Auction of Washington Wines celebrates the Washington Wine industry and community via an annual series of events every August. This month, or WAugust as it is commonly referred to, we in the PNW celebrate the industry all month long. It is perfect to have the auction events to kick things off.
Since its inception in 1988, auction events have raised more than $63 million for its beneficiaries. This year through incredible generosity, $4 million was raised to benefit Seattle Childrens’ Hospital, Vital Wines and Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program. We are so thrilled to have been a part of that meaningful cause.
Here are Kaiti and Carrie with Sandra from Rising Wines Collective, and ladies from Goose Ridge Winery. We enjoyed a pour of the Streetvine Rose of Syrah and the Streetvine Sauvignon Blanc. Both wines were delicious! The Revelation Rose from Goose Ridge Wines was a perfect summer Rose and we love the bottle design so much.
The food offerings were incredible again this year at the Winemaker Picnic. I could have eaten an entire table of the samples served up by chef Aaron Tekulve of Surrell Seattle. His creation of smashed Reggiano Parmigiano Espuma with deconstructed elotes was insanely good. The tomato watermelon bisque with pickled watermelon rind was unique and delicious. If you have never eaten at Surrell, we insist that you must.
We were so grateful for a shady break from the hot sun and a lovely place to sit and taste the delicious food. I tried fried chicken and potato salad from Cookie’s Country Chicken . I was so excited to bring some of the gluten-free cauliflower bites back to the table for Carrie and Kaiti to try! Big shout out as well the Jack’s BBQ (a favorite of mine, as you can see here) for their mouth-watering brisket and the vegetarian oyster mushrooms.
The iconic Ray’s Boathouse served up delicious bites, including hot smoked King Salmon sliders and Halibut ceviche. Trophy Cupcakes, Communion Seattle and FrogRose Atelier were also in the house! Conversation Restuarant / Thomspson’s Seattle created a stunning charcuterie tent. Check out more from our time at the picnic, on our Instagram feed, here and here.
These events are a highlight of our summer wine activities and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to chat with so many Washington winemakers and industry friends. To learn more about Auction of Washington Wines and the Northwest Wine Benefit Foundation, click here. We can’t say enough positive things about these yearly events. Everything is very well planned and executed, and it is our favorite way to give back to one of our favorite charity foundations, as well as support the Washington State wine industry.
Cheers ! Jen
