Sample new sustainable WA vintages at Seattle Taste Washington festival now through Monday
Taste Washington, one of the state’s largest food and wine festivals, has returned in full force after a pandemic-era semi-hiatus.
As part of this year’s event, which started on March 6 and runs through March 13, the Washington state wine world’s seminal Grand Tasting Event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12. Single-day general admission tickets are $129, while two-day tickets are $185. VIP tickets are also available.
“This is a big state, wineries are spread out,” said Chris Stone, vice president of marketing and communications with the Washington State Wine Commission, in an interview with McClatchy News. “Taste Washington gives you a chance to explore the entire state.”
Stone notes that you can meet the winemakers in person at the festival, hear their story and learn more about the vintages they are offering.
More than 230 wineries and restaurants will be featured. Some of the leading wine experts in America will be there, tasting and sharing their knowledge about Washington state wines.
This is the festival’s first full year of programming at Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle in three years. During the pandemic, the festival opted for socially distanced events.
“It’s going to be a family reunion of WA winemakers,” Stone said.
Taste Washington sustainable wines
A new feature of the re-launched and reimagined festival will be newly minted sustainable Washington state wines. The wines represent some of the output from sustainable Washington state wineries that launched through a new state program last year.
Dubbed Sustainable WA, the program uses a science-based approach tailored to local vineyard conditions and winery scale. There are currently more than 50 vineyards partnered with the program across over 11,000 acres of land, Stone said. Washington has more than 60,000 acres of wine vineyards.
Vineyards certified through the program must follow sound environmental practices that are also socially equitable and economically viable. Only vineyards can be considered certified, not wines or wineries. Wines made from the grapes of certified vineyards display the Sustainable WA logo.
Some wines, which are so far only rosé’s and whites, will be available for sampling and have a sign identifying them at Taste Washington.
One vineyard in the program that will be at Taste Washington this weekend is Kiona Vineyards from Benton City.
General manager JJ Williams is a third-generation winegrower and says coordinating with the Sustainable WA program displays his team’s commitment to producing environmentally sound wine.
“In the modern era, accountability and transparency are valued,” Williams said in a recent interview. “Having that industry-generated best-practices document – and then having a cross-reference and double-check by an independent third-party auditor – puts kind of a seal of authenticity on that claim [of sustainability].”
In addition to producing sustainable wine, Williams is packaging all of his wines in lightweight glass bottles. He says that heavier bottles have historically been associated with higher-quality drinks, but heavier bottles are more expensive to produce and ship. The glass containers also result in a higher carbon output.
Another vineyard that joined Sustainable WA and will be at the festival is Two Mountain Winery from Zillah.
Patrick Rawn, who is a fourth-generation winegrower, oversees vineyard operations. He said Two Mountain joined the initiative to invest in his operation long term while also taking care of his employees.
“If you’re not making any more grape farm ground, it’s on us to protect it and maintain it and improve it so future generations have the same opportunities that we had,” Rawn said in an interview.
What is sustainable wine?
Sustainable WA is a sustainable certification program that launched in 2022. The initiative is operated by Washington Winegrowers Association, who partnered with the Washington State Wine Commission, Washington Wine Industry Foundation and Washington Wine Institute to manage the statewide program.
For wine to be considered sustainable, 75% of its blend needs to originate from a sustainable wine vineyard, according to the Sustainable WA guidelines.
According to the sustainability initiative’s website, the program follows the tenets of sustainability: environment friendly, social equity and economic viability.
For vineyards and wineries to be eligible for the program, they must meet 83 requirements. These prerequisites are split into nine chapters:
Business practices and risk management
Human resources
Vineyard establishment and acquisition
Viticulture
Water management
Soil management
Pest management
Materials handling
Whole farm ecosystem and community
