The Wine Knows

Today has been blissfully sunny and warm, with temperatures in the mid-70s and nary a cloud in the sky over Washington's Columbia Valley.

In my humble but growing backyard vineyard, nine of my 10 Brunello clone Sangiovese vines are leafing out quite nicely. The 10th is just finally showing full bud break but is a good two weeks behind the others. Odd. Nine of the vines are entering their fifth leaf, and the 10th (though not the one slow in leafing out) is a cutting from late 2006 that I planted last spring.

I received reports this afternoon of light snow falling on Washington's Red Mountain, continuing the cold and bizarre weather the Columbia Valley has been receiving.

This morning's overnight lows dipped into the high 20s, though a cloud cover prevented too much frost from occurring. Tonight, temperatures are expected to reach as low as 27 degrees, with frost warnings in the low-lying areas.

I'm looking out at my little backyard vineyard and seeing the start of green leaves pushing through the buds on my Sangiovese vines. This should be typical because Washington wine country normally has bud break around April 15.

Yet growers are concerned. Overnight temperatures are expected to dip below freezing this weekend. There is talk that the Cascades will get snow. It's been a weirdly cool spring so far in Washington's Columbia Valley.

I checked my backyard Sangiovese vines this morning, and the buds are swelling and look ready to burst. Bud break marks the beginning of the new vintage, which will last through October.

Usually, bud break occurs around April 15 in Washington's Columbia Valley. Winter and spring have been relatively cool, so I suspect most varieties will stay on that schedule.

We are in an odd stretch of weather here in the heart of Washington's Columbia Valley. It was consistently in the 50s and even 60s for several days before turning rather cool Thursday. On Friday, we had snow. Snow! At the end of March! It was just flurries that lasted for two hours, then the temperatures warmed into the 40s. Today, we have a chilly wind driving through the region.

It's been more than 20 years since Mike Sauer and David Lake planted the first Syrah in Washington. Sauer, the owner of Red Willow Vineyard in the western Yakima Valley, and Lake, then winemaker for Columbia Winery, decided to give the red Rhone variety a chance.

A group led by Allen Shoup, founder of Long Shadows Vintners and former CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, has purchased famed Wallula Vineyards. The 650-acre vineyard is on the eastern edge of the Horse Heaven Hills appellation in Washington.

No purchase price was disclosed, but it is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a contiguous vineyard in Washington.

I do not pretend to be an expert in viticulture. In fact, I started growing wine grapes in my backyard specifically to learn about and understand the agricultural side of the business. Thus, this post is more of a fact-finding mission than anything else.

There is no doubt that Oregon dominates the Pacific Northwest Pinot Noir scene. That will always be the case, I am assured.

But it's no longer just a "Willamette Valley" appellation wine. I am stunned by the vast number of appellations carried on the bottles of Pinot Noir we judged for our Spring issue report.

A Gig Harbor, Wash., group has won a bid for a 404-acre lease on Red Mountain. It plans to build a Tuscan-style complex with room for 12 wineries and a couple dozen guest rooms.

Vintage Partners, led by Doug Long of Gig Harbor, was awarded a 55-year lease by the Department of Natural Resources, which owns the land.