E.B. Foote Winery was founded in 1978 by Eugene Foote, and it is one of the oldest wineries in Washington State.

And it’s located right here in Burien.

In 1991, Rich Higginbotham and Sherrill Miller became the owners and winemakers and they moved the winery from south Seattle to Burien in 1999.

Sadly, Rich passed away on Sept. 15th, but Sherrill and crew will be releasing a wine in his honor sometime next year.

The grapes come from the Columbia Valley in eastern Washington and are trucked in. The grape hauling, crush, press, fermenting, bottling, labeling, and sales are done right at the winery in Burien. The winery makes approximately 2,200 cases each year. All the winemaking is done at the winery in Burien with the help of their Volunteer Vintners.

The winery is open for free wine tasting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7pm to 9pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Both white and red wines may be available for tasting and purchase in the winery gift shop.

These award-winning wines may include:

• Chardonnay
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Syrah
• Red Zinfandel
• Red blends
• Sweet Sherrill, a Riesling-like wine

Upcoming Events include:

• CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
  $5 tasting fee, applied toward bottle purchase
  
  • Thursday, Dec. 4, 5 pm – 9 pm
  • Friday, Dec. 5, 11 am – 9 pm,
  • Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 am – 7 pm
  • Sunday, Dec. 7, Noon – 6 pm

  Sample our current award-winning wines and our new releases along with snacks. We have new gift ideas, and three new wines will be released. Jim from Chocolate Serenade will have samples of his decadent chocolate truffles and have boxes of truffles available for purchase. Get a friend or two and join us during these hours, no reservations needed! The winery will be chilly so dress warmly and casually. Scheduled for release: Rainy Day Red V, 2006 Northwest Duet, etc. (all three wines are red blends)

• BRASS BAND CONCERT PERFORMED BY PUGET BRASS- FREE!
  • Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7 pm – 9 pm

  Enjoy traditional brass band music performed by Puget Brass, a 20-piece brass band conducted by John Falskow.  All ages are welcome to attend this free event.  Complimentary cheese and crackers will be served.  Complimentary wine tasting will be available for those 21 years and older, and wine will be available for purchase by the glass for $5 or $8 each.  The gift shop will be open for wine or gift purchases. No reservations needed.

• BREEDERS THEATER PRESENTS “PRAIRIE HEART”
  Tickets $20 each, advance purchase recommended
  
  • Jan. 16 – 18, 21, 23 – 25, 28 – 31, Feb. 1
  • Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings door opens at 6:30 pm
  • Sunday matinee door opens at 1:30 pm
  • Sunday, Feb. 1 door opens at 12:30 pm

  Join us for live theater at the winery. A local, professional theater group puts on original comedy plays between wine tasting and food. It’s fun, entertaining, adult humor. Performed in the winery. Tickets are $20 per person and include wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and the play. The winery will be chilly so dress warmly and casually.  Tickets available beginning November 1, 2008.  Visit the winery or call for tickets, 206-242-3852 or check out breederstheater.com. (Credit cards accepted with a $5 fee per ticket OR your credit card can guarantee the tickets, and you can pay at the door with cash or check.)

E.B. Foote Winery produces quality wines at an affordable price. Because it’s not about what it costs. It’s about how it tastes.

Celebrating 30 years as a Washington winery, please welcome E.B. Foote Winery back to the B-Town Blog by clicking on their ad on the lower right sidebar and checking them out!

E.B. Foote Winery is located at 127 SW 153rd St. (downstairs in the lower level) in Burien, and their phone number is (206) 242-3852:

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It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of our Advertisers – Rich Higginbotham of E.B. Foote Winery passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 15th from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. 

He was 61.

As a tribute to Rich, a special wine will be bottled and labeled next year. Called “Remembrance,” the label for this red table wine will include Rich’s photo from above. When released, 50% of the sale price will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

An open house will be held at E.B. Foote Winery this Sunday, Sept. 21 from Noon – 6pm to share memories and celebrate his life. At his request, in lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Alzheimer’s Association for further research into this dreaded disease.

To donate online, click here, then select the third choice, “Tribute/Memorial donation (to honor someone)” and enter Rich’s name where appropriate.

Our condolences go out to Sherrill, Rich’s family, friends, co-workers and the entire E.B. Foote Winery family.

Here is his obit as provided by E.B. Foote:

Rich is survived by Sherrill Miller, his wife of more than 34 years; his sister Betty Brabban; in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.  He was born and raised in Nitro, West-by-God Virginia, a small town outside of Charleston.

He would often tell stories about his growing-up years — being in Cub Scouts, parking cars for events at the town Moose lodge, mowing lawns to make money, painting the local water tower with high school buddies, sneaking out of the house after dark, lifeguarding during summer vacations at Lost River State Park, playing in the high school marching band, and his time in the Army during the Vietnam era. He was discharged from the Army in 1971 at Fort Lewis and decided to stay in Seattle to experience life on the other coast. He met Sherrill in 1972, and that same year he went to work at the King County Jail in food service. After a short time he became the Food Service Supervisor, planning menus and ordering food for more than 1500 inmates and staff.

In 1991 he and Sherrill decided to buy E. B. Foote Winery in south Seattle. They had never made wine before, but they learned together. They were making award-winning wine by their second vintage. In 2001 he retired from King County to become a full-time “wineaux.” The winery was growing and he was passionate about winemaking, striving to make the best possible wines.

In 2003 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. He and Sherrill worked together to keep the winery going. As Rich became less able to do “wine work,” Sherrill gradually took over more and more responsibilities. Even when he was unable to help at all, he still enjoyed being at the winery and listening to Sherrill speak to groups about the winery’s beginning. In May 2008 he needed more help than Sherrill could provide, and he went to live in an adult family home until his passing.

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B-Town Blog Advertiser and longtime Burien winery E.B. Foote Winery has just announced that they are now selling wines online.

From their press release:

Gas prices getting you down?

Want to enjoy E. B. Foote wines but can’t get to the winery? 

You can now order E. B. Foote wines online! 

The Current Releases page of our website has a list of the wines that are for sale, prices, descriptions and awards won, AND you can order the wines you want to be shipped to you.  Wine can be shipped to adults in Washington State only.  All you need is a credit card and an address.  Wine will be shipped via FedEx, and adult signature is required for delivery. (Wine Club members — of course you pay the Wine Club price on your order.) 

There is a shipping charge, and the shipping amount is determined by the quantity of wine you order.  Once you place an order, the order is e-mailed to us on a secure line, your credit card is processed, the wine is shipped, and you receive an e-mail with your FedEx tracking number.  

It’s that simple.  Gas is expensive but good wine is priceless – why drive when you can have it delivered?

Wine Club members — If you haven’t picked up your July wine yet, please do so by Labor Day weekend.  If you want it shipped, there will be an additional shipping charge of $12 plus tax put on your credit card on file.  Just let us know by phone or e-mail if you want us to ship it to you.

Summer is in full swing with plenty of sunshine and lots of activities to keep everyone busy.  As you plan your fun, we hope you’ll plan to join us over Labor Day weekend to toast the end of the summer with great prices on wine.  In honor of the winery’s 30th anniversary, we’ll have 30% off selected wines.  (Wine Club members save even more!)  There will be eight wines for sampling and snacks to go with them.  The $5 tasting fee will be applied toward a wine purchase.  (No tasting fee for Wine Club members or Volunteer Vintners.)   This would be a great way to end a great summer.

What’s this Wine Club you keep reading about?  If you like E. B. Foote wines and want to save money on every purchase, you want to join our Wine Club.  There is no cost to join!  Wine Club members receive three bottles of wine each quarter, and always receive a discount on wine purchases.  When new wines are released in December and February and April, Wine Club members receive them before the release date.  The July wines are half-price.  When it’s time for your Wine Club wine, we send you an e-mail telling you which wines you are getting, the amount to be charged to your card, and when you can come to pick it up OR when it will be shipped.  Wine Club members do not pay a tasting fee to attend our special weekend events. 

To join, go the the Wine Club page of our website for an application that can be faxed or brought in for immediate membership and savings.

For more info, go to the E.B. Foote website.

From their press release:

A tunnel?  A surface street?  A bridge?

Watch the Gods and the Greeks debate policy in Coriander

BURIEN — Breeders Theater offers a spicy little tale about urban policy in its new show, Coriander. 

In the ancient Greek city-state of Aurora, where the living is above-average and housing prices are high, they might need a road to open up some new land.  The road would have to pass through the Garden of the Oracle, raising the ire of people of faith.  Meanwhile, some folks favor a surface street; some a tunnel; and some a bridge. 

In the middle of this is Coriander, chief administrator of the government, caught between the factions (including Tentacles, the developer, and the passionate radical Antagone), angry Gods, and the city council, led by Dimes, Draco and Ricotta, who are deep in the land of process.   And wither old King Freon?

The script and lyrics of Coriander are by T.M. Sell, with music by Nancy Warren.  Martin J. Mackenzie directs, with choreography by Teresa Widner and costumes by Melissa Sell.

Scott Green stars as Coriander, with Eric Hartley, Doug Knoop, Steve Scheide, Adrienne Grieco, Melissa Malloy, Julie Wenzel, Marianne Everett, Steve Coffey, Amber Rack, Jackie Graybill and Mark Wenzel.

The show will be at E.B. Foote Winery in Burien, 127B SW 153rd St.

The show runs July 11-12, 16, 18-20, 23-27.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with show time at 7 p.m., and 1:30/2 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 and 27. 

Tickets are still only $20, which includes wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

Visit the winery or call for tickets: 206-242-3852 or check out breederstheater.com. (Credit cards accepted with a $5 fee per ticket OR your credit card can guarantee the tickets, and you can pay at the door with cash or check.)

Here’s a Q&A with Coriander’s prolific local Playwright TM Sell, who also serves as a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at Highline Community College:

Q: Why is your new play named after a spice? Will you be serving any cilantro during the play (cilantro is derived from Coriander)?

A: As often happens, I start with a title.  I can’t tell you why.  I like good titles, not that mine are.  Then I see what’s either going on in the world, or something that’s been bugging me, and try see where the title gets me to saying something about that topic.  Coriander sounds like an old Greek name, and the Greeks were one of the inventors of theater, so that gave me a way of creating a situation that, as it turns out, has parallels to ours.

Q: What is Coriander about?

A: This play is about a couple of things: the public policy process and the nature of religion.  Politics and religion are two of my favorite subjects, which most people don’t want to talk about.  So if I get them to laugh, perhaps they’ll think about it a little more.

In the Ancient Greek city-state of Aurora, a developer wants to put a road to some fresh land for more housing, and Aurora, as the most desirable place in Ancient Greece in which to live, is short of housing.  But the road will go through the Garden of the Oracle, a disused but very holy site.  And in Aurora, that means you need a hearing, and public debate, and a lot of process.  In the middle of this is Coriander, a civil servant and a virtuous man, caught between various factions within the city and the city council.  Meanwhile the Gods are deciding whether to intervene.

Q: Any parallels to the “real world” to this topic?

A: Very strong parallels between our own political process, and the attitudes of some people about the world and how it should be.

Q: Any parallels to the “old Greek” drama world to this?

A: We do have a Geek chorus, though I haven’t used it quite like the Greeks would have.

Q: Was there ever a viaduct in Greece?

A: No, but the Romans built a lot of aqueducts.

Q: Talk about your writing process – how do you come up with story ideas? How do you then go about writing an entire play? How many drafts before you’re happy? Does anyone review/edit your work? etc.

A: The first thing I need is an idea.  Then I make notes about the plot.  When I’ve got that figured out, and if I have uninterrupted time, I just start writing.  I get pretty deep into that process, and I really enjoy it.  The first draft won’t take more than three or four days.  I then have to go over it a few more times, with less major surgery on each succeeding draft.  And then we read it, and members of the company make comments.  And even then, in the rehearsal process, people will think of things they like or that don’t make sense, or I’ll hear a line that’s just wooden or a joke that gets in the way, and revisions happen.

Q: You seem to be a very prolific writer – how many plays a year do you churn out?

A: Two a year.

Q: In April, we posted an audition notice for Coriander – how did the auditions go? Anyone new/interesting? Anything unusual?

A: Auditions are always odd and interesting.  You never know who will show up.  We didn’t get many men this time, but we got some very good women, and we did OK in filling what we needed filled.  Most of the company are people who have worked with BT before, and it helps to know somebody to get in.  Group chemistry is very important.  We don’t make enough money to deal with people who are high maintenance.

Q: Will the alleged, impending recession affect theaters? Why/why not?

A: Spending on entertainment is discretionary spending, so yes, of course, that makes it harder to sell tickets.  But I think we tend to fall into the category of an affordable luxury, and at $20 the tickets are cheap enough.  Also, the economy in King County is so far in much better shape than it is in other places.

Q: Should people bring jackets to EB Foote or will it not be so cold this time?

A: The winery has air conditioning for summer, which gets turned off during the show.  So it should be fairly comfortable.

Q: On a more important note, what is your take on the B-Town Blog’s progress and rising popularity?

A: Are you getting lots of traffic?  Then there’s room for more venues for information.  That’s the good news.  The other news is, in my limited understanding, if finding a way to make internet information sites profitable.  At least your costs are lower than those of a full-fledged newspaper.

This Reporter previously enjoyed a wonderfully fulfilling and entertaining “cheap date” out for TM Sell’s previous play Crazy/Naked, held at E.B. Foote last fall. We recommend it highly.

E.B. Foote Winery is located at 127-B SW 153rd in downtown Burien:

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Wait, you’re saying…there’s an actual Winery in Burien?

Why yes, there is…and it’s called E.B. Foote Winery.

It was founded in 1978 by Eugene Foote, and it is one of the oldest wineries in Washington State.

In 1991, Rich Higginbotham and Sherrill Miller became the owners and winemakers and they moved the winery from south Seattle to Burien in 1999.

The grapes come from the Columbia Valley in eastern Washington and are trucked in.  The grape hauling, crush, press, fermenting, bottling, labeling, and sales are done right at the winery in Burien.  The winery makes approximately 2,200 cases each year.  All the winemaking is done at the winery in Burien with the help of their Volunteer Vintners.

The winery is open for free tasting and tours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or by appointment.  Since the winery is small, tasting is done in the winery itself, not in a separate tasting room.  The temperature in the winery can be quite cool, as a wine cellar should be.  Both white and red wines are available for tasting and purchase in the winery gift shop.

These award-winning wines may include:

• Chardonnay
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Syrah
• Red Zinfandel
• Red blends
• Sweet Sherrill, a Riesling-like wine

The winery has six annual events: 

• For Valentine’s Day it’s Red Wine and Chocolate, where a variety of chocolates are offered to sample along with red wines
• To brighten the doldrums of winter, March has Step Into Spring
• The May Barrel Tasting has a barrel sample of a future release
• Father’s Day Weekend in June is a chance to enjoy wine with dad
• Labor Day weekend sees the Summer Celebration with 10%-30% off all wine purchases
• In December it’s the Christmas Open House

At these events, appetizers are served that compliment the wines, and new wines are released.

For three weekends in January and July, a local, professional theater group (Breeders Theater) puts on original comedy plays in the middle of the winery.  These shows are fun, entertaining adult humor with no profanity.  A $20 ticket includes wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and the play.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We here at the B-Town Blog have been to one of these comedy play/wine tasting event, and we whole-heartedly endorse this as a very affordable, fun, worthwhile event worth attending – great wine, excellent snacks and outstanding live entertainment – what's not to like?]

Sherrill strives to make award-winning wines from premium Washington grapes.  The wines started winning awards with the 1992 vintage and these accolades have continued.  Their success is a result of hard work and Bacchus’ blessings.

E.B. Foote Winery produces quality wines at an affordable price. Because it’s not about what it costs. It’s about how it tastes.

Celebrating 30 years as a Washington winery, please welcome E.B. Foote Winery to the B-Town Blog by clicking on their ad on the Right Sidebar and checking them out!

E.B. Foote Winery is located at 127 SW 153rd St. (downstairs in the lower level) in Burien, and their phone numer is (206) 242-3852:

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According to our friend, the talented playwright Dr. T.M. Sell:

In the ancient Greek city-state of Aurora, where the living is above-average and housing prices are high, they might need a road to open up some new land.  The road would have to pass through the Garden of the Oracle, raising the ire of people of faith.

Meanwhile, some folks favor a surface street; some a tunnel; and some a bridge.

In the middle of this is Coriander, chief administrator of the government, caught between the factions (including Tentacles, the developer, and the passionate radical Antagone), angry Gods, and the city council, led by Dimes, Draco and Ricotta, who are deep in the land of process.  

And wither old King Freon?

The script and lyrics of Coriander are by T.M. Sell, with music by Nancy Warren.  Martin J. Mackenzie directs, with choreography by Teresa Widner and costumes by Melissa Sell.

The cast includes:

• Scott Green as Coriander
• Eric Hartley
• Doug Knoop
• Steve Scheide
• Adrienne Grieco
• Melissa Malloy
• Julie Wenzel
• Marianne Everett
• Steve Coffey
• Amber Rack
• Jackie Graybill
• Mark Wenzel

Coriander will play at E.B. Foote Winery in Burien, which is located downstairs at 127B SW 153rd Street. Keep in mind that this is a working winery, so despite the warm July weather, you might want to bring a light jacket or sweater.

The show runs July 11-12, 16, 18-20, 23-27.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with showtime at 7 p.m., and 1:30/2 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 and 27.

Tickets are still only $20, which includes wine tasting and hors d’oeurves [EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a bonafide bargain folks – great humorous, musical entertainment, snacks and outstanding locally-produced wine...for $20 dolla? Get outta town! Okay don't do that since that'd mean you'd miss this event...].

Tickets are available at the E.B. Foote Winery: (206) 242-3852, and at Corky Cellars in Des Moines, 22511 Marine View Dr. South: (206) 824-9462.

More info at the Breeders Theater website.

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