If you’ve got time, try wine
Perhaps your interest in wine has only been a passing fancy. You enjoy it but have never really taken the time to learn more.
Starting Friday and through this weekend you can indulge that curiosity without traveling far from home. The 10 wineries in the Spokane area are opening their doors for the annual Spring Barrel Tasting. Come ask all of the things you’ve wanted to learn about wine. Or, quietly sip samples and listen to winemakers talk about how they make wines.
“The atmosphere is very casual and informal and it’s really geared toward the person who wants to learn about wine. There is kind of a perception that you have to know about wine or that wine is kind of stuffy and this is an attempt to take those perceptions and brush them all aside. Just come taste the wines and see what you like…there is no right or wrong answer,” says Greg Lipsker, an attorney by day who co-owns Barrister Winery with fellow lawyer Michael White.
You can even make it a two-day affair if touring 10 wineries in a day seems like too many. Spend one day at the wineries in Spokane’s downtown core and the other touring the wineries on the outskirts of the city. All of the wineries will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a chance to catch the wineries that have limited hours. The wineries are: Arbor Crest, Barrister, Caterina, Grand Ronde, Knipprath, Latah Creek, Lone Canary, Mountain Dome, Robert Karl and Townshend. Maps are available at each winery or online at www.spokanewineries.net.
Samples of new wines, pre-released wines and tastes from barrels or tanks will be offered, along with food samples. “It is just a wonderful way for everyone from the novice to the experienced …. to come gain more knowledge about the whole process of making wine,” Lipsker says. “I think people are going to be surprised by the quality of the wines that are being made in Spokane now.”
For more information, call 927-9463.
Farmers’ markets blooming early
Mild winter and early spring weather has given farmers a jump on the growing season and markets are opening across the region.
Saturday will already be the third Boundary County Farmers’ Market in Bonners Ferry and several other Idaho markets are opening this weekend. The Kootenai County Farmers’ Market in Hayden kicks off its season Saturday, as does the Farmers’ Market at Sandpoint and the Moscow Farmers’ Market. Washington farmers’ markets opening Saturday include the Columbia Basin Farmers’ Market in Moses Lake and the Pend Orielle Valley Earth Market in Newport.
A new market called the Spokane County Valley Market is debuting at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. Admission is $1 and it will include farmers, crafters, flea market vendors and others.
Early garden greens, bedding plants, flowers and baked goods can be expected at most markets. Look inside today’s IN Food section for detailed listings.