Sips on the Road: Washington Wine does it big in the Great State of Alaska!

Yes, it’s true. Washington wine DOES exist outside of Washington. But sometimes one must make sure the wine, which is often not distributed outside of Washington, makes it to far away places from time to time. This story begins with a single bottle... What happened from there brought joy to a wedding and helped ring in the start of a new life for one happy couple.

Lake Chelan Wine Weekend v.2.0 - Chelan & Manson, WA

BOOM! This was the soundtrack to my weekend here, as it was almost cherry harvest time, and in order to keep the birds off the fruit, the orchards have "cherry guns" that sound like cannons to scare the birds away. These go off every few minutes and never failed to catch me off guard, even though I knew it was coming... and now, moving on..

Well if you remember, I had a post from last summer on my wine tasting trip to the Lake Chelan AVA. This has become an annual trip for me, both to see some family that lives at the lake and to try the latest releases from the wineries on the banks of beautiful Lake Chelan. I set out on Saturday with my great Aunt (she's great in two ways: in that she's my Dad's aunt, and that she's just pretty great) to check out a few new stops and several favorites. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate much until later in the day, but who needs sun, we can drink in the rain (inside...).

Swiftwater Cellars - Suncadia Resort - Cle Elum, WA

Nestled back in the woods amongst the sprawling beauty that is Suncadia Resort, lies a new winery that is quickly changing the face of the typical “winery visit”. Swiftwater Cellars (@SwiftwaterWine), owned by Don & Lori Watts, has billed itself as “Washington’s ultimate destination winery”, a description that runs true. Their facility contains their production space, a large restaurant, a gift shop, and various rooms that can be used for private events. I was able to visit this awe inspiring winery recently along with several of my peers and there wasn’t an attendee amongst the group that didn’t leave impressed with every aspect of our visit.

Upcoming Event: 3rd Annual WSU Wine Symposium - Columbia Tower Club - Seattle, WA

Well if you know me at all, you know that two of my loves have to do with anything WSU related and anything wine related. And as we’ve learned in the past (read my write-up on the Grape Cup here), when the two are combined I get pretty excited about it! I’m so happy to once again be participating in putting on the 3rd Annual Washington State University Wine Symposium. This yearly event, organized by the Alumni Association and its trusty team of volunteers (that’s me!), is a showcase for Coug owned and affiliated wineries in Washington State. Cougs love supporting other Cougs and this is a great way to discover some fantastic wines that happen to be made by fellow alumni!