This is last week's blog whose posting was delayed due to a spur of the moment trip to the Grand Teton and Yelowstone National Parks. On the way, Lynn and I stopped in Driggs, Idaho (near Grand Targhee) for a tasting of Tero Estates Wines at Alpine Wines with Doug and Jan Roskelley. Alpine Wines is owned by friends of the Roskelleys, Denis and Linda duNann, and if you ever happen to go through that area, be sure to check it out. The nearby Fox Creek inn is a great B & B. We returned to Walla Walla through Montana and Idaho, and stopped at Coeur d'Alene Cellars and Barrister Winery and Robert Karl Cellars on the way (to be reviewed in the November Issue of the Review of Washington Wines).

There's Smoke in the Air

As we drove back to Walla Walla on September 22nd, on the last leg of our trip to Yellowstone and back, we saw hazy skies and, as we turned westward, the sun was a glowing orange orb on the horizion. There was smoke in the air from wildfires scattered around Eastern Washington.

There has been considerable speculation among growers and winemakers about the effects of smoke on the grapes now maturing on the vines. Some have been concerned about the possibility of "smoke taint" affecting the wines. Research on this subject is somewhat sketchy. See Sean Sullivan's Washington Wine Report (www.wawinereport.com) for information about the topic. Paul Gregutt (www.paulgregutt.com) also has some commentary. Yesterday, Allison Peck told me that Brian Rudin, Cadaretta's winemaker, sprayed the grapes at the Southwind vineyard to wash off smoke ash. As of this writing (Monday, Sept. 24) the sky seems clearer. If there turns out to be evidence of ash in wines (although not considered likely) we may have to add "smoke ash" to the lexicon of wine descriptors.

Liquor Privatization - Month Four

(This is the article which was supposed to have been posted last week.)

September is the fourth month that the private sale of spirits in Washington State has been in effect. So far, the impact has been mixed. There have been countless complaints about higher prices and reports that consumers have been going over the borders into Oregon and Idaho (both with state-run stores) to buy liquor. But a news article in the Seattle Times (Sept. 10) indicates that in-state liquor sales increased in July - up 15.4% - which the State Department of Revenue attributes to buyers stocking up in May, cutting back in June, then buying again in July. But more monts of sales reports are needed to establish a trend.

One thing that is certain is that spirits are more readily available in more populated areas and that large stores are the biggest players and offer the best prices. A few weeks ago, I visited Total Wine and More in Bellevue and found thousands of wines and spirits on rows and rows of shelves in a 30,000 square foot store. On the other hand, the Walla Walla state store that was bought by an investor has gone out of business. The buyer bought the state's store inventory only to put it on sale at deep discounts (I purchased a couple of single malt Scotch whiskys at 30% off and a Remy Martin XO Cognac at half price). Before long, all that was left were stacks of flavored vodka. Not a good business plan. Numrous small towns around the state will have to rely on local marketeers with limited selection and higher prices.

It will be interesting to see how privatization shapes up over the coming months. If high prices persist, I think it will be the wholesalers who are the main culprits (see my blog posting of 6 June - scroll to the bottom of the page and then back to previous pages).

The next Blog posting will be on October 1, along with that month's issue of the Review of Washington Wines.