Washington has increased its number of wineries by 400 percent in the last decade. Connoisseurs and the average wine consumer have found a new place to get great wines.

Modern technology has made the process of making wine more sophisticated but the talent to produce great wine is all in the hands of the vintner who uses skills developed over generations of great wine makers sharing their knowledge to have some of the best wines now available at the wineries in Washington.

No, you aren’t in France in the region of the great Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, you are in Washington where the same latitude applies to give the same great growing ability for the grapes to produce fabulous wine. Many of the areas of Washington have been designated as American Viticulture Areas with more under consideration.

Taking a wine tour in the state of Washington probably isn’t something that you think of right away, but with all the great wines being produced in the vineyards of the state, all the different types of wine and all the different wineries you certainly should consider the opportunity for an off the beaten path wine tour. You will be so glad you tried it that you will return time after time.

Full bodied reds and dry whites are both available at the wineries in Washington. Try them all, pick your favorite and enjoy the beauty of the state while you travel from winery to winery.

Swirl it, Smell it and Slurp it! Get your wine glass, pour in your favorite wine, then swirl it around the glass to get the air to it, smell the wonderful aroma of the wine and then slurp (quietly, gently please) a little to add more air to bring out the full flavor of the wine. The experience will be absolutely delightful.

If just 1% of the wine grapes of Washington are grown on the eastern side of the Cascades then you would think that it was a poor area for wine growers. In fact, it is a great area where the soil is right, the climate perfect and the growing season long to provide fully ripened, fruit flavored grapes with good acid levels and pleasing aromatics. This area will certainly become more of a draw to vintners in the time to come.

The French, Italians and Germans began planting wine grapes in the state as early at 1825 for their own use when they were settling the area. Commercial planting of wine grapes didn’t being in Washington until the 1960’s with rapid expansion of the industry occurring in the mid-70’s. Now there are new wineries opening every couple of weeks for your enjoyment.