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It’s official. Washington is Now Fully Open

By Baer Winery No Comments

Effective 12:01 AM on June 30, all industry sectors previously covered by guidance in the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery or the Safe Start Reopening Plan may return to usual capacity and operations.

COVID-19 Tasting Room update.

  • We are currently permitted to operate at 100% capacity inside. 
  • Reservations are recommended, but not required.
  • Reservations are limited to a 1-hour seating. If space permits, your visit may be extended upon request.
  • We will accommodate walk-in guests, without a reservation, on a first come, first served basis, when space permits.
  • Unvaccinated guests must wear a mask. Masks may be removed once you are seated but must be worn if you visit the restroom or are otherwise away from your table. 
  • Each of our team members is vaccinated but may still choose to wear a mask. Please respect their personal choice and be courteous to all in our community who continue masking.
  • Tables will continue to be spaced 6-feet apart to allow for social distancing.  Please do not move any tables.
  • Our tables can each accommodate up to 4 people .
  • Team members will thoroughly sanitize tables, chairs, and high-touch point areas in between guest visits.
  • We have plenty of hand sanitizer and soap available for hand washing.
  • You may make a reservation here or by calling (425) 483-7060.

The Locals Lockdown Guide to Woodinville

By Baer Winery No Comments

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been wearing masks, social distancing, baking bread, and cleaning out our closets for almost a year now. Winter has made us especially restless after spending more time indoors, so we’ve put together a little COVID-safe itinerary for a day trip or staycation. We hope you will enjoy this local’s lockdown guide to Woodinville.

Step Outside

We suggest starting the day by stepping outside into the fresh air! The Pacific Northwest is famous for wet, woodsy hikes, and Woodinville does not disappoint. Two of our favorite places to hike are the Paradise Valley Conservation Area and Ring Hill Forest Trails. Both provide scenic nature walks and are right here in Woodinville.

Photo courtesy of All Trails

The Paradise Valley Conservation Area Trail is a four-mile loop that features a lake and some pretty incredible plants and wildlife. If you have time, we recommend finding spots to wander around this area as it’s vast and has a lot to offer. If you’d rather explore on wheels, you can ride your bike instead.

In search of something a bit quicker and easier? Check out the Ring Hill Forest Trails. Clocking in at about two miles, this is a dog- and kid-friendly trail that is a perfect candidate for that late morning, early afternoon walk you’ve been craving. If you just want to enjoy the journey of a walk surrounded by nature, but don’t want to break a sweat, this one’s for you. Grab your pup, pack a light lunch (don’t forget a bottle of Baer), and enjoy the great outdoors.

Refuel

After time spent in the great outdoors, we know you’ll be ready to refuel. Luckily, Woodinville has an array of terrific options for takeout. One of our favorites in town is Heritage Restaurant & Bar. Located in the Hollywood Hill District, this restaurant is offering its menu, as well as family meals, for pickup or delivery. We love that the menu offers something for everyone, featuring locally grown and sourced food. They also have specials and grocery items you can browse to save you time and money.

If it’s a Saturday, you’re in luck, because each week there’s a new food truck parked in the Woodinville Warehouse District! Depending on the date, you’ll get to experience some of Woodinville’s best traveling-food options from Asian Fusion to Southern Comfort Food to Mexican to Vegan and more. Plus, Baer Winery is right around the corner and open from 1-4 pm.

Taste Washington Wine

We’re ending our local’s lockdown guide to Woodinville with the most important information of all… starting Saturday, February 20th we’re re-opening for tastings by reservation Friday – Sunday, 1 pm to 4 pm. We will also continue to offer curbside pickups during tasting hours, as well as Monday-Thursday by appointment. We hope you can stop by and see us!

Woodinville’s Warehouse District is jam-packed with awesome wineries, so after you visit us, take a walk around the neighborhood and see what else is available. We all appreciate your support now more than ever.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this locals guide to Woodinville. We’re always happy to share our favorites with you and hope you have a great time during your visit, even with the current restrictions. Let us know if you take advantage of any of our suggestions on social media, and as always, tag us in your photos while sipping on Baer wines.

Baer Winery | 2020 Wrap-Up

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This year has been unpredictable, to say the least. As a small, family-run business, we’ve learned to be very flexible this year. The temporary closure of our tasting room due to COVID-19 restrictions has been tough, but the health and safety of our members, guests, employees, and ourselves remains paramount. Through it all, wine, friends, and family (from a distance) have been there for us, and we’re ready to welcome the New Year with open arms and a new sense of hope. To wrap up the year on a positive note, we’re diving into what we’ve been watching, reading, eating, and, most importantly, drinking to get us through these last few months of 2020.

What We’re Watching

This year has been THE year of streaming. While everyone was stuck inside doing puzzles and baking bread, we were watching all of the Great British Baking Show and Somebody Feed Phil and are currently indulging in holiday favorite movies like Elf and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. All of these have one thing in common – you feel great after you watch them.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Somebody Feed Phil speaks to our foodie hearts. It follows Phil Rosenthal and his fun and interesting friends on an eating tour of the world. The thing we liked most about this show was that we felt like we had traveled the world without leaving the couch. We also felt inspired and ready to get back in the kitchen! We’ve been picking our favorite Baer wines to pair with the extraordinary dishes Phil comes across.

We want to end the year on a good note, and the Will Ferrell classic, Elf, always brings the belly laughs. Following a grown man who was raised as an elf in the North Pole on his journey to New York City to find his birth father, we highly recommend this if you haven’t seen it yet! You can’t see this movie too many times, and we’ll probably watch it at least once more before the New Year just for good measure.

What We’re Reading

Besides Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and Wine Folly, we read President Barack Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land, cover to cover (ok, maybe we listened to the audiobook, but still!). We’ve also been revisiting some classics like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement. Up next, we’re looking forward to laughing through the new David Sedaris The Best of Me, as well as the latest by former Seattle resident, Erik Larson, The Splendid and the Vile. In our opinion, there is nothing better than curling up by a crackling fire with a glass of 2016 Arctos and diving into a different world.

What We’re Eating

Now we’re getting to the good stuff! We think the question is more like, “what haven’t we been eating?” We’ve had a focus on comfort these past few months, so we can recommend meatballs in a tomato basil sauce, seafood paella, roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup, and homemade pizza on sourdough crust. The big plus about these four dishes is that they pair wonderfully with any Baer red blend.

Here are a few insider tips on flawlessly recreating these dishes…

For the meatballs, instead of breadcrumbs, use crispy onions. Then, for the sauce, just heat up a can of crushed tomatoes and simmer with fresh basil (from your new quarantine herb garden) – voila – an easy, delicious, weeknight meal. We suggest pairing this dish with any vintage of our Callisto red blend.

https://baerwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0138/2017-Ursa–750-ml?utm_source=Newsletter/Blog&utm_medium=blog_link&utm_campaign=ASTRA_NL_Jan21_2020_wrap_up_blog&utm_content=2017_ursa_vintage Don’t be intimidated by paella. It may seem like a complicated dish, but if you can make a small family-size batch.  Follow the process correctly, and make the broth extra rich and flavorful, you can’t go wrong. We know we said that all our wines go well with any dish, but we recommend sipping on our 2018 Shard. This crisp, unoaked Chardonnay will pair perfectly with the seafood and saffron.The only tip we have for the roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup is to double the cheese. Trust us on this one and pair with any vintage of Ursa. We’ve been sipping on the newly released 2017 and can’t recommend it enough.

Everyone has been making sourdough in 2020, so why not experiment with a sourdough pizza crust? We’re partial to chicken sausage and goat cheese for our toppings, but this dish is one to have fun with and build to fit your own tastes. The 2016 Malbec is the wine for pizza. Concentrated and expressive, it will complement whatever toppings you choose.

We hope that the challenges that 2020 has presented to you are not too great and that you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy life through movies, literature, and, of course, food and wine. Cheers to a New Year and new opportunities. Let’s raise a glass to 2021.


Baer Winery Thanksgiving Pairings

By Wine and Food, Baer Winery No Comments

There’s nothing better than sharing food and laughs with those who mean the most to you, making Thanksgiving a time of year that we all look forward to. This year might look a bit different than usual, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy wine and food with your loved ones. The Baer family has curated an easy holiday pack with all the wines you’ll need for your Thanksgiving meal, whether it be small, solo, or socially distanced. If you’re taking things virtual, order a pack for yourself and packs for those you love, and we can help you ship to the rest of your party. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these Baer Winery Thanksgiving pairings!

2018 Shard paired with Pommes Puree

The first wine included is our 2018 Shard. Crisp and clean, this unoaked Chardonnay doesn’t have any of the heavy flavors that may clash with rich holiday foods. The balanced acidity and light pear and citrus notes are ideal for sipping while you’re cooking, or for guests to enjoy with savory appetizers like cheese and charcuterie. Carry it on through dinner as a fresh accompaniment to plump turkey, gravy, and herby stuffing. If you’re cooking for a smaller crowd this year, splurge on something super luscious like Pommes Puree instead of the usual mashed potatoes. It’s not quite equal parts butter and potato, but it’s close. We think this recipe is a perfect complement to the Shard!

2016 Star Merlot paired with Romaine and Pear Salad

Our Thanksgiving gathering is usually small, so in past years we would typically take advantage of one of Seattle’s great restaurants serving a traditional menu and wine pairing. Our 2016 Star Merlot with its bright red currant and pie cherries, baking spice, and a hint of bay leaf works with the full meal deal. Including an obligatory salad on the plate? Try something simple like Romaine tossed with chopped pear, colorful and tart pomegranate arils, dressed with a light vinaigrette, and topped with parmesan shavings.

2016 Arctos paired with Mushroom Wellington

This year we’ll instead be picking up gourmet to-go and sharing a virtual dinner over Zoom, so the menu will be smaller. For those who prefer a slightly fuller-bodied red with their turkey, or even a second or alternative meat option like prime rib or ham, we’ve included our 2016 Arctos Cabernet Sauvignon. Silky, lush, and dense, this would also go along well with a vegetarian entrée like this Mushroom Wellington. 

As for pie, we know of many excellent pie and wine pairings, but we’d be remiss to pass on a boozy coffee pairing. After all, there’s no better place for coffee than Seattle, Washington!

Cheers to you and yours, and we hope that however you are celebrating, Thanksgiving will bring some comfort and joy to this season. If you’re planning on setting your table with Baer wines this year, let us know by tagging us in your posts on Instagram!


20 Years of Baer Winery

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It’s hard to believe that over 20 years have already gone by since Baer Winery was founded in July of 2000. It was another year until we were able to establish a production facility in Maltby, Washington. Then in 2003 after much excitement and trepidation, we held our first wine release event for a small group of interested wine drinkers we had come to know over the first few years of production. Much to our delight and relief, the 2000 Ursa, our first red blend and the only wine featured in that first release, was very well received and sold out immediately. Baer Winery has since been a staple in Washington state, and we are grateful to have such a fantastic team, wine club members, and fans that have been with us throughout the journey. We invite you to take a little nostalgic trip with us as we celebrate 20 years of Baer Winery.

The Early Years

Shortly after our first wine release event, SkyCity Restaurant in the Space Needle became the first restaurant to add Ursa to its wine list. Now, our wines can be found in wine lists across Pacific Northwest, as well as wine shops across North America including New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Montana, Wyoming, and Canada. 

After experimenting with a number of great Washington vineyards in our early years and refining the Baer winemaking style, in 2004 we made a choice to work exclusively with fruit grown at Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Columbia Valley, which is now known as the Royal Slope AVA. We also followed up the 2000 Ursa with Arctos in 2002 and in 2004, Shard. In 2007, following the unexpected and untimely loss of our co-founder and winemaker, Lance Baer, Erica Orr joined as our Consulting Winemaker, and we moved our production facility to Woodinville’s Warehouse District.  With an increase in production and demand, the following year, we opened the tasting room that we’re currently in, right next door to our production facility. In 2009, we introduced the Star and Callisto red blends, exploring further expressions of our Merlot and Cabernet
Sauvignon.

Then to Now

As we moved into the second decade of Baer Winery, in 2011, our 2008 Ursa appeared at #6 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100, putting our little winery on the map. Still in shock, we fielded calls, emails, and visitors from literally around the world. Subsequently, the 2012 vintage of Ursa made the top 30 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 at #28. We feel fortunate to continue to receive industry recognition, with our most recent being the 2016 Ursa which received 93 points from Tim Fish at Wine Spectator. Accolades are wonderful and we always appreciate them, but we still work just as hard or harder on every vintage trying to perfect it to our own standards.

In the fall of 2017, with the addition of a new Point-of-Sale system, we were able to launch our Ursa Major and Ursa Minor wine clubs. We continue to be thankful to have members with who we always look forward to catching up and sharing new wines. The year 2020 has brought a lot for the world to handle, especially in the wine industry, and we’ve been lucky enough to continue producing and releasing new wines. This year, we added our 2016 Cabernet Franc and 2019 Rosé of Cabernet Franc to our portfolio. Continuing to craft delicious, elegant Washington wines over the past 20 years has been our greatest joy, and we look forward to continuing that tradition for the next 20 years. To those who helped us celebrate our 20th birthday with our biggest one-day sale ever, thank you! If you’d like to purchase verticals and other special collections that were featured in our one-day sale, you can now find them here.


The 2016 Malbec has Arrived…

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You’ve been toughing it out these past six months in quarantine or perhaps out on the front lines, settling into a routine, and for many of you, homeschooling is just around the corner. Whew. We’re here for you and will try to at least provide some moral support. That’s why we are so happy to announce the release of our very popular and very limited Baer Malbec. The 2016 Baer Malbec is an interesting wine that seasoned enophiles and novices alike enjoy. Let’s talk about Malbec as a varietal, as well as how it came to be one of our most sought-after wines.

A little history of Malbec…

Malbec is a thick-skinned grape that hails from France. It became a blending grape as one of five of Bordeaux’s top wine grapes. However, despite its thick skin, Malbec has a poor resistance to weather and pests. Therefore, Malbec never made it as a top variety in The Republic. Many people think of Argentina when they think of Malbec. That’s because Malbec found a new home in which to thrive back in the early 1800s in Mendoza, Argentina when the mayor ordered a French botanist to plant it. Because of Argentina’s climate and elevation, over 75% of today’s Malbec is planted in Argentina and the remainder spans across six other countries as it continues to grow more and more popular, especially here in Washington state.

The Baer Malbec Story…

The Baer Malbec was first crafted in 2013 when doing duty as a blend component for our flagship wine, Ursa. The fruit was intended to remain just as part of Baer’s blends. However, Nich Hanson, the Cellarmaster at the time, noticed that every time he opened the Malbec barrels for their topping up, he was hit with intense aromas of blackberry pie and cracked peppercorns. He knew the 2013 Malbec was a special wine that should stand on its own. He then proposed that it be bottled separately. The Baer team agreed and the Baer Malbec was born.

2016 Malbec…

Our 2016 Malbec was just released and is an extremely limited-production wine that we’re so proud to share with you all.  James Suckling awarded this wine 92 points and Owen Bargreen gave it 93, so you know it lives up to the hype. Blended with a bit of Syrah, the 2016 Malbec is concentrated and expressive. With aromas and flavors of blackberry, blueberry, mocha, and black licorice, it’s ripe and generous in the mouth with a long and lifted finish. Pair with anything from dark poultry and lean meats to dishes with spicy and earthy flavors. Consulting Winemaker, Erica Orr said, “It’s fun to make small lots like the Malbec in contrast to the larger volume Baer blends. The Malbec character is more upfront, bold, and expressive when compared to the flagship Ursa or a more serious Cabernet Sauvignon like the Arctos.”

If you’re ready to taste the 2016 Malbec for yourself, we’re currently offering a three-pack for just $99 and overnight shipping for the price of regular ground shipping (but only until September 8th). Just add the three-pack to your cart, choose regular ground shipping, and enter code OVERNIGHT at checkout. Enjoy!


3 Tips for Properly Storing Your Wine

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Wine is more than just delicious to sip on with dinner or enjoy on the patio with your loved ones – it’s also an investment. You purchase certain wines to drink immediately, some to drink later, and some that you plan to hold on to for years to come. In order to store wine for a longer period, it’s essential to create an environment where your wines can grow old and thrive. Follow these 3 tips for properly storing your wine and you’ll never have to worry about the condition of your favorite bottles!

Stay Cool

It’s hot outside now and if you don’t have air conditioning or a temperature-controlled wine cellar, it can get hot inside too. Heat is wine’s number one enemy and you’ll want to avoid it if you want to age your wines to their peak drinking years. Any temperature above 70 degrees will age a wine much more quickly than is desirable; therefore, you should ideally store your wines between 45 and 65 degrees. We suggest keeping whites and reds at a perfect 55 degrees, whenever possible.

Expanding your collection during the Summer months can take more planning.  Wineries are leery of any extended transit time for wine shipments in warmer weather (or colder weather in Winter). We want to protect your investment and make sure our wines arrive at your doorstep safely, on time, and in good condition. So, we’ve just started offering overnight shipping for the price of regular ground shipping so that you can sip and savor, or cellar, your favorite Baer wines throughout the Summer! That means if you place an order with us any weekday before noon Pacific Time, we’ll have it to you the next day. All you have to do is fill your cart, select ground shipping, and then enter code OVERNIGHT at checkout.

Stay Consistent

If heat is wine’s first enemy, extreme and/or frequent changes in temperature are its second. Large swings in temperature have the ability to not only cook the wine but also expand and contract the liquid inside the bottle potentially causing the cork to be pushed out and leakage to ensue. To avoid this pitfall, pick a space in your home where the temperature is consistent. Humidity matters only in extreme cases. A humidifier in very dry weather conditions and a dehumidifier in very humid conditions should do the trick to keep your wine storage space safe (between 50 and 80 percent). Consistency is key, but don’t be too worried about small temperature changes.

Stay Sideways and Still

Store bottles on their side so that wine is always in contact with the cork. This technique, referred to as ‘laying down’ your wine, should keep the cork from drying out. A dry cork will shrink and can expose the wine to unwanted oxygen or other elements. Laying wine down also allows room for more wine storage (a bonus!), as well as less room for a misstep like accidentally bumping into a shelf and knocking bottles over.

It’s also important to choose a storage space where there are no significant vibrations to disturb the wine. Ideal spots to set up your wine storage area would include a cool basement, closet, or pantry.  It doesn’t need to be fancy.  If you don’t have such a place in your home and are concerned about keeping your wines at an ideal, consistent temperature, a wine fridge is a great investment, and depending on the size of your collection can also be an affordable option.

We hope this is helpful with what matters most when storing your favorite wines. If you’re anything like us, you’ve been pulling more from the cellar over the past few months and may be looking to build-up your quarantine supply. Take advantage of our Summer offer of overnight shipping for the price of ground shipping and get your Baer wines the next day. This way they’re not exposed to extreme, inconsistent temperatures in transit and you can be sipping on delicious Washington wines in no time!


Checking-In with Lisa Baer and Erica Orr

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As public places are opening up and the country is beginning to come out of SIP, we’ve all started to venture out of our homes and reflect on what we’ve learned over the past few months. Maybe you’ve sharpened your baking skills or made a dent in your extensive reading list. We hope somewhere along the way you’ve enjoyed some Baer wines and maybe learned more about tasting descriptors and how the wines are made. We hope you’re safe and healthy as we prepare to reenter the world, we checked in with Co-owner, Lisa Baer, and winemaker, Erica Orr, to see how they spent their time in quarantine.

Lisa Baer

“I can’t believe how quickly time seems to go during this “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” period in Washington state. Each day I am fortunate to have both my day job at T-Mobile as well as the work of Baer Winery to keep me occupied. I’ve appreciated connecting virtually with friends, family, and coworkers, as well as having time to myself to reflect.

I’ve heard the phrase “silver linings” a lot over the past few months. There have been many. I’ve had more time to take a breath, finish a few books, and prepare some special meals (or just make a dinner out of cheese, crackers, wine, and chocolate). I enjoyed preparing the “Frog Box” from Woodinville’s Barking Frog and Chef Bobby. It included Halibut, fresh morels, and delicious local wines.

But, it’s also a solemn time. It’s important not to forget families touched by illness or worse, and those who don’t have the luxury of staying home and working to keep the rest of us healthy, safe, happy, and fed. I’m amazed at the creativity of the local communities and businesses to keep moving forward and make a contribution in ways we haven’t thought of before.

In addition to the many Zoom happy hours and wine club events, I’ve attended virtual fundraisers for organizations like PAWS, watched live-streamed local entertainment, and consumed more local food and wine than maybe I should have (all for a good cause). Our production team, my dad Les, and I loved connecting with some Baer Wine Club members virtually recently, and plan to have more fun events like that. Why didn’t we think of it before? We rarely, if ever, get to see our out-of-state members and this was the perfect chance. We look forward to a time when we’ll be able to open the doors of our tasting room again, but not until it’s safe and comfortable. Until then, wishing you and yours good health and peace.”

Erica Orr

“While under the SIP order, I still came out to the winery most days. In April, we assembled the 2018 Baer red blends, which are stunning! The blends will have some time to harmonize in barrel before we bottle them later this summer. The 2018 vintage as a whole has me very excited! The Bordeaux varietals from Stillwater Creek have beautiful ripeness as well as fresh approachability. It will be fun to taste these wines and see how they develop in bottle.

While at home, I walked a lot both for exercise and to socialize with some of my somm friends who have been furloughed from their restaurants in Seattle. The state parks have been reopened and the trails are more green and lush than ever before. The paths are almost overgrown with blooming wild berries and there are a lot of bald eagles flying around Lake Washington. 

I’ve also been cooking a ton trying to make some of my takeout favorites at home. The meals I’ve attempted include Thai salads, curry, and tacos. The serious eats website has some really nice step-by-step guides to Thai style fried shallots and a spicy peanut dipping sauce that I’ve been using to jazz up shaved red cabbage and chicken. I’ve also expanded my definition of a taco to anything folded into a hot corn tortilla. That includes bacon, lettuce, avocado, cheddar cheese, and apples with arugula, leftover Brussels sprouts with Lebanese garlic sauce, refried beans, and tomatillo salsa.

I had to enjoy all of these delicious wild flavors with something to drink, of course. I paired these foods with wines my friends have crafted including new 2019 Rosés, dry Columbia Valley Riesling, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc. The winemaking community is very generous. We tend to trade bottles with each other and I think we all are missing our usual tasting group immensely.”

We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to over the past three months and how you’ve incorporated Baer wines into your quarantine routine on social media! We hope our wines and the people who help make them have given you something to look forward to during these interesting and sometimes trying times. We look forward to hosting you in the tasting room in the near future.


Baer Winery Spring Release Wines

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Our spring release wines have made their way to our current releases tab in our online shop and are waiting to find their new homes! Since we aren’t able to host you at the winery right now, we thought we’d introduce you to the newest members of the Baer Winery family and let you get to know them from the comfort of your home. Without further ado, meet the 2016 Cabernet Franc, 2019 Rosé of Cabernet Franc (both first vintages), 2016 Ursa, and 2016 Arctos. 

2016 Cabernet Franc

This Cabernet Franc is the first public release of this varietal. While we use Cabernet Franc as a blending grape frequently in our Ursa and Maia blends, the only time we’ve ever made a Cabernet Franc to stand alone was for our wine club. Let us tell you that it was worth the wait because this baby is ready to drink! With flavors of plum, mulberry, cigar box, and roasted herbs, the Baer 2016 Cabernet Franc is juicy, fresh, and waiting for you to uncork with your next meal. Wine Spectator’s Tim Fish gave it 90 points and dubbed it “Svelte and polished, with elegantly layered black cherry, lead pencil and violet notes that take on structure toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2026.” We’re proud of this first vintage and look forward to hearing what all of you at home think of this new kid on the block!

2019 Rosé of Cabernet Franc

Another exciting introduction for Baer Winery, our first-ever Rosé! We pride ourselves on making elegant red blends and a delicious Chardonnay but had never entered Rosé territory and we couldn’t be more excited. Our 2019 Rosé of Cabernet Franc was crafted in a very intentional way by Consulting Winemaker, Erica Orr. The fruit was harvested from the same block that the Baer Maia has traditionally been sourced from and was picked at the peak Rosé ripeness. This means lower potential alcohol and higher acidity when compared to red wine, and the result is a wine that is more delicate, lighter in color with brighter, fresher flavors. Our Rosé boasts a very beautiful translucent peach color, opening up with aromas of kumquat and blood orange with smarties candy and white gummy bears. On the palate, it is tangy, mouthwatering, and bright with a crisp finish. Open this gorgeous wine on a sunny day!

2016 Ursa

Next up is a Baer Winery classic, the 2016 Ursa. Made of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Malbec, this vintage is a vision of harmony and seamlessness. Not as bold and opulent as the 2015 vintage, 2016 is a bit more subtle and refined, the hallmark of our style. With flavors of ripe plums and cherries along with a savoriness of roasted red bell peppers and bay leaf, this wine is another Baer staple that will be drinkable for years to come. 

2016 Arctos

Last of the spring release wines, but never least, is the 2016 Arctos. This blend is decadent and bold made of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot. The most savory of the spring releases, this wine has classic Cabernet Sauvignon aromas of black cherry, blackberry fruit, black olive, and herbs with plush tannins. The Petit Verdot adds complexity and nuance to the blend, as well as violet and a beautiful very dark purple color in the glass. If you’re a Cabernet fan, this wine will satisfy all of your big, bold cravings. 

All of these wines are now available for purchase and we can not wait for you to taste them and let us know what you think!. We love seeing all of you opening up Baer bottles for your virtual happy hours and are looking forward to seeing more photos that include these spring wines.


Baer Wines for Special Occasions

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Wine is more than a drink – it’s a story and a way of celebrating. No matter the occasion, there’s a perfect wine to pair it with. From small to big celebrations, Baer wines are crafted to make someone feel special or insert a spark of meaning into our daily lives.

For that anniversary steak dinner you’ve been planning…

It seems there’s always an anniversary to celebrate. Whether you’re the type of person who has an anniversary for every event in your life or the type who chooses to only pay attention to the big ones, our 2015 Ursa is the perfect pair for whatever you choose to eat in celebration. This velvety soft blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec will pair wonderfully with everything from a steak dinner to a decadent dessert. You won’t regret including this Baer Winery classic in your anniversary celebration.

For a special touch…

If you want to make a life event extra special, or are in search of a thoughtful gift, we also have an assortment of library wines available. So, whether you’re looking for a special bottle to celebrate a wedding, an anniversary, or a birthday, there’s a Baer wine in stock that will not only be delicious but also the perfect touch to make your special occasion even more special. It’s always fun to taste aged wines to see how they’ve held up and compare them against newer releases, you might find your palate prefers older vintages and that will become a special occasion itself! 

For the first day of summer…

We don’t know about you, but we’re looking forward to leaving the chilly, damp Seattle winter behind us and welcoming the first day of summer. What better occasion to crack open a bottle of our Shard than the summer solstice? This 2018 Chardonnay shows off the quality and purity of Washington fruit. We don’t obscure the personality of the Chardonnay with oak barrels or malolactic fermentation as it’s aged in 100% stainless steel– resulting in the perfect balance of fruity and freshness making it an outstanding pair for a hot summer’s day. 

Baer wines are made for special occasions, no matter how big or small. We love to see images of a Baer bottle being enjoyed, so don’t forget to document and tag us on Instagram when you open your next bottle of Baer wine.