Skip to main content

Last Day of Summer, Smoke, Goose Ridge Visit, Events

As we say goodbye to summer, the Columbia Valley is under a blanket of smoke. Thousands of firefighters are fighting dozens of wildfires. It's been a perfect growing season, a warm, dry summer, with no rain. Earlier this month, lightning started the fires on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains.

Locally, in the Tri-Cities and in Walla Walla, air quality has been listed as unsafe for sensitive groups.  In the Wenatchee area, closer to the fires, air quality is listed as "hazardous." Weather forecasters do not expect the smoke to clear any time soon. The forest fires rage on. Yuck.

August 2012 view
Photo: View east August 2012
Rattlesnake Mountain visible in background.
Smoky view
Photo: Smoky view east on 20 September 2012.
smoke obscures view
Photo: Today's smoky view on 21 September 2012.
Yesterday, in spite of the smoke, I made time for a brief visit at Goose Ridge Winery. The Goose Ridge tasting room is located on Dallas Road, in Richland. My visit was short, but I managed to take some photos of their lovely looking Malbec.

Malbec
Photo: Goose Ridge Malbec Clusters.

Goose Ridge has made changes to their facility. While walking the grounds, I found four new Bocce Ball courts. Bocce Ball is a game I enjoy playing, and one of the few games I can actually win. They have added more outdoor seating with tables too, making a perfect setting for entertaining and hanging out.

bocce ball
Photo: Goose Ridge Bocce Ball Courts.

They no longer make wine at this facility. The former production area has been replaced with a fireplace and comfy seating, creating a relaxing lounge for sipping their lovely wines.

fireplace
Photo: The perfect destination for relaxing and wine tasting.

As I did not have much time, while chatting with the friendly tasting room staff, I only sampled their very good, 2009 g3 red wine blend. I've been a fan of the Goose Ridge red wine blend for several years, even before they named it "g3." The 2009 Goose Ridge g3 is ready to drink now.

Red Wine
Photo: 2009 Goose Ridge g3.
I've been invited to attend several local Winery events. I cannot attend all of them, as much as I want to, so I'm sharing with you, in hopes you may be able to go. There are many winery events planned for October too. Check with your favorite Washington wineries to see what events they have schedule to celebrate the 2012 Harvest.

A few Winery Harvest Events you may want to consider attending.

Harvest Party in the Vines - Alexandria Nicole Cellars
Harvest Party 2012 is Saturday, September 29th
I just checked the website, there are 24 tickets remaining!

Red Mountain Block Party!
Saturday, September 29th from 10am - 6pm.
Red Mountain Wineries are pulling out all the stops and corks. A not to miss party.

2012 Harvest Blessing - Gordon Estate
Gordon Estate Harvest Blessing is Monday, October 8th, 11:00 AM
Contact the Winery to RSVP.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. I have more photos and notes on my Wild 4 Washington Wine facebook page. If you are in the area, stay indoors as much as possible. Be safe.

Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

My Current State of Wine

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend.  February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals."   - William Pollard Jr.  Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle