Best wines from Great Northwest invite

The Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition, staged Oct. 8-9 at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon, is the only judging in which wine professionals nominate and then evaluate the entries.

For this competition, we gathered 16 influential wine professionals, including restaurateurs, retailers, wholesalers and writers. Each of them nominated up to 100 wines from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho, and more than 420 wines were entered.

Most competitions are open to wineries of a certain region, which then enter any wines they choose.

As a result of the wines being preselected by the judges, the percentage of medals was higher, and the number of wines rejected were few. In fact, the judges awarded about 20 percent of the wines gold medals, compared with about 12 percent for many competitions.

All wines were tasted blind by the judges, meaning they knew neither the winery nor the price of each wine. They did know the style or variety.

Here are the five wines that finished at the top, led by a Riesling from British Columbia that not only earned best white wine but also best of show. See the full results at greatnorthwestwine.com.

Best of show: Wild Goose Vineyards 2012 God’s Mountain Riesling, Okanagan Valley, $20: The Kruger brothers are second-generation winemakers near the town of Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, where they specialize in such white varieties as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. They craft some of the finest wine anywhere, and this further proves it. Created in a Germanic style, the nose is filled with Meyer lemon, ripe pear, minerality and hint of petrol. It’s brilliantly dry with quince, Asian pear, lemon juice and lime peel. The mouthwatering finish immediately demands another sip. (12.5 percent)

Best red: Forgeron Cellars 2011 Boushey Vineyard Merlot, Columbia Valley, $30: French winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla crafts her wine at this downtown Walla Walla winery. For this superb Merlot, she brought in grapes from the Yakima Valley’s Boushey Vineyard. Fragrant dark fruits on the nose lead to intense, delicious flavors of blueberry compote, tart black cherry and baking spice highlights which coat the mouth. It’s nicely balanced with a lingering finish. (14.5 percent)

Best rosé: Colene Clemens Vineyards 2013 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $20: Fresno State grad Stephen Goff produces small lots under his eponymous brand, but the focus of this former assistant at Beaux Frères is Colene Clemens Vineyards, and his recent releases for the Stark family continue to raise the profile of this young Newberg, Oregon, winery. Here’s the rare instance when he strays beyond estate vineyards, but his work with Dundee Hills fruit is stunning, rather prolific and reasonably priced for a pink from Pinot Noir. The bright salmon color leads to aromas of watermelon, white strawberry, Rainier cherry and apricot. It’s a complex drink of Montmorency cherry, fresh cranberry, apricot and pineapple that brings a finish of pink grapefruit. (13 percent)

Best dessert: Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2013 Signature Riesling Icewine, Okanagan Valley, $47: Perhaps no one in the Pacific Northwest nails their ice wine with as much remarkable regularity as Walter and Gordon Gehringer. This is a classic example that’s loaded with aromas and flavors of baked apple, glacéed apricot, tangerine and honeysuckle. The nectar trickles out in a trail of syrup, and the sugar is balanced perfectly with natural acidity. (10.4 percent)

Best sparkling: Michelle NV Brut Rosé, Columbia Valley, $14: Rebranded last year from Domaine Ste. Michelle, the sparkling wine house for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates crafts amazing bubbles under the direction of winemaker Rick Casqueiro. Enticing fruity aromatics with hints of freshly baked bread are fully engaging. Flavors of fresh strawberries, cherries, a touch of earth and citrus accents swirl on the palate. Beautiful acidity persists through the finish. (11.5 percent)

Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue run Great Northwest Wine, a news and information company. Listen to their weekly podcast on iTunes or at www.greatnorthwestwine.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.