200+ local wineries at Taste Washington! (Grand Tasting: April 5, 2009)

Hosted by the Washington Wine Commission

In the Northwest, spring can be sluggish to provide much hope for warm dry days on any kind of regular basis. Wet weather and temperatures hovering in the 50's (and below) tend to make spending much or all of the day outdoors less than appealing. Those who prefer the protection of a roof and the luxury of heat will be pleased to know that there are still cultural adventures in which they can participate.

On the weekend of April 4th and 5th, the Washington Wine Commission hosts the annually-occurring "Taste Washington!" Self-branded "The Ultimate Wine Experience," this event began in 1997 when there were only 101 licensed wineries in the state. Today there are at least 601 – a fact that indirectly supports the Commission’s contention that “Washington State is gaining world-wide recognition as a premium wine region.”

Saturday features a selection of 10 seminars taking place between 10:45 AM and 5:30 PM. Seminars on this year’s schedule include a variety of subjects such as “Le Value Challenge” which will pit the French to a taste-off of selected wines costing $10-$20/bottle, and “Winery-less Wines” in which a blogger will provide a virtual tour of regional bottles produced in industrial parks, old airplane hangars, firehouses, and backyard garages. (As a bonus, a free ticket to the Social Lunch can be requested with the purchase of any seminar.)

Sunday features the Grand Tasting, which takes place between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. The VIP Tasting option allows early entry to the event, giving ticket holders two extra hours during which to browse sponsor tables and displays, watch masters prepare culinary delights on the Chef Stage, and – of course – take in the offered tastings of at least 200 wineries and 60 restaurants.

Saturday’s seminars take place at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, and tickets for the seminars range in price from $40 to $99. Sunday’s tastings take place at the Qwest Field Event Center, and tickets are $85 for the Grand Tasting or $125 for “VIP” early entry.