FairWinds Winery

Sure, we all love those mainstream merlots and chardonnays, but for a delightful change of pace check out a little gem of a winery located on the outskirts of Port Townsend: FairWinds Winery. Its owners, Michael and Judy Cavett, are committed to producing unusual varietals along with more well-known wines, and pricing them within most folks’ reach. To this end, FairWinds is the only Washington winery to produce aligote (a white Burgundy). And while aligote’s color will remind you of chardonnay, it has its own unique taste and aroma. Even its legs seem to drip down a little quicker than a chardonnay. WineTrail Note: Aligote makes a great accompaniment to chicken marsala or a summer salad.

FairWinds Winery also features mead, a sweet white wine that can be drunk by itself or paired with dessert. Mead is associated with the word “honeymoon” because the beverage was drunk during a bride and groom's honeymoon in ancient Scandinavian times. Note: The word “honeymoon” originated in an ancient Northern European custom in which newlyweds, for the first month of their married life, drank a daily cup of honeyed wine, i.e., mead.

One of the treats of visiting FairWinds is the winery tour routinely given by Michael. As you take in the sights, you can easily imagine all his volunteers assisting during crush or squeezing corks into skinny necks bottle by bottle. The winery gets a steady stream of visitors and is especially popular during the three main events of the North Sound Winery Loop: Red Wine and Chocolate in February; Spring Barrel Tasting during Memorial Day Weekend; and Passport to Wine in November (tickets are $20 each).

FairWinds Winery was established in 1993 by two retired Coast Guard couples, and the tasting room was opened in 1996. Eventually Michael and Judy took sole possession of the winery. The FairWinds name and label are nods to Michael’s Coast Guard past. Smooth sailing!

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  FairWinds Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Olympic Peninsula WineTrail on page 56!