Northwest Wine Academy offers crush-to-bottle learning experience
By Niki Stojnic
Special to The Seattle Times
Whether you're sipping summery rosé with notes of fresh berry and seashell, savory leather and cherry syrah, or smooth currant and earthy malbec, the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle College invites exploration and curiosity. Designed as a working and teaching winery, with a tasting room open to the public, it brings together people with a wide range of knowledge and interest in wines.
“We really try to think of wine as not a luxury product, [where] you must cross this threshold before you can enjoy it properly,” says John Darin, lead winemaker and winemaking instructor. “Some of my favorite wines are under 30 bucks.”
As far as Darin is concerned, once you start learning about wine, it only gets more interesting the deeper you go. “Because it’s such a global industry with so many styles, you can just learn so much about people and where they come from and what they like,” he says. “You can understand the people of the world through what they eat and what they drink.”