As the global wine industry reinvents itself for twenty first-century palates, Washington is poised to become as important and influential as California on the world stage. National and international attention has brought interest in the state's wines to an all-time high. Yet, in just the past few years, a tidal wave of change has rolled over the state's wine industry. To keep wine enthusiasts thoroughly up to date, Paul Gregutt has now completely revised and expanded his critically acclaimed guide to Washington's best grapes, vineyards, wines, winemakers, and wineries. With twice as many winery and vineyard profiles, updated tasting notes, and new recommended producers for each grape variety, this edition of Washington Wines and Wineries will continue to be the definitive reference on the subject.
Washington Wines and Wineries
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Critical, in-depth look at the wine culture of Washington. . . Essential."--New York Times
"A serious analysis of Washington wine that is seriously interesting."--Wine Economist
You can live without the new edition, but only if you have the original. To have both is. . . an embarrassment of riches.--Cornichon Blog
"A very good read and a bible for anyone eager to tap into a region on a mission."--Jancisrobinson.com
"Paul Gregutt has done it again! If you have any interest in Washington State wines, you need to get a copy of his latest book."--Wine Peeps
From the Inside Flap
Praise for the First Edition:
"Read this book for its focus on the vineyards, grapes and important producers of this burgeoning wine region. . ..a handy reference."--Wine Spectator
"[Gregutt] looks in depth at the land, its people and its wines. . ..A refreshingly unpedantic way to keep track of all those wines now appearing in stores."--Eric Asimov, The New York Times
"A superb book. . ..For those wishing to explore Washington wines in greater depth."--The Wine Advocate
"[A] book to study, take notes on, and savor over time in order to absorb its considerable value. . ..For those who want to gain an education on the country's second largest wine region (as well as become infected by the author's enthusiasm for it), this is a seminal book."--Vinography
"The most comprehensive and authoritative book on Washington wines. Paul has a lively style that makes the story of Washington wine country come alive."--Natalie Maclean, Nat Decants
"A timely, useful, and most enjoyable addition to wine literature."--The World of Fine Wine
"No one who loves Washington wines--in fact, no one serious about wine--should fail to get a copy."--Oz Clarke
"Read this book for its focus on the vineyards, grapes and important producers of this burgeoning wine region. . ..a handy reference."--Wine Spectator
"[Gregutt] looks in depth at the land, its people and its wines. . ..A refreshingly unpedantic way to keep track of all those wines now appearing in stores."--Eric Asimov, The New York Times
"A superb book. . ..For those wishing to explore Washington wines in greater depth."--The Wine Advocate
"[A] book to study, take notes on, and savor over time in order to absorb its considerable value. . ..For those who want to gain an education on the country's second largest wine region (as well as become infected by the author's enthusiasm for it), this is a seminal book."--Vinography
"The most comprehensive and authoritative book on Washington wines. Paul has a lively style that makes the story of Washington wine country come alive."--Natalie Maclean, Nat Decants
"A timely, useful, and most enjoyable addition to wine literature."--The World of Fine Wine
"No one who loves Washington wines--in fact, no one serious about wine--should fail to get a copy."--Oz Clarke
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As the wine guru at the Seattle Times, Paul Gregutt is the best-known wine writer in the state. Three years ago, to great acclaim, he published his "essential guide" to Washington wines and wineries. The second edition, just released, provides a few necessary updates and several welcome refinements.
For starters, Washington now has something like 650 bonded wineries, and nothing short of a phone book is going to be all-encompassing. Instead, Gregutt focuses his attention on the 200 or so wineries that offer quality and innovation (double the number in the first book). His first edition named 13 "leaders," 30 "specialists," followed by "bench" wineries and "rookies." The industry keeps growing, and now it's time to reassess. The top rank is now called "Five Stars" and includes 10 newcomers. One "leader," Matthews Cellars, has been kicked off the field, persued by unhappy investors. A second, Hedges Family Estate, was demoted (unfairly, in my view), compromised perhaps by becoming too popular. Even so, Chateau Ste. Michelle retains its spot despite (deservedly in my view) its commercial success). Eyebrows may well be raised by the promotion of K Vintners to five-star rank, especially since Charles Smith Wines (same owner) already has a (gulp) four-star rating. It's good to see Brian Carter promoted from rookie to four stars, good to see Fielding Estates awarded top rank despite its lack of a modern winery, good to see attention focused on Corliss (four stars for now) for the potential of its financial underwriting.
The star of the book is not a winery but a place, Red Mountain, an unpreposessing, "brownish lump of half-baked bread" at the eastern end of the Yakima Valley. It's the most homogenous of Washington's delimited growing zones (referred to as American Viticultural Areas), and, at 4,000 acres, the smallest. The Department of Natural Resources has sunk a couple of deep-bore wells to irrigate the vineyards, which supply grapes to 15 estate wineries on the mountain and to buyers around the state.
There are thousands of vineyards growing dozens of grape varieties in the state's 11 AVAs, and some, to be sure are better than others. Some have natural advantages of place, others are exceptionally well managed. You can't say the same of a commodity crop like corn, for example; vinifera grapes are the essential raw material for fine wine, and it takes experience to spot the potential of great cabernet, say, "on the hoof." The top vineyards in Gregutt's book are Boushey, Cayuse, Celilo. Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, and Klipsun. Not household names, except to wine geeks who understand that it's the vineyard, more than anything else, that determines what a wine will taste like. All wine starts in the vineyard; the winemaker's job is not to "craft" the wine but to stay out of the way. ("Crafting" is what you do after you've screwed up.) Then it's the marketing department's job to sell the bottles. (That's where Charles Smith of K Vintners excels.)
It's a well-written, well-edited book that should be read for more than reference material. Wonderful anecdotes, for instance. Industry veteran Allen Shoup weighs in on the high price he paid for the experimental Wallula Vineyard, with a spectacular view overlooking the Columbia River. The Den Hoed family had planted a dozen "lesser" varieties (barbera, dolcetto, tempranillo) on its small, terraced plots; Shoup renamed it The Benches and will use its grapes for his new Longshadows venture: "It's too valuable for experimenting."
Gregutt is a scrupulous writer (you've got to read his blog) and humble reviewer, who, like a plate umpire, does no more than call them as he sees them. You want to quibble over his numbers, you're out of luck; Gregutt is pretty much the only game left. National bigshots from the syndicated newsletters blow into town from time to time and anoint their predictable favorites, but Gregutt's here all year long, writing and tasting. You can live without the new edition, but only if you have the original. To have both is like having a second case of Leonetti for everyday drinking, an embarrassment of riches.
For starters, Washington now has something like 650 bonded wineries, and nothing short of a phone book is going to be all-encompassing. Instead, Gregutt focuses his attention on the 200 or so wineries that offer quality and innovation (double the number in the first book). His first edition named 13 "leaders," 30 "specialists," followed by "bench" wineries and "rookies." The industry keeps growing, and now it's time to reassess. The top rank is now called "Five Stars" and includes 10 newcomers. One "leader," Matthews Cellars, has been kicked off the field, persued by unhappy investors. A second, Hedges Family Estate, was demoted (unfairly, in my view), compromised perhaps by becoming too popular. Even so, Chateau Ste. Michelle retains its spot despite (deservedly in my view) its commercial success). Eyebrows may well be raised by the promotion of K Vintners to five-star rank, especially since Charles Smith Wines (same owner) already has a (gulp) four-star rating. It's good to see Brian Carter promoted from rookie to four stars, good to see Fielding Estates awarded top rank despite its lack of a modern winery, good to see attention focused on Corliss (four stars for now) for the potential of its financial underwriting.
The star of the book is not a winery but a place, Red Mountain, an unpreposessing, "brownish lump of half-baked bread" at the eastern end of the Yakima Valley. It's the most homogenous of Washington's delimited growing zones (referred to as American Viticultural Areas), and, at 4,000 acres, the smallest. The Department of Natural Resources has sunk a couple of deep-bore wells to irrigate the vineyards, which supply grapes to 15 estate wineries on the mountain and to buyers around the state.
There are thousands of vineyards growing dozens of grape varieties in the state's 11 AVAs, and some, to be sure are better than others. Some have natural advantages of place, others are exceptionally well managed. You can't say the same of a commodity crop like corn, for example; vinifera grapes are the essential raw material for fine wine, and it takes experience to spot the potential of great cabernet, say, "on the hoof." The top vineyards in Gregutt's book are Boushey, Cayuse, Celilo. Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, and Klipsun. Not household names, except to wine geeks who understand that it's the vineyard, more than anything else, that determines what a wine will taste like. All wine starts in the vineyard; the winemaker's job is not to "craft" the wine but to stay out of the way. ("Crafting" is what you do after you've screwed up.) Then it's the marketing department's job to sell the bottles. (That's where Charles Smith of K Vintners excels.)
It's a well-written, well-edited book that should be read for more than reference material. Wonderful anecdotes, for instance. Industry veteran Allen Shoup weighs in on the high price he paid for the experimental Wallula Vineyard, with a spectacular view overlooking the Columbia River. The Den Hoed family had planted a dozen "lesser" varieties (barbera, dolcetto, tempranillo) on its small, terraced plots; Shoup renamed it The Benches and will use its grapes for his new Longshadows venture: "It's too valuable for experimenting."
Gregutt is a scrupulous writer (you've got to read his blog) and humble reviewer, who, like a plate umpire, does no more than call them as he sees them. You want to quibble over his numbers, you're out of luck; Gregutt is pretty much the only game left. National bigshots from the syndicated newsletters blow into town from time to time and anoint their predictable favorites, but Gregutt's here all year long, writing and tasting. You can live without the new edition, but only if you have the original. To have both is like having a second case of Leonetti for everyday drinking, an embarrassment of riches.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author is no doubt is the home town expert. When he sticks to technical information the book is a pure joy. The book is an excellent resource although his fact checking on the second edition leaves a lot to be desired. I enjoy wine and have been fortunate to travel the world seeing vineyards and wineries up close from an early age. There is only one thing I care about is the quality of the wine I'm drinking and buying. The winery having an interesting history is nice to know but it should not affect their standing in the ratings. Only the quality of the current wines should. Unfortunately the author seems affected by peer pressure to rate wineries on how "interesting" they are. There are glaring omissions in discussing AVA's leaving out some of the biggest vineyards in the AVA.
Columbia Crest is I'll grant you a boring supermarket brand. But it delivers what customers and most (not the author) wine critics want. All the major wine publications rate their reserve wines extremely highly, in fact Wine Spectator recently named a Columbia Crest Reserve Cab the #1 wine in the world. For a decade now they have earned more 90 point ratings than any other winery in the world. The author only rates them four stars. Maybe he is offended that their barrel room at 14 acres is larger than some boutique vineyards. The author seems full of his own importance tasting over 20 wines a day and feeling that wineries should listen to critics. He never gets tired of self adulation. Wineries are not in the business of pleasing critics, especially one critic. They are in the business of selling wine to customers. That is how they stay in business. The author would do his readers, who are his customers, a huge service by saying which wineries do which styles well. Even if it is a popular style he does not agree with. To say that Pinot Noir is only experimental in the Puget sound AVA is elitist and disrespectful. Wineries in the Puget sound AVA have been growing Pinot Noir commercially since 1992. Yes the acres is small but then so is the total acreage of all grapes in this AVA. I doubt there is a higher percentage of Tempranillo in the Columbia Valley AVA.
This is a great book to give you a background on Washington wines. The five star wineries will deliver the best conversation but not always the best wine. Wine authors and critics are as a group it seems blind to rating the wineries tasting rooms for their friendliness to customers. There are a few bloggers picking up the slack here. This book is like my GPS it will get you very close, but from there you need to decide on your own. I would recommend this book to friends. But if you don't taste pencil shavings when drinking wine take it with a pinch of salt. I've had $20 Cabs from the unlisted and risings star wineries that put the $60 reserve cabs from his 5 star wineries to shame. My summer vacation was touring Washington wineries and I have lived in Washing since 2000.
What is great about Washington is that in the most unlikely places you will find almost unheard of wineries producing amazing wines at very affordable prices. Buyer beware many wineries including some of the authors 5 star listings are so proud of their average offerings, that they are asking ridiculous prices for them. In fact the further you get from the tightly packed clusters of wine tasting facilities the better yours odds of finding the gems.
Columbia Crest is I'll grant you a boring supermarket brand. But it delivers what customers and most (not the author) wine critics want. All the major wine publications rate their reserve wines extremely highly, in fact Wine Spectator recently named a Columbia Crest Reserve Cab the #1 wine in the world. For a decade now they have earned more 90 point ratings than any other winery in the world. The author only rates them four stars. Maybe he is offended that their barrel room at 14 acres is larger than some boutique vineyards. The author seems full of his own importance tasting over 20 wines a day and feeling that wineries should listen to critics. He never gets tired of self adulation. Wineries are not in the business of pleasing critics, especially one critic. They are in the business of selling wine to customers. That is how they stay in business. The author would do his readers, who are his customers, a huge service by saying which wineries do which styles well. Even if it is a popular style he does not agree with. To say that Pinot Noir is only experimental in the Puget sound AVA is elitist and disrespectful. Wineries in the Puget sound AVA have been growing Pinot Noir commercially since 1992. Yes the acres is small but then so is the total acreage of all grapes in this AVA. I doubt there is a higher percentage of Tempranillo in the Columbia Valley AVA.
This is a great book to give you a background on Washington wines. The five star wineries will deliver the best conversation but not always the best wine. Wine authors and critics are as a group it seems blind to rating the wineries tasting rooms for their friendliness to customers. There are a few bloggers picking up the slack here. This book is like my GPS it will get you very close, but from there you need to decide on your own. I would recommend this book to friends. But if you don't taste pencil shavings when drinking wine take it with a pinch of salt. I've had $20 Cabs from the unlisted and risings star wineries that put the $60 reserve cabs from his 5 star wineries to shame. My summer vacation was touring Washington wineries and I have lived in Washing since 2000.
What is great about Washington is that in the most unlikely places you will find almost unheard of wineries producing amazing wines at very affordable prices. Buyer beware many wineries including some of the authors 5 star listings are so proud of their average offerings, that they are asking ridiculous prices for them. In fact the further you get from the tightly packed clusters of wine tasting facilities the better yours odds of finding the gems.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great book on the Washington wines and the history. Had been looking for a good book covering these wines and I would put this one at the top.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quality reference. Requires updates
Paul is knowledgeable and an able writer. This book will be a great introduction for budding Washington wine enthusiasts, and will offer some nuanced perspectives for those... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Lee Odell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pre-trip Bible
Purchased this book before a trip to Washington's wine areas. Extensive history and review of the wine industry in Washington today. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wayne E. Swigert
3.0 out of 5 stars
I guess I am the dissenting vote (wine industry professional's review)
I'll first recommend a better guide (available for $2.50 on Kindle): Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest: A Guide to the Wine Countries of Washington, Oregon,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christopher Barrett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome winery guide
I got this for our friends who moved to Richland WA. Needless to say they love their wine and they have plowed through this book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by SBS
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great For WA Wines
The author knows his stuff. This is a great tool to have in planning a trip through the WA wine country, or even in going to the local wine store. Read more
Published 4 months ago by End User Consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Must have" for fans of Washington wines
Think of this as a wonderful personal history of the Washington wine industry. If you're a fan of Washington wines (if you're not, you should be! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ed Lazowska
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST
A very well written book. It was exactly what I was looking for to prime us for our first venture into Washington wineries and vineyards. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Fred Zimmer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Essential but Flawed by Pulled Punches
I agree that this is the leading book on Washington wines, but partly by default (i.e., until Sean Sullivan goes the dead tree route). Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. E. Sales
5.0 out of 5 stars
essential
Pithy, appropriately opinionated, and prospective, Gregutt's 2nd edition is both a snapshot in time and a glimpse into the future of Washington winemaking. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Andy Plymale
5.0 out of 5 stars
For anyone who really wants to learn about wine, and Washington wine...
I guess it's never too late to learn. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and have recently been discovering what a phenomenal region this is for viniculture. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Neophyte
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