Discover the Olympic Discovery Trail

Railroad Bridge over Dungeness River

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.

Hurricane Ridge and Washington Wine

Hurricane Ridge is one of the Olympic Peninsula’s treasures.

Sunny, snowy, Hurricane Ridge.

The summit stands over 5,200 feet above sea level, so the road from Port Angeles heads up and up and up. Once at the top, visitors enjoy amazing views of the interior Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and beyond. The view alone is well worth the winding drive.

At this time of year, Hurricane Ridge is covered with snow. There is a small ski and snowboard area well suited to skiers of all levels, and many powdery bowls, steeps and glades open to expert skiers and snowboarders. Folks who normally head to the Cascades may be surprised by all Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area has to offer these days.

For many of us, the best part of winter sports is the Après Ski that begins once the skis and snowboards are securely loaded on the car. We hope that those of you planning to ski at Hurricane Ridge this weekend will stop by Olympic Peninsula Wineries for our annual Holiday Open House. Consider it a fresh twist on an old tradition.

The Holiday Open House takes place from noon to 5 p.m., November 10 and 11, 2011, at all eight of our Olympic Peninsula Wineries and Cideries. Harbinger Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, Black Diamond Winery, and Olympic Cellars are all located in the Port Angeles area. Eaglemount Wine & Cider, Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Sorensen Cellars, and FairWinds Winery are located in or outside of Port Townsend. All are perfectly situated for Après Ski wine tasting.

The Holiday Open House is a great time to hand-pick Washington State Wines for holiday parties. It’s also a great time to select wines for gifts. Visiting the individual wineries allows you to taste the wines you normally only look at on the shelf. It’s a fantastic opportunity.

A Brief Guide to Wine Tasting

051010 Cork Head 4

Play fun cork games during the 2011 Harvest Wine Tour of Olympic Peninsula Wineries.

The Harvest Wine Tour of our Olympic Peninsula Wineries starts today. We hope to see many familiar faces and welcome new people to the Washington State wineries and cideries of Port Townsend, the Chimacum Valley, and Port Angeles.

Please read on for a brief guide to wine tasting. We hope this will help you negotiate and appreciate the wines you sample this weekend.

Wine tasting is about more than just taste. It examines the sight, scent, and taste of wine. The experience begins with the uncorking (which is why many restaurants offer the cork for sniffing), and ends when the aftertaste has faded.

Be sure to note the following aspects:

  • The appearance of the wine in the glass. Hold your glass up the light and tilt it. Note the colors. Then swirl the wine and watch the legs run down the sides of the glass – the thicker and slower the legs, the fuller the body of the wine will be. Think of the difference between skim milk and whole milk.
  • The aroma of the wine in the glass. Swirl the wine for about 10 seconds, then put the glass to your nose and breathe deeply. Do this a few times. How many various scents can you distinguish?
  • The taste of the wine. Take a sip and savor it before you swallow. Does it have a heavy or light texture (again, think of skim vs whole milk). Is it sweet? Fruity? Dry?
  • The finish of the wine, or aftertaste. How does the wine linger in your mouth after the sip has been swallowed?

Consider a wine’s complexity, character, and potential. Would you enjoy drinking this wine alone, or do you think it would be best served with food? If served with food, what kind of food? Spicy, sweet? Rich and creamy? Meaty?

We look forward to seeing you tasting Washington State Wine this weekend during the Harvest Wine Tour of Olympic Peninsula Wineries. Enjoy the wine and cider you taste. Have fun with the experience. Drink responsibly and pace yourself. Cheers!

 

Olympic Peninsula Harvest Winery Tour

Fall wine tasting is a tradition as old as that of making wine.

Come to the Harvest Winery Tour on the Olympic Peninsula, November 11 - 13, 2011.

In France, vintners have created a special beverage that’s only available shortly after the harvest. In the wineries of the Loire Valley, it is known as Bernache; elsewhere in France it is known as vin nouveau. Whatever you call it, it’s worth a taste. It’s a sugary juice that is in the very first stages of becoming a real wine. Experienced vintners can actually tell something about the future wine from sipping un vin nouveau. The rest of us just enjoy it.

It only stands to reason that harvesting and pressing grapes puts folks in the mood to taste the results of one’s labor. That’s what has inspired our Olympic Peninsula Harvest Winery Tour.

You won’t find any Bernache on the Olympic Peninsula, but you will find a healthy selection of local wines made from Washington grapes.

Eight Washington Wineries on the Olympic Peninsula participate in the Harvest Winery Tour. Make a weekend of it, meandering from Port Townsend to Port Angeles with stops in the Chimacum Valley. It will be a scenic weekend, and a gustatorily delightful one.

Each winery will serve appetizers to complement their wines. Have your ticket stamped at all eight wineries and you’ll be eligible to win a lovely gift basket.

The Harvest Winery Tour takes place November 11 – 13, 2011. To purchase tickets by phone, please call 800.785.5495. Additional information is available at Olympic Peninsula Harvest Winery Tour.

 

 

Wine and Cheese on the Olympic Peninsula This Weekend

It’s finally here, the weekend all wine and cheese aficionados have been anticipating for weeks. The Northwest Wine and Cheese Tour of Olympic Peninsula WA Wineries is tomorrow and Sunday, April 16 and 17, 2011.

Blue Cheese from Willapa Hills

Hire a sitter for the kids or call your closest friends – a variety of wine will be poured at the eight participating Washington State Wineries in Port Townsend, Chimacum, and Port Angeles. Each will be paired with a local cheese, and together the wine and cheese will bring out the best in each other. (more…)

The Gift of Port Townsend Washington Wines

Visit the lighthouse at Fort Worden while in Port Townsend.

Port Townsend, Washington, Wines make delightful gifts. In addition, a trip to Port Townsend wineries makes a delightful getaway. Enjoy a few days in this historic port town over the holidays, and bring back Washington wine for friends and family.

FairWinds Winery Port O’Call recently received a bronze medal at the Tri-City Wine Festival; in attendance were more than 100 wineries and over 400 wines. It was a true honor for FairWinds’ Port O’Call to be singled out among such fine competition.  The Port O’Call is a mellow port and an excellent choice for after dinner. (more…)

Bottom Line Duo at Harbinger Winery

The incomparable Bottom Line Duo will play at Harbinger Winery in Port Angeles on Saturday December 4, 2010. Enjoy eclectic holiday music, eat local food, and drink our Washington State wines between 6:30 and 8 p.m.

The Bottom Line Duo. Photo by Michael Good Photography.

All inclusive cost: $35/person or $25/person for wine club members. Only 50 seats are available. Contact Harbinger Winery at (360) 452-4262 or email info@harbingerwinery.com.

Thanksgiving on the Olympic Peninsula

Spending Thanksgiving on the Olympic Peninsula with family or friends? Be sure to bring some Washington State wine to the table. Olympic Peninsula wineries offer a surprising variety of wines, one of which is sure to complement your Thanksgiving meal.

Drink wine on the Olympic Peninsula over Thanksgiving weekend.

Once the feast has been consumed and the table cleared, you may find yourself wondering what to do. Wine tasting is a terrific activity at this time of year, when the weather can be blustery even in the Olympic Rain Shadow. It’s especially fun to go wine tasting with a group of friends and/or family. Try the same wine and enjoy discussing its nose and legs, or try different wines and steal sips. You can find wines to drink with Thanksgiving left-overs, and wines to store until Christmas and New Years. Why not pick up a few bottles of Washington State wine to offer as holiday gifts while you’re at it?

Consider touring all the Olympic Peninsula wineries over the weekend. Visit Washington State wineries and cideries near Port Townsend on one day, and in Port Angeles and Sequim on another day. Stop for a leisurely lunch while you’re out and about, after all, the holiday season is here, and it’s time to celebrate.

Celebrate the Harvest at Olympic Peninsula Wineries

patch o´ pumpkins

Celebrate the fall harvest with Washington State Wines.

Pull your favorite wine glass out of the cupboard and bring it with you to the 2010 Harvest Olympic Peninsula Winery Tour. Celebrate the fall harvest with Washington State Wines and Ciders and a sampling of fresh, delicious, food. Participants will be able to sample new releases and try old favorites.

For an added bit of fun, we’re adding a scavenger hunt this year. At each of the seven participating Washington State wineries and ciders you’ll be given a clue – find the item it describes and get a sticker on your card. If you find all the items and have the stickers to prove it, you’ll have a chance at wining a culinary gift basket.

Below are a few Harvest Festival details for each Olympic Peninsula winery / cidery.

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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…)

Olympic Peninsula Wine and Lavender

The Sequim Lavender Festival is just days away, and the Olympic Peninsula Wine and Lavender Tour is in progress. Showers today should freshen the farms so the lavender will look its best come Friday July 16, when the Lavender Festival begins. By then, skies will be blue and fields of lavender will dazzle the eyes with green, purple and blue.

But if you just can’t wait until this weekend, don’t. It is summer, after all, the best time to take a few days off work and treat yourself to a little rest and relaxation. Seven Washington wineries on the Olympic Peninsula are pouring hand-crafted wines and ciders as I write; why aren’t you enjoying a taste of it?

Immerse yourself in beautiful lavender fields during the 2010 Sequim Lavender Festival.

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