Many of the 20 wineries in the Spokane, Washington, region regularly earn national recognition from Wine & Spirits, Wine Spectator and NW Palate magazines. Three were big winners in the last three Indy International Wine Competitions, one of the nation's largest competitions with more than 3,300 wines from 17 countries.
Earned a Gold Medal at the 2010 American Fine Wines Competition for Rough Justice and for their Cabernet Franc.
Earned a Gold Medal at the 2009 Tri Cities Wine Festival for their Cabernet Franc.
Earned scores of 90 or better on five wines in Wine Enthusiast magazine.
One of 94 best Syrahs in the world according to Wine & Spirits magazine, February 2008.
Earned Double Gold at the 2008 Indy International Wine Competition for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Merlot, making it the third year in a row Barrister had earned Concordance Gold, Double Gold or Gold medals at the annual competition, one of the largest in the world.
Earned Best of Class and Double Gold Medal at the Tri Cities Wine Festival in November 2007 for 2005 Cabernet Franc.
Two attorneys turned winemakers. The only cases these lawyers like to try are their own.
Their secret they say is the slight shaking that occurs in the cellar of their 100 year old building every time the train goes by.
Earned a Concordance Gold at the 2007 Indy International Wine Competition for their Red Vinifera Blend called Pieces of Red.
Tasting room is in a converted gas station in a small town on the way to Grand Coulee Dam. Also added a downtown Spokane tasting room in May 2009. Winemaker is 30-something Michael Haig. He planted the grapes he now uses to make wine in his vineyard at age 16.
Whitestone also earned a Gold medal for their 2002 Merlot and two silvers for a 2002 Cabernet Franc and 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2007 Indy International Wine Competition.
A fine cheddar cheese that is made and canned by students at Washington State University.
The dairy department at Washington State University (WSU) dates back to the late 1800s. In the 1930s, researchers at WSU began looking at viable ways of storing cheese and came to the conclusion that cans were best as wax could crack and allow contamination.
With a grant from the US Government and American Can Company, the tins were developed and one of the resulting cheeses was named "Cougar Gold" after researcher Dr. N.S. Golding.
The Creamery now produces 250,000 cans of cheese a year, 80% of which is Cougar Gold, sold worldwide. The profits from the cheese and ice cream products fully support the Creamery and research conducted there.
A soft peanut butter brittle candy derived from an old family recipe.
In 1929, Aunt Sophia began making hand-dipped treats at The Davenport Hotel, one of the country's finest both then and now.
In 1951, a regular customer came in to purchase Aunt Sophia's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Brittle, but remarked she wished it was softer on her dentures. Aunt Sophia purchased and carried a 60-pound marble slab home on the bus and began experimenting on a soft version of the candy.
Fifty years later, her niece uses that same slab to make the candy which is the turn-down treat at The Davenport Hotel.
• The twists and turns to this story are too numerous to mention, but suffice it to say, this candy was meant to be!
Two farmers from central Washington formed Shepherd's Grain with the idea that they could produce better wheat products while preserving their land.
Shepherd's Grain uses a blend of two wheat seeds, one of which was developed by researchers at Washington State University for wheat growers in Washington and Idaho.
The wheat is milled into flour in Spokane and then used in bakeries throughout Washington, Idaho and Oregon in this terrific field-to-table tale.
Shepherd's Grain is used in pizza dough and bread products served in the restaurants on campus at Washington State University.
Most of the bakeries and restaurants that switched to Shepherd's Grain had to adjust the recipes for their baked goods based on the freshness of the flour.
The process the farmers use to garner Shepherd's Grain is actually restoring the nutrients in their field rather than slowly depleting them.
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