The Whidbey Island Winery began as a dream and a chance for career changes for Gregory and Elizabeth Osenbach. The two lived in Monroe and were making homemade wine. Producing wine in Monroe was a bit of a problem because the climate was too wet.
The biggest part of that dream was moving to Whidbey Island and starting a winery from scratch. As many of you know, Whidbey Island lies in the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountain Range. This makes Whidbey somewhat drier than much of the Puget Sound.
In 1984 Greg and Elizabeth moved to Whidbey Island. They found a 10-acre site that would be perfect for their winery; it was very close to Langley and would be a good location for retailing their wines.
They built a home and started growing grapes. With a maturing crop of grapes it was time to expand. In 1990 they built the winery building and proceeded to get all the licenses that would be required to sell their wines.
1991 was their first production year and by the summer of 1992 they had sold 400 cases of wine. Today that number is between 3000 and 3500 cases of wine.
Currently about one third of the grapes that are used in producing their wines comes from the Whidbey Island vineyard; the rest of the grapes come from the Yakima Valley.
Greg and Elizabeth have developed a strong relationship with the growers in Yakima. They have input on how the grapes are grown. It used to be that the growers were paid by the pound for their grapes. This tended to reduce the quality of the grapes grown since the emphasis was on quantity.
Now grapes are sold by the acre; there is less of a focus on quantity and more on the quality.of the grape. If the crop level is lower you have better quality and the flavors are more intense.
If you click on the wine label above you can view a short video about the winery.
Elizabeth does the important book work that is needed for the enterprise’s success. Leah Waaramaki is the other half of the wine making team, with Greg, and she is also involved in the wineries marketing efforts. Leah comes from the wine growing area of California and has provided a lot of energy and love to the business and it’s wine making.
If you click on the above label there is a video interview with Leah Waaramaki talking about Seattle’s 2009 Wine Awards. The Whidbey Island Winery won a Gold Medal for their White Rh0ne Style 2007 Roussanne.
The Whidbey Island Winery produces both white and red wines. Three of the whites are produced at the vineyard; Madeline Angevine, Island White and Siegerrebe.
To find out more about the winery you can visit their website by clicking here.
The Winery is located on 5237 Langley Road in Langley, Washington, 98260.
You can call them at 360-221-2040
Ready for a Mystery Weekend?
The quaint seaside town of Langley will be ushering in their 26th annual Mystery Weekend on the 27th and 28th of February. This is your chance to solve a murder and spend some time exploring this wonderful town on Whidbey Island.
I’ve put together a slideshow of Whidbey Island for those of you who haven’t had a chance to visit. The first part of the slideshow is of Langley and the rest are various shots of Whidbey Island just click on the photo of Langley below.
When you arrive in Langley you might venture out to the Prima Bistro for a glass of wine before you move on to the local visitor center to pick up a copy of the Langley Gazette. This special edition will give you the basic details of the case, all of the characters running around town and where you might want to look for clues.
This year more than 20 character actors will be seen roaming the streets of Langley. So, join the crowd and start picking up tips from the 35 clue holders; you’ll probably want to visit the local shops and other destinations in Langley.
The story unfolds when Yuri Enluc is found stabbed through the heart outside the post office. As I hear it the weapon was a letter opener. Yuri was born on Whidbey Island but he grew up in Plotsylvainia. He had returned to the island and had started a pen pal service connecting would-be brides in Plotsylvainia with bachelors living on Whidbey.
This doesn’t have to be an overnight event; though what could be better fun! If you have to leave you just need to drop off your investigative findings at the visit center. You can still be eligible for prizes if your not around when they reveal who the murderer was.
You don’t want to be too naive; I’m guessing that our character actors are not going to make it too simple.
Remember that at 1 p.m. on Feb. 27th the coroner will be delivering his report to City Hall; perhaps revealing more details of the crime. At 4:30 p.m. Feb. 28th the murderer will be revealed at Langley Middle School. Will you know the answer? This is when the prizes will handed out to the super sleuths among us and perhaps a few others.
If you click on the photo below you can view a short video on last years event.
Pick up a copy of the clue-filled Langley Gazette at the Langley Chamber of Commerce Office and Visitor Information Center, 208 Anthes Ave., Langley, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 27 and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28.
Entry forms are due to the visitor center by 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28.
The murderer will be revealed at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Langley Middle School, 723 Camano Ave., and at 8 p.m. on the chamber’s Web site.
Mystery clues are all within walking distance of downtown Langley. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress warmly.
Cost: $10 per person or $25 for groups of four
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Beneath the Salish Sea can be seen this weekend at the Clyde Theatre in Langley. We get a chance to witness the undersea odyssey of Florian Graner. Florian is a marine biologist who specializes in cinematography and photography. He has worked on a number of film projects for the BBC (The Blue Planet) and National Geographic.
His new film takes place right in our own backyard. Beneath the Salish Sea will give you a chance to see the wide variety of fish life in the Puget Sound. He will takes us to Holmes Harbor and the area just off of Beverly Beach. This should be a real education on the rich ecosystems that are prevalant in the area. Florian will be at the Clyde after the show to answer your questions.
Beneath the Salish Sea
Sunday, January 17, 2010
2:00 to 3:30 at The Clyde
The SEA’s (Service, Education and Adventure Organization) 65-foot teaching vessel Indigo will also be at the Langley Marina. There will be free tours both before (11:00am – 2:00pm) and after (4:00 – 7:00pm) the film. This should be fun for everyone; you may have a budding oceanographer in your family.
This past year I wrote a few posts about the oceans while I was blogging in Nevada; perhaps longing for a return to the Pacific Northwest. The three posts were Green Oceans and Plastic, Sustainable Fisheries and Green Oceans Las Vegas. Just click on the titles to get to the posts.
Have a great weekend!
The Inn at Langley
The Holiday Season didn’t bring the white stuff to Langley this year and I’m sure the merchants were very happy. I took my constant companion Sam for a stroll through Langley this last Saturday. Sam is a 4 month old Black Lab and Boxer mix who is extremely friendly and I was able to meet quite a few visitors to our city.
The Saratoga Inn
The photos that I took are not the most artistic; hard to do when you’re trying your best not to get tangled up with your pup. It was a nice sunny day and the people were friendly so all and all a good outing.
The Langley Public Library
The Langley Post Office with Sam in the foreground.
A look down Candy Cane Lane.
The Village Pizzeria in Langley.
Langley is a great place to shop and browse for art.
The one thing that I like about writing a blog is that I’m not limited in the photos that I can put on the site. Photos can sometimes just stand on their own.
A view of the mountains and water from below the city of Langley looking north.
The 2nd St Wine Shop and Tasting Room
I hope you enjoyed the photo shoot; Langley is a great little town. Nothing like a short ferry ride and spending a little time in a not so complex little town.
I hope you had a great Christmas; I spent mine in Seattle with family and friends.
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