Customer Reviews

Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide

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Paul Gregutt does an exceptional job of exploring Washington wine history and all that it entails. It not only validates many things that I knew from my own observations, it is also very educational. I learned much from his book and I will refer to it frequently in the future. I especially liked the rating process Paul developed for the wineries explored in the book. It made sense to me once I got past the idea that being below 90 on a 1 to 100 point scale can still be exceptional. This is a must read for anyone interested in Washington wines.

I thought I knew a lot about Washington wine before I read Paul Gregutt's book. No, HE knows a lot about Washington wine and I have just been schooled. I picked the book up at OS winery in the SSAW district in Seattle and could not put it down until I finished it. The book is divided into three sections: The history of Washington wine including both wine makers, wineries, and the best vineyards; a thorough review of the top 25% of the state's 500+ wineries, subdivided into three sections based on the length of time the wineries have been contributing consistently to the Washington wine industry; and a section on "foreign" imported winemakers who have been wise enough to relocate to Washington as well as what the most influential players in the Washington wine scene see for the future of the state. Gregutt uses his own rating system of 100 points that is completely different from the standards of RP, WA or WS, and I feel more accurate. He mentions literally dozens of bottles to seek out, which I have (at least a few) in the short time since reading the last page; I am not disappointed. This leads me to the conclusion that this book will serve as my guide for wine purchases going forward. Washington wine, although relatively young as an industry, consistently engages my palette with intriguing flavors that tread the line between California fruit forward and French earthy wines, thus creating its own world-class style. Gregutt explains why this is and gives a solid foundation for understanding terroir and the various AVAs in Washington State. Washington wine rightly deserves the accolades it gets, but also confounds as to why it is not more famous globally. Gregutt addresses this conundrum. Lastly, Gregutt's writing style is lively and entertaining and his abilities as the state's premier wine writer are fully on display when he gives notes on all of the state's great wines. My prediction is that time will prove this book to be the most important ever written on Washington wine.

No wine writer knows more about Washington wines than Paul Gregutt.
This book is very thorough in its discussion of the history, appellations, grape varieties, top vineyards and top wineries of Washington State. He makes a persuasive case for why Washington wines are world-class.

As Gregutt himself says, fifteen years ago a book like this might have covered every winery in the state and maybe also all of the vineyards. Today he can write this book focusing on only the top 25% most significant wineries and vineyards and it's still a lot of information to take in.

Washington is one of the most exciting wine areas in the world. The growth in output is spectacular, but even more spectacular is the growth in international reputation. Gregutt tries to take the reader behind the scenes and into the history of wine in Washington.

At the same time, he explains that everything he is writing about is still in flux. Even the oldest vineyards are usually still run by the person who planted the first vines, and Washington is still searching for exactly what its real specialties are going to be.

It would be interesting to revisit this book in 20, 50, or 200 years and see what has become of Washington wines by that time.

This is not a boring list of "90-point" wines, or really even a guide to individual wines or wineries at all. Instead it is about the wine industry and wine scene in the state.

Let Paul Gregutt be your guide through the nation's second largest wine producer - Washington State. If you're a certified cork-dork or a newbie, this is a must read. Paul explores Washington's wine history to the finished product. The read is far from textbook as I enjoyed Paul's sense of humor and honesty throughout the book.

Paul Gregutt truly understands Washington wine, and it is very well demonstrated in his book (Washington Wines and Wineries). Paul does a terrific job covering the history of the Washington wine industry and many of the top vineyards. The most intriguing part of the book has to be the way Paul provides detailed information on the "Top 25%" of the states wineries. Since many of the top Washington wines are produced in limited quanity by very young wineries, this book provides a much needed resource to help navigate through the current releases. Whether you are a newcomer to Washington wine or a connoisseur, this book is a must read.

Paul Gregutt has written about wines in Washington for over 20 years. He covers just about everything you would want to know about wines and wineries in Washington.

His first chapter is a brief (13 pages) history of the wine industry in Washington. He then discusses Washington's eight AVA's (American Viticultural Areas) in considerable detail (21 pages with 6 color maps). This is followed by a comprehensive discussion of the 15 white wine grapes and the 20 red wine grapes found in Washington - and includes which wineries he thinks do the best with each grape (31 pages). He discusses the best ten vineyards (as opposed to wineries) in the state (28 pages).

This is followed by an extensive discussion of 120 different wineries, broken down into four categories: 1. The best (14 wineries in 32 pages), 2. Specialists - 30 wineries which are particularly focused on one or two wines, where they are particularly reliable (40 pages), 3. The third group mentioned is 30 wineries which show potential for excellence in one or more wines and have released at least five vintages (27 pages), 4. The fourth group (46 wineries) is similar to the third, but have released fewer than five vintages(30 pages). These discussions include a short history of the winery, the owners, wine-makers, and other important people. It discusses their philosophy and goals, their principle wines, experiments, and side lines, their production, their plans, and their contributions to the wine industry.

The only drawback to this book is the "new age" tasting notes, which ascribe very improbable flavors to the wines tasted. (e.g., "[The Walla Walla bottling of Seven Hills Syrah] sports an invigorating, lifted nose that combines lemon and lime and orange peel with raspberry syrup and mocha. A rare Walla Walla Valley-grown tempranillo is dark and gamy and exotic; a beguiling blend of roasted meats, vanilla, licorice, clove and black cherry." or "[Long Shadows] Pedestal...Lovely notes of bacon and smoked meats permeate the thick, juicy fruit,") Friends, if you get a syrah which tastes like lemon, lime, orange peel and raspberry syrup, you might want to make sure you didn't get the Sangria by mistake. If you get a wine that tastes like bacon or other smoked meats, I would strongly recommend that you send it back.

If I could sit down with Paul in a tasting group I am assured that I would be utterly amazed by the amount of information he has tapped into that makes him so vital to the Washington wine industry. As a writer, investigator, connoisseur, & diplomat of all that is worthwhile in the Washington Wine realm. Rest assured you will have the upper hand on a vast extension of information from the distant past to our now proportionately thriving world of grapes in the Scabland's to the valleys in the Yakima, Columbia, & Walla Walla wine regions. Enjoy, MD

I agree with the book's bold subtitle. And not only is this survey essential, but it is engaging and entertaining -- my standard for good writing is that I would enjoy reading it whether or not I'm interested in the subject, and Gregutt passes that test with aplomb.

Of particular value -- and at the heart of the book -- is Gregutt's well researched and knowledgeable summary of each of wine grape grown in the region, with a listing of "best bottles" of each varietal. This section of the book by itself would make a handy stand-alone pocket publication.

Gregutt's choice to limit his reviews to the top 20-25% of wineries, in terms of quality/style/value, regardless of size, leaves off the radar screen some fairly large wineries that might have broader national distribution (Hogue, for example), but out-of-region readers with favorable shipping laws would do well directly purchase wines from some of the smaller wineries that he suggests.

Paul has a great deal of experience with the Washington Wine scene, and it shows. This should be called the Washington Wine Encyclopedia. The book is full of very current and relevant information about the blossoming (and Booming) Washington Wine industry, and the top 25% (His Opinion) of the wineries. I found the history portion of the book fascinating.

If you have any interest in the Washington wine industry, this is a must read!