Feeling sufficiently thankful yet? Or insufficiently thankful? Or, just plain done with how thankful you’re supposed to be feeling?
A glass of wine will help. Especially if it’s wine made here in Southwest Washington. There are nearly two dozen family-owned and -operated wineries here, each of which produces fewer than 1,000 cases per year. That means, when you go wine touring and tasting, your glass is likely to get filled by the person who raised the grapes. Heck, what you’re sipping and rolling around your mouth might have squished between your host’s very own toes.
Ten members of the Southwest Washington Winery Association will open their doors and their barrels to oenophiles — the serious and the newbie — from noon to 6 p.m. today through Sunday. You’ll get sneak peeks at the winemaking process and sample wines at various stages of production.
This region’s climate and soil are similar to France’s Burgundy, according to the Association, and excel at growing traditional European grapes like Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and more obscure varietals like Golubok, Marechal-Foch and Zweigelt-Rebe. (Plus, some local wineries also work with some grapes from Eastern Washington, where the climate is warmer and drier, to produce a wider variety of styles.)
