My husband and I started in North Vancouver at Lonsdale Quay, which is our favorite North Vancouver hotel.
This is a continuation of a series about former Mercer Islanders who went on to become winemakers and/or winery owners.
Continuing with my series on six former Mercer Islanders who are now winemaker/winery owners, I introduce Leslie Balsley. She moved onto the Island in sixth grade and attended Mercer View Elementary and North Mercer Junior High, and graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1976.
I remember when I first met Nina Buty and her husband, Caleb Foster. I was recovering from a foot operation when Nina called in June of 2001. She wanted to bring by some wines to taste.
Everyone knew a kid like this. You would visit a friend, and his sister would have all the dolls lined up with plates and small cups in front of each of them. Pretty soon she would be planning all her siblings’ birthday parties, and she would progress to all the family events.
Has it been 10 years since Maryhill Winery in Goldendale opened? It seems like yesterday when Don Leuthold and his wife, Caroline, were commuting back and forth from Mercer Island to help their son, Craig, and daughter-in-law, Vicki, launch their new winery.
You know when you have known someone for a long time, but you cannot remember when you met? That is the case with Chris Howell, winemaker for Cain Vineyard and Winery. Actually, I think I met Howell’s mom, Barbara, before I met him.
Our relatively small community has fostered the development of seven winemakers and/or winery owners. Six are Washington wineries, and one is in Napa Valley in California.
Many Islanders snowbird to warmer states during the colder, wetter Washington winter months. I kept hearing about Arizona wines from many of these snowbirds. When I planned a trip to the Grand Canyon, using Sedona as a base camp, researching the emerging Arizona wine industry was high on my list of things to do.
Again, my favorite tasting of the year is coming up. It is the 14th annual Taste Washington on March 27. Anyone who knows me appreciates what an avid fan I am of Washington wines.
With the opening of a new wine store on Mercer Island and the change in state liquor laws, there are a variety of wine tastings to choose from on Mercer Island.
The newest addition to the Island is The Olde Wine Store, next to Noah’s Bagels, managed by Maria Zeimet, a graduate of the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College.
We recently traveled to the Virgin Islands to visit Rod and Jill Hearne, former Island residents. In six-month increments over the past 10 years, they have sailed Lookfar, their 50-foot sloop, from Seattle to Mexico and through the Panama Canal.
While I notice many consumers have learned that blended wines are not inferior wines, I still see that some almost wrinkle their noses when they see blends. I think they assume that blends are leftover scraps instead of the careful, thoughtful steps formulated by the winemaker.
