Robin Pollard Quotations

Now in its fifth year, Taste Washington Spokane has grown to be one of the largest, most popular wine tasting events in Eastern Washington. Taste Washington provides the public with an opportunity to try new Washington wines, meet winemakers and chefs, and celebrate our state's booming wine industry.

It's really going to be on a case-by-case basis. I suppose there is that danger of diluting the overall message and creating some confusion. From where I sit, we certainly are placing a priority on branding Washington state as the wine region.

Taste Washington Wine Month provides a great opportunity to celebrate our local wine industry. Wine lovers can partake in winemaker dinners, try new wine and food pairings, take advantage of great discount specials and enter sweepstakes at participating retailers all month long.

Taste Washington is one of the largest wine events in the nation highlighting a single wine region, providing connoisseurs and novices alike with the opportunity to mingle with Washington winemakers, sample hundreds of award winning wines and learn from leading experts in the field. We are introducing some changes to Taste Washington this year to bring the focus back to wine and create a more relaxed, intimate tasting experience for attendees. With more than 380 wineries located in virtually every corner of the state, our 'Ultimate Wine Tour' theme shines a spotlight on the many touring regions wine enthusiasts can visit, and reinforces the message that Washington state truly is wine country.

Restaurants are critical partners to the Washington wine industry because the restaurant is where consumers often have their first wine experience. The Washington Wine Restaurant Awards program recognizes those establishments that exhibit strong support of Washington wines with innovative and educational promotions.

Just like Washington state, we think Tampa is the perfect climate for wine.

We wanted to ensure that the industry and the consumer had the opportunity to walk away from the experience with a better appreciation of the wine industry as it is today.

Washington wine education is a very important component of the Taste Washington experience. The line-up of speakers and seminars this year is unparalleled, and will undoubtedly help wine lovers at all levels of learning develop a greater appreciation for Washington wines.