We will be taking a trip around Washington this week. J. SCOTT CELLARS ROUSSANNE - $16.99 - (Even though the winery is in Salem Oregon the grapes are from the Columbia Valley) "This elegant and exotic white has pretty aromatics and yet is rich in the mouth. It has seen no oak and no malolactic fermentation. If you like chardonnay, try this wine." (winery web site)

WOODINVILLE RED - $13.99 - New to the Puget Sound marketplace, this jammy, lush and creamy wine is quite a find! Is is made by a mysterious group known as the Envious Winemakers out of Woodinville. (distributors fact sheet)

HESTIA MERLOT - $20.99 - Concentrated black cherry, licorice, tobacco, and leather, along with a hint of olive and peppercorn followed by soft tannins on the finish. Not much produced, so get this one while it's still around. (distributors fact sheet)

WILLIAM CHURCH BISHOP'S BLEND - $19.99 - Flavor and complexity found in much more expensive wines, it displays deep wild raspberry and cherry flavors along with smokey oak and mild tannins. (winery web site)

DARBY CHAOS - $27.99 - This full-bodied, complex, black cherry fruit wine is the signature red for this highly acclaimed, tiny Northwest producer. The wine shows tremendous richness, depth and complexity. (distributors fact sheet)

In wanting to compare and learn about the different varietals it is sometimes fun to take the same grape from two countries and see how they differ. That's what we will be doing with two of the wines this Friday.

We will have a SANCERRE from DOMAINE CHERRIER ET FILS ($20.99) Typical grapefruit nose. Pungent, racy fruit with some minerality and bubble gum, too. Super dry on the finish.

Then we will compare to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc WITHER HILLS - $12.99 - Shows benchmark characteristics; intense gooseberry, tomato leaf and capsicum*** characters underpinned by the classically pungent melon, guava and passionfruit aromatics. The palate is exreaordinarily balanced with bright seamless acidity, concentration of brambly, mineral lemongrass flavours and a long supple finish. (winery website) ***capsicum is what New Zealand call chilli peppers - red, green or sweet.

We will also have a NERO D'AVOLA by MORGANTE for our red. $17.99 - Nero d'Avola - This hearty red is Sicily's most popular non-fortified varietal, now produced by numerous Sicilian wineries. Often compared to Syrah, it is sometimes blended with other reds but usually allowed to stand on its own. A full-bodied red like this one is not easily overlooked, and dozens of wineries (including makers of "new wines") have introduced this varietal to cash in on a profitable trend. To avoid an overpowering taste, the flavor of this wine is best when the grapes are placed in cooled vats at harvest --preferably at night-- to prevent conditions which can lead to premature fermentation. This technique, however, is employed by very few wineries. (Best of Sicily web site)

Hope you can stop by and enjoy these wines.

Don't forget to pick up your tickets for the Sixth Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival. This years dates are March 6 & 7 and the location is once again at the historic Landmark Event Center.

Here are some of the wineries that will be attending this year: Chandler Reach, Eaton HIll, Willis Hall, Vashon Winery, Canyon's Edge, Fort Walla Walla, Page, Five Star and Erin Glenn. There are a total of 25 wineries this year so watch and we will keep listing who will be there.

There are also more food vendors this year.

Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door.

Visit the Rotary web site for more information