"(I) just wanted to thank you for including Pike and Western Wine Shop in Road Trip Washington Wine. Catherine had a great time. You should hear her talk to customers about Washington wine after the trip; she has a whole new level of understanding."

"I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for all the hospitality last week. Wow! What an effort by everyone. I’ll never think of Washington State the same again. Incredible."

"Hi everyone! I just wanted to write to send you all a huge thank you. The road trip was truly awesome! It was well thought out, well planned, and well executed. If any of you are ever in NY, I hope you'll contact me. Thanks again. You're all rockstars!"

"After a week of reflection and time allowing things to sink in, I couldn't help but put into words my thoughts about Washington Road Trip 2008… the first of many experiences sure to touch numerous other wine lovers along the way. Hopefully I speak for the other 2008 Roadies, when I say that these five days were uniquely some of the most fun and genuinely informative wine experiences I have ever encountered.
 

 
 Like many others on the trip, we have had the blessings in our business to be able to travel to some of the world's most beautiful places and meet some of the wine industry's most storied people. We have had the opportunity to taste great wines in amazing settings with the very people we have often only read about or heard in stories along the way. 
 

That being said, the discussions I have had with many of those who participated, is that Washington Road Trip 08 was one of the most unique experiences that we have had in our lengthy wine lives. I gave this some thought and came to these conclusions:
 

 First, you invited an amazingly diverse group of wine professionals. Not people selected for a political purpose or agenda, but rather a group of very unique wine lovers with numerous backgrounds, markets, and ideas. And as we soon discovered, we were all there for one reason … to answer the question: "What do you think of Washington wine?"
 
 Secondly, you asked of each your individual winery owners and winemakers, what likely no wine region in the world has ever been asked, at least collectively…. "Will you trust us and stop what you are doing and share your time, wines, and knowledge to a bunch of wine trade people and, oh yeah… listen to what they have to say as well? Will you collectively put yourselves out there and, while you're sharing your hard earned dreams and passions, be willing to hear the good, bad, and ugly from those who will sell your passions (and wine) every day?
 

 Finally, you accomplished what I think is "quietly" one of the finest feats in the wine world in quite some time. In an extremely competitive world, and in a time when there are incredible demands for attention, you brought some of the finest wine people together on all levels and asked them to trust that sharing time, ideas, and a glass (or two) of wine will ultimately result in achieving all our goals.
 
 It is clear that an amazing amount of careful preparation and time went into this project. Because of this, success is not the question, but rather on what level. This is only the beginning of great things. 
 

 

Thanks for including me in the fun."

"I wanted to thank and compliment you on Road Trip Washington Wine. During crush especially, it was a huge effort for everyone but that is also why it worked so well. To you and the staff I thank you once again. Well done!"

"Having just returned to Boston, and the afterglow of the Road Trip Washington Wine still lingering, I wanted to thank you for your hospitality, enthusiasm, passion, sincerity and camaraderie on the trip. It won't be hard to portray your state as a top-notch wine region and now I have a few stories to back it up. I can't wait to return to Washington and expand my newfound passion for the state's wines. Thanks again. An amazing time with amazing wines and amazing people."

Michael Meagher, Advanced Sommelier
Boston, MA

"First of all, thank you very much for great hospitality. Your great team was fantastic. You could not organize this event better than you did. I learned many new things and had a wonderful experience with Washington wines. I know many of those wines will be going in our wine list."

Levent Bozkurt, Proprietor
Stonehedge Inn & Spa, Tyngsboro, MA

"Michelle DeHayes came back from Washington utterly energized, and positively giddy with appreciation for the efficiency with which you and your team had organized the tour this week. This coming from a woman who was a very successful general manager, with no puny administrative skill set herself. Thank you from my heart for providing such a special experience for someone important to me, and for all the others who were lucky enough to be invited. What a smart investment in the short and long-term perception of Washington wines – it will yield very tangible results in the movement of product and its appearance on the stages of on-premise and retail lists."

Madeline Triffon MS, Wine Director
Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, Detroit, MI

“A note of sincere congratulations for a sensational debut of the Road Trip Washington Wine.  This effort went far beyond what I had imagined, and set a new standard for viticultural area exploration.  Your dedication to planning and executing this really paid off  in creating a passionate group of Washington wine disciples around the country.  Thanks for all your efforts to make this a success.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to understand my own amazing wine state.  It was extremely helpful in my promotion of Washington wine at the Purple Café's.  I have traveled to Europe and California, and probably knew more about their wine and vineyards.  Meeting the growers and winemakers is a great tool for training and selling of Washington wine.

The trip was very well organized, and great care was taken at every step.  Thank you again for an incredible experience.”

“Thank you!  I really could sum it up with those words. but since I am Sommelier it can never be that brief. Thank you for providing a one of a kind experience. Thank you for gathering a group of tremendous professionals to share it with. Thank you for letting us meet and engage with the
 great growers, winemakers, and proponents of the Washington Wine Industry. Thank you and all the staff for coordinating the least stressful wine trip I have ever been on.

If the quality of the wines wasn't enough to garner my support of Washington (trust me when I say they are fantastic), then the hospitality displayed certainly was. Thanks again to the hardworking staff, growers, and winemakers who made this incredible event possible. "

“I attended the entire Road Trip, and I continually heard from virtually every single participant how much they were learning, how much they appreciated the opportunity, and indeed, how much they were anxious to relay this information and buy more Washington wines when they returned to their respective markets. I heard continuously, “I cannot believe we are on-time, every single day – this is amazing!” 

The curriculum was fantastic.  The Attendees really liked being on the “road” instead of sitting in seminars all day long and then just going to lunch or dinner.   I heard over and over again how much the attendees liked the vineyard exercises and how much they enjoyed getting their hands dirty in both vineyards and wineries.

As an aside, I travel all over the country “teaching” about not just my winery, but Washington State wines, and I learned so much more than I thought I knew!  I can actually be a better Washington wine teacher and now…
 
Bravo to all who supported this program and to the Commissioners, Staff and Executive Director of the WWC who worked dilegently hard in planning, organizing and executing this program.  Thank you."

“Thank you so much for this amazing experience.  You truly made me feel so welcome and appreciated.  I have a whole new way of thinking about Washington wines!”Ann Marie Delaney
Harbour Lights Restaurant, New York City, NY

“The exposure to the wines, people, vineyards and places truly cement the progress this region has made and where it is going.  Being on the East Coast, I didn’t understand the capacity for great wines…”

Kara Kukull
Legal Seafoods, Boston, MA

“My favorite part was meeting everybody…and the private time with the winemakers - during harvest, no less!  OMG!  Nobody does this!!  Yay!!!!”

Loni Heyn
Pogos Wines, Dallas, TX

“I’d like to thank you and the entire team for putting together a completely satisfying journey through Washington. The synergy amongst all levels was truly amazing…the only hard part would be to duplicate it. Being a veteran…of the industry and a road warrior to various wine sectors of the world, I can unabashedly proclaim the Washington trip to be one of the most complete sojourns I have taken, both educationally and socially. The coordination and timing of events was remarkable….  We worked hard, but then when it was time to relax…there was the river cruise, the taco truck (which I’d like to hijack to Boston), and the Suncadia Resort tasting. The buses were comfortable, the team leaders engaging, and the scenery outstanding…The winemakers/growers/owners were genuinely interested in passing along their knowledge, and I particularly enjoyed my time with Rick Small and the DuBrul Vineyard owners, Hugh and Cathy Shiel). We got to see new and old generations, small and big wineries, varied approaches to grape growing, and…some FANTASTIC cuisine! Plus, we had a little fun in Seattle the first and last nights…. All in all, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Howie Rubin
Federal Wine Merchant, Boston, MA

“I am so impressed and honored to be on this trip.  You could feel the passion and welcome from the wineries and growers.  Please let me know how I can be of assistance to ensure future Road Trip Washington Wine (success) as well as help spread the word/love of Washington wines in BC/Canada.”

“What I love is the academic aspect of the trip.  So many wine regions give the spiel – you guys are trying to teach, and you have a fine curriculum put together.  Plus, everyone is cool.”

“This was an excellent experience that I am so glad I had the opportunity in which to participate.  I would recommend this trip to anyone.”