As I neared Wesport, my first winery on the bike tour appeared out of the mist. I parked my bike, and went in to dry off and do a tasting. I was surprised how lively the tasting room was at the Westport Winery on that dreary weekday. The tasting room was already crowded but I was glad to be inside rather than in the rain outside.
Tastings are $5 for tasting five wines. About 33 wines are in stock but not all may be on the tasting menu. There is a variety to choose from, including classic reds, whites, popular fruit, sparklers, and dessert wines. Big bowls of popcorn are scattered around the tasting bar -- a very American notion of of how to cleanse the palate. The pourings go non-stop as more visitors arrive.
Most of the grapes used to make the wine come from wine growing regions in Eastern Washington. Winery owner and founder, Blain Roberts, picks up the grapes himself and trucks them to the winery. Only two acres of the farm are used as a vineyard for growing Muscat, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Melon. Another 25 acres is dedicated to 5,000 irises, 4,000 blueberries, 2,000 raspberries, 2,000 blackberries, 250 huckleberries, 100 apple trees, 100 Asian pear trees, hundreds of strawberries, and other fruit trees. The fruits and berries are used to ferment and blend a variety of fruit based wines.
Roberts explains his unconventional start in the winery business. He ran a charter and scuba diving company for many years in Maui but envisioned retiring in Maui was too expensive. That realization led the Roberts family to purchase the 68-acre property on which the winery was built near Westport.
The winery was first opened to the public in February 2008 after completing the first bottling a month earlier. But it was not without soul searching and deliberations. Now that Roberts owned the property, he was looking for suitable uses for the land. He consulted with advisers at the WSU Extension campus. The sage advice was to start a winery in the harsh marine environment of Westport. It would be the westernmost vineyard in Washington with rainfall and sun levels similar to France’s Loire Valley. What Roberts did not know about the vineyard business was mitigated by his experience in business and marketing operating his former scuba charter business.
The production building was constructed in 2007. This where the grapes are crushed and pressed, juices fermented, blended and tested. It houses the variable capacity stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, grape bins, poly tanks, chillers, pumps and filters. The warehouse which was built in 2009 is next to the production building. It houses bottled wine, bottling supplies, tools and farm equipment.
After a wine making apprenticeship, son Dana became the winemaker in charge of making the magic happen. Daughter Carrie is the general manager and runs the wine tasting room.
Blain and wife Kim manage the business.
The winery has become popular with locals and visitors alike. In addition to the winery, there is an adjacent restaurant. The wine tasting room is integrated with a gift shop.
An outdoor sculpture garden featuring original art by local artists, commemorate each of the winery’s labels. Find your way through the grape maze, toss some horseshoes, play a game of wizard chess, putt two greens while you tour, or simply sit and sip under the largest commercial solar power system in the county.
Stop by this winery and check it out and its nice grounds. It has won a number of awards and received over 15 medals in various competitions. It is well worth a visit.
Westport Windery
1 South Arbor Road
Aberdeen, WA 98520
Tel: (360) 648-2224
Web: www.westportwinery.org/
Tastings are $5 for tasting five wines. About 33 wines are in stock but not all may be on the tasting menu. There is a variety to choose from, including classic reds, whites, popular fruit, sparklers, and dessert wines. Big bowls of popcorn are scattered around the tasting bar -- a very American notion of of how to cleanse the palate. The pourings go non-stop as more visitors arrive.
Most of the grapes used to make the wine come from wine growing regions in Eastern Washington. Winery owner and founder, Blain Roberts, picks up the grapes himself and trucks them to the winery. Only two acres of the farm are used as a vineyard for growing Muscat, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Melon. Another 25 acres is dedicated to 5,000 irises, 4,000 blueberries, 2,000 raspberries, 2,000 blackberries, 250 huckleberries, 100 apple trees, 100 Asian pear trees, hundreds of strawberries, and other fruit trees. The fruits and berries are used to ferment and blend a variety of fruit based wines.
Roberts explains his unconventional start in the winery business. He ran a charter and scuba diving company for many years in Maui but envisioned retiring in Maui was too expensive. That realization led the Roberts family to purchase the 68-acre property on which the winery was built near Westport.
The winery was first opened to the public in February 2008 after completing the first bottling a month earlier. But it was not without soul searching and deliberations. Now that Roberts owned the property, he was looking for suitable uses for the land. He consulted with advisers at the WSU Extension campus. The sage advice was to start a winery in the harsh marine environment of Westport. It would be the westernmost vineyard in Washington with rainfall and sun levels similar to France’s Loire Valley. What Roberts did not know about the vineyard business was mitigated by his experience in business and marketing operating his former scuba charter business.
The production building was constructed in 2007. This where the grapes are crushed and pressed, juices fermented, blended and tested. It houses the variable capacity stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, grape bins, poly tanks, chillers, pumps and filters. The warehouse which was built in 2009 is next to the production building. It houses bottled wine, bottling supplies, tools and farm equipment.
After a wine making apprenticeship, son Dana became the winemaker in charge of making the magic happen. Daughter Carrie is the general manager and runs the wine tasting room.
Blain and wife Kim manage the business.
The winery has become popular with locals and visitors alike. In addition to the winery, there is an adjacent restaurant. The wine tasting room is integrated with a gift shop.
An outdoor sculpture garden featuring original art by local artists, commemorate each of the winery’s labels. Find your way through the grape maze, toss some horseshoes, play a game of wizard chess, putt two greens while you tour, or simply sit and sip under the largest commercial solar power system in the county.
Stop by this winery and check it out and its nice grounds. It has won a number of awards and received over 15 medals in various competitions. It is well worth a visit.
Westport Windery
1 South Arbor Road
Aberdeen, WA 98520
Tel: (360) 648-2224
Web: www.westportwinery.org/
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