Join Us For a Premium Preston and Avenue One Program in April

By Kathy Ward

Tasting Card

Preston Premium Wines has garnered awards galore, more than 900 to be exact. Your reward at the April program will be tasting some of their best medal winners. See how they shine paired with the finest of French cuisine by Avenue One Restaurant.

Located in Washington's Southern Columbia Basin near Pasco, Preston is a family-run business. Bill and Joann Preston planted several varieties of European vinifera grapevines in 1972. Soon they expanded their vineyards to today's 171 acres. A son, Brent, is now winemaker. With his sister, Cathy Preston-Mouncer, they run the operation. Cathy, public relations director for the winery, will be guest speaker at the program.

The Prestons formerly produced up to 10 varietals at a time, but now are more selective and concentrate on those that have received the best accolades. The tasting card sparkles with their award-winning selections. In last year's Tasters Guild International judging the '98 Sauvignon Blanc took a Gold. The '95 Cabernet Franc also glittered with Gold at our Seattle Enological Society Northwest Wine & Food Festival, and also at the Tri-Cities Northwest Wine Festival. Wine Spectator magazine gave the Chardonnay a nod with an 87 rating, an 88 for the Chardonnay Reserve. And the Cabernet Sauvignon came away with Silver in a World Wine Championships judging.

And there's much more than wine at the Preston homestead. Their winery building went up in '76 (when there were only three other licensed wineries in the state) and stands as a landmark on a vast farmland horizon. An attached sundeck is an ideal place to watch wine in the making during fall crush. Aside from the vineyards, 20 acres are dedicated to a landscaped park, amphitheater, duck pond and gazebo, making a pleasant place to visit.

And while you're planning an escape to wine country, Avenue One invites you to also run away to another time and place at their downtown restaurant inspired by the great bistros of 1930s Paris. Recall the "lost generation" of the creative intellectual and imagine F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Gertrude Stein sharing your table in the historic ambience of this Seattle eatery. Conviviality is what owner Arnie Millan has in mind for patrons.

Open just over two years and located, appropriately, on First Avenue near Pike Place Market, Avenue One features classic French bistro cuisine with fresh Northwest ingredients supervised by Chef Lauri Allen. Their wine list won accolades from Wine Spectator with an Award of Excellence two years running. Voted among Seattle's most romantic restaurants by Seattle and Where readers and by Citysearch.com, the restaurant also was featured in Bon Appetit magazine.

Click here to see a list of past Seattle Programs