Northwest Wine & Cheese Tour - A Locavore's Delight!

Online, April 13, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Vicki Corson, President
Olympic Peninsula Wineries
360/417-3564
360/460-6848 Cell
[email protected]

Media Contact: Deborah Anastasi Black
425/357-1651
206/799-4233 Cell
[email protected]

PORT ANGELES, Wash. - Say cheese! Or, better yet, local cheese -- the culinary operative for the Olympic Peninsula Wineries' third annual Northwest Wine & Cheese Tour, April 16 - 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and wine enthusiasts are invited to enjoy sipping and savoring new wine releases and ciders paired with a variety of cheeses crafted by local artisan creameries, while reveling in the sights and sounds of nature reawakening on the scenic Olympic Peninsula.

"Washington is home to a number of award-winning cheesemakers," says Vicki Corson, president of the Olympic Peninsula Wineries Association, "some of which are internationally renowned." "During the Northwest Wine & Cheese Tour, the Olympic Peninsula Wineries and eight local creameries will treat visitors to a truly local culinary experience, with interesting pairings that provide an authentic sense of place."

Participating cheesemakers include Mystery Bay Farm of Marrowstone Island; Port Townsend's own Mt. Townsend Creamery and Whiskey Hill Farm; Pleasant Valley Dairy of Ferndale; Willapa Hills Farmstead of Doty; and Gothberg Farm, Golden Glen Creamery and Samish Bay Cheese Company of Bow.

Advance tickets for the self-guided tour are available online for $25, and entitle the holder to a commemorative wine glass and wine and cheese tasting at all eight wineries. Independently, each winery charges a $5.00 tasting fee. Visit www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org or call 800-785-5495 for further information.

Individual Winery Events
Black Diamond Winery, Port Angeles: Black Diamond specializes in a variety of fruit wines produced with estate and locally-grown fruits. During the tour, the winery will pair Golden Glen Creamery's medium Cheddar cheese with its Strawberry Rhubarb wine, and Sweet Basil cheese with the 2007 Syrah. Black Diamond will also pour its Shiro Plum, Muller Thurgau, and Raspberry wines. For more information call 360/457-0748 or visit www.blackdiamondwinery.com.

Camaraderie Cellars, Port Angeles: Whether it's bright and sunny or drizzling, the fire pit at Camaraderie welcomes visitors to gardens that are just coming to life in the spring. The winery is pleased to host two different cheese makers this year. New is Willapa Hills Farmstead & Artisan Cheese from Doty, home of Two-Faced Blue, an aged natural rind sheep and cow milk blue cheese. Returning for the third year is Gothberg Farms, makers of fabulous goat cheese. Cheesemakers will be on-site offering samples as well as cheese for purchase. Camaraderie will also have some tasty cheese dishes to sample along with its great wines. The line-up will span the vintages, from a newly-released 2008 Madrona to the delicious 2003 Merlot, pulled from the library especially for this weekend. Special pricing throughout the weekend will allow visitors to add to their cellars for spring enjoyment. For more information call 360/417-3564 or visit www.camaraderiecellars.com.

Eaglemount Wine & Cider, Port Townsend: Eaglemount will feature Whiskey Hill cheese: Northwest King (a goat milk cheddar), a goat milk feta, and a Jersey milk gorgonzola. The winery will also offer other cheeses to pair with ciders and red wines. For more information call (360) 732-4084 or visit http://eaglemountwinery.com.

FairWinds Winery, Port Townsend: FairWinds Winery will have a representative from Mt. Townsend Creamery on site serving cheese and commenting on cheese and wine pairings. The winery will also be releasing its first Merlot - a 2002 barrel select - during the tour weekend. For more information call 360/385-6899 or visit www.fairwindswinery.com.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum: Visit Finnriver and get a taste of life on the land during the NW Wine & Cheese Tour. The crew at Finnriver is excited to share recent discoveries about the joys of pairing cider, wine and cheese! More than the sum of its parts, a good pairing makes the whole world taste better. Finnriver will be celebrating the bounty of artisan food and beverages crafted in its part of Olympic Peninsula by pairing unique sparkling hard ciders and spirited dessert wines with regionally renowned Mt. Townsend Creamery cheeses, made just down the road from the farm in Port Townsend. Sumptuous dessert wines and lively sparkling ciders will also be available for tasting. For more information call 360.732.4337 or visit www.finnriver.com.

Harbinger Winery, Port Angeles: This year Harbinger is honored to pair its wines with Golden Glen Family Creamery from Bow, Washington. Golden Glen is a third- generation dairy farm that has produced high-quality milk for over 40 years, and farmstead cheeses since 2004. The cheesemaker will be on site during the tour to share more than a dozen wonderful, handcrafted cheeses, educate visitors about the cheese making process and answer questions. Wines to be poured throughout the weekend, including the 2009 Viognier, 2009 Raspberry Bliss, and 2009 Rose' de Lemberger, have been chosen on their merits for pairing well with many different styles of cheeses. All of the cheeses being sampled will also be available for sale at the tasting room. In addition to the wines, Harbinger will offer five beers to pair with the cheeses for an additional fee. For further information call 360/452-4262 or visit www.harbingerwinery.com.

Olympic Cellars, Port Angeles: Calling all locavores! This year Olympic Cellars is paying special tribute to the wide variety of cheeses produced within Port Angeles' 100-mile "Golden Circle of Cheese." Lynn Keenan, owner of Port Angeles' Renaissance Wellness Center and Toast Cafe, which features 100-mile cheeses, will be at the winery both days sampling cheeses produced by the Samish Bay Cheese Company, Golden Glen Creamery and Pleasant Valley Dairy paired with Olympic Cellars wines, and educating visitors about the economic power of choosing local foods. As an added treat, Olympic Cellars will offer a special reserve pairing of My Sweet Syrah, a port-style dessert wine, with two cheeses produced by Willapa Hills Farmstead; Pluvius, a smooth and tart white table cheese named for the Greek god of rain, and Big Boy Blue, a tangy natural rind cow's milk blue cheese. Additional cost for the reserve tasting is $2.00. For more information call 360/452-0160; www.olympiccellars.com.

Sorensen Cellars, Port Townsend: Sorensen Cellars will offer cheese from Mystery Bay Farm, a family run, micro-goat dairy on Marrowstone Island. Visitors can sample Chevre with Thyme and White Pepper and fresh Whole Milk Ricotta. For more information call 360/379-6416 or visit www.sorensencellars.com.