air lingers in Port Townsend. Summer may be over, but festivities are not. There is still something to anticipate: the Port Townsend Film Festival.A small town connects with the world.

The 2010 Port Towsend Film Festival takes place September 24 – 26 at several venues around town. The heart of the festival is The Rose Theatre, a historic theater on Taylor Street. Straw bales are set up each evening in front of The Rose for outdoor screenings, and a beer garden makes the mood complete. Locals and visitors fill the street to watch the night sky come alive; children bundled in strollers stare at the screen with big eyes until sleep overtakes them. It is a magical experience.

Avid film buffs trot from The Rose to the Pope Marine building at the end of town, or up the steps to the Uptown Theatre. Screenings run all day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and most films show at least twice. Documentaries, feature films, and classics fill the program – something for every cinematic preference. Remember to take time out and rest your eyes from time to time; we suggest trip to one of the Washington State Wineries in Port Townsend.

The community of Port Townsend is warmer and more welcoming than ever during the Film Festival. Come see for yourself. While there, relax with a glass or two of Washington State Wine, and visit Sorenson Cellars, FairWinds Winery, and FinnRiver Farm and Cidery.

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

The 34th annual Wooden Boat Festival takes place in Port Townsend September 10-12, 2010. It’s a great time to head to the Olympic Peninsula. Every year, a spectacular assortment of wooden boats make the pilgrimage to Port Townsend, where they are admired and appreciated by thousands.

Now is a good time to plan to attend the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend. Book a room and make a reservation at your favorite restaurant, but be sure to leave time for a little Washington state wine tasting at the two Washington State wineries in town: Sorenson Celllars and FairWinds Winery. On your way to or from the festival, pick up a bottle of amazing Washington State apple cider at FinnRiver Farm and Cidery, in Chimacum.

Wooden Boat Festival

Admire wooden boats and beautiful scenery during Port Townsend's Wooden Boat Fesival

The Blues and Washington Wine

The Port Townsend Accoustic Blues Festival is currently taking place at historic Fort Worden, in Port Towsend, WA. During the past fifteen years, some of the most respected names in Accoustic Blues have come to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula for this wonderful event. This year, as in the past, hundreds of musicians are spending most waking moments playing, listening, learning, and sharing the blues. (more…)

Come to Centrum

Centrum brings incredible artists to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula throughout the year. In summer, the calendar is full of festivals, workshops, and performances.

Tootie Heath at Jazz Port Townsend.

This summer, one amazing event after another keeps people entertained and engaged: Voiceworks, the Festival of Fiddle Tunes, Chamber Music, the Writers’ Conference, Jazz Port Townsend…. On Friday afternoons, folks get comfortable on blankets with picnics and listen to free concerts by some of the finest performers in the nation. The atmosphere is relaxed, with children dancing in the background. It’s wonderful.

Centrum is housed at Fort Worden State Park, in Port Townsend. The sandy beaches, majestic woods, and unbeatable views at Fort Worden are complemented by the historic charm of Port Townsend. When not busy with a workshop or at a concert, lounge on the beach or hike through the woods to scenic overlooks. Wander through the batteries tucked away throughout the park. Or enjoy a fine meal in one of the many restaurants in Port Townsend. (more…)

Olympic Peninsula Farmers Markets

The Olympic Peninsula is beautiful. It is a hiker’s paradise, a boater’s paradise, and some might say paradise, period. Outdoor activities abound here. Cultural activities flourish. But there is something else on the Olympic Peninsula – fine, fresh food.

The vibrant Port Townsend Farmers Market

A stroll through the Farmers Market in Port Townsend, Port Angeles or Sequim is enough to let you know that people here take their food seriously. Numerous small farmers fill their stalls with fresh fruits and vegetables each week. Be sure to bring a cooler with you, so you can stock up on fresh, tasty Olympic Peninsula produce. (more…)

Good Reasons to Visit Olympic Peninsula Wineries

Port Townsend WA

Stop by Port Townsend for the Rhody Festival and a glass of wine.

There are lots of good reasons to head to the Olympic Peninsula these days. For starters, try sunshine, glorious scenery, and many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Then there are six Washington State Wineries, open for visitation and ready to pour the wine.

There are also a number of upcoming events worth noting. Read on for just a few:

May 1, 2010, marks the start of the 115th Irrigation Festival in Sequim, WA. The longest running festival in the state of Washington, the Irrigation Festival celebrates the irrigation ditches that traverse Sequim and allowed the land to be cultivated in the 19th century. Look forward to parades, an arts and crafts festival, lawnmower races and a carnival. The town of Sequim steps out for this event for the weekends of May 1 and May 7, and it is well worth attending. Also on May 1, 2010, is the Victorian Spring Ball in Port Angeles. (more…)

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.

Hood Canal Bridge Set to Reopen Ahead of Schedule!

Work that began on May 1 to replace the east half of the Hood Canal Bridge and the east and west trusses may be completed more than a week ahead of schedule, according to the Washington State Dept. of Transportation website, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/Olympic/.

The overall project is currently estimated to be 97 percent complete, despite some unseasonably foul weather that added 3 days to the 6-week contract timeline. Drawspan testing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.

The Olympic Peninsula Wineries invite you to celebrate the reopening of the bridge with a scenic self-guided tour of our seven tasting rooms, located in the cities of Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles. While you’re here, be sure to take a drive through downtown Port Angeles and see the transformation that has been in progress during the bridge closure. It’s part of an all-community volunteer effort dubbed, “Our Community at Work: Painting Downtown.” For more information on the project, visit http://www.portangelesdowntown.com/our_community_at_work.php.