Comforts of Whidbey

Despite being the fourth largest island in the Lower 48 (fun fact, look it up!) and being in a bonafide American Viticultural Area (Puget Sound), Whidbey Island is surprisingly short of wineries — there are about 4 total. But this fact needn’t cause you despair if you’re looking to do some tasting as the wineries here are pretty good, especially when compared to their counterparts on other islands. A good place to start tasting is Comforts of Whidbey, the punnily but endearingly named winery/​vineyard/​orchard run by (wait for it…) the Comfort family.
The wines they have on offer break down neatly into three categories: Puget Sound AVA whites based on cold climate varietals, reds using grapes from elsewhere in Washington State and dessert wine. Here’s the word on each of these.
We tasted three whites, all 2013, a 100% Madeleine Angevine, the High Tide White (a Madeleine Angevine & Madeleine Sylvaner blend) and the Sweet Donna (a Medeleine Sylvaner & Siegerebbe blend). All of them were well executed, had good sugar and acid balanced and clocked in at around 11% alcohol, making them all good choices to go with food, particularly spicy or heavily seasoned cuisines. Of the three the standout was the High Tide White: complex with melon and mineral notes on the palate, easy and interesting to drink. Personally, none of these grapes is a go to for me, but they have a kind of cult following in Washington and, of all the other wineries where I’ve tasted them, Comforts does the best job with them. So, if you’ve never had these grapes, this is one of the best places around to check them out.
The two reds we had (both 2011) were just OK. There was a Syrah using Horse Heaven Hills fruit and a Cab Sauv/​Malbec blend (60%/40%). Both were a little tart and while they showed some typical flavors and aromas for their respective varieties none of them really stood out. In general, reds are a tough row to hoe on the islands as the fruit usually has to travel a long way from where it was picked (though there is some Pinot Noir grown on Whidbey Island), but here’s to hoping for improvement.
We finished the tasting with a late harvest Viognier, and this was very good. It came in at 2.9% residual sugar, so nice and sweet but really well balanced with acid. It was also completely free of any bitter, pithy notes that you sometimes find in poorly made late harvest wines. We liked it enough to pick up a bottle to take with us to a dinner we were having with friends that night, and we paired it against a simple New York cheesecake. Couldn’t have been a better match.
Speaking of purchases, despite buying the bottle of dessert wine for $ 20 (a reasonable price) one of our $ 5 tasting fees wasn’t comped. That’s their prerogative, but I always like to take an opportunity to advocate for the policy of comping one tasting fee per bottle purchase; the revenue you taking in from the fees will never top the good will (and future purchases) you encourage by comping.
Lastly, the location of this winery is gorgeous. Even though we were there in the dead of winter, we could tell that this spot would be gorgeous in late spring through summer. They know that, too, and the winery is set up for summer sipping, parties and weddings.
Bottom line: This is a great place to check out some unusual, culty white grapes and, if you choose the right season, to drink them in style.

My wife and I have been to all the wineries located on Whidbey Island. However, theirs is the only wine club we are members of. We were introduced during the annual «Wine and Chocolate Tour» after we moved here about three years ago.
Apart from the beautiful property, and the fantastic people running the winery, the wines are great. The varietals they have are not all the everyday, run-​of-​the-​mill «French» grapes, which makes it that much more interesting. I was previously not a fan of a white wines, but I really love their Siegerrebe (as well as ALL the other whites). Their reds are truly fantastic, too.
They are also growing up, with a new building and tasting room on the property coming later this year. If you’re out on the island for the weekend, you really MUST stop in and at least do a tasting — you will get your money’s worth!

GREAT wine and a lovely couple that owns it. How did I miss it for so long! I definitely recommend it! The whites are great, but the view is even better!

Beautiful setting and a nice tasting experience. I especially liked the whites and brought home their Madeleine Angevine.

This winery specializes in Estate-​grown white wines, grown from grapes on a family-​owned farm on Whidbey Island. The co-​owner, Rita, is knowledgeable and friendly. Besides white wines, they offer some red wine produced from imported grapes.
The wine tasting room also has a picnic area outside with a bay view and llamas.

Comforts of Whidbey is a family-​run winery on South Whidbey Island. Last year they converted an existing building into their winery and tasting room on the family land, a short trip from Langley. The atmosphere of the tasting room was comfortable. The wife was serving the wines. («The wife» doesn’t sound right as she is a full partner in the venture.) They sell six wines made solely from grapes grown on their farm five whites, and a pinot noir rose. Just outside the tasting room is a picnic area that provides a beautiful view of the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound. I had a pleasant visit, enjoying the story behind the winery. I bought a bottle of Siegerrebe as a gift for a friend back home.