Wine Lovin Women

Another Year…….. The vines are now asleep; the wine is aging in the barrels and we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season and the end of 2018. It has been another fantastic year for discovering new wines and revisiting old favorites.   Our busy lives kept us mostly in Oregon and Washington this year but its amazing what you can find in your own neighborhood. Palouse Winery - Vashon Island, Washington was a great find.   On our way to a friend’s wedding, we stopped for a quick sample and discovered a complete line of beautiful crafted wines.   We took the opportunity to come back on another day and experience the full line up.   If you have an opportunity to visit Vashon Island you must stop and visit Palouse. Denise discovered Olalla Winery in Olalla, Washington.   This is a family operated winery that has become a local gem.   Evenings of music out on the lawn, while sipping great wine and nibbling on your favori...

Cinco de Mayo, break out from the standard Sangria, Margarita or Corona….try Tempranillo. Tempranillo/Rioja is one of the oldest variety of grapes.   Why isn’t is more poplar?   I wanted to taste for myself and I came to find out it’s fantastic! Tempranillo pairs so well with spicy food, we served it for our tasting event with baked goat cheese topped with roasted tomato pesto, smoked chicken and roasted corn empanadas with spicy adobo dipping sauce and spicy guacamole, grilled shrimp topped cucumbers.    Tempranillo brought out the spicy notes of the food and the food brought out the spicy, berry and earthy notes of the Tempranillo.   Next time you think of getting a margarita, go for the Tempranillo instead, you will be pleasantly surprised! At our tasting we tried two Rioja from Spain which were 100% Tempranillo grape and Tempranillo from Oregon, sometime Rioja can be mixed with other variety’s however usually predominantly Tempranillo. Or...

If you are driving along Highway 101 past Port Angeles Washington and you see this sign…. STOP!  You will find the most unexpected fantastic wine lineup and experience.  Not just because Harbinger Winery is such a random out of the way place, but from their wide variety of wines offered which all have great fruit and depth of flavor. Starting from their White Table Wine, to their poplar Dynamo Red Blend, a wonderful Malbec, my favorite Sangiovese with rich rustic flavors, to the ever so surprising Blackberry Bliss. Check out their website for their wines and great pairing ideas. Cheers! Denise

Discovering Hidden Washington Wine Country A beautiful pastoral scene you want to capture and keep with you…. you can with a bottle of Olalla Vineyards Wine .  Country setting, small batch wines that have creative and well-developed flavors, what more can you ask for on a summer day.  Check out this hidden gem in Pacific Northwest community of Olalla for some old world flavor and style. Cheers, Denise

2016 – Another Year Over……2017 - A New Year Has Begun Happy New Year!  2017 brings a promise of new and exciting things for all of us.  Will 2017 be a good year for the vines?  What excitement, what anticipation……but before we move ahead, I want to take a moment and look back at all the wonderful wine experiences Denise and I shared in 2016. We kicked off 2016 at McCall Hall on February 8 th with the Walla Walla Wine Tasting event.  I really liked how they did this event.  Lots of Vintners from the Walla Walla valley and a good pairing of food to go with it.  It was our goal to seek out wineries that we had not tried before.  We were not disappointed.  I love how the Walla Walla valley keeps producing some of the most amazing wines in our region and the wine makers hone their craft to perfection.   February 21 st found us at the “Seattle Food and Wine Experience.  I just love this event.  So many wines to sample and...

Wine tasting etiquette You are not a camel; therefor learn to spit When implementing the spitting method during a tasting, I found it is best to use a paper cup and spit directly into the cup, not a mile away into the bucket they have on the table.  If there isn’t a paper cup in sight and you find yourself having to use the bucket provided, please try to get close enough to get inside but not too close that there is splash back….ewww!  Practice at home is my suggestion to get it down, better safe than sorry. It’s always “no white after Labor Day”  Not the time to wear your white anything; shirt, dress, slacks.  Stay on the safe side and wear dark colors to avoid any embarrassing splashes and stains. Not a BYOB party  Do NOT bring your own bottle, that is just poor manners. If you don’t like red and they only pour red, then you are now the designated driver.  I suggest that you keep an open mind and try the red that is poured, you just ...

Balla d of Syrah’s…    Syrah or sometimes called Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world; Syrah should not be confused with Petite Sirah which is a different grape. Syrah is full-bodied, dark colored with soft tannin, jammie fruit and spice with notes of licorice, anise and earth, which makes it so wonderful paired with rich meats. Here are some we sampled at a resent WLW wine tasting event: Dumas Station, 2012 Walla Walla Rich garnet color, jammie fruit with a hint of floral and smoky spice nose. Ripe fruit, spicy and creamy generously lasting thru to the finish. Pairs well with roasted asparagus, dark chocolate, roasted meat and smoked herb potato. Laurelhurst Cellar, 2012 Walla Walla Intoxicating nose with hint of fruit and spice, long harmonious layered fruit finish. Paired well with caramelized onion, roasted mushroom, smoked potato wedge, triple cheese blackberry melba appetizer and dark chocolate. Dumas Station, 2013 The Excursi...