Wineries & Bars Archives

6 Wineries in Tri-Cities, Washington to Check Out

During our first visit to Washington, we wanted to head out to the eastern side of the state to go wine tasting. But we quickly found out that many wineries operate wine tasting rooms near Seattle as opposed to in the wine regions proper. So we stuck with wineries near Seattle and it ended up being a great trip.

When I had a chance to head to the eastern side of the state for a conference, I was ecstatic to be able to try out the wineries in Tri-Cities and its nearby surroundings (particularly Red Mountain AVA).

While I was only able to visit a handful during the visit, they ended up being quite lovely stops all around. So whether you are fans of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and others, this region is for you and we've got a number of great wineries for you to consider!

The Douro Valley in Portugal is one of the most awe-inspiring places we've been to. Not only is it the oldest demarcated wine region in the world, we'd take it one step further and also call it the prettiest wine region in the world too. Douro Valley vineyards are really something else!

While getting around the Douro Valley is so challenging that a Douro Valley day tour may be a better option for most (as driving there is, in a word, terrifying), we put our fears aside and hit six great Douro Valley wineries during our two-and-a-half-day visit.

So in this one, we thought we'd share more about the wineries we were able to see!

When we booked a vacation to Portugal, we knew we were going to be bringing a number of bottles of still wine and port home with us.

What we didn't know prior to departing was where we would be buying our bottles specifically. Purchases at wineries were a given, of course, but we had allocated enough room in our suitcases to do some last-minute shopping at a wine store in Lisbon before flying home as well.

As it turns out, our friends 2 Food Trippers (who live in Lisbon) came through in recommending an incredible store with a great selection and some of the best prices we saw in the entire country. This was Garrafeira Nacional, a store that has been in business for almost 100 years, now with several locations in the heart of Lisbon proper including one in the Time Out Market and another just a few blocks from the Santa Justa lift.

If you're doing any sort of wine shopping in Lisbon, this really is the only place you need to visit.

Note: Photos and commentary in this article are primarily based on the Santa Justa location. However, the Time Out Market location, albeit a bit smaller, is also a stellar little outpost as well.

When we decided to visit friends in Seattle, we knew we wanted to get out to experience several Washington wineries.

At first, we had our hearts set on hitting a proper wine region like those found in the Columbia Valley towards the eastern side of the state. But we quickly scrapped that plan when we found out that many wineries in Washington are not estate operated- that is to say, wine producers typically do not grow their own grapes.

While this is not always the case, we found that tasting rooms in proper wine regions are few and far between- so much so that planning a visit seemed a bit too daunting. There are fields upon fields of grapes, naturally, but when it comes to trying the final products at proper tasting rooms, we weren't quite sure if it made sense for us given how far of a drive the region is from Seattle.

As it turns out, many of the most well-known wineries in the state are actually based in the greater Seattle metro area! These wineries typically buy their grapes directly from vineyards all over the state but ferment, package, bottle, sell, and pour samples at their tasting rooms much closer to the city.

So we decided to stick close to Seattle and hit up a dozen wineries in nearby Woodinville, Bainbridge Island, and even within the city limits of Seattle proper and we quickly found out how much the region loves Rhone and Bordeaux varietals outright!

We often lament about how we need more Spanish-style tapas bars in the country and European wine bars in general. So when I read about Barcelona Wine Bar in Washington DC and found that it was just a mile or so away from the hotel I was staying at, you know I had to go.

To say this wine bar checks both of those boxes is an understatement. But while you are not likely to get a free tapa with every wine order (like some tapas bars we went to in Spain), you will get the next best thing in all respect. That is to say, small plates, affordable prices, and an incredible selection all around.

Call me hooked on this great wine bar in DC!

When we travel, we always like to visit liquor stores and privately operated wine shops to see what kind of unique bottles we can find. Part of this is simply that we love wine, but also because Pennsylvania has a monopoly on liquor sales and the options you can find outside of special orders are inherently limited.

So, naturally, we had to pop around to some wine stores in Boston when visiting the city.

As soon as we walked into The Urban Grape near Copley Square, we knew we were in the right place. This one is different than most stores!

Shenandoah Valley has been making a name for itself as a prominent AVA for Virginia grapes, and during my travels around northern Virginia (exploring places like Skyline Drive and Shenandoah Caverns), I was fortunate enough to visit several wineries and vineyards near Shenandoah National Park.

If you find yourself nearby and are in the mood for a glass of wine, a flight or simply want to have a great view while picking up some bottles to go you'll do well to check out the following wineries in Shenandoah Valley!

Note: The wineries featured in this guide are geographically in what we'd consider northern Virginia, but not the Northern Virginia AVA (a separate wine region to the east). All of the wineries below are featured in Shenandoah Valley AVA but we hope to add more spots from nearby AVAs like Northern Virginia and Monticello in the future as they are all within close proximity!

After taking my WSET Level 3 exam in Washington DC, I decided to take the long road back to Pittsburgh via a detour to Loudoun County, Virginia's wine region.

My first winery visited in the county was 868 Estate Winery which was making news for winning the 2020 Virginia Governor's Cup for their Vidal Ice Wine. While they were, rather predictably, sold out of the ice wine, I was met with a decent wine list available as well as stunning views at the vineyard.

While the Finger Lakes has, in the past at least, had a reputation for an abundance of overly sweet wines, as you sift through the options you really start to see that this is in fact a world-class wine region. Even better, it's reputation is growing with each passing vintage.

During our many visits, we have been fortunate enough to try many of the best Finger Lakes wineries, and in this one we wanted to share a few of our very favorites that we think are must-visits on any trip.

In a previous article, we broke down the differences between Napa and Sonoma to give broad views on these two rather unique winemaking regions.

In it, we loosely mentioned some of the vineyards we checked out during our first trip to the area, but spent most of the article speaking in generalities about the regions as a whole.

Today, we wanted to dive into the Napa Valley wineries and Sonoma wineries themselves, and highlight a few that stood out to us as being must visits!

6 Wineries in Tri-Cities, Washington to Check Out

6 of the Best Wineries in the Douro Valley to Visit

Garrafeira Nacional is a Must Visit Wine Store in Lisbon

12 Washington Wineries Near Seattle for a Great Day Trip

Barcelona Wine Bar Review – A Tapas Experience in Washington

The Urban Grape is Our Kind of Boston Wine Store

5 Shenandoah Valley Wineries to Visit for a Glass and Views

868 Estate Winery – A Quaint Winery in Loudoun County, VA

10 of the Best Finger Lakes Wineries You Must Visit

5 of the Best Wineries in Napa and Sonoma to Visit