{"id":1130,"date":"2013-09-24T05:16:35","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T12:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danthewineguy.com\/?p=1130"},"modified":"2013-09-30T05:28:43","modified_gmt":"2013-09-30T12:28:43","slug":"1130","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/?p=1130","title":{"rendered":"Spokane Area Has You Covered With a Number of Good Wineries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u2019ll wrap up my three-part series on Spokane wineries by sharing some of the highlights during a visit last month.<\/p>\n

At Townshend Cellar<\/strong>, owner\/winemaker Don Townshend and his sons Michael and Brendon oversee a winery that produces 18,000 cases annually from over 20 varietals. They also own Spokane\u2019s Lone Canary and Mountain Dome labels.<\/p>\n

\"null\"I was impressed with how long Townshend holds their vintages back prior to release, allowing the wines to develop additional character and complexity.<\/p>\n

Standouts include the 2007 Lemberger (about $20) with dried plum aromatics, notes of strawberry and cinnamon and a finish of spiced cherry; and the just released 2005 Cabernet Franc (about $28), which is still a bit assertive and earthy and could benefit from even more time in the cellar.<\/p>\n

Townshend has just opened a new tasting room and personable general manager Jill Rider will provide you with excellent service during your visit.<\/p>\n

One of the pleasant surprises on the Spokane wine scene is the people and wines I found at Overbluff Cellars<\/strong>. Head winemaker Jerry Gibson will keep you smiling and \u201cwowing\u201d over the quality of his wines and together with new owner\/winemaker Darby McKee, they\u2019ve developed a hidden-gem-of-a-boutique-winery worth seeking out.<\/p>\n

Everything I sampled at Overbluff I thoroughly enjoyed. And because Gibson sources some of his grapes from the same vineyards as local winemaker Peter Osvaldik, you may find yourself thinking you\u2019re sipping something from Dynasty Cellars.<\/p>\n

The best of the best include two Les Collines Vineyard wines: the 2009 Merlot (about $23) with ultra-black cherry flavors and a touch of toasted vanilla; and the 2010 Defiance (about $29), a jet-black syrah with inky fruits and a whisper of smoky spices.<\/p>\n

Two downtown tasting rooms, located within steps of the Davenport Hotel, are particularly notable. Cougar Crest Winery<\/strong>, managed by Samuel Crosby (grandnephew of former Spokane resident, Bing) will pour you samples and offer his wine tasting acumen.<\/p>\n

\"null\"There\u2019s plenty to choose from and I\u2019d suggest starting with the 2011 Viognier and the 2007 Estate Syrah (about $20 each) before diving into the 2008 Malbec (about $32).<\/p>\n

Also be sure to visit nearby Whitestone Vineyard and Winery<\/strong>. Their Spokane tasting room is an alternative location to one of the more isolated estate vineyards in Washington: on the shores of Lake Roosevelt, north of the town of Wilbur.<\/p>\n

Winemaker Michael Haig tells me the vineyard will be open to the public in early October. In the meantime, he\u2019ll pour you a glass of his stunning 2009 Cabernet Franc (about $28) and the seamless, superbly balanced 2009 Estate Meritage (about $35).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I\u2019ll wrap up my three-part series on Spokane wineries by sharing some of the highlights during a visit last month. At Townshend Cellar, owner\/winemaker Don Townshend and his sons Michael and Brendon oversee a winery that produces 18,000 cases annually from over 20 varietals. They also own Spokane\u2019s Lone Canary and Mountain Dome labels. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-wines","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1130"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1135,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions\/1135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}