If you’re out and about exploring the hundreds of wineries in Washington State, you might find that it’s good customer service from winemakers and winery staff (in addition to great wines) that sets the winery apart and keeps you coming back again.

One of my favorites is Terra Blanca Winery, located in the Red Mountain Appellation just east of the Tri-Cities, which has consistently provided both excellent wines and first class service during every visit.

Terra Blanca’s facility is huge compared to most other Washington wineries. The tasting room (open daily from 11 am to 6 pm) is cavernous, with a demonstration kitchen and wood-fired oven nearby. Tours are also available, and include a visit through the winery’s underground cave system that houses hundreds of French oak barrels.

Earlier this month, a group of friends and I traveled to the winery for a tasting and lunch and were pleasantly surprised with an impromptu visit from owner/winemaker Keith Pilgrim, who then stayed over three hours chatting and answering questions. Talk about great customer service!

I’d categorize Pilgrim’s white wines as lively and flavorful and his reds as polished and elegant – largely because they’re given plenty of time to develop in both the barrel and the bottle.

White wine recommendations include a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (about $14) that smacks of zingy, key lime pie and a 2007 Viognier (about $15) that’s brimming with stone fruit flavors. More reserved are a 2007 Reserve Roussanne (about $20), with lovely touches of peach and sweet alfalfa and the exquisite 2006 Block 5 Chardonnay (about $20) with baked apple and citrus/mineral notes that melt into a creamy finish.

On the red wine side, try the 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (about $35), with a spectacular violet aroma, layers of black cherry flavors, and a soft, sultry finish, and the 2003 Block 8 Syrah (about $42), a blockbuster wine with complex nuances of smoke, bacon fat, ripe fig and cedar.

You’ll find Terra Blanca wines at Bellingham Haggen, Food Pavilion and Fred Meyer stores, Compass Wines in Anacortes, and online at terrablanca.com.

With Thanksgiving less than 10 days away, now is a great time to get your wine shopping out of the way.

Although lighter bodied red wines are perfectly fine to serve with your traditional holiday meal, white wines definitely have the edge when paired up with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, or even Aunt Peg’s sweet potato casserole.

For starters, serve the Barnard Griffin 2008 Fumé Blanc (about $9). It’s an incredibly versatile wine at an unbelievably low price. Citrus aromas and flavors are polished by hints of creamy peach and pear, resulting in an elegant wine from Washington’s Columbia Valley. If you’re not sure what defines elegance, sample it next to a sometimes more austere New Zealand sauvignon blanc and see if you don’t taste the difference.

From California’s Central Coast region, the Edna Valley Vineyard 2008 Chardonnay (about $11) will make a fine addition to your Thanksgiving Day dinner. Plenty of tasty peach and apple flavors up front are followed by a lengthy finish that is highlighted by touches of tropical fruits and toasted oak.

Have you ever tasted a lychee nut? If not, try the Pacific Rim 2007 Gewurztraminer (pictured at left, about $10), which displays all the flavors of lychee along with mango, apricot, melon and a hint of spice. The finish might have a bit too much residual sugar for some, but for those who drink wines less frequently and enjoy them a bit on the sweet side, this could be an excellent Thanksgiving wine.

Local winery Mount Baker Vineyards also has a couple of brand new releases that make excellent white wine choices for Thanksgiving. The 2008 Gewurztraminer (about $15) is the winery’s first stand alone version of this varietal, and it displays a lovely trace of rose petal aromas and flavors and a whisper of sweetness on the finish. Unique and definitely worth a taste.

The 2008 Marsanne (about $15) is also exceptional, with gentle flavors of dried apricot, a touch of allspice, and a clean, bone-dry finish that make it an ideal food-pairing wine.

3:00 to 5:00 pm - Wines from Washington’s Red Mountain. Learn about this small, yet important growing region in Washington State while sampling a number of its wines. Click on the Wine Classes Page for more information.

6:00 to 9:00 pm - Valentines Eve Wine Dinner. Dan and BTC Chef Marc Eilberg will collaborate on a 5-course meal with perfectly paired wines from around the world. Click on the Wine Classes Page for more information.

2:30 to 5:00 pm - Beginning Wine Tasting. Learn the basic styles of wines along with tasting and buying techinques in this relaxed, yet informative class. Click on the Wine Classes Page for more information.