Someday soon, we are going to be able to go wine tasting again. As plans for restarting the economy emerge in the next few weeks, this is a great time to recognize the regional and national medals local wineries have received in recent months.

First it helps to understand what each medal means. It varies by competition, but in general Double Gold is awarded to entries that receive a gold medal rating from all members of the judging panel.

Gold medals are for wines that set the standard for their category but did not receive a Gold rating from every judge. Silver are wines that show refinement and complexity, and Bronze are well-crafted and attractive wines.

Barrister Cellars has long been an award-winning winery, but in 2019 it took it to another level winning national awards from the Indy International Wine Competition, American Fine Wines Competition and this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The award-winning lineup included its 2016 Cabernet Franc, 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Petit Verdot. Barrister has two tasting rooms in downtown Spokane and is offering curbside pick-up during this coronavirus pandemic.

Barili Cellars recently won four Double Gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. This is one of the largest wine events in the state every year. Its Double Gold lineup included 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, 2016 Double Barrel Red, Cab X Blend and 2017 Red’ass Red, which should win Double Gold for the best wine name ever!

Barili’s tasting room is located on Second Avenue in downtown Spokane. Barili will be open for curbside pick-up on the second Saturday in May from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars started off the year with four gold medals from the Savor NW Wine Awards. Three of the four gold medal entries – 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 Carmenere and 2017 Bud Burst Reserve Blend – are available in its tasting room in Liberty Lake.

The fourth Gold winner, 2017 Cabernet Franc, will be released this fall. Winemaker Mark Lathrop said, “Going 4 for 4 was quite a thrill.” Liberty Lake is offering curbside pick-up Fridays and Saturday’s from noon-5pm.

Craftsman Cellars also started off 2020 with some hardware. Competing in the Wine Press Northwest Awards, it received Double Gold for its 2015 Left Bank and 2015 Cabernet Franc. The Left Bank is available, but the cabernet franc sold out.

Craftsman Cellars is located in Kendall Yards and open for curbside pick-up Friday through Sunday from 3-6 p.m. – and offers delivery, too.

The Spokane wine scene keeps getting better every year. This is only a partial list of the awards local wineries have collected this year. Here is a toast to hoping stay-at-home becomes get-out-a-little in time for outdoor wine tasting season. Be safe, everyone.