The Wine Knows

Summer has definitely arrived in Washington's Columbia Valley, as we've enjoyed several days of triple-digit temperatures. Yet June was cooler than normal, with an average of 67 degrees - about a degree below the norm.

Across the Pacific Northwest, vineyards still are trying to recover from our cool spring. In its most recent newsletter, Lopez Island Vineyards in Washington's San Juan Islands and Puget Sound appellation, reports its estate vineyards are about three weeks behind normal, though they are beginning to catch up.

Lopez Island grows such fascinating cool-climate grapes as Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine, which result in wines that pair beautifully with regional seafood and other summer cuisine.