A Very Brief History of Cheese

Cheese has been enjoyed for thousands and thousands of years. It predates history. Anything that has that kind of staying power has got to be good.

The NW Wine and Cheese Tour, April 14 & 15, 2012.

It is widely believed that the first cheese came into being shortly after the earliest domestication of sheep and goats. It was most likely discovered by accident. Milk was frequently stored in animal skins, which contain rennet; the combination of rennet, movement, and time caused the milk to separate into curds and whey.

Once there were curds, cheese was on its way.

The years have been good to cheese. Ancient Romans were among the first to elevate cheese making to a fine art, but they were not the last. Over time, one civilization after another experimented with cheese, playing with flavors and textures.

Recent years have witnessed a resurgence in farmstead and artisanal cheese making. Those of us who live in Washington State are blessed to have many such fine cheese makers among us.

Join Olympic Peninsula Wineries and Cideries the weekend of April 14-15, 2012, for the Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour. Discover enchanting combinations of Washington State Wine and Cheese. And raise your glass in thanks to the first people who thought to store their goat milk in animal skins.

A Locavore’s Dream: Washington Wine and Cheese

Wine is a wonderful. It can be enjoyed on its own and it can bring out the best in food. For every meal, there is a wine. For every moment, there is a wine. Yes, wine is wonderful.

We're looking forward to trying the cheese from Black Sheep Creamery.

It’s hard to think of a more perfect combination than wine and cheese. Perhaps that’s because both wine and cheese are so diverse. There are big, bold Cabernets and there are light, effervescent, whites. There are delicate goat cheeses and strong blue cheeses. It would be easy to devote a lifetime to finding perfect combinations of wines and cheeses, and people have. The right combination can be out-of-this-world.

The Wineries of the Olympic Peninsula are looking forward to trying new combinations of Washington State Wines and Cheeses during our upcoming Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour, April 14-15, 2012.

Read on for a list of participating cheesemakers, and make your plans to attend the Olympic Peninsula’s 2012 Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour. (more…)

The 2012 Port Townsend Victorian Festival

A Victorian masterpiece--the Ann Starret Mansion, in Port Townsend.

March 23-25, 2012, is the 16th annual Port Townsend Victorian Festival. Immerse yourself in a different time for one weekend. Return to the present only to refresh yourself with a glass of Washington Wine from one of the Olympic Peninsula Wineries in and near Port Townsend.

What can you do during the Victorian Festival? You can:

Study Victorian architecture.

Attend a Temperance Meeting.

Watch a 19th Century Fencing Demo.

Speak with a Victorian Naturalist.

Learn about the Victorian Corset.

Watch a Fashion Show.

Watch an 1800s style Prize Fight.

Have a Victorian Tea.

Dress up.

See dressed-up people.

Attend a Victorian Ball.

If you are enchanted with the Victorian age, come to the Port Townsend Victorian Festival, March 23-25. It’s fun.

Remember the occasion with a bottle of Washington State Wine from the Olympic Peninsula.

The Winter Wonderland of Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge is truly a winter wonderland. You can cross country ski, downhill ski, snowboard, telemark, snowshoe and sled there. Novice winter sports enthusiasts will feel comfortable here, and experts can find a challenge. On clear days, the sun is warm and the views seem endless.

Beautiful Hurricane Ridge, in the Olympic National Park.

Rangers offer guided snowshoe walks out of Hurricane Ridge on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays at 2 p.m. Expect to be out for 90 minutes, and to donate $5 for the snowshoes and the talk. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with the area, and with safety issues. Once you feel comfortable walking on snow, the winter world of Hurricane Ridge will open to you.

Nearby trails cover some 20 miles of the Olympic National Park. They run along ridges, parallel creeks, and head into valleys. The Switchback Trail is 1.6 miles long and goes from 4,400 feet to 5,900 feet. The Hurricane Ridge to Switchback Trail is 2.8 miles long and goes from 5,300 feet to 5,100 feet. The Lake Angeles – Klahane Ridge Trail spans 6.3 miles, going from 1,850 feet to 6,000 feet in elevation. The Heather Park Trail has the same elevations but is a touch shorter and steeper.

If you live in the Seattle area, the snow-capped Olympic Mountains smile down on you on clear days. Get to know them more intimately. Spend a few days on the Olympic Peninsula and visit Hurricane Ridge.

Sipping a glass of Washington State Wine from the Olympic Peninsula is the best way to conclude a day spent playing on Hurricane Ridge. Several wineries are located at the base of Hurricane Ridge, in Port Angeles. Stop by and try a glass or two.

Olympic Peninsula Home To “Coolest Small Town”

Fort Worden, one of Port Townsend's many perks.

Each year, Budget Travel asks its readers to nominate an American small town for the title Coolest Small Town. The choices are then whittled down to the top 10, and those are put to a vote. To our delight, Port Townsend, Washington, has made the 2012 short list for America’s Coolest Small Towns.

There are a few parameters. Each town must have a population under 10,000. It must be “on the upswing,” thanks to a vibrant arts scene, good restaurants, or its proximity to nature. The town must also eschew quaint and embrace edginess.

Given theses parameters, Port Townsend should be a shoe-in.

It’s hip, with edgy artists and a sizable number of residents who live there precisely because it isn’t like every where else.

It has astoundingly strong arts and culture for a town of its size, with an impressive list of festivals such as the Film Festival and the Wooden Boat Festival.

It has Centrum: Centrum is responsible for the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, a Chamber Music Festival, a Jazz Festival, a Blues Festival, and a host of other artistic programs.

Port Townsend also has beautiful, historic buildings.

It has many good restaurants. Grab a hot dog at the seasonal stand or dine at Fins Coastal Cuisine, which has been favorably reviewed in the New York Times Travel Section. Enjoy a drink in the cozy Mezzanine of the Silverwater Cafe or hang with the locals at Sirens Pub. Have a leisurely breakfast Uptown at Sweet Laurette’s, or grab a tasty treat to go at Pane d’Amore Bakery.

It’s home to the Port Townsend Farmers Market, one of the largest small town markets in the nation.

It’s home to Fort Worden.

Port Townsend can go neck and neck with just about any town in the country for natural beauty. It sits on the tip of the Quimper Peninsula, which is located on the Olympic Peninsula. Two volcanic peaks stand in the east, Mount Baker to the north and Mount Rainier to the south. The Cascade Mountain Range rises in the distance behind the white cliffs of Whidbey Island to the east, and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains lie to the west. It impossible to remain indifferent to the view. And opportunities for outdoor recreation are abundant.

In addition, three of our member Washington State Wineries are located in and near Port Townsend: FairWinds Winery, Eaglemount Wine & Cider, and FinnRiver Farm & Cidery.

If you’ve been to Port Townsend, you’ve probably already cast your vote. If you haven’t been there, or if it’s been a while, go take a look. Have a glass of Washington State Wine or Cider made on the Olympic Peninsula. Stay in a Bed and Breakfast or Boutique Hotel. Then cast your vote for Port Townsend as America’s Coolest Small Town. Votes accepted through January 31, 2012.

Discover the Olympic Discovery Trail

Park at the Railroad Bridge in Sequim and bike to one of our member wineries in Port Angeles.

One of the many wonderful qualities of Washington State is that it is home to such diverse terrain and climates. Tall volcanic peaks such as Mount Baker and Mount Rainier are snow-covered twelve months a year. The lush forests of the Hoh are green twelve months a year. There are ocean beaches and high plateaux. There are steep canyons, rolling palouse, and several mountain ranges.

This diversity means that the sun is almost always shining somewhere in the state.

On the Olympic Peninsula, the sun shines most frequently in the Olympic Rain Shadow; Sequim and Port Townsend are the two towns that benefit most from the sheltering presence of the Olympic Mountains. Whereas the Seattle area receives an average annual rainfall of close to 40 inches, Sequim receives approximately 15 inches a year. Port Townsend gets a whopping 17 inches. That is a significant difference.

The Olympic Discovery Trail is a great spot to stretch the legs with a run, a walk, or a bike ride. The trail currently stretches from Ediz Hook in Port Angeles to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center at the south end of Sequim Bay. Other completed sections of the trail are in Port Townsend and west of Port Angeles. Eventually the trail will extend from Port Townsend to the Pacific Coast.

When the persistent low cloud cover in the Seattle area starts to bring you down this winter, load your bike in the car and head to the Olympic Discovery Trail. Make it a day trip or stay for a few days. It’ll do wonders for you.

While you’re on the Olympic Peninsula, we hope you’ll be in the mood to try some Washington State Wine and Cider. You’ll find three wineries on the Port Angeles end of the Olympic Discovery Trail: Camaraderie Cellars, Harbinger Winery, and Black Diamond Winery. Olympic Cellars is a great spot to rest mid-route; it sits near the border of Sequim and Port Angeles.

Stop for a taste, or pick up a bottle and enjoy it once you’re safely back home.

More information about the trail is available at Olympic Discovery Trail.

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.

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.

The New Dungeness Lighthouse

Walk to the New Dungeness Lighthouse, on the tip of Dungeness Spit in Sequim.

Perched on the end of the Dungeness Spit in Sequim, the New Dungeness Lighthouse is far from new. Yet today it is as remote and beautiful as it was more than 150 years ago. It’s worth a look the next time you’re visiting the Olympic Peninsula. Since the weather is supposed to be great during the next couple of weeks (at last!), plan a trip soon.

Dungeness Spit is the world’s longest natural sand spit, extending five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca (and growing every year). There is no quick way to get to the lighthouse at the end of the Spit – visitors must walk five miles to the end of the Spit and five miles back. Those who do are rewarded with stunning scenery, wonderful wildlife, fresh air, and peace.

A walk out to the New Dungeness Lighthouse is a fantastic way to celebrate a special occasion. It’s an incredible experience, even on the most blustery days. Once at the lighthouse, visitors are rewarded with amazing views from the top of the Lighthouse tower. On clear days, the Olympics, the North Cascades, and Mount Baker will knock your socks right off your feet.

Several picnic tables are located out by the lighthouse, and driftwood chairs are abundant on the beach. Picnics should include a bottle of Washington State Wine from the Olympic Peninsula – to celebrate your surroundings.

Celebrate the return trip with a stop at one of the nearby Olympic Peninsula, Washington State Wineries. Olympic Cellars, Harbinger Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, and Black Diamond Winery are all located in Port Angeles. All offer wine tasting.

It is possible to travel by boat to the New Dungeness Lighthouse. Advance notice must be given to the National Wildlife Refuge at 360.457.8451.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer lighthouse Keeper, please visit New Dungeness Lighthouse.

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.

Olympic Music Festival 2011

Each summer, the Olympic Peninsula is graced with outstanding chamber music in a glorious setting. 2011 is the 28th season of the Olympic Music Festival. Experience it if you can.

A glass of Washington State Wine from the Olympic Peninsula is the perfect accompaniment to the Olympic Music Festival.

The Olympic Music Festival is held on the grounds of festival director Alan Iglitzin’s home, which is located north of Quilcene. Musicians play in a turn-of-the-century barn that opens to a vast lawn. Guests are welcome to arrive early and enjoy the festival’s 55-acres of gardens, woods, and horse pastures. Picnickers are welcome.

Once the show starts, listeners relax in lawn chairs or stretch out on blankets. This is the perfect occasion to enjoy a glass of Washington State Wine from one of member Olympic Peninsula wineries. Try a glass of the award winning Working Girl White from Olympic Cellars, or the festive, award-winning Raspberry Bliss from Harbinger Winery.

The Olympic Music Festival takes place Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. from June 25 – September 4, 2011. Seating in the music barn requires reservations, but the lawn has open seating. Additional information and tickets are available at Olympic Music Festival.

2011 Sequim Lavender Farm Faire

The 2011 Sequim Lavender Farm Faire is scheduled for the weekend of July 15-17. Plan now to be on the Olympic Peninsula then. Tour lavender farms, eat lavender-infused foods, and spend time at the faire’s new location at Carrie Blake Park at the east end of town.

Carrie Blake Park

Lavender in the Park will be the location for all things lavender and more – with the exception of the actual lavender farms. New Vendors plus vendors from past lavender weekends will have their booths in the park, surrounded by lovely open spaces where children may run and play. This is a wonderful location for the Wine and Beer Garden which will be located next to the Amphitheater along with all your favorite food vendors from past lavender festivals. The Wine and Beer Garden will be the perfect place to hang out, catch the concerts while enjoying a glass of Washington State Wine. Each of our member wineries / cideries will be pouring two wines or ciders in the garden.

Lavender in the Park will be open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Evening concerts, food booths, and the Wine and Beer Garden will be open until 9 p.m. On Sunday, Lavender in the Park will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stand in beautiful and fragrant fields of lavender. Try lavender-infused ice cream and enter the lavender pie-making contest. Refresh yourself with a glass of Washington State Wine made on the Olympic Peninsula.

Hope to see you July 15-17, 2011 for the Sequim Lavender Farm Faire. Additional information is available at the Sequim Lavender Farm Faire website.

Join Olympic Peninsula Wineries at the 2011 Sequim Lavender Farm Faire.

Father’s Day on the Olympic Peninsula

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19, 2011. Consider doing something different and special this year with your dad. Head to the Olympic Peninsula for a day of fresh air and fine Washington State Wine.

Enjoy a glass of wine in the gardens at Camaraderie Cellars.

If your father is a golfer, take him out for a round of golf at one of the following Olympic Peninsula Golf Courses:

Discovery Bay Golf Course is about 5 miles outside Port Townsend. 18 holes and gorgeous views of Discovery Bay and the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.

Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course, in Sequim, is the driest course in Western Washington. The Olympic Mountains stand tall in the distance.

Sunland Golf Club is fun to play. Tall sequoia, fir, spruce and cedar trees line the course, which also has great views of the Olympic Mountains.

Peninsula Golf Club sits on a hill east of Port Angeles. It overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Olympic Mountains stand at its back.

Wine and cider tasting is the perfect activity after a morning round of golf, and the Washington Wineries of the Olympic Peninsula provide it. Four wineries offer wine tasting in Port Angeles, two wineries offer wine tasting in Port Townsend, and there are two winery / cideries between Port Townsend and Port Angeles. See our Olympic Peninsula Wineries map for more specifics.

Spend a day or two on the Olympic Peninsula with your dad, this weekend, June 18 or 19, 2011. If this weekend, is already booked, consider another weekend. Opportunities for outdoor recreation are abundant – golfing, kayaking, hiking, biking, etc.; and no matter what activity you do, save time for wine tasting on the Olympic Peninsula.