Head to California to drink Washington wine
The irony is thick. For the past 40 years, Washington wine has been in the shadow of California in its own state.
In Washington, California enjoys a 50 percent market share, while Washington wines account for less than 30 percent of sales.
Many Washington wineries don’t bother to sell wine in the country’s largest wine-producing state, where California wine commands 70 percent of the market share.
So we are a bit surprised to see this press release: “Washington State Wines Headline at Sunset Savor the Central Coast.”
Sunset magazine is featuring Washington wines at an event in San Luis Obispo County, known as the heart of “Sideways” country. The event, which is Sept. 29-Oct. 2, will showcase two dozen Washington wineries.
Sara Schneider, Sunset’s wine editor, said, “Savor is all about making food and wine discoveries, and if there’s one wine region that shares the Central Coast’s skyrocketing wine quality and quanity - as well as serious ‘yum factor’ - it’s Washington state. We are excited to welcome Washington as our guest wine region this year and to experience the exchange of ideas and good will that happens when winemakers from different regions come together.”
Talk about strangers in a strange land.
