Local wineries uncork pre-holiday event

Photos courtesy of Perry Preston

WINEMAKER PERRY PRESTON CRUSHES AND FERMENTS WINE GRAPES.

Puget Sound inhabitants do not have to travel very far to get a great bottle of wine this holiday season. To help residents find the perfect vino, five regional wineries have converged to host a Pre-Holiday Wine Tasting from Nov. 21-22.

The event will have everything wine aficionados adore, including a complementary wine glass and access to sample each of the unique tastes from around the Sound.

Perry Preston is the owner of Stina’s Cellars in University Place and is one of the wineries that will be participating in the event. He says he has been trying to raise awareness about Puget Sound wineries located south of Seattle.

“This is just a familiarization tour for people here down south,” Preston said. “We’ve been listing the event on every website we can think of.”

During this event, Preston said participants should expect their experience to differ from events hosted by the mega-wineries on the east side of the state.  

“We’re really small, so tasters are going to be able to chat with the winemakers,” he said. “Most of these wineries are family or single person operated.”

Preston has made another promise to participants – every participating winery will be completely different from the last.

Edgewood’s Spyder Lake winery specializes in handcrafted and fruit-inspired wines made from produce plucked at local farms. Their extensive wine list includes products made from cherry, marionberry and peach – just to name a few.

Farther south, down highway 512, is Eatonville’s Stringtown Cellars. Owner and winemaker John Adams has been growing grapes in the Puget Sound Appellation and making wine from them since 1992. He opened the winery in 2007, under the label “The Winery at the Farm.” His small tasting room offers everything from chardonnay to a “farmhouse red,” using blends of grapes grown on site and from Eastern Washington’s Columbia and Yakima valleys.

Wine is not the only thing one might find on this farm, however. Adams also operates Stringtown Farms Lavender Farm, specializing in lavender-infused soaps, honey, sachets and other products.

Back in Tacoma, Coates Winery will be offering samples of its cabernet sauvignon called Pont 21, which uses grapes from Washington’s Yakima Valley.

The other Tacoma-based winery is Vino Aquino. After recently moving to a new location on 6th Avenue, this family-owned winery remains committed to helping the home winemaker produce a personalized wine by providing all the supplies they need to start. Vino Aquino also offers a wide variety of house-made wines, from the light and sweet to the hardy bold reds.

Those who participate in this event will experience a diverse taste of what the small but growing Western Washington winemakers

have to offer. Preston hopes this wine tasting will become an annual event in the South Sound.

“There has been some serious growth since our winery got licensed in 2006,” he said. “We are hoping to attract more wineries down in the area with this event, too. We want people to

know that they don’t have to be in Woodinville to get good wine.”

The Pre-Holiday Wine Tasting costs $15 and includes a wine glass and admission. Hours for the event are Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Participants who visit all five wineries will be entered for a chance to win a wine-themed gift basket. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.localwineevents.com/events/detail/274700/pre-holiday-wine-tasting. For more information, call (253) 227-9748.

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