The post Drum Roll Wine strikes chord at Cascadia with Best White Wine was written by Great Northwest Wine. The Drum Roll Wine 2022 Drum Roll White Wine from Washington’s Yakima Valley reached the sweepstakes at the 2023 Cascadia International Wine Competition as the judging’s Best White Wine. (Traci Degerman/GreatNorthwestWine.com) Matt Frazier’s successful negoçiant approach to his family’s Drum Roll Wine program landed on center stage at this year’s Cascadia International Wine Competition thanks to grapes from the Miller family’s historic Airport Ranch in the Yakima Valley and his ongoing c ..read more

The post Ex-Gallo exec Kristina Kelley to lead Washington State Wine Commission was written by Great Northwest Wine. Kristina Kelley, who spent 25 years with E. & J. Gallo in a career that spanned sales, marketing and public relations, was announced May 23, 2023 as the executive director of the Washington State Wine Commission. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Wine Commission) SEATTLE — Those who follow longtime wine marketing expert Kristina Kelley on LinkedIn may have noticed that she changed her profile image Monday evening from that of an unnamed vineyard to one reminiscent of t ..read more

The post Savvy suggestions for Sauvignon Blanc from Walla Walla somm Kaleigh Brook was written by Great Northwest Wine. Canadian-born winemaker Peter Devison launched Devison Vintners in 2018 in the Walla Walla Valley. (Richard Duval Images) WALLA WALLA, Wash. — With zesty aromas of tropical fruits and fresh-cut grass and plenty of minerality, Sauvignon Blanc remains one of the most loved white varietals in the world. Originally from the Loire Valley in France, Sauvignon Blanc has found a happy home in nearly all major wine regions and grown globally from Bordeaux to Chile to New Zealand ..read more

The post Dusted Valley Vintners elevates Edmonds wine culture was written by Great Northwest Wine. Corey Braunel and Dusted Valley Vintners in the Walla Walla Valley gambled on being the first winery to open a tasting room in Edmonds, Wash., and the risk has been rewarded. (Richard Duval Images) EDMONDS, Wash. — For the past 20 years, Corey Braunel and Chad Johnson have taken risks as winemakers in Washington, and their gamble on Edmonds is another that’s paid off. When they started Dusted Valley Vintners in 2003, they were the 52nd winery to join the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. Their ex ..read more

The post Rising Stars: Ellie Zeron’s path to wine began in Venezuela, led to Red Mountain was written by Great Northwest Wine. Ellie Zeron, a chemical engineer from Venezuela, applies her viticulture and winemaking education from University of California-Davis at Zeron Vineyards and Elk Haven Winery on Washington’s Red Mountain. (Richard Duval Images) BENTON CITY, Wash. — During my time as the wine program director at the Walter Clore Center, we staged an annual tasting for consumers called “Rising Stars,” at which some of Washington’s promising young wineries poured their wines.  My colu ..read more

The post The wines that made us: Shae Frichette and Pinot Grigio was written by Great Northwest Wine. Shae Frichette produces big reds and rosé on Washington’s Red Mountain, but it was a crisp Pinot Grigio that first made her consider becoming part of the wine industry with her husband’s native state of Washington. (Richard Duval Images) BENTON CITY, Wash. — Fate has a funny way of changing the game, especially when you put your trust in it and intend to follow it — wherever it may lead you. Shae Frichette studied theater, leaving her native South Carolina for Hollywood and a chance ..read more

The post Winescape Winery: 2023 Washington Winery to Watch was written by Great Northwest Wine. Phillip and Patricia Butterfield resigned their faculty positions at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane and quickly turned Winescape into Great Northwest Wine’s 2023 Washington Winery to Watch. (Richard Duval Images) SPOKANE, Wash. — Phillip and Patricia Butterfield devoted their lives to public health, education and research, each concluding their decorated careers in Spokane with Washington State University. At their young Winescape Winery project, the Butt ..read more

The post Abeja Winery and Inn: 2023 Washington Winery of the Year was written by Great Northwest Wine. Daniel Wampfler, and his winemaking wife, Amy Alvarez-Wampfler, toast the production facility they spent five years designing for Abeja. Their winemaking and hospitality prompted Great Northwest Wine to select Abeja Winery & Inn as the 2023 Washington Winery of the Year. (Richard Duval Images) WALLA WALLA, Wash. — When talking about the premier producers in the Pacific Northwest who work with the nation’s three most popular varieties — Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot — any serio ..read more

The post Ray’s Boathouse toasts 50 years with Ste. Michelle via historic tasting was written by Great Northwest Wine. Douglas Zellers, co-owner and general manager of Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle, orchestrated a tasting of Ste. Michelle red wines that would have been on the wine list in the early days of his restaurant that opened in 1973. (Photo courtesy of Ray’s Boathouse) SEATTLE — This summer’s 50th anniversary of Ray’s Boathouse prompted co-owner Douglas Zellers to toast Ste. Michelle Wine Estates by carefully pulling corks on some rare bottles, starting with the first red wine it ever rele ..read more

The post Brian Carter Cellars: 2023 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year was written by Great Northwest Wine. Great Northwest Wine Magazine selected Brian Carter Cellars as its 2023 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. (Richard Duval Images) WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Those with the good sense to tastefully follow the work of Brian Carter know he’s been behind some of Washington’s most delicious wines since the Mount St. Helens vintage of 1980. It wasn’t until he launched his eponymous brand in 2000 that he truly began to make a name for himself. And in Carter’s soft-spoken way, his wines routinely ..read more