When I think of Taste Washington , I imagine Ron Burgundy blowing a
conch shell to assemble his news team. That is the image I want you to
think of while you read this call to action: "Fellow Wineaux and Foodies! Unite
and descend on the CenturyLink Event Center for the 2016 Taste Washington!!"
An Excert from Visit Seattle :
Taste Washington Toasts Another Fruitful Year
Record number of attendees, wineries, restaurants and celebrity chefs concoct recipe for success
SEATTLE – Taste Washington, Seattle’s premier wine and food event, reported its highest overall attendance in 2016; both in event participants, and also for participating restaurants and wineries. The 19th annual event took place March 31-April 3 at various venues throughout Seattle and the region and drew more than 6,400 people over the course of four days.
Taste Washington 2016 by the numbers:
· Overall attendance: 6,439
· Grand Tasting attendance: 5,258
· Wineries at Grand Tasting: 237
· Wines poured: 700
· Number of oysters shucked: 575 dozen
The annual event’s continued growth and success can be attributed to each year’s new and exciting series of events celebrating the state’s renowned artisans and vintners, from exclusive cocktail-style parties to unique epicurean excursions and educational seminars. This year, Taste Washington introduced the first ever Best Bite award at the Grand Tasting. Participants were able to vote for their favorite culinary bite from one of the 66 Pacific Northwest restaurants, 19 of which were new this year. The inaugural winner, out of more than 2,100 votes, was Swiftwater Cellars’ duck confit on a wonton chip, topped with an Asian plum sauce.
The weekend kicked off with a beautiful Seattle sunset and red and white cocktail attire at the third annual Red & White Party at AQUA by El Gaucho featuring exclusive pours from 25 wineries. In its second year, Taste Washington on the Farm boasted three epicurean, interactive excursions allowing participants to get mud on their boots and learn more about Washington’s farm-to-table culinary culture. Designed for up-and-coming wine enthusiasts, The New Vintage served up cocktail-party vibes with eight celebrity chef stations, 45 wineries, DJ Tina T and a rosé lounge. This year’s educational seminars, led by panels of top wine critics and sommeliers, included in-depth and interactive discussion of topics ranging from King Cab! to Riesling on the Rise.
The Alaska Airlines Chef’s Stage brought celebrity chefs and special guests including Chef Thierry Rautureau, known as the Chef in the Hat which drew large crowds for live cooking demonstrations. This year’s demonstrations were led by Chef Ryan Burnett of Muckleshoot Casino, Chef Jason Stratton of Mamnoon, Chef Aarti Sequeira Host of Food Network’s Aarti Party, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef in 2012 Chef Jenn Louis of Lincoln Restaurant + Sunshine Tavern, Chef Sarah Scott of El Gaucho Bellevue, Brad Robinson of Stella Artois and Chef Debi Hernandez of Crisp Creperie food truck.
About Taste Washington:
Taste Washington is the largest single-region wine and food event in the United States, featuring more than 225 Washington State wineries and more than 65 Pacific Northwest restaurants. The 19th annual event will be held on March 31- April 3 at various locations in Seattle. The 2016 Taste Washington welcoming sponsor is Alaska Airlines; the event feature is Stella Artois; the premier sponsors are Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card, Albert Lee Appliance, AQUA by El Gaucho, Muckleshoot Casino, Seattle Met and Total Wine & More; the magnum sponsors are Fonté Coffee Roaster and Jaguar Seattle; and the patron sponsors are Visit Walla Walla, Voya Financial Advisors, Peninsula Truck Lines, Portland Monthly, So Delicious and Chef Works. The specialty feature is Michelle Sparkling. Taste Washington attracts almost 5,500 wine and food enthusiasts to the Seattle area. The Washington State Wine Commission launched Taste Washington in 1998 and is now produced by Visit Seattle. For more information, visit
www.tastewashington.org.
My Story:
This
Year, like every year, was epic! Always good to see people I
haven't seen since last year and always fun to meet new people and make new connections.
I have a lot of wineries on my list to visit this year.
As I was
editing the pictures, I realized these business put a lot into this event!
Not only with the food and drinks, but with the displays as well. Many vendors had some very elaborate displays. Pikes Brewery
always has something cool as well as Ray’s and Swiftwater Cellars!! (see below)
This
year, one winery had it down! It was
Swiftwater Cellars (http://www.swiftwatercellars.com/), they had wine, food
to pair with the wine (Kobe Shortrib on Brioche and Duck Confit on Wonton), and
then a Riesling gelato which was very good, a little on the sweet side though. It was an assembly line of tasty goodness.
If you like bagels, definitely check out Blazing
Bagels, it’s a Bagel Bar! They had
Jalapeno Pepper Jack Cheese, Asiago Cheese, Plain, and a Rosemary bagel. I only
tried the Rosemary Bagel with the Garlic Herb Cream Cheese and it was delicious! Other cream cheese flavors were Chive, Berry, Jalapeno, and Smoked Salmon cream cheese.
The Washington Convention Center typically has amazing
food!! This year was a Roasted Golden
Beet and Pine Nut Bruschetta (my favorite) and Prosciutto Wrapped Figs which was ok.
Of course I had to stop by and see my favorite Chef at
Collections Café (http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/visit/collections-cafe)
this year I reluctantly tried a pork belly with apricot marmalade, pistachio
brittle, and cilantro. It was actually really
good!! I found it was better not to ask what I was eating as a lot of the restaurants where serving up rabbits,
ducks, and bellies.
My absolute favorite dish to eat was some cheese
gnocchi! It absolutely was the BEST
thing there!!!! Check out the Gnocchi
Bar (http://www.gnocchibarseattle.com/)
I guarantee you will LOVE IT!
Another favorite of mine was Smoked Salmon Crostini
served with sliced cucumber, red onions, and capers with horseradish mousse,
garnished with dill. This was served
from Waterways Cruise and Events. There
were a lot of salmon crostini’s at the Taste this year, however, I really enjoyed this one.
Subzero Ice cream and yogurt (http://www.subzeroicecream.com/) is
really cool! They make the ice cream and
yogurt to order. It’s a neat process to
watch, as they use liquid nitrogen which makes the ice cream creamier. They are located in Federal Way, stop by if you are in that area!
Of course I tried a lot of food, but the above mentioned
where my favorites. Some of the wineries
that I am interested in seeing this year include:
Longship Cellars (http://www.longshipcellars.com/) –This Winery has beautiful branding! This is a
newer winery and they will be having their grand opening soon, so keep your
eyeballs peeled!
Portteus Winery (http://www.portteus.com/)
– this guy was awesome! He was down to earth and very easy to talk to. I tried the Zin and Sangiovese,
both were pretty tasty!! If you are in
the Prosser area, check them out.
Seven Hills Winery (https://www.sevenhillswinery.com/)
– this is another winery that has beautiful branding. I absolutely loved their Rose, they are
located in Walla Walla.
Skyfall Winery (http://skyfallvineyard.com/)
– they’ve heard the Skyfall jokes/references so don’t even try! I was on my way out for the day so I only
tried their Merlot and I really liked it.
I’d love to try more of their wines so I will definitely be visiting
them soon.
Here are a few more images
Have I tempted you enough to go next year!?? I hope so! This is such an amazing event, tons of great food and wine and of course the people here are always a BLAST! Put Taste Washington 2017 on your calendar, Hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Melanie
