High Spirits

There could not have been a more perfect summer afternoon for Sustainable Connections' first annual Whatcom Wine & Spirits Fest, a fundraising event for their Food and Farming Program!

The event was held outside, next to Bellewood Acres' new Farm Market & Bistro, in the area behind the bright orange temporary fencing, with the added bonus of a gorgeous view of Mount Baker (10,781 ft/3,286 m). Nine local wineries and a local distiller, all members of the Whatcom Winery and Distillery Association, were featured. Each ticket holder received a commemorative wine glass and eight "tasting tickets" for samples of the wine and spirits.

Additional tasting tickets could be purchased, and so could bottles of all the wines there, if you couldn't wait to add your new favorites to your own cellar. Samples of cheeses from Whatcom County and other nearby areas were included in the ticket price, and salmon burgers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs were also available for purchase.

Mellow live music by local groups added to the festive air, and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing tastes, trying wineries new to us, and sampling Bellwood Acres raspberry vodka, gin, and eau de vie (all made from their apples), and when our tickets were gone, sharing a piece of delicious local raspberry pie and a raspberry lemonade in Bellewood Acres Farm Market & Bistro.

Summer delights at their finest!

If you'd like to learn more about Whatcom County wineries and distilleries, click on the links below.

Bellewood Distilling
Dakota Creek Winery
(One of our new favorites -- we bought two bottles, a Syrah and the Firefighter Red Blend, to take home)
Dynasty Cellars
GLM Wine Company
Inyo Winery
Samson Estates Winery
(We bought a bottle of their fabulous Framboise Raspberry Dessert Wine -- the beautiful Samson Estates pourers, Phil's choice for today's blip, had nothing to do with this... )
Masquerade Wine Company
Mount Baker Vineyards
(Several bottles of their wines are already in our cellar.)
Willow Tree Vineyard
Vartanyan Estate Winery