Wine Peeps is an independent wine blog dedicated to helping you get the most bang for your buck in wine. We do this through blind tastings of wine from around the world and calculations of 
Taste Washington: April 4-5 in Seattle
By Kori ~ March 9th, 2009.
These are exciting times for the Washington wine industry. On February 20th, Snipes Mountain was officially established as Washington’s 10th AVA (American Viticultural Area). Washington State recently licensed its 600th winery, with the total now at 602. And as I’ve said numerous times before, Washington wines are perfectly positioned to thrive in our current economy. Washington State is producing outstanding wines that deliver the most bang for your buck.
If you love Washington wine, want to learn more about Washington wine, or are just looking for something fun to do on the weekend, the upcoming Taste Washington in Seattle is just the event for you. Hosted by the Washington Wine Commission, Taste Washington is the ultimate carnival for wine and food lovers. Of the 602 wineries in the state, over 220 of them are expected to be on hand pouring their wines at the Grand Tasting on Sunday, April 5th, at the Qwest Field Event Center. In addition, over 60 of the best Seattle-area restaurants will be serving small bites. And to round out the carnival-like atmosphere, there will also be fun and games benefitting charity, cooking demonstrations, author talks, and much, much more. The Grand Tasting begins with a two-hour VIP wine event from 2-4pm, followed by four hours of general tasting from 4-8pm.
If a smaller, more intimate gathering is more your speed or you want to further your knowledge of wine and Washington wine in particular, Education Day on Saturday, April 4th, might be of interest to you. Held at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, a total of ten seminars will be offered on a variety of topics. These seminars afford attendees the opportunity to taste, discuss, meet, and learn from some of the biggest names in the Washington wine industry as well as a few notable guests from outside of Washington State.
During the past year here at Wine Peeps, we have visited and featured some of the best vineyards in Washington State. With that in mind, I was especially excited to see the “Common Grounds†seminars on the schedule. One will focus on Klipsun Vineyard on Red Mountain, and the other will feature Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. A few other seminars that sound very interesting are “Party Like It’s 1999!†(a look at five WA Cabs from the 1999 vintage), “The Other Cabernet†(explore Cabernet Franc, an emerging varietal in WA), and “Which One’s Washington?!†(a blind tasting challenge).
We’ll be there both days and hope that those of you who live in the greater Seattle area will plan to attend as well. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Taste Washington website.
Filed under: American Wine, Washington State Wine, Wine Activities/Events
Great factural information! Thanks
Actually just bought my tickets today….this will be my third Taste Washington. It is a ton of fun for sure!
Lynnell and Brian,
Thanks! Hope to see you both at Taste Washington.