Taste Washington, the largest single-region wine event in the country, had record attendance earlier this month. Over 7,500 guests attended the Grand Tasting, which took place March 15th and March 16th at Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle. More than 1,000 people attended other Taste Washington signature events. “This was a big win for Washington Read more... The post Taste Washington sees record attendance appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Louis Skinner, Force Majeure Former winemaker Todd Alexander closing Atelier Freewater, relocating to France following January arrest Walla Walla Valley’s Force Majeure Vineyards has hired Louis Skinner as winemaker. Skinner was previously winemaker at Betz Family Winery, one of Washington’s most highly regarded producers. “We knew right away Louis was a perfect fit,” Read more... The post Louis Skinner named winemaker at Force Majeure appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Kate Payne Brown, Argyle Winery Earlier this month, Willamette Valley’s Argyle Winery named Kate Payne Brown winemaker. Brown becomes the esteemed sparkling producer’s third winemaker in the last 38 years, following in the footsteps of founding winemaker Rollin Soles and Nate Klostermann. “As someone who has centered my career on sparkling winemaking, it's Read more... The post Getting to know new Argyle winemaker Kate Payne Brown appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Daniel Sogg (left) and Jonathan Edelman, Foolhardy Vintners Washington’s Foolhardy Vintners has opened its first tasting room. The tasting room is located in Walla Walla at 134 West Poplar Street in the historic McDonald Feed and Sale Stable building, built in 1905. “We've been wanting to have a place to meet and present Read more... The post Foolhardy Vintners opens tasting room in Walla Walla Valley appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Jeremy Santo, pictured in 2021. Image by Richard Duval. Jeremy Santo, who spent more than 20 years working in the Washington wine industry, died March 12th. The cause was related to injuries sustained in an automobile accident that occurred February 11th. Santo worked as winemaker at some of Washington’s best known wineries, including Read more... The post Jeremy Santo, Washington wine industry veteran, dies at 45 appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Kevin White of Kevin White Winery in 2015 © Richard Duval. Kevin White Winery, one of Washington’s top producers of Rhône-style wines, has announced that the business will be winding down. The news came in an email Thursday morning to club members. The winery plans to sell through its yet-to-be-released wines from the Read more... The post Kevin White Winery to leave on a high note after 15 years appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Taste Washington is coming up with a series of events March 13th through 17th. I'll highlight some of them here. Saturday the 15th starts off with The Seminars from 10:30-12 at the King Street Ballroom. I’ve had the privilege of assisting the Washington Wine Commission with developing these seminars since 2013, and it's a great Read more... The post 20 must-try wines at Taste Washington 2025 appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Brian Mackey, Dineen Vineyards © Carina Skrobecki Dineen Vineyards in Zillah, Washington has named Brian Mackey as winemaker. Mackey spent 14 years at Chateau Ste. Michelle, the past 7 as head red winemaker. “I’m thrilled to join Dineen Vineyards,” Mackey said in a press release. “The opportunity to focus on an estate vineyard Read more... The post Brian Mackey named winemaker at Dineen Vineyards appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Kevin Mueller, Virtue Cellars 65+ wines reviewed below and in the database, including the latest from Blakeslee, Brian Carter, Cairdeas, Dusted Valley, Evesham Wood, Haden Fig, Lavinea, Martinez & Martinez, Passing Time, Time & Direction, and Virtue. “The ’22 vintage was a big inflection point for us,” says Kevin Mueller, owner and winemaker Read more... The post Making wine with Virtue (Wine Reviews March 10th 2025) appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more

Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley. Below is a growing season report for Washington for the 2024 vintage. See other vintage summaries and reports dating back to 2005 here. See a summary of growing season markers here. The 2024 growing season in Washington was marked by a January freeze event and turbulent market forces. Read more... The post Washington’s 2024 growing season one of “resilience” appeared first on Northwest Wine Report ..read more