Northern Exposure

Life is Much too Short to Drink Bad Wine” -- anonymous

I’ve written before about how Oregon produces lots of really good wines – at really high prices.  That’s great—for tourism and for boosting Oregon’s economy.  But that isn’t so great for those of us trying to stay within a wine budget.  Increasingly, the twin desire for quality and reasonable price is forcing us to look farther afield—to California and Washington.

I’ve written about California wines quite a bit in the past, but I recently realized that while I’ve been writing about Californians, I’ve been drinking Washington wines.  It wasn’t really a conscious decision; it’s just that I’ve discovered so many new, affordable, delicious favorites recently that all seem to hail from Washington.

That probably isn’t an accident.  Washington has been coming on recently as a wine region.  Relatively young as wine regions go (large plantings of high-quality grapes began in the 1960s), Washington started producing some world-class wines in the 1980s and 1990s.  But it was not until the early 2000s that Washington wines were really made in quantities large enough to be distributed widely outside the state.  In 1996, only 34,000 tons of grapes were harvested in Washington.  By 2001, that number was 100,000 tons.

As the industry has grown—along with its national reputation—so has the knowledge of the growers and makers, who, through experimentation, have determined which locations are the best places to plant various varietals (types of grapes) and which viticulture (growing/farming of grapes) and viniculture (winemaking) techniques will work best on each grape. 

All that experimentation has already paid off beautifully for those of us who love variety, quality and economy in our wine!

Washington’s big break came when Columbia Crest’s 2005 Columbia Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, became the first Washington wine ever to top the Wine Spectator’s annual “Top 100” (in 2009).  That got world attention, and showed that Washington wines had “arrived.”  But fortunately for the rest of us, Washington winemakers hadn’t learned just about “trophy” wines; they are making some fantastic affordable wines as well.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Columbia Crest – This may be my favorite “bargain” winery in Washington.  It has at least four different lines of wine, from its top-shelf “Reserve Wines” to its budget line, “Two Vines.”  In between are the “Horse Heaven Hills” and the “Grand Estates” wines that offer the best value. 

The Horse Heaven Hills cabernet sauvignon and merlot wines are both excellent wines for about $14-16.  The Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Chardonnay are all very well-made and well-balanced wines (and typical of their respective varietals).  This is difficult to beat for between $8 and $12 a bottle.

Chateau Ste. Michelle – This is Washington’s oldest winery – and likely its largest, too.  Though it makes some good red wines (I recommend the Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot; both about $10-12), the whites are the real treasures, including the sparkling “Brut” wine (labeled as “Domaine Ste. Michelle”).  Despite active searching, I’ve never found a better Champagne-style wine for this price–about $9.  Chateau Ste. Michelle’s other high-quality bargains include Columbia Valley Riesling (about $8); Columbia Valley Gewurztraminer (about $8); Harvest Select Riesling (sweeter than the regular Riesling; about $9); and Columbia Valley Pinot Gris (about $12).

Hogue Cellars – Although they make more expensive wines under the names “Genesis” and “Hogue Reserve,” the owners of this winery set out to sell every bottle with the name “Hogue” on it for under $10.  All of these wines are decent (including the Merlot and Pinot Grigio), but the best are the Gewurztraminer and the Late Harvest Riesling.  I have found them locally for as little as $6.

Columbia Winery – This winery was founded by ten friends in the early 1960s, several of whom were professors at the University of Washington.  Like Hogue, the red wines in Columbia’s “core” series (those wines generally labeled as coming from the “Columbia Valley”) are not bad, but the white wines are real stars.  My favorites are the Cellarmaster Riesling and the Gewurztraminer, each of which may be found locally for about $8-9.

Oregon wines will always enjoy a premier label in the winemaking world for its elegant pinot noir.  No matter what the skills and expertise of winemakers in other regions, Oregon’s climate gives it a “leg up” in producing this difficult varietal.  But this excellence comes at a price, and there is no reason that those of us who enjoy wine need to bankrupt ourselves in order to enjoy quality and affordability.  By looking across our borders, especially to the north, we can stay local and still enjoy a steady supply of high quality and affordable wines.