The second leading wine-producing state in this country is Washington, its grape industry exceeded only by California.

Oregon’s northern neighbor has, at last count, more than 850 wineries between Woodinville and Walla Walla, through the Yakima and Columbia valleys, with smaller growing areas spread from Spokane to the Olympic Peninsula.

While there are nearly three dozen varietals commercially grown in the state’s vineyards, five whites and five reds dominate. Riesling and chardonnay head the list of whites, along with pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer. Among reds, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah head the list, accompanied by cabernet franc and malbec.

These and many other wines are on display this weekend at the 20th annual Taste Washington wine and food show in Seattle. The nation’s largest single-region wine show is welcoming 300 wineries and 70 restaurants. Master sommeliers and chefs will offer demonstrations and seminars, and, of course, tastings will be offered for several hours of every day.

Coincidentally, Safeway stores are currently running a promotion for Safeway Club Card holders that offers 30 percent off all Washington state wines through April 4 — with an additional 10 percent for purchase of six bottles or more.

Now, I’m always on the lookout for bargains on quality wines. Thanks to this promotion, I was able to purchase wine from six different wineries, each of them an integral part of Taste Washington, for just $55.80 (that’s $9.30 a bottle) when actual retail price would have been $98.49.

These were my choices:

• A 2014 Columbia Valley pinot gris from the Maryhill Winery (retail $14.99)

• A 2015 Columbia Valley CMS sauvignon blanc from Hedges Valley Estate (retail $15.99)

• A 2014 Columbia Valley Founder’s Red Blend mélange from the Waterbrook Winery (retail $13.99)

• A 2015 Columbia Valley The Jack red blend from Saviah Cellars (retail $19.99)

• A 2014 Wahluke Slope cabernet sauvignon from the Desert Wind Winery (retail $17.49)

• A 2014 Wahluke Slope The Velvet Devil merlot from Charles Smith Wines (retail $15.99)

A pair of whites

Maryhill, located in the Columbia River Gorge just upriver of The Dalles, has been a fixture in the region since it was founded in 1999. Named Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year in 2015 by Wine Press Northwest, it has become almost as well-known for its summer concert series as for the variety of outstanding wines it produces, including a full-flavored grenache and a food-friendly viognier.

The 2014 pinot gris is a crisp, dry, well-balanced wine (13.1 percent alcohol) that teases the nose with the aroma of Meyer lemon and the palate with flavors of Asian pear and apple. It has a pleasant, tart acidity that is counterbalanced by a long, creamy finish, making it a great choice with poultry.

Hedges is one of a handful of wineries in Benton City’s famed Red Mountain terroir, yet it sources its white grapes from vineyards in the nearby Columbia Valley. The estate’s CMS red blend (cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah) is a well-established Northwest favorite; its CMS white (76 percent sauvignon blanc, 23 percent chardonnay and a mere splash of marsanne) fills a similar role for white-wine lovers.

The 2015 CMS sauv blanc (13.5 percent alcohol) is a wine I’ll enjoy with shellfish, everything from a prawn pasta to oysters on the half shell. Traditional sauvignon blanc has a high acidity, with flavors of citrus and tropical fruit; the addition of unoaked chardonnay adds body and softens the bite.

Red blends

Waterbrook is considered to be one of Walla Walla’s founding wineries, and its downtown tasting room in that southeastern Washington city is a “must-visit” for wine tourists. The mélange, its Founder’s Red Blend, is the first wine produced each year from the annual harvest, and its composition changes dramatically each season.

The 2014 vintage uses eight grapes, led by merlot (45 percent) and including cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cabernet franc, sangiovese, petit verdot, zinfandel and tempranillo. (The 2015 mélange, by contrast, is dominated by 36 percent sangiovese with only 14 percent merlot, making it a very different wine.)

The nose of the 2014 mélange (14.4 percent alcohol) shows aromas of plum and coffee. There’s enough syrah to add a peppery edge on the palate, but black cherry and chocolate dominate the flavor. Barrel aging leaves the wine with a lingering finish of toasted oak and a touch of astringency in the tannins.

Saviah Cellars has been making fine syrahs and cabernets on the south side of the Walla Walla Valley since 2000, but perhaps its most commercially successful vintage has been The Jack red blend. In 2015, that blend featured 76 percent merlot grapes, along with 5 to 7 percent each of malbec, cabernet franc, sangiovese and petit verdot. Those grapes were drawn from eight different vineyards in the Columbia and Walla Walla valleys, fermented in open-top stainless-steel containers, then transferred to French oak barrels for final aging.

The 2015 The Jack (14.6 percent alcohol) is a big juicy wine with aromas of cherry and raspberry, with plum and light oak on the palate and a suggestion of vanilla and clove on the finish. Its “legs” assure a long, smooth finish with well-integrated tannins.

Wahluke Slope

The Wahluke Slope is a region of south-facing vineyards that gradually drop toward the Columbia River, above the Hanford Reach near the town of Mattawa. One of the hottest and driest growing regions in the Northwest, this desert plot has become known for its full-bodied red grapes, especially cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. Cabernets, according to the Washington State Wine website, “are notable for black cherry and cassis aromas and flavors. Merlots display red fruit, such as sweet cherries, red currants and raspberries, along with chocolate.”

From its Mattawa winery, Charles Smith Wines offers the 2014 The Velvet Devil, a wine made with 94 percent merlot grapes and touches of cabernet sauvignon (3 percent), malbec (2 percent) and cabernet franc (1 percent). The wine (13.5 percent alcohol) has flavors of blackberry and wild cherry, and an earthy palate with tones of cedar and pipe tobacco. It’s an excellent choice for barbecued meats.

The Desert Wind Winery is in Prosser, at the east end of the Yakima Valley, but it sources many of its grapes from 500 acres of family-owned vineyards on the Wahluke Slope. The 2014 cabernet sauvignon (14.3 percent alcohol) is a very rich red, with complex flavors of black currant and cherry, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa. Think of saving this wine for three years and pulling it out to enjoy with roast beef.

— John Gottberg Anderson specializes in
 Northwest wines. His column appears in GO! every 
other week. He also writes for our food section.