Introducing Kristy Mannin

Love Washington Wine is proud to announce Kristy Mannin, who recently joined our team as the Director of Marketing and Sales. Kristy is a native of Central Washington State and literally grew up with the wine industry.

As soon as we brought her on board, she hit the ground running! You will see and read a lot more from Kristy in the months to come. She is jumping into the blogging revolution full-force and has many other projects to introduce you to our wineries and Washington Wine in general.

We are thrilled to have her on board, she is a tremendous ambassador for Washington Wine and we look forward to learning from and working with her!

Horan Estates

Horan Estates is the most recent winery to join Love Washington Wine. Horan Estates is owned and operated by a team of really great people: Doug and Diana McDougall and their friends Ross and Kelly Riedinger have teamed up to create what I believe to be one of the best up and coming wineries in Washington State!

I have to admit, I am a bit biased when it comes to the McDougalls. I grew up in Wenatchee and went to school with their son Corey Wayne McDougall. We were good friends growing up and I had the pleasure of an occasional sleep over at the McDougall home. They are great people with a passion for everything they do!

Their grapes are estate-grown next to Doug’s organic apple orchards in Royal City, WA. They planted 8 acres at Royal City in the Columbia Valley Appellation. Most of this acreage is Syrah grapes, but the McDougalls have recently cloned Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Viognier and are looking forward to blending these varietals for even more interesting wines!

Doug McDougall also serves as the wine maker for Horan Estates, and simply does things (all things) right! Despite my bias towards Horan Estates, the wine speaks volumes. Their recent offerings are among the best in the state and bring with them passion and dedication of the winemaker. The namesake for their winery, as well as their HVH and CWM wines, are a memoriam to Doug’s late grandmother Helen VanDivort Horan and their son Corey Wayne McDougall. Doug crafted these wines to honor their memory. This sentimental attachment means this winery and its wines are very special.

Their wines are so amazing, that I ordered all of them and sampled each. I highly recommend them all, but don’t take my word for it - the critics do too! Take a look at these complex and wonderful wines:

Horan Estates Winery - 2004 HVH
May 15, 2007 Wine Spectator - 88 points 2007 Silver-San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Horan Estates Winery - 2004 CWM Syrah
May 15, 2007 Wine Spectator - 90 points
2007 Silver-San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Horan Estates Winery - 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
May 15, 2007 Wine Spectator - 90 points
2007 Silver-San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Horan Estates Winery - 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
May 15, 2007 Wine Spectator - 91 points 2007 Bronze-San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

I invite you to try Horan Estates, we are very grateful have the opportunity to list them on http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Wildridge Winery

Wildridge Winery has been making wine since it was established in 1988. It is located in the Madrona neighborhood in Seattle, WA. Paul Beveridge, its winemaker, is immensely talented and an artist in his own right.

Wildridge is a family owned and operated winery. They make big Columbia Valley Cabs and Merlots, along with a wide variety of wines using grapes from Washington’s acclaimed Red Mountain appellation. Wildridge buys grapes from Klipsun and has done so since 1990. Along with Nebbiolo (a rare treat), Klipsun provides their Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot fruit.

My favorite offering so far is the 2004 Nebbiolo di Klipsun, which earned 91 points from Wine Enthustiast. In 2003, Klipsun was named one of the top 25 vineyards in the world by Wine and Spirits magazine.

In addition to making wine, Paul is a ceramic artist who now makes ceramic wine bottles.

Love Washington Wine is very honored to list Wildridge wines. Please sample them at http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com/! They are reasonably priced and do not disappoint!