Submitted by Westport Winery Garden Resort
Westport’s wines shined in the 2017 Florida State Fair International Wine and Juice Competition held in Tampa, Florida, in early February. Both Dawn Patrol and Shiver Me Timbers earned double gold medals while Little Wild earned a gold medal.
Dawn Patrol, a raspberry Riesling blend, is described in the tasting notes as “platinum and voluptuous with swoons of red passion.” It is paired in the restaurant’s menu with their famous fresh raspberry cream pie. A portion of the proceeds from this wine benefits Jimmy Doolittle VFW Post 3057 in Westport. While the label depicts a red-galoshes clad razor clam digger, the sculpture commemorating the wine is a ten-foot cedar razor clam carved by Tokeland artist Jeffro Uitto. The sculpture is located in the sand trap portion of the winery’s 9-hole executive golf course.
Perhaps the winery’s most unique wine, Shiver Me Timbers, is a blend of passionfruit, orange, guava (POG) and Riesling. The Roberts family, who formerly lived on Maui, creates this as a tip of the hat to their island roots. Family friend, Randy Miller, created the photograph of Lahaina Harbor on the wine’s label. Described as “tropical bliss” they suggest this wine be paired at brunch with their Benedictine Quiche while listening to the Beach Boys’ song Kokomo. Habitat For Humanity of Grays Harbor is the recipient of some proceeds from this label. The wine is commemorated in the 15-acre display garden with a metal sculpture crafted by Aberdeen artist Mike Peterson.
Little Wild, featuring the family’s Chow Chows, Lulu and Curzon, is a Marionberry Riesling blend. The image on the label, created by North Cove photographer Marcy Merrill, was featured in Rex Martin’s book Dogs Tell Their Stories. South Bend’s Warren Heathers sculpture for this wine is located in the Tapestry Garden. It is suggested that this winner pairs well with their vanilla bean cheesecake with Marionberry sauce and Chantilly whipped cream. The Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties Master Gardeners benefit from this selection. The tasting notes say it is “something a bear sips in the woods or a girl glugs in the garden.”
The Riesling grapes for all of these winners were harvested at Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA.
In 2016 Westport Winery was honored as one of the top twenty most admired wineries in North America by Winery & Vineyard Management Magazine. It was named 2011 Washington Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest. They have been voted Best Winery by King 5 Evening Magazine six times. They were named the Best Washington Family Business Silver Medal winners in 2012, received the Grays Harbor Environmental Stewardship Award in 2015, and were name Best Winery, Best Wine Shop, and Best Boutique Winery for 2016 by South Sound Magazine.
Family-friendly Westport Winery Garden Resort, is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road halfway between Aberdeen and Westport. The resort (including the restaurant, bakery, plant nursery and 15-acre display garden) is open daily or breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Westport Winery’s second location, TASTING @ Cannon Beach, is located at 255 N. Hemlock. The Oregon tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information or reservations call 360-648-2224.
