I was, sadly, sick with the flu over the weekend, and missed the annual Taste Washington event put on by the Washington Wine Commission. Though I have little to report from the actual event, I can say that for me this year marks a threshold in terms of the Washington Wine industry as a whole. It’s not as if every wine I’ve tasted from Washington in the past 12 months has been substantially better than in past years. Rather, it’s that a significant number of producers, old and new, seem to have figured out that varietally correct wine can be made in the state. By varietally correct, I mean simply to refer to grenache that tastes like grenache (not just alcohol and raspberry candy), cabernet sauvignon that tastes like cabernet sauvignon (not just oak barrels). I’m not necessarily advocating for more nuance, complexity, or more importantly, the idea that all cabernet sauvignon, for instance, should taste like that grown in Bordeaux (what, by the way, would that taste like?).

.
What I’m really getting at is that the balance seems to be tipping in the favor of winemakers who are willing to present wines that are expressive of the place; unmasked by excessive oak, exaggerated extraction, or exceedingly high alcohol. Five years ago there were a handful of producers bold enough to let Washington fruit express itself in the bottle. Today there are at least a handful of handfuls. A good deal of this sensibility comes, no doubt, from the talent that the state has attracted from elsewhere – Greg Harrington, MS, of Gramercy Cellars, Brennon Leighton of Efeste, and Christoph Baron of Cayuse come to mind – as well as from lessons learned from locals such as Bob Betz, MW, of Betz Family Winery, Ben Smith of Cadence and Chris Camarda of Andrew Will. For those mentioned above, making varietally correct wines has always been at the core of their philosophies. There are scores more who have been driven in similar directions either by personal intent or market forces.
.
A good deal of the credit for this sea change should be attributed to grape growers who have had the foresight and presence of mind to plant grapes that make sense for a given vineyard plot. While chardonnay and cabernet are still the state’s cash cow grapes, other varieties that have not yet entered the standard American household lexicon, such as tempranillo, viognier, grenache and barbera, are gaining ground. While these varieties are not necessarily the future of Washington wine, the fact that people have been bold enough to plant them where other varieties would have guaranteed more money is encouraging.
.
All of this is extremely exciting for someone like me, who has grown tired of seeing the same old game played out under fancy new labels and pounds (literally!) of deeply-punted green glass. It shouldn’t be about the next luxury cuvee, it should be about producing good, honest, well-made wine that restaurants can afford to pour by the glass and consumers can drink with dinner each night.