An Open Letter to Washington State Wineries

January 15, 2011

An open letter to Washington state wineries: Dear Friends, I have spent several weeks updating my database of Washington wineries. While doing this, I have discovered a number of winery owners who profess a passion for the juice and yet can't spell "palate". The thing in our mouth that we taste with is not a "pallet" nor is it a "palette". Also, if you are going to embrace our terroir don't call it "terrior" please. Finally, I would really recommend that most wineries rethink their whole strategy. It's not enough to say that you want to create Bordeaux style wine that expresses the terroir. That's what everyone says. Be original. Distinguish yourself. Find a niche or a segment and set out with the goal of being number one. Why not! Don't try and be like 600 other wineries. Look to leaders like McCrea or Syncline that focus on Rhone style wines. Or Pacific Rim's focus on riesling or Mountain Dome's singular drive to create stellar sparklers. Now, that has my attention...and palate.