It’s that colorful time of year when the sun slants lower on the horizon, the air is crisp and the harvest is ready for reaping. The Olympic Peninsula Wineries invite you to share the season’s bounty paired with wine and cider releases that will complement your holiday table. Come to the annual Harvest Wine & Cider Tour, November 11 – 13, Veterans’ Day Weekend, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Locally harvested oysters, locally foraged mushrooms, wild-caught smoked salmon croquettes, and turkey pumpkin chili are just some of the savories you’ll enjoy, along with fresh warm apple cake and other seasonal sweets. Hot cider cocktails, cranberry mead and Cranberry Jubilee wine will put you in the holiday spirit!

Online tour tickets are $35.00 (plus a service fee) or $40.00 at the door of each winery. A commemorative wine glass, wine tasting and food pairings are included in the ticket price. Visitors without tour tickets will be charged a $7.00 tasting fee at each winery. Children are permitted in the tasting rooms, however visitors must be 21 years old to purchase a ticket and participate in wine tasting.

Wine Tour Highlights
Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum, is celebrating the harvest season at its new Cider Garden with special release craft ciders from its organic orchard, and hot toddies featuring its Spirited Apple Wine. Sweet seasonal treats will be provided by Sugar Hill Confections. Visitors can walk the paths through Finnriver’s 50 acre farm and orchard and soak up the season with Chimacum Valley views and fresh farm air.

Marrowstone Vineyards, located in Nordland (Marrowstone Island), has invited Alexa from Sol Food to whip up some tasty, savory, finger foods. There will also be chocolate from PT Chocolate Company, and of course, Mt. Townsend Creamery cheese and cracker plates for sale that pair exquisitely with Marrowstone’s delicious, seasonal wines.

In Port Townsend, FairWinds Winery is hosting a Harvest Seattle Seahawks Celebration!  Start your visit with a tasting of their limited-released Merlot bottled especially for this Harvest Tour/Seahawks weekend, as well as FairWinds’ other award-winning wines. Play the winery’s football game to win Seahawk prizes!  Enjoy harvest treats!  The venue is decked out in harvest and Seahawk themes — all for your pleasure and fun!  Not to be missed!

Baby, it’s going to be cold outside, so stop by Alpenfire Cider in Port Townsend for hot cider cocktails, alcohol-free hot cider and coffee. Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Red Alder cheese will be served raclette style on a slice of Pane de Amore baguette. There will also be fresh, warm apple cake to sample along with Alpenfire’s traditional ciders. Vinegars and shrubs will be available to taste and purchase for holiday gifts. Cheers!

Also in Port Townsend, Eaglemount Wine & Cider is celebrating the bounty of the harvest season with several new releases, including Eaglemount Red, Syrah, Ginger Cider, and Cranberry Mead (its seasonal selection, made with Washington-grown cranberries from Starvation Alley Farms). Samples of experimental ciders not yet in production will also be available.  Come experience the cider-making process with footage of Eaglemount’s production crew hard at work harvesting apples, grinding and pressing, fermenting, and bottling their small-batch, artisan ciders.

In Sequim, Wind Rose Cellars is excited to partner with Alderwood Bistro, which will be providing focaccia bread loaded with a bounty of harvest goodies. Stop in and see which wines will be paired. Sunday will feature a special treat! Wind Rose’s Sauvignon Blanc will be paired with locally harvested oysters from Sequim Bay. The winery will be pouring five wines for the Harvest Tour: Pinot Grigio; Sauvignon Blanc; Dolcetto (new release); Malbec; and Barbera.  These wines will be on special during the event. There will also be a VIP bar where visitors can spend time with the winemaker one on one, taste additional wines and hear all about the winemaking process and philosophy that goes into making award-winning wines. On Saturday night, Wind Rose will host a local blues group, the “Malcolm Clark Trio.” Music starts at 7 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. Come early to find a seat!

In Port Angeles, Olympic Cellars’ tour theme is Thanksgiving. The winery will feature wines specially selected for the holiday table. Lemberger is the perfect wine to pour with a turkey dinner. It’s bright and flavorful, light enough that it won’t overpower the delicate flavor of turkey and the acidity works well with all the rich side dishes. Neuharth’s Legacy Magnum will also be available for tasting. There are still a few cases of this very special wine left. One of Olympic Cellars’ most popular fall wines is the Cranberry Jubilee. Usually it is sold out by the time November rolls around, but this year the winemaker made extra. Chef Michael from Kokopelli Grill in Port Angeles will create a delicious turkey soup, with turkey smoked in his newly built BBQ smoke house. Nash’s vegetables will round out the flavors. Samples of the soup will be available for tasting in the Gathering Room.  For dessert, My Sweet Syrah paired with Yvonne’s chocolate.

Camaraderie Cellars, Port Angeles, is celebrating its 25^th harvest — 25 years of making great wine in a beautiful place. The winery will feature some newly released wines such as Tempranillo, its new Madrona blend and also some well-aged varietals to recall years gone by.  Harvest tastes will include Turkey Pumpkin Chili (back by popular demand) and a harvest savory scone.  Because Camaraderie celebrates the bounty of life found in food, wine and friends and to celebrate its 25^th harvest, special discounts on wines will be available and each purchase will include a sample of Chef Steve’s Wine Club recipes.

While the main focus is producing mind-blowing wines at Port Angeles’ Harbinger Winery, Winemaker Sara Gagnon and her crew believe strongly in the beauty and goodness of locally grown and prepared foods.  In theme with the celebration of the bounty they will be serving up locally foraged wild mushrooms, wild-caught “Smoked Salmon Croquettes,” and organic pumpkin that is an experience. Think of it as a palatial tour of the northwest bounty — 100% local, 100% delicious! These dishes have been prepared to match exceptionally with Harbinger wines. And no harvest would be complete without experiencing the versatility of the 2015 Rose’ and 2011 El Jefe’. The Harbinger crew doesn’t want to give up all the secrets, so visitors will just have to stop by and see for themselves all that is in store. The winery is excited to share this gastronomic occasion!

For more information, visit www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org.