Washington Wine Month is just about here! We have one of the best wine-producing regions in the United States, hands down. I say this not because I live here but because it is well-known. The diversity and quality of wine made in Washington State is appreciated by many worldwide. Although I’m not a huge points guy, Washington State wine receives some serious scores from wine critics, and the prices are quite a bit less than those in our biggest wine-producing state…California, which also garners some serious scores from wine critics. The big difference between the two states is price. The top-scoring wines from California are typically close to twice the price of the top-scoring wines from Washington. Sometimes, it’s three times the price. We are fortunate to live here amongst such great wines.
During March, most of my episodes on my YouTube channel will focus on Washington wines. It will be fun to discover some of the great wines from the state. I’ll start with red blends since it is such a hot category. The cool part is that I will be able to find a lot of well-made wines under twenty bucks. That is super exciting for me! However, there is one varietal that will not make it on my channel in March. Do you know which one? That would be Pinot Noir. Yes, there are a few producers out there, such as Savage Grace, that can make good Pinot Noir. However, they are few and far between. I have tried quite a few and most should not have made it in the bottle. Just Saying. The one region where we may see some good Pinot is from the Columbia Gorge AVA, where Savage Grace resides. It makes sense since it is very close to the great Pinot-producing state…Oregon. However, I find it interesting how winemakers are drawn to the challenge of making Pinot Noir, which is known to be a tricky grape to deal with. All that aside, make sure you check out my reviews of Washington State wines on Stan The Wine Man TV during March.
I’m still intent on tackling the issue of declining wine sales in the U.S. and many other countries. My goal is to keep young people interested in wine. How can I and others do that? We must come to grips with the fact that one, they do not have a lot of discretionary income and two, they may feel intimidated by the wine world. Movies like Somm are focused on the intricacies of wine and how difficult it is to understand this most interesting subject. As wine writers and YouTubers, we need to dumb it down a bit. Understanding what’s in your glass is not rocket science. It can be, of course, but to attract the new wine drinker, we need to appeal to their desire to buy a good wine at a reasonable price. Their appreciation for the story behind the wine and what they should be looking for in a certain varietal will come later. The subject of wine can go into the geek zone for sure. Enjoying wine does not have to be geeky. I have so many thoughts on this subject and am working on an article addressing this issue. It’s in the works and will be out soon.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man