The Wine Knows

The federal government is taking comments (press release, PDF) on the establishment of a new American Viticultural Area in Washington's Yakima Valley.

The Snipes Mountain AVA would be the state's second-smallest appellation at 4,145. About 535 acres of vineyards already are planted in the proposed region, including some of the state's oldest. Included in the region is Harrison Hill.

Domaine Serene owner Ken Evanstad announced Monday that longtime winemaker Tony Rynders is out and Drew Voit, former associate winemaker, will oversee the operation until a new winemaker can be found.

On Sunday, I posted an item about Ste. Michelle's 07 Dry Riesling winning best white wine at the annual Riverside International Wine Competition, run by Dan Berger, an international wine judge, writer, author and columnist for Wine Press Northwest.

Ste. Michelle wasn't the only Northwest winery to do well amid the 2,500 entries.

Chateau Ste. Michelle not only makes the most Riesling in the world - but it also produces some of the finest. This was proven once again this afternoon in Southern California.

Ste. Michelle's 2007 Dry Riesling won the sweepstakes award for best white wine of the Riverside International Wine Competition, which concluded this afternoon.

For the second consecutive year, a wine from British Columbia has won best of show at the annual Northwest Wine Summit. This year, however, the victorious wine was more "traditional."

The winner was Mission Hill Family Estate for its 2006 Select Lot Collection Riesling Icewine.

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar has announced it will open three new restaurants in Bellevue. Owner Larry Kurofsky will open his fourth Purple Cafe at Bellevue Towers in November, followed by two other restaurants in January.

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.

Precept Brands, the Seattle company that started in 2003 as a value-minded negociant, has purchased half of Apex Cellars and half of Willow Crest, both wineries in the Vintner's Village in Prosser, Wash.

Precept recently announced a quarter-million-case production facility near Walla Walla. In 2006, it purchased Waterbrook, one of Walla Walla's oldest and largest wineries.

The Rolling Stones and Ex Nihilo Vineyards in Okanagan Centre will release an Okanagan Valley ice wine next month in honor of the Stones' song Sympathy for the Devil. Just 222 cases of half-bottles of the sweet dessert wine will be release at a price of $125 per bottle.

The Vintner Village, a 12-acre stretch of land just off Interstate 82 in the middle of Washington's Yakima Valley, is pretty well sold out, so the Port of Benton is looking to expand by purchasing an adjacent 18 acres for $1.1 million.