Press Room

In the latest issue of his bi-monthly journal, the International Wine Cellar, influential critic Stephen Tanzer awards 123 Washington State wines scores of 90 points or better. Suggesting that the string of recent acclaim for Washington State wines may continue for some time to come, Tanzer also remarks on the outstanding overall quality of the 2006 and 2007 vintages from Washington. Tanzer is well known for his fierce objectivity and tempered prose, which makes his generous praise for Washington State wines all the more remarkable. (**Download the PDF to read the full release.**)

Following another sold out event in February, 20something…the new vintage – the Washington Wine Commission’s hugely popular event for younger wine drinkers – returns for a second date this year on November 15th at Fremont Studios. To accommodate overwhelming demand from the public and the industry alike, the new fall event moves to a larger venue. The highly successful format, however, remains the same – more than 75 of Washington’s hottest winemakers pouring their $30 and under favorites, 15 of Seattle’s trendiest chefs serving one-of-a-kind culinary delights, and KEXP’s DJ Darek Mazzone returning to lay down the soundtrack for the evening. A full list of participating wineries and restaurants can be found at www.thenewvintage.org.

In the latest issue of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Dr. Jay Miller rated a record 277 wines from across the state as “outstanding” to “extraordinary”, with scores of 90 points or better. This represents a significant increase from 164 wines in that category in 2007, and 90 wines in 2006. Also, while the number of extraordinary wines from Washington State continues to grow, Dr. Miller reports, “in the context of the world market, Washington wines offer sensational value.” (**Download the PDF to read the full release.**)