The Wine Knows

For Cougars and Huskies, there's only one game to worry about this weekend, and it starts at 4 p.m. Regardless of how bad a football season goes (and it's been horrid for both sides this year), all wounds can be healed with a season-ending Apple Cup victory. Throughout Washington wine country, there are many connections to the University of Washington and Washington State University.

I'd like to point out two in particular, one from an established winery, and one from one of the state's brightest young stars:

-- Columbia Winery, now owned by Constellation Brands, was started in the early 1960s by several University of Washington professors who were interested in making world-class wines from European grape varieties. The winery was known as Associated Vintners and was the state's first to use vinifera grapes. The group planted vineyards in the Yakima Valley and ultimately hired David Lake, who championed single-vineyard bottlings and introduced Syrah to the Pacific Northwest. Lloyd Woodburne, the UW professor who was the group's leader, pushed the Washington wine industry from its fortified and obscure past toward the glory it enjoys today. He was a visionary and a hard worker, someone who deserves the gratitude of the entire state.

-- Patrick Merry launched Merry Cellars with the 2004 vintage in Pullman, the home of Washington State University. The grapes come from the Columbia Valley. Merry produces some superb wines, including a Sangiovese, a Carmenere, a Merlot and several whites. One of his red blends is called Crimson and has a photo of an early college football team. It unabashedly appeals to those WSU supporters who bleed crimson and gray. Merry also happily uses the statewide appellation "Washington State" on many of his wines, undoubtedly to market them to Wazzu alums. The wines tend to be a bit high in alcohol (another WSU trait), but they are loaded with superior flavors and balance.

Who am I rooting for today? I grew up just across the sound from Seattle. However, my parents met in the Edward R. Murrow building on WSU's campus, so I was raised to hate all things purple (even though my mother got her master's from the U). Oh, and my wife works for WSU's Richland campus. So even though three of my closest friends are Huskies and I've been to Pullman exactly twice in my life, I have to say: Go Cougs.