North Sound Wineries

The state of Washington now has over 400 wineries, is the second largest producer of wine in the U.S. behind California and is a three billion dollar industry. But the winery action isn’t just happening in Yakima, Walla Walla and other Eastern Washington locations. The North Sound Wineries Association is made up of eleven artisan wineries on the Olympic Peninsula and Bainbridge and Whidbey islands that don’t get the attention their Eastern Washington siblings do. Make this the year you combine your nature-loving visits to the Olympic Peninsula with a little wine touring.

Naturally, some of the grapes used in these wines are grown in Eastern Washington, but grapes also come from the Puget Sound appellation. The majority of the wineries in the Association make fewer than 2,000 cases of wine per year and the wines are made by hand in a labor-intensive, high-quality process.

Like many Washington wineries, the North Sound group offers a casual, relaxed experience. The winemaker will often be found behind the bar, pouring tastes and talking wine. In addition to being open year-round for tasting (always check for hours before heading out), the Association wineries also host three events each year—Red Wine & Chocolate in February, Spring Barrel Tasting in May and the Passport Wine tour in November.

Photo courtesy of North Sound Wineries Association. From left to right: Betty & Frank Rayle, Greenbank Cellars; Matt Albee, Eleven Winery; Kathy Charlton, Olympic Cellars; Sharon Adams, Black Diamond Winery; Laura Blankenship, Greenbank Farm; Judy Cavett, Fairwinds Winery; Steve & Conca, Lost Mountain Winery, Mike Cavett, FairWinds Winery; Elizabeth & Greg Osenbach, Whidbey Island Vineyards & Winery; Vicki Corson, Camaraderie Cellars; Richard Sorensen, Sorensen Cellars; JoAnn Bentryn, Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery. Not pictured: Grerard Bentryn, Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery; Don Corson, Camaraderie Cellars; Lance Adams, Black Diamond Winery; Sara Gagnon, Harbinger Winery.

Red Wine & Chocolate generally takes place just before Valentine’s Day and continues on the three day weekend over President’s Day. Red wines are paired with chocolate treats (perhaps a chocolate fountain, loganberry fudge, locally-produced Gittard chocolates, Ruth Moore or Whidbey Island Winery truffles) at each winery.

Spring Barrel Tasting is always exciting—it’s a preview of what will be released in the future. With the three-day Memorial weekend, there’s plenty of time to visit each of the wineries. As Association President Vicki Corson says, "Spring Barrel Tasting is a fun, educational event that enables visitors to experience the characteristics imparted by different types of oak throughout the aging process."

Celebrating the harvest and sampling the season’s new releases is what the Passport Wine Tour is all about. Veteran’s Day weekend offers another three-day opportunity to check out all the wineries. It’s a great time to discover new wines for holiday parties and dinners or find great wines for gifts. When you visit all the wineries, you’re entered into a drawing for a prize.

For all events, ticket price includes complimentary wine tastings and a commemorative wine glass.

You can find out about all the wineries and Greenbank Farm (the only non-winery member, it is a living-history farm with a wine shop and tasting room featuring locally-produced food and wine) at the Association’s website: www.northsoundwineries.org. A quick overview:

Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery—the only 100 % estate winery in the Puget Sound region. Wines are from cool climate French and German Vinifera grapes and locally-grown strawberries and raspberries.

Black Diamond Winery—a family-owned winery specializing in a variety of estate-grown fruit and grape wines, including rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb and Shiro plum.

Camaraderie Cellars—specializing in Bordeaux-style blends of red and white wines from some of Washington state’s finest vineyards, they offer full flavors and complexity to complement a wide range of cuisine.

Eleven Winery—husband and wife team Matt and Sarah Albee produce Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and red and white ports for a total of 700 cases. Grapes come from vineyards in Washington and Oregon.

FairWinds Winery—produces non-mainstream varietals as well as more familiar wines. They’re the only Washington winery to produce Aligote (a white Burgundy). They also produce Lemberger, Blush, Mead, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab/Merlot and Port.

Greenbank Cellars—all wines are 100 percent varietals. Their white wines are made in the Alsatian style, dry/fresh/crisp with citric flavors and no oak. Red wines are aged for two years in French and Hungarian oak and are unfiltered.

Harbinger Winery—this new winery featured an initial release of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and a blackberry port. The winemaker previously worked as a winemaker at Olympic Cellars.

Lost Mountain Winery—this family winery has produced robust red wines for two decades. Their wines are aged in oak barrels for 12-24 months and are natural and unfiltered. They include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc.

Olympic Cellars—limited quantities, 3200 cases, are produced from Eastern Washington vineyards. The winery produces three different labels: Working Girl™, the premium La Dolce Vida line, and Dungeness, their heritage and artist series label.

Sorensen Cellars—dedicated to producing premium wines, they use grapes from smaller vineyards in Eastern Washington, working with the vineyardist. They produce Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Pinot Gris and Semillon.

Whidbey Island Vineyards and Winery—wines are made to enhance nearly any dining experience. They cover a lot of ground with Viognier, Chardonnay, Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Pinot Grigio, Lemberger, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and more.

Greenbank Farm—this living-history farm is also a community center and operates a wine shop and tasting room that specializes in local and regional foods and wines and features the Whidbey Island Greenbank Farm private label loganberry wine.

Deborah Anastasi Black /Gay Douglas June 2006

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