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Below is a summary of posts for February 2012.

Summary of Posts for January 2012

Washington Wine Round-up January 22nd to 31st 2012

February Virtual Tasting - Columbia Crest 2009 H3 Cabernet

How Automated Cross-Posting from Facebook to Twitter Can Defeat the Purpose of Social Media

How Wineries Can Make Automated Facebook and Twitter Cross-posts More Effective

February's Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine will be the 2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine retails for $15 and is widely available. The tasting will take place from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery.

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific using the hashtag #ccrest. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

Reminder: February's Virtual Tasting takes place Tuesday February 28th from 7-8pm Pacific. Read about how to participate here.

Tickets for this year's Taste Washington! seminars are now on sale. In keeping with 2012's expanded event, the seminars take place on both Saturday March 31st and Sunday April 1st. The full list of seminars is below. Go here for additional information and to purchase tickets. Note that I will be participating in the panel discussion on 'Over-Delivering at Every Price' on Saturday and moderating the 'Celebrated Vintages' panel on Sunday, so come and join me!

This year's Grand Tasting will also take place on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for individual days may be purchased for $75 (General Admission) and $125 (VIP) as well as for both days at $150 and $99 respectively. See the list of participating wineries here. Hope to see you there!

Washington Cabernet Sauvignon production dropped sharply in 2011, decreasing from 31,900 tons produced in 2010 to 23,100 tons – a 28% decline. Overall, grape production in the state was down 11% from the previous year. This marked the first time in more than five years that grape production decreased in Washington.

The crop reductions were caused by a November 2010 frost that came shortly after the end of that year’s growing season. Red grape varieties were particularly affected, with production decreasing 20% in 2011. Meanwhile white grape varieties were down 2% from the previous year’s figures.

Earlier this week, Walla Walla Valley stalwart Woodward Canyon announced that winemaker Kevin Mott and sales director Thomas Woodley have become shareholders in the winery. This creates an ownership group of Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small; their adult children Jordan Dunn-Small and Sager Small; and now Mott and Woodley.

In announcing the change, Rick Small stated, “As we worked through succession planning, it became clear that Kevin and Thomas are integral to the operation of Woodward Canyon and to its future.” Mott and Woodley both joined the winery in 2003.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from February 15th to 21st 2012. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Spectator writes about ten impressive Washington reds.

Wine Enthusiast writes about a Walla Walla getaway.

Florida Today writes that Washington Cabernet hits the sweet spot.

Ventura County Star writes about Cadaretta's Windthrow Red Wine.

In tough times, we continue the search for good, inexpensive wines.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from February 8th to 14th. Read previous round-ups here.

The big story this week was the appointment of the new head of the Washington wine commission. Read stories from Wine Business, Wine Press NW, Bellingham Herald, AgInfo.net, Wine and Beer of Washington State.

From around the country…

North County Times writes about Walla Walla’s incubator area guiding city plans.

The Gaston Gazette mentions Buty’s Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle.

The San Antonio Express writes about the San Antonio Wine Festival.

The Washington wine industry has grown rapidly in the last twelve years from several hundred wineries at the turn of the century to over 740 today. Are Washingtonians keeping up and drinking enough local wine?

Data on in-state purchases of Washington wine can be difficult to come by. However, at last week’s Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers annual conference, Danny Braeger, Vice President Group Client Director on the Beverage Alcohol Team at Nielsen, provided some insight.

Today’s Fresh Sheet – new and recent Washington wine releases – includes wines from Mark Ryan Winery, Two Vintners, Desert Wind Winery, Forgeron Cellars, and Idilico.

Change is coming to the Washington wine industry. In the coming months and years, look for these three changes in particular to have a profound impact on the state’s industry.

Big Box Liquor Stores are Coming

Last fall’s Initiative 1183 privatized spirits sales starting June 1^st of this year. Scores of local Safeways, QFCs, and Fred Meyers have already applied to the Liquor Control Board for a spirits retailer license. Independent businesses that meet the initiative’s 10,000 square foot requirement - such as Seattle’s Wine World Warehouse - have also applied to sell spirits.

They will not be alone.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from February 1st to 7th 2012. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Wine Enthusiast magazine writes about the San Juan Islands.

The Capital writes about the 2007 Col Solare.

Taos News writes about Shooting Star’s Blue Franc.

Business Insider talks with Kyle Maclachlan about why he went into the wine business.

The Washington Wine Commission announced earlier today the hiring of Steve Warner as Executive Director. Warner, a Washington State native, brings to the position a deep background in marketing, management, and international business.

Warner comes to the Wine Commission after spending the last ten years working for Merck & Co. Most recently, he was Managing Director of an eastern European business unit of the company, located in Bucharest, Romania. At this position, Warner managed a staff of 200, with a budget of $25M and annual revenues of $135M. He also brings extensive experience working in the Asia-Pacific region, having led teams in Seoul, South Korea and Bangkok, Thailand.

Yesterday I wrote about some of the problems with automating cross-posts between Facebook and Twitter. Today, I give some simple suggestions on how wineries can make these cross-posts more effective.

Lately I’ve seen a lot of wineries linking their Facebook and Twitter accounts so that posts on one are automatically cross-posted to the other. My advice? Do so with caution. Here’s why.

Cross-posting between Facebook and Twitter is problematic because they are vastly different Social Media tools with different uses, users, nomenclature, and etiquette. Let’s look at several problems that arise when cross-posting from Facebook to Twitter, which seems to be the most common case for many wineries and other businesses.

February's Virtual Tasting wine will be the 2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine retails for $15 and is widely available. The tasting will take place Tuesday February 28th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery.

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific using the hashtag #ccrest. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from January 22nd to 31st 2012. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Shanken Daily News writes about Total Wine coming to Washington.

The Chicago Tribune writes about Starbucks expanding its beer and wine sales to Atlanta and Southern California. NBC picks up on this as well.

D Magazine writes about remarkable reds with a callout to Den Hoed.

The Patriot Ledger writes about Doubleback.

Below is a summary of posts for January 2012.

On Vacation - January 1st to 15th

Washington Wine Round-up December 22nd to 31st 2012

Washington Wine Round-up January 1st to 7th 2011

Plans for 2012

Rating System

Newer Posts Older Posts Home

Featured Post

A look at Washington’s recently approved appellations

Editor

Sean P. Sullivan is the founder and editor of Northwest Wine Report. He has been writing about and reviewing Northwest wine since 2004. Read a full biography on the About page. All articles written by Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

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About

Sean P. Sullivan's Northwest Wine Report is an independent publication dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest, bringing Northwest wine to you and bringing you to Northwest wine. The site was established by Sullivan in 2004 as Washington Wine Report. It was rebranded to Northwest Wine Report in 2022.