The 40th Annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival was a huge success! If you were one of the more than 900 who attended, you know how great it was – 72 winery labels, 379 wines, food and beer options, and the Knutsen Brothers again provided live entertainment. There were 51 bronze, 188 silver, 87 gold, 31 double-gold and 18 best-of-class medals awarded; and, the best-of-show award again went to College Cellars of Walla Walla. This year it was for the College’s 2016 Barbera. And of special note – this is the first time in the festival’s 40-year history that a winery has won back to back best-of-show awards! The complete list of awards is on the wine society’s website (Click here to see the list) In summary, the festival was simply an incredible event. Now, looking ahead, mark your calendars for next year’s festival, November 16, 2019 – the 41st Annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival, again at the Three Rivers Convention Center.
A special thank you goes to our wine society’s core team members – Dolly Ammann; Mary Binder; Blaine Hulse; Tony Pennella; Mary Peters; and, Debra Ticknor. Collectively, they worked tirelessly starting in January to prepare for everything from recruiting wineries to the wine judging, public tasting and silent auction. Thanks also go to the dozens of volunteers who supported the core team with everything from recruiting wineries to gathering silent auction donations, assisting with the wine judging, helping with the day-of preparations, and then, helping at the gala public tasting and with the silent auction. A special thank you, too, to this year’s wine judges: Jerry Bookwalter from Richland; Shelly Fitzgerald, Woodinville; Harry McWatters, Summerland, B.C.; Madeline Nelson, Chelan; Brad Smith, Grandview; and, Kristina Mielke van Löben Sels, Spokane. And finally, a special thank you to our VenuWorks partner and the staff at the convention center. We are very fortunate to have such a professional and supportive partner.