30th Annual Wine Festival At The Pasco Red Lion Hotel

PASCO, Wash.-- This is the 30th Anniversary of the Wine Festival.There are five judges, and one silent judge. Some are from California, Canada, and a couple from Eastern Washington. 

There are 330 wines to choose from, coming from Oregon, Idaho, Washington and British Columbia. The Tri-Cities Wine Society says there are 89 wineries featured this year, and a large number of those are local.

On Thursday members of the wine society were getting everything set up for the judges. They look at the overall quality, but also take other factors into consideration.

"There is some personal bias in it, they are looking at the way the wine is crafted, the oak, the sweetness, the balance, they each judge it individually," said Marie Pennella, Chairman of the Festival.

By Friday the judges will have a best in show. There will also be other wines getting gold, silver, and bronze medals.

They will be featured this Saturday during a public tasting, at the Red Lion in Pasco from 6:30p.m. to 9:30p.m. 

One thing to keep in mind is that all the wines are labeled with numbers. The judges know the kind of wine they're tasting, but not the winery it comes from.