Washington Wines - An Overview

Washington wines are now a must try.

Yes, it is a newer wine region in comparison to many other wine regions throughout the US, but in just a short time, Washington is really producing some fantastic wines.

Washington’s climate is perfect for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon

I’m talking of course about Washington State wines which has nothing to do with the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. on the East Coast.  This West Coast state, just to the north of Oregon actually shares an AVA with Oregon.  When we think Oregon wines, Pinot Noir comes to mind first and foremost as Oregon has long been producing amazing Pinot Noirs. Washington, in comparison, is known for making great wines with a wide range of varietals but they are mostly known for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up about 55% of their overall production. Washington is much more Northern than California so the characteristics of the wine are also very different. For those who are completely unfamiliar with Washington wines, they have identical latitude as the famous regions Bordeaux & Burgundy. Most of the vineyards are to the east of the Cascade Mountains other than the Puget Sound AVA.  The Cascade Mountains divide Eastern and Western Washington, with Canada to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Oregon to the south and Idaho to the East.

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Napa Wine Journal

Wine tasting is one of my favorite things in life to do.  Being able to visit beautiful places with amazing scenery, listen to music of my choice, with great company, have the wind blowing in my hair with the top down, and getting to taste many different wines is my idea of heaven.  There are so many wonderful places to go since most states now have wineries.

I went wine Tasting in Napa a few days ago while riding on the back of a motorcycle.  I know it’s probably not the safest thing in the world but the driver wasn’t drinking so I really got to enjoy myself.  After going to Napa numerous times and almost always trying different wineries, I find it incredible that I still have not gone to all of them!  I have some favorites but there are so many mind blowing wineries in Napa it is hard to pick just a few.

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US Wine History

The United States is responsible for producing and consuming a huge portion of the world’s wines and this was not always the case; how we got here is interesting.  The United States is the world’s fourth largest producer of wine, the US population drinks more wine than anywhere in world as a country (not per person) and the wine industry is growing every single year.  Due to the fact that only 30% of the country considers themselves wine drinkers, the US ranks 38th in the world per capita consumption.  California produces 90% of the grapes in the US and is responsible for getting the US to be a serious player in the wine world as proven and underlined by to the famous “Judgement of Paris” in 1976.
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