Wine & Food Festival Preview: A Talk With Washington Winemaker John Bookwalter

Merlot has certainly taken a beating in the press in recent years, yet it is one of your showcase wines and obviously grows well in Washington. What do you find most appealing about Merlot?

Merlot is the base wine in many of the greatest wines made anywhere in the world today...to name a few, Pavie, Petrus, and Cheval Blanc. So what I find intriguing about Merlot is that when you crop it properly and grow it in the right soil and climate (and outside of the right bank of Bordeaux, Washington is as good as it gets) it ripens fully and makes for a very structured, nuanced and elegant wine. Simply stated, Merlot does need a bit of help, but when you farm it correctly and blend with it, Merlot-based wines make for some of the most sophisticated wines in the world.

When compared to, say, Northern California, which Washington varietals do you think best the competition most often?

Merlot and Syrah for the reds, and Riesling is a no-brainer with the white wines.

We often see your Lot Series, Riesling, Cabernet, and Merlot in local shops. Which Bookwalter wine would you hope to introduce to Texas next?

Our high-end single appellation blend from Red Mountain called "Protagonist" (A Merlot-based wine) and our single vineyard Cabernet-based blend called "Conflict" from the Conner-Lee vineyard that we have managed for 25 years.

You're pouring at several of this year's Wine & Food Festival events. Are you able to tell what wines might sell in a particular city by the responses at a tasting?

Not until I personally see the reaction from the customers, and often times one wine might be showy one weekend, and not another. You never know exactly when a certain wine might be the star.

How have your experiences been here in Austin? What do you think of the city's wine enthusiasts?

I have only traveled to Austin three times, however, I must say the level of wine enthusiasm is as vigorous as i have experienced anywhere in the country and the level of knowledge about wine there is quite sophisticated. I would add that Texas (and Austin in particular) have been fabulous in trying and adopting Washington wines in general.

Finally, how tourism friendly is the Columbia Valley right now - are most wineries open to the public? It sounds like an intriguing place to visit.

Washington’s wine country is very tourism friendly, yet it is still in an infancy in many regards and closely bound to its' agricultural roots. From an infrastructure standpoint, we are still developing our culinary and lodging experiences in Eastern Washington and there are now several destination wineries either completed or under construction. By starting a wine tour in the Western Washington, Seattle/Woodinville area and then driving over the Cascade mountain range into the wine grape growing region of eastern Washington, a wine tourist is in for one exciting adventure that blends urban and rural wine cultures and the diversity of pine trees to desert landscapes. Most wineries are now open to the public year round...and certainly during the spring, summer and fall months.

Note: Bookwalter Wines may be purchased locally at The Austin Wine Merchant or Grapevine Market. Prices range from $12.50-$40.