Hello again friends! Do you know that Washington State is located on the same latitude as the famous wine growing regions in France? While the western part of the state is a bit wet for grapes, the Columbia Valley area receives less than 5 inches of rain per year. This creates an ideal atmosphere for vineyards. Washington has seen a huge surge in local wineries and vineyards in the past 30 years. It was a rough job but I did some research to help familiarize you with some of our local wines.
SilverLake Winery was established in 1987 and is located in the Roza Spice Bowl area of the Columbia Valley. They are based out of Zillah, Washington and have tasting rooms in Leavenworth, Zillah and Woodenville.
http://www.silverlakewinery.com/
Snoqualmie Vineyards is based out of Prosser, Washington and has been producing wine since 1983. They were named Washington Wine of the Year in 2006. They also maintain a certified organic line of wine known as the "naked" line. Wine tasting and tours are available.
http://www.snoqualmie.com/
The Columbia Winery is one of the better known wine producers of Washington. Established in 1962 by 10 friends (6 of whom were professors at the University of Washington) the first batches were produced in the garage of one of the founders. The winery is now located in Woodenville, Washington and has tours and tasting available.
http://columbiawinery.com/
Badger Mountain Vineyards is a 100% certified organic vineyard. No chemical herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers are used at the vineyard. At Badger Mountain they balance tradition and technology to produce a wide array of classic varietal wines, as well as limited bottlings of wines with
no added sulfites/preservatives. Badger Mountain was established in 1982 and is located in Kennewick, WA. Tasting and tours available.
http://www.badgermtnvineyards.com/
The Sky River Meadery is nestled in the rugged foothills of Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountain Range. The stunning landscape has been inspirational in the development of the meadery ( the gray ~ green of the logo is the color of Sky River itself ) while their association with Pure Foods Inc. provides the finest honey available.
The Meadery is located in Sultan, WA and has tasting available.
http://www.skyriverbrewing.com/
The Chateau Ste Michelle is probably the most widely distributed of Washington wines. The Chateau occupies 87 acres in Woodenville Washington and was established in 1912. Tours and tasting are avaible.
http://www.ste-michelle.com/
San Juan Cellars is a small winery based out of Richland and Friday Harbor Washington. Their wine is distributed by the Island Wine Company and can be found right off the ferry dock in Friday Harbor.
http://www.sanjuancellars.com/
Olympic Cellars Winery is located in Port Angeles Washington. Established in 2001 it is owned and operated by three women. Their second label, the highly acclaimed Working Girl® series of everyday wines (Working Girl White, Go Girl Red, and Rosé the Riveter and Handyman Red), was created in support of women and underwrites Olympic Cellars’ two signature philanthropic giving programs. http://olympiccellars.com/ http://workinggirlwines.com/
Pasek Cellars is located in Mount Vernon, WA and has tasting rooms in Leavenworth and Conway. Cranberry Wine is the wineries best seller and they also produce the special label "Tulip Wines" for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
http://www.pasekcellars.com/ 
A simple day-trip from anywhere in Western Washington, Mount Baker Vineyards is a prominent highlight of many travel guides and feature articles. The winery is a must-do stop on the scenic route to Mount Baker, Seattle, or Vancouver, B.C. Licensed in 1982, Mount Baker Vineyards is one of a few surviving pioneers of grape growing on the West Side of the Cascades. Tours and tasting available.
http://www.mountbakervineyards.com/
Columbia Crest Winery was established in 1984 and is located in Paterson, WA. Tours and tasting available.
http://www.columbia-crest.com/
In May 2001, Maryhill Winery opened its doors as one of only 100 wineries in the state. Today, there are more than 600 Washington wineries. Named “2009 Washington Winery of the Year” by Wine Press Northwest, Maryhill produces 19 varietals and a total of 27 award-winning wines.
Maryhill is located above the Columbia River in Goldendale WA.
http://www.maryhillwinery.com/<
The Flying Fish label is produced by Gordan Hill and distributed by Wahluke Wine Company. It is available in wine stores around Seattle.
millbrandt vineyards was established in 1997 and is located in Mattawa WA. Thier wines are widely available in stores around Seattle and beyond.
http://millbrandtvineyards.com/
Bonair Winery is located in the Rattlesnake Hills near Zillah, WA. They have tasting and tours available. I shared this bottle of Bung Dog Red (named after the wineries resident canine) with my friends Chance and Zip. Tasting and tours are avaliable.
http://bonairwine.com/
I could find nothing online about this bottle but it was called Brown Dog Syrah and was made in LaConner Washington. I just really liked the label because it looks like Chance!
This is just a sampling of some of the over 600 wineries in Washington. I am not promoting or condoning drinking, just some interesting tidbits about our state.
Well, gotta go, remember....don't drink and swim!
Ollie
Some of the art scattered about town.
They even had a drinking fountain my height!
Met some lovely charactors strolling around downtown.
We found a great little sub shop with a deck right on the water to have lunch. Port Townsend is a great place to visit!
This is Tatoosh Island.
We stayed at the LaPush Ocean Park Resort, it is run by the Quilute Tribe. Being the posh, upscale whale that I am, we stayed in the luxury cabins but they have lots of options from tent camping to cabins featuring jacuzzi tubs overlooking the ocean...sigh....
and hole in the wall.
This is an example of the "conch" growth in the rain forest. Made a lovely spot for me to rest.
How about now?
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There he is!
