Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Vineyards and Wineries of Washington State

By Penelope SanMateo

Joining the growing number of wineries in the nation Washington has seen a 400 percent increase in the number of wineries in the past decade. With this increase has come the ability to buy great wines from this beautiful region that will satisfy the most discriminating taste.

Regardless of the advancement in technology to reduce the work of picking the grapes and making great wine it still boils down to the skill of the wine maker to produce the quality wines Washington is now known for producing.

If you were in France and drinking wine in the regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy you would be at the same exact latitude of the wine country in Washington. With all the positive things going for wine in Washington being designated as American Viticulture Area is certainly a plus!

No crowds, no hurry, no pressure. Isn't that what a vacation should be? You will experience the peace and pleasure of great countryside and great wine on a wine tour in Washington. Find the wine you like by going to the wine tastings offered by the different wineries. Find a great place to stay while in the area and make it the most relaxing and enjoyable vacation you have ever taken.

Full bodied reds and dry whites are both available at the wineries in Washington. Try them all, pick your favorite and enjoy the beauty of the state while you travel from winery to winery.

It's swirling, sniffing and slurping time when you get a good glass of wine. Swirl the beautiful wine in your glass to get the full color beauty and incorporate some air into the wine. Now it's time to sniff, what a pleasure to smell the wonderful fragrance the wine gives off. With slurping you get the air mixed with the wine to bring out the full flavor of the choice you have made. Just remember to slurp gently and quietly, it still works and doesn't drive your guests or family mad with the noise.

If just 1% of the wine grapes of Washington are grown on the eastern side of the Cascades then you would think that it was a poor area for wine growers. In fact, it is a great area where the soil is right, the climate perfect and the growing season long to provide fully ripened, fruit flavored grapes with good acid levels and pleasing aromatics. This area will certainly become more of a draw to vintners in the time to come.

1825 saw the first wine grapes being planted in the state. The German, Italian and French immigrants planted the vines to produce wine for their own use. The commercial production didn't begin until the 1960's and then in the 70's it grew even more. Today there are new wineries opening in the state every couple of weeks. - 16651

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