The tasting room at Januik Novelty Hill in Woodinville.
We first met Andrew Januik last year when we were interviewing Mike Januik of Novelty Hill Januik Wines in Woodinville, Washington. Mike is Andrew’s father and is one of the pioneers of the Washington wine industry. From 1988 to 1999, Mike was the winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle where he excelled and made some terrific wines during a formative period that helped to put Washington State on the vinous map. Talking briefly with Andrew at that time, we knew we had to come back to Woodinville and interview him directly.
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2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
We first opened this wine a year and a half ago and our initial thought was “ABC” (Anything But Chardonnay) drinkers be damned! It is a big new world Chardonnay out of Washington that shows how an “oaky” chardonnay can be powerful but simultaneously balanced so as not to be overpowering. Gold in colour with a medium plus body, the first whiff revealed vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. The first sip had similar notes backed with lemon, honey and citrus. Terrific body and complexity to this wine with a lovely long finish. Fast forward to last night and it has evolved in more. A little more subtle yet still very complex, it is drinking beautifully right now but still has a few years of optimum drinking left.
Excellent+
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A glass of Goose Ridge Rose by the fire.
Located just a 20 minute drive north of Seattle, Woodinville is a small suburb that is home to more than 140 wineries and tasting rooms featuring wines predominantly made in the Walla Walla, Columbia and Yakima Valleys in the southeastern part of the state. With that many tasting rooms to choose from it can be daunting to know which ones to make a priority especially when faced with a short amount of time. We recently visited the Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard & Winery tasting room and found it to be well worth a stop for anyone looking for a delicious glass of wine in a comfortable atmosphere.
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The Herbfarm Restaurant
Dining out in Wine Country is always a special treat, for many reasons. Wine can be terrific as an aperitif, but where wine really shines is at the table, alongside a well-prepared meal. Wine can bring out the best in food and food can bring out the best in wine. It is perfect symbiosis! Good wine and good food attract each other. Where you find lots of one, you will tend to find lots of the other.
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The chalkboard listing the wines at the Sparkman tasting room.
“Family. Good Livin’. Damn Fine Wine.” So reads the tagline at Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, Washington. A bold statement by any winery let alone one that makes 29 different wines! But with a serious background in wine combined with a skillful winemaker situated in one of the up-and-coming wine regions in the world, they certainly seem to have all the ingredients to live up to that statement.
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