Feature

I’m in Seattle. The locals call it Rain City; it rains almost as much as Manchester here and the skies are often overcast. Seattle is famous for Starbucks but is also home to Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing. Jimi Hendrix was a Seattleite, and Kurt Cobain moved here and formed Nirvana. It’s the second most literate city in the US and under its grey skies culture and innovation seem to thrive.

I’m here to investigate the “quiet revolution” that is occurring in the wine industry of Washington State. From 160 wineries a decade ago to over 650 today, Washington is now the US’s second largest wine producing state after California. Over the course of a week-long road trip I set out to discover what lies behind this phenomena and to explore some of the region's cultural attractions and amazingly diverse scenery along the way.

DAY 1 – SPOKANE
The Titanic that didn’t sink, an invigorating jetlag cure and some great gin

Spokane (pronounced spokANN) is an hour’s flight east of Seattle, and is home to the world famous Davenport Hotel. Built in 1914 and only recently restored to its former glory, they call it the ‘Titanic that Didn’t Sink’. Replete with ballrooms, chandeliers and marble floors, it has the luxury and splendour of a bygone age.

My first appointment is on the Spokane River for white water rafting lessons with Peter Grubb of ROW Adventures. Forget coffee; shooting rapids in glacial snow melt must be the ultimate cure for jetlag. The river, which flows for around 111 miles, is located in northern Idaho and eastern Washington but the best rapids and scenery in the entire region can be found here in Spokane.
 
Back into town and after stopping off at the Dry Fly distillery who produce award winning artisan gin, vodka and whisky, I finish with dinner at the excellent Wild Sage Bistro in downtown Spokane; a champion of fresh and local produce.

DAY 2 - TRI-CITIES
Worm blowers, rosé and some stunning Riesling
 
A couple of hours drive southwest of Spokane is the Tri-Cities area; the true heart of Washington’s wine country. After brunch at the roadside farmers market Country Mercantile, my first winery stop is Badger Mountain Vineyards. Father and son Bill and Greg Powers have been farming here for over twenty years, and their total commitment to organic viticulture led Greg to build an incredible Heath Robinson-like contraption that fits behind the tractor and literally blows the worms off the vines and into a collection hopper. If you don’t use chemicals you have to be creative! Barnard Griffin Winery, located where the Yakima, Columbia and Snake rivers meet, has been producing award winning wines for over 30 years and lure me in for some delicious Sangiovese rosé, before I head to the very cool “chill out” tasting room of John Bookwalter, where the quality of the (stunning) Riesling and Cabernet Merlot blends are world class. A sundowner overlooking the Columbia river at Cedar’s on Clove Island, with local wine expert and author Andy Perdue is an informative and fitting end to the day.
    
DAY 3 - WALLA WALLA
Keeping it 'old school', wheat fields and wineries at the airport

Onwards to Walla Walla, one of the most respected regions in Washington wine. Woodward Canyon was established in 1981, and next-door neighbour L’Ecole No. 41 based in an old school house - hence the name - followed close behind in 1983. Rick Small at Woodward Canyon produces Cabernet Sauvignon of exceptional purity, elegance and age worthiness. L’Ecole, in the hands of the irrepressible Marty Clubb, is known for its outstanding Semillon, but its Merlots and Bordeaux blends are equally impressive.

Walla Walla has rocketed from 6 wineries in 1994 to over 130 today, much of the money coming from the local wheat industry.  A cluster of new wineries are situated in the industrial zone around the airport. Aided by local government grants and inspired by the high quality of the region’s pioneers like Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole, this is a hotbed of ambitious young winemakers, all working out of tin huts and portakabins - it’s really quite incredible to behold. Dunham Cellars, which is located in a refurbished WWII-era aircraft hangar, is a particular favourite. The day ends with a sensational dinner courtesy of Alexa and Charles at The Fat Duck Inn, a four-bedroomed Bed and Breakfast in one of Walla Walla’s historic tree-lined neighbourhoods.

DAY 4 – COLUMBIA GORGE
Spectacular views, surprising sculpture, frisbee golf and some stylish Syrah

A morning’s drive west to the Columbia Gorge. First stop is the Maryhill Museum of Art where to my amazement they house a permanent collection of Rodin originals, before heading to Maryhill Winery (winner of the 2009 Washington Winery of the Year) which is perched on the edge of the spectacular Columbia Gorge. As I taste some delicious Gewurztraminer and Zinfandel with owner Craig Leuthold he explains that the gorge was formed by the massive erosive force of glacial floods during the last ice age. As a consequence Washington State is covered with a “young” top soil; a fine, wind-blown sandy loess, in which the infamous phylloxera bug cannot survive. This means that all grape vines in Washington State are planted on their own roots. I personally believe this plays a large part in explaining the great fruit purity and clear varietal character I was seeing in so many of the wines I tasted. 

On the road again to Syncline Winery for lunch with the delightful James and Poppy Mantone who moved to the Columbia Gorge and founded the winery in 2001. Their wines shine with great purity, complexity, sparkling minerality and downright drinkability - the Roussanne, Mourvedre and Syrah are standouts. It should be no surprise that Rhone varietals do so well here, as the eastern half of Washington State enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year; the perfect conditions for growing grapes. In fact much of the landscape I'm passing though reminds me of Languedoc or Provence.

After lunch I pay a visit to neighbours Domaine Pouillon where artisan winemakers Alexis and Juliet Pouillon are handcrafting some sublime, delicious wines, before heading back to Syncline for a few “holes” on the frisbee golf course James has designed in the backwoods and gullies of his property - great fun. 

Any visit to this part of Washington State should include a night at the spectacularly situated Skamania Lodge - worth visiting for the jaw-dropping view of the river from the lounge alone, and of course, to check out the superb local wine list in their restaurant.

DAY 5 and 6 – MOUNT ST HELENS AND WOODINVILLE
From wineries to volcanos: horses, a helicopter and an Eco Warrior 
 
I'm driven around the remarkable Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument by local tourism expert Mark Plotkin. Brimming with astonishing viewpoints and numerous information centres, the story of the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980 and the subsequent attempts at environmental renewal are fascinating. After a stay at the rustic and super friendly Eco Park Resort run by passionate local environmental lobbyist Mark Smith, I follow an early morning horse ride with a helicopter flight over the volcano’s still-smoking summit which leaves me weak-kneed with vertigo.
  
My final port of call before returning to Seattle is the town of Woodinville, home to Chateau Ste. Michelle, the worlds largest Riesling producer, making a staggering 600,000 cases per year. Their off-dry, limey Riesling goes well with the pan-Asian cuisine that nearby Seattle is renowned for.

DAY 7 – SEATTLE
Celebrity Chefs, Frasier Crane and some very curious chocolate

Back to Seattle and the Hotel Vintage Park, a superb boutique hotel in the heart of the city. After lunch at Sazerac Restaurant (where young chef Jason McClure has created a credit-crunch busting $2 dollar-a-plate menu) and dinner at the urbanely cool Gallic bistro Le Pichet, I meet up with local celebrity chef Tom Douglas who explains how the local businesses of Seattle not only provide a ready customer base for the ever-increasing number of wineries, but many provide funding and, indeed, some of the entrepreneurs go on to set up wineries themselves.

Seattle’s city slogan is metronatural and its progressive culture has established it as one of North America’s most eco-friendly cities. Other than must-sees like the famous Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, there are an abundance of ‘green’ visitor attractions such as green building tours from the Seattle Architecture Foundation, and half/full day tours of the city’s eco highlights with Evergreen Escapes (who serve select Washington wines during their trips). One of the most distinctive and original proponents of the sustainable lifestyle however, are the people behind the Willy Wonkaesque Theo Chocolate; totally organic, Fair Trade chocolatiers who combine molecular food science with artisan production techniques to create innovative products. You can take a tour of the factory, learn about how the cacao fruit is transformed into chocolate and sample the exquisitely crafted results. Peanut butter and jelly chocolate anyone? 

This then is the final piece of the puzzle. The winemakers and consumers in Seattle and Washington State are well educated, well travelled, sophisticated people. Think Frasier Crane. Their outlook is international, not provincial. Think Microsoft. They are literate and ambitious. Amazon. They are creative and independent. Hendrix and Nirvana. Moreover, they want to make wines that will go with food, especially the delicate Asian cuisine of Seattle, and they want to carve out an identity distinct from that of their big brother, California.

So Washington State wines are not just the product of a unique geology and climate, but reflect the character of the people who make and consume them. I urge you to seek them out.

For information about where to buy wines from Washington State in the UK contact the following specialist importers:

The Wine Treasury
D&D International
Berkmann Cellars
Stratfords Wine Agency
Fields, Morris & Verdin
World Wine Agencies 

For more information on Washington State visit our destination guide

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About the writer:

Tim Wildman MW is a wine merchant and freelance writer whose work has appeared in the major wine publication Decanter, amongst others. He recently passed the prestigious Master of Wine exams, the equivalent to a PhD, and is now one of just 280 MWs in the world.