It’s not all wine and roses; it’s tulips, too

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, April 14, 2007

It’s Tulip-trooping time up in the beautiful flatlands of the Skagit Valley, and tiptoeing through the tulips is always so much more enjoyable with a sip or two of wine.

This year’s Tulip Festival is marked by the evolution of a new winery association exclusive to the Skagit Valley. This association includes a few of our old friends and the emergence of some exciting new wineries that are causing a bit of a buzz up north and around the Puget Sound area.

Pasek Cellars is still doing its thing and cranking out the delicious wines produced with an array of interesting fermented commodities – Guava? Coffee? Passion fruit? The third question in this trilogy totally sums up what Pasek cellars has evolved to over the past few years. I know that a stop at the tasting room just off the Conway exit from I-5, heading toward La Conner, is a joyous union of passion, great fruit and creative alchemy. Their cranberry wine is still a phenomenon in the industry and remains the top seller, but it would be a mistake to stop in and not sample another of their options, including the annual commemorative Tulip festival wines, their blackberry wine, syrah (made in a dry style and a port style), pineapple, etc.

Just a hip and hop north and east from the Pasek Cellars tasting room are our good friends at Carpenter Creek Winery, 20376 E. Hickox Road, Mount Vernon). Jeff Hammer is definitely hammering out more delectable offerings each vintage. As always, the Riesling is a big hit, with its satisfying dollop of sweetness and crisp green-apple tartness. But I have to inform all you fans of big, rich and elegant red wine that the Carpenter Creek Reserve Cabernet Franc curled this cork dork’s toes and had me begging for more.

If you’re feeling adventurous after tuliping (it has become a verb in Skagit County) and would like to continue winery-ing (it’s a verb to me), head east on Highway 20, where you’ll find three more wineries within 45 miles of I-5.

The first winery you’ll reach along the North Cascades Highway is Eagle Haven Winery at 8243 Sims Road in Sedro-Woolley, where you can sample an array of delicious wines, some of which were made from grapes off their estate vineyard. A converted apple orchard, Eagle Haven Winery is a must-stop: Enjoy the charming and hospitable tasting room and maybe sample a wine or two. From late August through November, the Apple Shed is open, dispensing a variety of apples, along with fresh apple cider, orchard honey and pears.

Next on the jaunt into the foothills is the newly acquired Challenger Ridge Vineyard &Cellars at 43095 Challenger Road in the solidly named town of Concrete. As with all the wineries I’m mentioning, there’s so much going on it will require “revisiting” (the official, sanctioned phrase in winery tasting rooms, meaning a plea for another taste) to get the whole story. That is certainly the case with Challenger Ridge. New owners, new winemaker, new tasting room, jet boat rides on the river – and plans for destination lodging. How does that not demand a visit and, most likely, a revisit?

The final winery on this wonderful day trip and winery cruise is Glacier Peak Winery in Rockport. The winery does not open until May 1, so including Glacier Peak in an extended tulip-troop and wine junket might not work, but should a stop be on your radar for future trips over the North Cascades? Rhetorical – I know.

The wines are solid, well priced and worth seeking out.

The newly formed Skagit Valley Winery Association is poised to launch its Web site and collectively promote events throughout the year, but for now, there’s nothing quite like a gorgeous spring day, beautiful Skagit Valley tulip fields and some wonderful Washington wine.

FYI, If you’re just thinking to yourself that, “Yeah, a little (or a lot of) wine tasting today sounds like fun,” then you are in luck. There are still tickets available to the biggest wine event in the state, Taste Washington Gala, in the exhibition hall at Qwest Field in Seattle. (Check the Wine sips calendar.)

Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.