On Wednesday June 4th, the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle hosted a “Debuts and Discoveries” night for forty-five Washington wineries in their first three years of production. With the number of wineries in Washington growing by the day – there are currently over five hundred in the state – this was a unique opportunity to taste wines from a number of new producers at once.

For the event, wineries were distributed throughout the museum’s exhibit area. This made for interesting scenery but also made things quite tight once the event got rolling. Worse for the wines, the space became very warm over the course of the evening.

There was no apparent rhyme or reason to the layout of the wineries, so we were forced to go with a hunt and peck approach. All told, we sampled wines from the following wineries: Napeequa Vintners, Zerba Cellars, Mount Defiance, Gilbert Cellars, Skylite Cellars, Smasne Cellars, Cedergreen Cellars, Kana Winery, Heaven’s Cave Cellars, Norton Arnold Cellars, Two Mountains Winery, Stomani Cellars, Lost River Winery, Mercer Estates, and Pondera Winery.

Over the next several days, I will post notes from some of the highlights of this event.

NAPEEQUA VINTNERS

Summary: Napeequa Vintners is one of a number of wineries springing up in the Wenatchee area.

Wines:

Score

+

Name

Napeequa Vintners Trillum Rose 2007

Notes

A good nose with mineral, strawberry, and floral notes. Honey on the finish. A good medium-bodied rose, although a little sweet for my taste. Syrah; Merlot; Cab Franc.

$

$16

+

Napeequa Vintners Sangiovese 2005

A wine that is true to the varietal with earth, cranberry, and mineral on the nose and taste. Up front and tart. 100% Sangiovese.

$19

ZERBA CELLARS

Summary: While located in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, Zerba Cellars is within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Zerba was named Wine Press Northwest’s “Oregon Winery to Watch” in 2006 and has been garnering a good deal of positive press of late.

Score

+

Name

Zerba Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2005

Notes

Not a big fan of the nose which is marked by pencil shavings and mint. Black cherry on the back end and finish. Pleasing tannins on the finish.

$

$30

+

Zerba Cellars Merlot Columbia Valley 2005

The nose is dominated by oak aromas, notably smoked wood, pencil shavings, and cedar. Light chocolate on the taste with a good mid-palate and tart finish.

$28

*

Zerba Cellars Syrah Columbia Valley 2005

A classic Washington syrah nose with smoke, marionberry, and maple syrup. Very well made with a great mid-palate and finish.

$28