This wine is
another find from the Bargain Grocery Store, and we'll be going back to see if there's more available. The good news, Willow Crest Winery's Riesling is a Washington Riesling that's not overly sweet or so fruity that the qualities of traditional Riesling are lost. This is a fragrant, light faintly pineapple aroma on opening. In the glass, it is a pale straw in color. It's light and fruity, and the pineapple carries over into the taste, with just enough acid. At $4.99 a bottle, this is a steal; we'll be going back for more. I note that the winery lists it as $8.00 a bottle, and even at that, I think this is more than worth it. I'm hoping to find enough to enjoy this summer.
This small family winery, which began as a grape grower in Washington's Yakima valley in 1982, was created by David Minick in 1995, with an interest in making wines from a portion of carefully selected Pinot Grigio and Riesling grapes from the family vineyard. The winery did well, production expanded, and they created a state of the art winery, and a shared tasting room in Prosser. They produced Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Late Harvest/Dessert/Ice Wine, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, and a Rosé. There were more than a few awards won, with particular success with Pinot Gris. At some point, they were acquired by Precept. That's what, frankly, seems like bad news to me, though I hope it was good for the Minicks. The thing is, that it seems to me that Precept is buying up these small family wineries, and selling off the stock, after which, the winery simply disappears for all practical purposes. I know that that's the nature of capitalism, and free enterprise, etc. etc., but I still don't like it, and I think its a loss for the local economy and for the long-term benefits of wine culture.