Wine Country: The Puget Sound Region is home of a host of wineries. Here's the tour.

# This region's wine industry thrives in fall, as cool-weather grapes grow well here.

By Chris Henry, chenry@kitsapsun.com
October 22, 2006

Stop! Before you uncork that bottle. Do you know where your wine comes from?

Washington is wine country, ranked second in the nation after California in premium wine production. Our state, which shares the same latitude as the famed Burgundy and Bordeaux wine regions of France, includes nine areas, or "appellations," where wine grapes thrive, including our own Puget Sound region.

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You can plan your wine tasting road trip by referencing the Washington Wine Commission’s map. The map shows larger wineries like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Covington Cellars, but there are also a number of mom-and-pop operations run by people who just plain love wine.

Mike Lempriere and Beth Schoenberg began making wine in 1997 in the basement of their home in Green Lake. It was just a hobby, pure diversion. But they were pretty good at it. Their Cabernet Sauvignon won awards at the Puyallup Fair over the next few years, and they continued to experiment with new varieties and techniques.

In 2003 the couple moved to a three-acre parcel on Bainbridge Island, established Perennial Vintners and began growing their own Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) grapes. On Oct. 14 they made their first harvest, and they expect to bottle about 30 gallons of wine this year. Melon de Bourgogne has never been grown in the Puget Sound before, and is not commercially produced anywhere in the state.

"We’ve proven Melon is going to work here. We’ve truly made history," crowed Lempriere.

The winery is not yet open for commercial sales, but vineyard tours are given by appointment. Lempriere, a software engineer by trade, currently works full-time on the venture. Schoenberg, an American Sign Language Interpreter, hasn’t quit her day job ... yet.

The couple aren’t alone. Wineries are sprouting up right and left in this state. At last count, there were 460 Washington wineries — up from just 80 a decade ago — and 350 wine growers. The vast majority of growers operate in sunny Eastern Washington, but a growing number, including Perennial, are disproving the myth that great wine grapes can’t thrive in damper climes.

Gerard and Jo Ann Bentryn, owners of Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery, have been disproving that myth for nearly 30 years. They planted their first grapes in 1977, opened as a commercial venture in 1982 and now distribute their wines, including the crowd-pleasing Ferryboat White, to select outlets around Puget Sound. The Bentryns’ wines are the product of cool-weather grapes such as Muller Thurgau, which is native to the mountainous border between Switzerland and Italy (for a current list of the winery’s offerings, visit bainbridgevineyards.com).

Gerard Bentryn formerly worked as a climatologist and was instrumental is establishing Puget Sound as one of the state’s six major American Viticultural Areas (the Columbia Basin is further divided into sub-appellations). In 1995, Bentryn documented the geography, temperature, soil and precipitation of this region, proving that cool-climate grapes can successfully be grown from the Canadian border south to Olympia.

Growing grapes is the easy part, says Bentryn; making a living from it is tough. Because of the abundance of grapes grown in Eastern Washington, it’s actually cheaper to ship grapes over the mountains than to grow one’s own. That makes it hard on people like the Bentryns who do.

"There’s a lot of talk about using local produce, but when it comes down to it, it’s expensive," said Bentryn.

That and the 14-hour days required to nurse the grapes to fruition tend to discourage wine makers from becoming wine growers.

"Wine is sex," said Bentryn. "A vineyard is love and commitment."

For Bentryn, growing and making his own wine is the proverbial labor of love. Before he and Jo Ann opened their winery, they lived in Europe and studied wine-making techniques, which vary from region to region. There the word appellation implies not only to soil, climate and location, but to local customs and culture.

"We like to say wine is time and place in a bottle," said Jo Ann Bentryn. "Wherever you go, look for the little wineries; the ones that grow their own grapes."

Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery is a member of the Puget Sound Wine Growers Association, along with Perennial Vintners and a handful of other wineries. The Bentryns worry that the craft of making wine is being lost to improved technology that makes the process more predictable, the product more uniform.

"The magic is in the soil. It’s not out of a stainless steel tank or off the back of a truck," Gerard Bentryn said. "I’m in love with this, and I’m watching it disappear."

The Bentryns aren’t total wine snobs.

"I tell people to buy the cheapest wine that tastes good to them," said Gerard.

But to consumers who value the idea of regional identity, he advises a careful reading of labels. Look for the terms "estate grown," which means the grapes used to make the wine were grown by the winery, and "appellation controllee," which means the wine is made exclusively from grapes grown within the region.

Port Angeles/Sequim

Black Diamond Winery (Puget Sound Wine Growers Association member)

Highlights: Produces several varieties of fruit wines, including plum, rhubarb and red currant.; featured wines include 2005 Madeline Angevine and 2002 Syrah.

Where: 2976 Black Diamond Rd., Port Angeles

Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed all January; appointments available.

Info: http://pages.prodigy.net/sharonlance or (360) 457-0748

Camaraderie Cellars

Highlights: Specializing in Bordeaux-style reds, including Grace, a blend of five Bordeaux varieties.

Where: 334 Benson Road., Port Angeles

Hours: open by appointment.

Info: www.camaraderiecellars.com or (360) 417-3564

Harbinger Winery

Highlights: Handcrafted wines; Syrah and Rhone varietals, red blend, Cabernet Franc rose, white blend, blackberry wine.

Where: 2358 Highway 101 in Port Angeles

Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Wed- Sun.

Info: www.harbingerwinery.com; (360) 452 4262.

Lost Mountain Winery

Highlights: Predominently red wine, featuring full bodied, dry reds, including a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon that won a gold medal at the recent Northwest Wine Summit; white wines available seasonally.

Where: 3174 Lost Mountain Rd., Sequim

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; winter (December- February open by appointment); summer open daily.

Info: www.lostmountain.com or (360) 683-5229

Olympic Cellars

Highlights: Home of the "Working Girl Wines" — Working Girl White, Go Girl Red and Rose the Riveter.

Where: 255410 Highway 101, Port Angeles

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily May through October; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily November through April.

Info: www.olympiccellars.com or (360) 452-0160

Port Townsend

Fair Winds Winery

Highlights: Fair Winds is the only Washington winery to produce Aligote (a white Burgundy.) They also produce a Lemberger and a Mead.

Where: 1984 Hastings Ave. West, Port Townsend

Hours: Friday through Monday, noon to 5 p.m.

Info: www.fairwindswinery.com or (360) 385-6899

Sorenson Cellars

Highlights: Two Cabernets, a Merlot, a Pinot Gris and a Syrah.

Where: 274 S. Otto Street, Port Townsend

Hours: Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. September through May, or by appointment.

Info: www.sorensoncellars.com or (360) 379-6416

Hoodsport

Hoodsport Winery (Puget Sound Wine Growers Association member)

Highlights: The Orca Series, a 2003 run of several varieties, partial sales of which benefit orca conservation. They also produce three cordials. Island Belle, a light red wine, is made with grapes grown on Stretch Island.

Where: 23501 Highway 101, Hoodsport

Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Info: www.hoodsport.com or (360) 877-9894

Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery

Highlights: Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Noir and Siegerrebe.

Where: 8989 Day Rd. E., Bainbridge Island.

Hours: Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Info: www.bainbridgevineyards.com or (206) 842-9463

Perennial Vintners (Puget Sound Wine Growers Association member)

Highlights: Melone de Bourgogne (Muscadet), Muller Thurgau

Where: 8840 Lovgreen Road, Bainbirdge Island.

Hours: Vineyard tours by appointment (not yet open for commercial sales).

Info: (206) 780-2146; www.perennialvintners.com

Eleven Winery

Highlights: 2005 Pinot Gris Port, Oregon, 2004 Port Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Artz Vineyard / Red Mountain, more.

Where: 12976 Roe Road. NE , Bainbridge Island

Hours: by appointment

Info: 206 780-0905; www.ElevenWinery.com

Shelton

Walter Dacon

Highlights: Specializing in Rhone and Mediterranean style wines

Where: 50 SE Skookum Inlet Road, Shelton

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment

Info: www.walterdaconwines.com or (360) 426-5913

Vashon Island

Vashon Winery (Puget Sound Wine Growers Association member)

Highlights: Specialties are big, soft Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots in red wines, and crisp but smooth Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc in white

Where: 10317 SW 156th Street, Vashon

Hours: (are you open to visitors? hours or by appt?)

Info: (206) 567.0055; vashonwinery.com; vashon winery@yahoo.com

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Palouse Winery

Highlights: "Eclipse" Bordeaux blend, "Fusion" Cabernet Merlot, "Black Pearl" Petite Merlot

Where: 12431 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon

Hours: by appointment

Info: www.palousewinery.com, (206) 567-4994

Sweetbread Cellars at Sea Breeze Farm

Highlights: 2004 Syrah, 2004 Brisage, a Cabernet Merlot blend, more (supplies are limited).

Where: 10730 SW 116th St., Vashon Island

Hours: By appointment or stop by self-serve farm stand during "reasonable" hours 7 days a week.

Info: (206) 567-4628 (GOAT); sweetbreadcellars.com; george@seabreezefarm.net