Go visit Glacial Lake Missoula Winery in Blaine.

The tasting room is only open during a six-hour window each week from noon to 6 pm on Saturdays. But if you make time for a visit, you’ll take advantage of a great opportunity to sample all of the winery’s current releases and also chat with winemakers Tom Davis and Tracey DeGraff.

Three of their wines represent the newest of these releases and they showcase the skill and diverse range of these two talented winemakers.

For starters, try the 2009 Kolk Rosé ($15), made from 100-percent cabernet sauvignon sourced from Yakima Valley’s Elephant Mountain.

Davis and DeGraff will be the first to admit that this wine isn’t quite on the level of the stellar 2008 vintage, but it’s still a fine effort. Aromas and flavors of cranberry, red currant and rose petals end in a sharp, expressive finish with dazzling acidity. Production was limited to a microscopic 25 cases.

The 2007 Harbor Light Red ($18) is essentially a baby Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc at a near-steal of a price. The wine displays bright red fruit flavors, dark and inky undertones, and a slightly spicy finish that one might mistake for a syrah. An added bonus: $2 from the sale of each bottle is donated to the Semiahmoo Lighthouse Resurrection Society.

Another Bordeaux blend, the 2006 Deluge ($29) is the latest in a string of stunning red wines produced by Davis and DeGraff under this label.

The complexities of this wine cannot be understated; coffee, caramel, molasses on the nose, dense, chewy textures commingled with a splash of acidity and then a balanced, somewhat silky finish. It’s ready to drink now, but can be easily cellared for another three to five years.

Look for Glacial Lake Missoula wines on the menu at Tivoli and The Cliff House Restaurant in Bellingham as well as Purple Smile Wines, Ferndale Haggen, and The Market at Birch Bay. More information: glmwine.com.

Peter Osvaldik, owner/winemaker from Bellingham’s Dynasty Cellars has done it again.

The first wine he produced, the DC3 2006 Meritage, was an under priced, overachiever’s dream of a red wine blend that would make even a well-seasoned winemaker envious. If you were fortunate enough to snag a bottle or two earlier this year and tuck it away you’ll find that it’s still drinking beautifully.

But Osvaldik’s latest efforts, which are just being released, are equally as promising as their predecessor, and they’ve been produced in quantities that should keep them in stock for the next several months.

First up is the DCZ 2007 Zinfandel (about $26). Sourced from Walla Walla’s Les Collines Vineyard and blended with a bit of malbec and petit verdot, this wine embraces you like a long, lost friend.

There are no brash, brambly features you might find in more than a few California zins, just some very subtle blackberry and boysenberry flavors with a touch of white pepper and spice on an elegant, polished finish.

Also now available is the DC3 2007 Meritage (about $24), a proprietary Bordeaux blend with a base of merlot along with malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot. In addition to Les Collines, Osvaldik also used grapes from Walla Walla’s Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards to comprise this spectacular red wine.

Dark and inky, with understated flavors of black cherry, licorice, and anise, it’s a well made, well balanced blend that is ready to drink now on its own, complemented with anything beef, or simply cellared for future enjoyment.

Dynasty Cellars wines are available at a number of local retailers and wine shops including Purple Smile Wines, The Market at Fairhaven, Blaine Cost Cutter, Whatcom County Haggen stores and Compass Wines in Anacortes.

You’ll also find them on the menu at Giuseppe’s, the Harborside Bistro, Nimbus, the Cliff House and the Rhododendron Café.

A few months ago I talked about Washington’s Red Mountain Appellation, where the climate and geography on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley make it perfect for growing wine grapes.

Today I’d like to suggest a few wines from three of my favorite wineries there: Terra Blanca Winery, Hightower Cellars, and Kiona Vineyards.

Terra Blanca Winery features a palatial tasting area and barrel room, and one of the better collections of library wines in the state. Their Club Onyx wine club often includes selections of the older vintages that have matured beautifully in the bottle.

Their current releases are also worth a try. Notables include the 2007 Arch Terrace Chardonnay (about $15), done in an old-world style with notes of buttery apple, butterscotch and creamy vanilla, and the 2004 Estate Syrah (about $20), with bright red-cherry and berry flavors, and a finish of smoky herbs.

Hightower Cellars has earned a reputation of producing incredible red wines. A perfect example is their 2006 Merlot (about $28), a well-polished wine that is drinking exceptionally well right now. Lovely cherry, white pepper, and chocolate flavors melt seamlessly into a finish with soft, elegant tannins. Well worth the price, and highly recommended.

Kiona Vineyards (pictured at left) has been a Red Mountain mainstay since their first wines were released in 1980, making it one of Washington’s oldest wineries. One thing I like about Kiona is its plentiful array of choices. The winery produces a huge variety of red and white wines in a range of body styles with various levels of sweetness.

At the top of the sweetness scale is the 2008 Chenin Blanc Ice Wine (about $25 for the 375-milliliter bottle). This wine will amaze you with its complex candied pear, tangerine and mandarin orange flavors that culminate in a rich, honey-like finish.

All three of the wineries’ wines are well-distributed locally, and can frequently be found at The Market at Fairhaven, Community Food Co-Op, and all Whatcom County Haggen stores.

Syrah makes a great choice for people who enjoy red wines.

It generally falls into the medium- to full-bodied category, with mid-range tannins and acidity. Think of it as a merlot with a bit of zing.

As with all wine-grape varietals, syrah’s taste depends on climate and soil conditions, but adjectives frequently used to describe it include spicy, smoky and peppery, with flavors of berries, coffee and chocolate.

Although syrah originated in the Rhone region of France, it’s found in essentially all of the world’s major wine regions, including Australia and South Africa (where it’s called “shiraz”), and in smaller quantities, primarily for blending purposes, in Argentina, Chile, Italy and Spain.

And let’s not forget the United States, and in particular Washington, where syrah production has nearly doubled the past five years.

Although it’s still a distant third behind cabernet sauvignon and merlot, syrah continues to gain ground here. Last year, it comprised nearly 15 percent of the red-wine varietals produced in the state. Here are a few locally available Washington syrahs I have recently enjoyed:

McKinley Springs 2005 Syrah (about $15) — A super value from the Horse Heaven Hills Appellation, it has lovely earthy and floral aromas, with black currant and black pepper on the mid-palate. With time to breath, the slightly hot finish dissipates, allowing the milk chocolate notes to shine through. Watch for the 2006 vintage, which received high marks from Wine Spectator magazine.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley 2005 Syrah (about $15) — Here’s another well-priced syrah, one with Ligurian cherry and caramel on the nose and jammy blueberry, cherry and plum flavors. The finish is dark and inky, with traces of coffee and mocha.

Lost River Winery 2007 Côte-Wall (about $26) — Newly released, this syrah is co-fermented with a splash of viognier. It has a beautiful fragrance of butterscotch and violets, with complex flavors of strawberry, red currant, pomegranate and spice. The soft, lingering finish suggests toasted vanilla and toffee. Outstanding!

There are now nearly 400 wineries in Oregon. Most of them are concentrated along the Willamette Valley, stretching just west of Portland and extending south to Eugene.

Last month I spent a weekend in the Rose City, but traveling around to visit a number of wineries simply wasn’t practical. I came up with an alternative that I’d recommend to anyone with limited time or budgetary constraints when staying in a city that’s near the wine country. Visit a local wine bar.

Years ago, I discovered such a place in the heart of downtown Portland called Oregon Wines on Broadway. Spending a couple of hours there during my return visit provided me with plenty of samples from a number of Oregon wineries…all without having to leave my chair at the tasting bar.

The emphasis here is on pinot noir, with 30 to choose from. I was also offered two different flights of three pinots each, one at the $10 level and another premium designation at $16. Finally, there are a handful of Oregon white wines available for tasting as well as a smattering of top-quality Washington red wines.

Among the recommended white wines I sampled: the J. Albin Winery 2007 Pinot Gris (about $13 a bottle) with subtle flavors of Seckel pear and Rainier cherry along with nice acidity and the Illahe Vineyards 2009 Viognier (about $15) with a lemon chiffon bouquet and a lengthy, slightly peachy finish capped by a trace of sweetness.

The flight of well-priced pinot noirs I tried included the Ayers Vineyard Willamette Valley 2008 Pinot Noir (about $21) with an earthy fragrance and flavors of dried cherry and red currant, the Brooks Winery Willamette Valley 2008 Pinot Noir (about $25), a brighter pinot highlighted by strawberry and cranberry, and the Evesham Wood Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills 2008 Pinot Noir (about $22) with a spicy, anise aroma and understated red cherry flavors.

Most of these wines can be ordered on line or perhaps you can taste them firsthand during your next visit to Portland. More information: oregonwinesonbroadway.com.