Trecking Through Washington Wine Country- Part 2

To break up the 4 1/2 hour drive to Walla Walla, we spread it over two days in order to taste along the way. The first stop, just 30 miles east of Seattle, was the natural wonder, Snoqualmie Falls and the exquisite Salish Lodge and Spa, a renovated inn that dates back to 1916 when it served as a rest stop. Perched above the 268-foot tall and 65-foot deep waterfall, there may not be a more peaceful spot for a night's rest. The lodge also houses a stunning restaurant, with a Wine Spectator Awarded wine list, and one of the biggest in Washington with over 1,000 labels and over 5,000 bottles in the cellar. Executive Chef Chuck Courtnery's culinary prowess shows in exquisitely presented dishes like day boat scallops with Asian spices, sweet potato puree and pineapple crisps, and his duo of Alaskan halibut and salmon served with Jerusalem artichoke puree, soft poached quail egg and a lemon caper creme fraiche. For a more casual but but no lesser of a view of the Falls, The Attic bar on the second floor also serves wonderful local fare such as Dungeness Crab and hearty burgers with the same broad wine list.

If time had permitted, we would have loved to enjoy the full-service spa, where the extensive range of spa treatments add to the Northwest tranquility. But with wining and dining our true mission, we had to move out early the next morning.

Driving just another 40 or so miles east landed us in the Cascade Mountain town of Cle Elum-Roslyn where SwiftWater Cellars is located (301 Rope Rider Drive, Cle Elum, Washington), on the grounds of the Suncadia Resort, the former Coal Mine #9. Owners Don and Lori Watts, of the large-scale frozen food veteran Watts Family and first-generation farmers who recently sold their business to ConAgra, built a spectacular lodge that houses the winery. The premium wines, under the namesake label, are produced with grapes from the Northwest, including the Wahluck Slope, Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills, with Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon. Wines are bursting with ripe fruit yet show restraint and elegance. Notable wines include the 2009 Oregon Swiftwater Pinot Noir with flavors of black cherry, raspberry and dark plums, and a 2007 Proprietary Red, a Bordeaux Blend with grapes from Walla Walla and Horse Heaven Hills.

Under the No. 9 label, named after the coal mine that once inhabited the property, the winemaking team of Tony Rynders and Linda Trotta produces a range of wines, from Semillion and Chardonnay to an Oregon Pinot Noir, a luxurious Proprietor red Bordeaux blend and Syrah. These are wines of nice character, more for an everyday meal, all reasonably priced.

So far, it's been a great pleasure tasting Washington wine. I'll post the rest of my journey shortly!

Tagged as: wine, wine tasting and winery

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Laura Levy Shatkin served for 10 years as food and wine critic for the Chicago Reader. Later, she became an Emmy-nominated executive producer for Taste, a 30-minute food and wine show on NBC-5 Chicago, which later merged into www.WineTasteTV.com, where Ms. Levy is a partner/owner. Today, she teaches private wine classes and hosts wine parties for consumers and firms, and continues to tell the video stories of wine, girlfriends and wine travel on her TCW blog, Wine…ing Women.