The Perfect Climate, First Hand

Writer Joel Stein followed actor Kyle MacLachlan on a two-day tour of Walla Walla Wine Country and emerging food scene. MacLachlan is creating his own Washington wine, Pursued by Bear, with Walla Walla winemakers Dunham Cellars.
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/washington-state-wines-in-walla-walla-with-kyle-maclachlan

Local retailers and restaurants are celebrating our world-class wine region with unique in-store displays, by-the-glass specials and winemaker dinners across March. It all leads up to the region’s premier wine and food event, Taste Washington! Seattle on March 27-28, 2010. This is the twelfth consecutive year that Washington Wine Month will be celebrated in March. The Washington Wine Commission is proud to offer educational materials such as AVA maps, posters and copies of the Touring Washington’s Wine Regions guide to help raise positive awareness of our industry. To receive copies of materials go to Contact to find the request form. Find out what Washington Wine Month events are happening in your area by clicking on Events for a variety of options on how to experience Washington wine in March!

Renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson has posted high praise for Washington State on her website, JancisRobinson.com. Contributor Julia Harding, MW gave overwhelmingly positive reviews to 37 Washington wines that she tasted last month during the annual trade and press tasting conducted in London by the Washington Wine Commission. Harding praised Washington State for a “consistently high standard” of wines, and scored all of the reviewed wines very favorably. *Please note that Jancis Robinson uses a 20-point scale for scores, and that 16 or higher is very positive. Find out more on the scoring methods here.

San Francisco Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonné included 14 wines from Washington State in his annual Top 100 wines of the year column. This non-ranked list focused on wines from the West Coast, with special attention to wines priced $30 or less. Bonné is especially complimentary to Washington’s production of Riesling, saying it “has rarely been better”. Furthermore, Washington Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet-based blends received 8 of the 22 spots on the list of the best Cabernets released in 2009.

Washington State wines made an impressive showing in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines of 2009, with 11 spots on the list. The editors of Wine Enthusiast compose the list based on several criteria, giving special focus to wines with a high quality-to-price ratio. Despite being a relatively small producer in the global wine market, Washington State managed to capture over 10% of the top wines of the year.

Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100, a list of the best wines of the year from around the world, has awarded a Washington State wine the number one spot for the first time. Washington State also received more spots on the list than in any year past. In total, nine wines from Washington made the Top 100.

The Associated Press reports on the increasing scale of Washington State's wine industry:

"Save for a few big operators, Washington state has largely been home to small, boutique wineries, despite its No. 2 ranking for premium wine. But the massive storage and fermentation tanks being erected up and down the state's wine corridors prove that things are changing."

Click here to read the full story.

Jon Bonné, wine editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, praises Washington State Cabernet, saying that "the quality for the money from the Northwest right now is excellent."

Click here to read the full story.

The Wall Street Journal today recognized the Washington Wine Commission's website as one of the world's best regional wine industry websites, saying the site "has it all".
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203658504574193570772464640.html