There are now 650 wineries in WA State

[Roy Hersh]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_ ... ayarea.com

[Melanie R.]

Surely you mean 650 wineries (not wines)?

I have been reading "Washington Wines and Wineries" by Paul Gregutt and getting a history lesson. The Washington wine industry is so young, and it's exciting to think about how it might change and grow.

I feel privileged to live in an area so near all the wineries of Woodinville, and a short drive from both the Yakima valley and Walla Walla areas. I don't know that I would have discovered wine otherwise. I visited Facelli Winery this past weekend, where the winemaker himself signed the bottle of wine that we took home with us.

Hurrah for Washington wines!

[Eric Menchen]

I was presuming wineries, otherwise I would say I'm not surprised as I expect there are 650 wines in Roy's cellar.

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, I did mean wineries (thanks for the heads up) and yes, there are still 650+ Ports in Roy's wine cellar.

Lou Facelli is a very fine man and I hope he lives long and prospers. In 1996 when I moved here in Sept., I visited his winery on my first exploration of Woodinville when there were only 4-5 wineries in the entire area. He was signing the 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon bottling at that time and boy did those beauties deliver throughout the rest of the decade. Very reasonably priced back then, that's for sure. He made a very fine Sangiovese too.

At that time, there were only 82 wineries in all of WA State (now there's half that many just in Woodinville, and not a single grape grows there that goes into a wine bottle) and that is not a long time ago! Having access to Yakima, Walla Walla and other appellations around the Columbia Valley is a huge bonus for those into wines. It is FAR friendlier, much less costly to visit and especially less expensive to taste, than Napa/'Noma.

[Melanie R.]

Yes, I love the friendly, unpretentious nature of the wine scene here. I've found "wine people" to be some of the nicest, most generous and welcoming people I've ever met.