Filled with harmonious connections to the sea, Westport Winery is a coastal traveler’s dream
The 40-foot tall lighthouse beacon lures visitors whizzing past on Highway 105, halfway between the quiet coastal fishing town of Westport and inland neighbor Aberdeen. Coming upon Westport Winery is like the thrill of finding one of the elusive shiny agates that dot the sand at low tide along Westport’s miles of ocean beaches.
Aside from being the only winery on the Washington coast, one of the biggest surprises is the winery’s estate vineyard and farm, aptly dubbed Vineyards By-The-Sea. It’s planted with grape varieties that seem to flourish in the cool maritime climate including Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Pinot Noir Precoce, and Muscat of Norway. Owners Kim and Blain Roberts planted Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling this year.
The Lighthouse
Visitors slow down and relax once they hit the tasting room inside the spacious lighthouse building that’s adorned with surfboards, beach posters and classic surf films projected on an overhead large flat screen monitor. With a portfolio of 32 wines, there’s something for every palate—from traditional reds and whites to blends, blushes and dessert wines.
In addition to their estate-grown wines, they produce Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc from grapes sourced from vineyards in the hotter growing regions of eastern Washington.
The friendly, unpretentious staff doesn’t take tasting wine too seriously despite Westport Winery’s rising number of wine awards from competitions across the country. Laughter, conversation and energy fill the air as day-trippers elbow up to the tasting bar for wine flights and complimentary samples of artisan cheese, chocolate, and charcuterie.
Browse the colorful seashore-themed gift shop, grab a glass of vino and find a seating nook or head for a table on the outdoor patio. Pack a picnic or assemble your own. The gift shop carries a wide assortment of gourmet cheese, smoked salmon and meat, crackers, chocolates and other delights. Play a round of croquet or pétanque, walk your dog, stretch out on a blanket and relax.
A stroll around the grounds reveals a number of one-of-a-kind sculptures found throughout the gardens that pay homage to their wines. Seducing passerby’s with a bottle of wine is Merlot’s Mermaid, a life-sized aquamarine colored mermaid welded from steel.
Vineyards By The Sea
The Roberts are skilled hands at farming. They grew alfalfa, oats and timber on a 240-acre farm near Spokane beginning in 1998. And before that, they raised alfalfa and Norwegian Fjord horses on a 37-acre farm in Leavenworth for five years.
In addition to the grapes grown at Westport Winery’s Salmon Safe certified farm, the Roberts cultivate a host of other Northwest crops, many of which contribute to the success of their wines. Their homegrown blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are used as secret ingredients that get infused into their signature blend wines.
Summertime sightseers will appreciate the colorful wildflower display and over 5,000 irises in full bloom during the winery’s Fleur de Lis Festival every June. Also grown on the farm are Asian pear trees, willow trees, a vegetable garden, a culinary herb garden and even a bee colony.
Family And Community
From the beginning stages, the Roberts realized the monumental tasks involved with operating a winery and vineyard. They recruited their son Dana to be the winemaker and daughter Carrie to keep the tasting room running smoothly.
The Roberts family holds a deep passion for their coastal community, and are active on many fronts. They donate a portion of all wine sales to local charities.
Their love for the sea has been a lifelong affair. Blain was a nationally rated surfer in the 1970’s, and in her early twenties, Kim became one of the first female charterboat captains in Westport.
10,000 Tastes
“Blain and I met and fell in love over two decades ago in Grays Harbor. At the time, he lived in Maui and was building a new boat in Westport. He was a good salesman because when he proposed he knew how much I loved Westport—and promised me that one day we would return to this community,” says Kim Roberts.
Their journey led them to Maui, where they started their family and then moved back to Washington State in 1993 to take up farming on the eastern side of the mountains. With their hearts set on someday migrating back to the coast, they finally returned to Grays Harbor in 2007 and purchased 21.5 acres of land, nearly impenetrable with blackberry, alder and Scotch broom.
Pondering what to do with all that land, WSU agricultural extension agent Don Tapio urged them: “You should plant a vineyard and open a winery. It will be historic.” They did just that and opened Westport Winery in the spring of 2008. Mentored under Icicle Ridge winemaker and friend Don Wood, the Roberts honed their newfound winemaking skills.
Kim Roberts said, “Somebody told us it took 10,000 tastes to develop a palate. Blain and I were diligent in that pursuit to find a definite style of wine we personally enjoy—and that’s the kind of wines we make.”
Message In Every Bottle
Every bottle of their wine tells a different story and with 32 different wines (so far!) the Roberts have many stories. Portrayed on every wine label are a lighthouse and an element of water.
There are four labels that reveal old family photos with Blain on Surfer’s Last Syrah, Kim on Charterboat Chick’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Carrie on Bog Berry Blush, and Dana on their vintner’s reserve, Swimmer’s Last Syrah.
Westport Winery has a large following for their blends that combine grapes with other fruits. Case in point is their best seller, Duckleberry Grunt; it outsells their other wines by a ratio of four-to-one. It’s a blueberry and huckleberry infused Gewürztraminer with a duck decoy on the label. When purchased from the winery, it comes wrapped in camouflage tissue “because you’ll want to hide it from your friends,” says Kim Roberts. “It’s so popular, people come in and simply ask for The Grunt or The Duck.”
In perfect harmony with the coastal setting that surrounds it, Westport Winery is as natural as a beach vacation. When asked about their success, Kim Roberts said, “Our lack of wine-savvy expertise going into this venture has been a tremendous blessing, since we didn’t know what we couldn’t do. That allowed us to create things we loved, and then it turned out our guests loved them too.”
Written by John and Adean Vitale