Are you one of those people who “drink seasonally” — IPA to ring in spring, rosé in summer, stout to transition into fall, a spicy, warm Rhône-style blend for winter? Get ready to up your seasonal drinking game by grabbing a seat at one of these eight tasting and taprooms for the season at hand.
WINTER
Beer: Island Hoppin’ Brewery, Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA
Trade throngs of tourists for a handful of locals on this quaint island, over a flagship Old Madrona imperial red before a backdrop of high seas and snowcapped mountains.
Wine: Barrister, Spokane, WA
Winter in the Inland Empire is a beautiful, sometimes brutal thing meant to be enjoyed with hearty, core-thawing Columbia Valley wines.
SPRING
Beer: Solera Brewery, Parkdale, OR
Being on the right side of Mt. Hood’s rain shadow surrounded by flowering orchards with a highly seasonal, spontaneously fermented ale is spring bliss.
Wine: Tantalus, Kelowna, BC
Take in the arresting Okanagan spring bloom and makings of vintage 2018 from British Columbia’s fist LEED-certified winery, with an estate Blanc de Noir in hand.
SUMMER
Beer: KettleHouse Brewing Co., Missoula, MT
Summer is for the outdoors, KettleHouse knows. Its green legacy of canning fine beers, plus a new amphitheater along the Blackfoot River, has us headed for the door.
Wine: Jacob Williams, Wishram, WA
If there is anything more summery than watching windsurfers navigate the dramatic Columbia River Gorge in between sips of reserve Chardonnay, we’d like to know.
FALL
Beer: Wolves & People, Newberg, OR
The Willamette Valley’s most estate-focused brewery is also set on an old hazelnut orchard in the foothills of the Chehalem Mountains, all the more vibrant come autumn.
Wine: Brooks Wine, Amity, OR
A longtime industry favorite backed by outstanding wines during the heat of harvest, as vineyard rows turn golden-yellow and the excitement of crush is palpable.
