SEATTLE – Not a lot of Pinot Noir is made in Washington, and what is has a difficult time comparing itself with Oregon’s signature red wine grape.
So Pinot Noir lovers will be rejoicing this week as Pinot in the City returns to Seattle.
Some 60 Willamette Valley wineries will head north of the Columbia River for a trade and consumer tasting that takes place Thursday at Sodo Park, 3200 1st Ave. S. Tickets are $65. The trade tasting runs from noon to 4 p.m., while the consumer tasting takes place from 6 to 9 p.m.
Tickets must be ordered online.
Pinot in the City debuted four years ago in Seattle. Since then, it has hit the road, making stops in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
“it’s exciting to return to Seattle after seeing such great reception for Pinot in the City across the country the past four years,” said Sue Horstmann, executive director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association. “We launched here in 2010 with an event celebrating Oregon wines and could not be happier with its progress. These events are special because tasters actually have a chance to meet the faces behind the labels.”
While Washington is the country’s No. 2 wine-producing state behind California, Oregon is No. 4 behind New York. But of Washington’s 210,000 tons of wine grapes crushed last fall, just 900 tons were Pinot Noir. The vast majority of that goes into a pink sparkling wine produced by Michelle (formerly Domaine Ste. Michelle).
Meanwhile, Oregon crushed 50,186 tons in 2012, the last year in which harvest information is available. Of it, 28,565 tons were Pinot Noir – and the vast majority was grown in the Willamette Valley, which stretches from the Columbia River in the north beyond Eugene in the south.
By comparison, just 2,097 tons of Syrah – the state’s No. 2 red grape – were crushed in 2012.
In addition to Pinot Noir, wine lovers also will have the chance to sip Oregon Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling, all of which are different in style from Washington because of the much cooler and wetter nature of the Willamette Valley compared with Washington’s arid Columbia Valley.
And while Washington has more than 800 wineries (compared with about 500 in Oregon), just a small handful produce Pinot Noir, and most of those grapes come from cooler areas, such as the Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla Valley, Lake Chelan and Okanogan County, which is just south of the Canadian border.
Here are the wineries that will be pouring at Thursday’s event:
- Adelsheim Vineyard
- Alexana Estate Vineyards & Winery
- Anam Cara Cellars
- Andrew Rich Wines
- Angela Estate
- Anne Amie Vineyards
- Antica Terra
- Apolloni Vineyards
- Argyle Winery
- Beckham Estate Vineyard
- Belle Pente Vineyard & Winery
- Benton-Lane Winery
- Bethel Heights Vineyard
- Brittan Vineyards
- Chehalem
- Coeur de Terre Vineyard
- Colene Clemens Vineyards
- Cooper Mountain Vineyards
- Dobbes Family Estate
- Dusky Goose
- Elk Cove Vineyards
- Erath
- Et Fille Wines
- Freja Cellars
- Gran Moraine Winery
- Grochau Cellars
- Harper Voit Wines
- iOTA Cellars
- Lachini Vineyards
- Lange Estate Winery & Vineyards
- Left Coast Cellars
- Longplay Wine/Lia’s Vineyard
- Merriman Wines
- Montinore Estate
- Mouton Noir Wines
- Omero Cellars
- Owen Roe
- Panther Creek Cellars
- Patton Valley Vineyard
- Penner-Ash Wine Cellars
- Ponzi Vineyards
- R. Stuart & Co. Winery
- Raptor Ridge Winery
- Redman Wines
- Rex Hill
- ROCO Winery
- Scott Paul Wines
- Seven of Hearts/Luminous Hills
- Shea Wine Cellars
- Siltstone Wines
- Sokol Blosser Winery
- Soter Vineyards
- Sweet Cheeks Winery
- Thistle Wines
- Torii Mor
- Trisaetum Winery
- Twelve
- Union Wine Co.
- Van Duzer Vineyards
- Vista Hills Vineyard
- Walnut City WineWorks
- White Rose Estate
- Witness Tree Vineyard
- Yamhill Valley Vineyards
- Youngberg Hill
- Z’IVO Wines
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