Holmes Harbor Cellars [August 2019]

As I mentioned last week, my sister [Lisa Yoder] is in town visiting!! So much to do and to see, and so little time!! After picking her up from the airport we hit the ground running. We started out by exploring things around the Ballard Locks and Fish Ladder. It was so cool, the sun even came out for us!! I know I had to have taken her to several of my favorite winery places, but she is not a wino like me. [Haha] Not to worry, we had plenty of non-wine activities on the itinerary. Example... have you ever wondered about Seattle's beginnings!? Well, we took this totally awesome underground tour to learn about the area’s history!!

“We haven’t been everywhere yet, but it’s on our list!!” On the top of said list was to jump in Steele and all go on a spectacular drive up the I-5. This would then take us over Deception Pass bridge and onto Whidbey Island. The plan was to drive the entire length of the island down to a ferry that would bring us back to the mainland. Of course there were many stops along the way to take pictures!! We stopped in Coupeville for lunch at the Front Street Grill, a beautiful little place right on the water. Continuing on, we saw a sign for Holmes Harbor Cellars!! You can see by the photo of Steele below, that we made an extra stop!! Haha!!

I love that this was not even on our list!! Sisters... that is just how roll!! [spontaneous and a little crazy. LOL] Holmes Harbor Cellars was founded in 2005 by Greg and Theresa Martinez. They released their first small batch of wine in 2008 and they think of themselves as the perfect pairing. [Awwwww!!] You see together they feel like just the right blend of art and science. They met and fell in love while both attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, located in what is known as one of California’s most romantic wine regions. To follow suit, Holmes Harbor Cellars is labeled as Whidbey Islands most scenic vineyard and wine tasting room.

Greg is musician at heart [he's the art] and a retired Navy pilot. He now takes commercial flights all over the world. With regular flights to Italy, France, and Spain, his appreciation for wine grew into a passion. Greg earned his degree from the University of Davis Enology [the science of winemaking] and viticulture [the science of grape cultivation] Program. Gregs wife Teresa, is a chemist [she's the science] and they refer to their wine as "our passion in liquid form." Greg and Teresa, along with their son Micheal, live on the beautiful vineyard estate. Talk about island living!!

I do not remember if we had this awesome photo [seen above] taken before or after we went into the winery. It just screams out... look Mom, we're getting along and sharing!! [even if it's just a seat in the chair!! Haha] At some point we went on inside to round us up a wine tasting!! It was a lovely sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, so we kept our tasting light. [meaning mostly white wine, pictured below] I also feel like we may have sat outside at one of the tables near Steele, we didn't want her to feel left out!! LOL

Now that I'm writing this trip and thinking about it, I want to say that we had our photo taken after we ordered our tasting. When our sommelier brought out our wine, I think she is the one who actually took the picture. Looking back I wish we would have had more time here, to walk around the grounds and get a closer look at the vineyard. However, since this was an impromptu addition to our day, and we had a ferry schedule to think about and keep, I am happy we were able to stop and enjoy the time we had!!

This island drive and vineyard stop our last day of excursions... "we didn't realize we were making memories.. we just knew we were having fun!!" The Mukilteo/Clinton Ferry Boat ride from Whidbey Island back to the mainland was to be our last adventure. A short but sweet trip, with so many fun memories and photos created!!

Next week Wine with Wixy finds a new and interesting wine tasting opportunity in Prosser, Washington. We are starting on our trip back "home" to Arizona for the winter ballooning season, and Shawn found us a unique campground for our first night!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!