Taste Washington - Seattle, WA

Waiting for Taste Washington each year is like counting down to Christmas. There's all of this excitement leading up to it and then the day comes and it's pretty magical and then the day after you become all depressed when you realize you have a year until the next one! This year was no different. As per usual, I spent hours at the event and still wasn't able to try everything I wanted to. My "try new stuff" plan only worked partially, as I was still stopping to chat with winemakers I knew, but I did manage to stick to trying new wines of theirs that I had yet to taste. All in all, a fantastic event and I give serious kudos to the Washington Wine Commission for hosting another stellar Taste Washington. Sadly, I missed out on the seminars as I was just getting back from vacation that day, but the Grand Taste was fantastic and I have some highlights to share...

Upcoming Event: Taste Washington - Seattle, WA

Coming up in less than just one week is the grand daddy of them all (when it comes to wine events). This year’s Taste Washington (@TasteWashington) will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 26th and 27th, with the Seminars being held at Bell Harbor International Conference Center and the Grand Taste at Qwest Field Event Center. This continues to be THE wine event of the year, with the Grand Taste featuring more than 200 wineries, much more than any other wine event in the state.

Seattle Food & Wine Experience - Seattle Center Exhibition Hall - Seattle, WA

Oh I look back with such joy on this year’s Seattle Food & Wine Experience (SFWE). What an experience it was! One thing I noticed immediately during my first re-con swing (yes, the best plan of attack is to first know WHAT you’re attacking) through the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall was the food. Because I attended this event in 2010, I had something to compare this year’s event to. There were definitely more restaurants in attendance at this year’s SFWE, and that was just fine by me!

Duckhorn Vineyards Wine Dinner - Russell's Dining & Bar - Bothell, WA

Well by now I think it’s quite apparent that I like wine. And I like food. And I REALLY like wine dinners. Food and wine pairing has become one of my favorite things, and while I don’t consider myself anywhere near an expert at it, I do enjoy tasting other people’s (who are more “experts” in pairing) menus. In the early part of February I, along with a usual partner in crime @erindrinkswine, attended another wine dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Russell’s Dining & Bar (@russellsdining). As you may or may not remember, I attended a wine dinner at Russell’s back in April of last year for Sojen Cellars of Everett. Chef Russell Lowell creates some of my favorite meals and he really has a knack for pairing his delicious courses with wine. Switching it up a bit, this dinner featured a California winery, which is not a region I have had the opportunity to taste paired with food. I had also never had Duckhorn wines (@duckhornwine) so I was eager to try something new!