Bellingham NW Wine Competition

The 2021 Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival Judged Competition was one for the record books! It featured a record number of entries, participating wineries, and Gold and Double Gold medalists. It was also capped with a pleasant surprise: the Best in Show award for the top point-receiving wine ended in a tie.

Our sixth annual event took place at the Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham Hotel and Conference Center on July 3, 9, and 10, 2021. 351 wines from Oregon and Washington were blind tasted by a panel of seven judges over the three-day period.

Best in Show honors were shared by a Washington red and a Washington white wine; the Callan Cellars 2019 GSM from Woodinville winemaker Lisa Callan, and the Longship Cellars 2020 Mind and Memory Sauvignon Blanc from winemaker Kyle Welch in Richland.

Both wines originated from the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area. Callan’s blend of 84-percent Syrah, 14-percent Grenache, and 3-percent Mourvèdre came from Boushey Vineyards, while Welch’s first-ever Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from the Valley’s Sugarloaf Vineyard.

There were plenty of other notable award winners, with seven wineries earning three or more Double Golds (unanimous gold scores) from the judges.

In addition to Callan Cellars’ three Double Golds, four other Washington wineries scored three doubles: Lake Chelan’s Tsillan Cellars, Wit Cellars in Prosser, Quincy-based Jones of Washington, and Van Arnam Vineyards in Zillah.

Two wineries also earned an event-record four Double Gold medals: Zerba Cellars, based in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser, Washington.

For a complete list of medal winners go to: https://www.whatcombeerandwinefoundation.org/medalists

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Congratulations to the 2020 Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival Judged Competition Best in Show winner: Joseph Christy Vineyards 2017 Estate Syrah.

A record-setting 274 wines were entered in the competition. The panel of judges awarded 18 unanimous golds (Double Gold) and 65 Gold medals.

For a complete list of 2020 Medal Winners please go to:

https://www.whatcombeerandwinefoundation.org/previousmedalwinners

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The 2020 Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 25, has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and out of concern for the safety and health of all wineries, guests, and volunteers who would be involved in the event.

The good news is that the judged competition portion of the Festival will proceed as scheduled. Wineries have until July 3 to submit their wines for judging. All medal-winning wines will be announced on July 25.

For complete information, please visit our web site at:
https://www.whatcombeerandwinefoundation.org/awards-and-judging

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The 2019 Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival turned out to be the biggest and best event in the Festival’s four-year history.

Over 500 attendees filled the Four Points by Sheraton Ballroom and were treated to over 225 wines from 61 different wine labels from Pacific Northwest wineries.

For a complete list of the medal-winning wines, go to www.BellinghamNorthwestWineFestival.com

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Get ready for THE premiere food and wine tasting event in Northwest Washington!

The 4th Annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 10, 2019 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.

The Festival returns to the Four Points by Sheraton Grand Ballroom in Bellingham and will include up to four hours of tasting, medals and Best in Show presentation from an earlier judged competition, a silent auction of wine-related items, and an order desk for post-event purchases of your favorite Festival wines.

Expect the same impressive tasting list from up to 55 Pacific Northwest wineries, along with passed appetizers and small plates from eight Whatcom County restaurants, plus two distilleries and one brewery. This is a culinary extravaganza not to be missed!

Complete information including ticket purchases can be found on the Festival web site at www.BellinghamNorthwestWineFestival.com

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The 3rd Annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival was another smashing success.

53 wineries from the Pacific Northwest poured over 175 wines at the August 4, 2018 event.

Festivalgoers also had the chance to taste a number of delectable food samples from eight Whatcom County restaurants as well as beer tastes from Bellingham’s Stones Throw Brewery and spirits from Fremont Mischief Distillery and Paraty Spirits.

In addition, the evening included a medal presentation from an earlier judged competition that included 22 golds, 3 double golds and the Best in Show award which went to the Hedges Family Estate 2016 Syrah.

For a list of all of the 2018 medal winners go to www.BellinghamNorthwestWineFestival.com

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The newly-launched Discover Washington Wine web site is up and running and should serve as your go-to reference point for information about all the State’s wine regions, wineries, and tasting rooms.

The site provides you with an alphabetical listing, by city, of every winery in Washington. This is an invaluable tool for Northwest wine lovers planning to travel or who’d like to recommend wineries to others in a specific geographic region.

There are also some great articles focusing on all things wine-related including features on varietals, vineyards, winemakers, and much more.

Click on the “Things to Check Out” link for instant access to this incredible new site!

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By all accounts, the 2nd Annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival was a huge success. Over 400 attendees filled the Grand Ballroom of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on August 5, 2017 and were treated to an incredible array of good food and excellent wines.

31 gold medals and 6 double golds (unanimous gold honors by the panel’s five judges) were also awarded during the evening. Winthrop Washington’s Lost River Winery earned Best in Show honors for its 2013 Merlot.

For a complete list of medal winners visit www.BellinghamNorthwestWineFestival.com