William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Two of my favorite memories are ice cream related.  "Ice cream" What do those words mean to you? Childhood memories are my first connections and mental images. Running after the ice cream truck. Begging mom for coins. And the delirious satisfaction at the first sweet, creamy smell and taste as it drips down your hand. Sigh.  As an adult, when my wife brought home an ice cream machine a few years ago, I had zero interest. “Great.” I thought. “More calories I don’t need.” So, I ignored it for a couple of years. Then the pandemic hit. And you know, time and opportunity, and boredom. On impulse one day I pulled the ice cream machine out of the pantry and started experimenting.  My first batches of ice cream were icy. Not exactly what I was attempting to make. So, more experiments. While edible, and fun to play with, my results were not satisfying. One day while I was looking for another ice cream recipe online, I saw in a comment the solution to my conundrum. Which led to my ...

Last month I left one of my favorite jobs in the Washington wine industry. After 35 months working at Col Solare Winery on the Red Mountain AVA, I have decided to take a break from wine sales and wine education. It was my choice. I remain a huge fan of Col Solare and their talented winemaker and cellar crew. Miss them too.  Twenty years ago I began working in the Washington wine industry. My first wine job was in 2005 working for Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Washington. What an amazing time. I learned I loved selling wine and telling stories about wine. This is when I began taking wine far more seriously, and learned more about winemaking, grape varieties, and customer interactions. Also, during this phase I was inspired to create this blog. I was discovering my writing "voice" and the beginning of my teaching voice. Thank you Rob, Deborah, Micky, Miah, Meagan, Kim, and all those I worked with. Thank you.  Writing about wine, from a wine sales and production winery v...

“There is something special going on at Col Solare." In mid-June 2022, I began working for Col Solare winery on the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. The Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare are famous for stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. That I knew going in.  We are not here to make more wine... We are here to showcase place. At the end of June 2022, Col Solare winemaker Darel Allwine retired. Darel had been winemaker since 2013. Prior, he had been Col Solare assistant winemaker for Marcus Notaro. Marcus had been Col Solare winemaker when the Red Mountain facility opened and was winemaker before we had our Red Mountain facility.  On July 1, 2022, Col Solare assistant winemaker, Stephanie Cohen, was promoted to Col Solare winemaker. I was present for this change. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Col Solare is the third winery I have worked for. I chose well.  Often, I am asked by Col Solare guests, as I was last week, “Tell me about Col Solare. Wh...

"This is a milestone year."  It sure feels like a milestone to achieve 62 revolutions around our sun. Perhaps, it is my age and all the cumulative experiences and memories in my head. This year, I’ve been in a reflective mood. It feels like I finally have some perspective on life, on all my interactions with other human beings.  Col Solare Fall Colors 2023 I’ve also come to the realization that I adore Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon.  Over the years I have cultivated a perspective on wine. Especially, Washington wine. I’ve been living in Washington wine country since 1986. My wine epiphany happened in 1991 with a bottle of L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot. Working for my first winery, Barnard Griffin 2005 – 2007, opened my mind to really learning about wine.  There is more to wine than just drinking. There’s sales, hospitality, service, storage, production, the people in the vineyards, the cellar crew, bottling line, label design, the many different varieties of Vitis Vinifer...

During the pandemic I followed the procedure of isolating and masking. Once the vaccine was available, I got it. Then I boosted, boosted, boosted. Keeping my immunization records current. While my wife and son did get COVID during the pandemic, I managed to avoid getting COVID. Until it got me in June 2023. How did it affect me? Am I still affected by long-term COVID? It has been on my mind. Let's look at how this started and where I am at today.  "I was a bit shaken. Was this my new life?" June 2023 I Got Sick My son works as an engineer on the western side of the state. My wife is on another international job assignment. I was looking forward to having them home for Fathers Day. Once I tested positive for COVID, I told them not to come over. Neither of them can afford to get sick. For much of June I wallowed in my misery, alone. My recovery was in time for the 4th of July.  July 2023 Negative Test + Lingering Effects Using the at home COVID test kit, I finally tested ne...

New Zealand Wine Puts a Smile on my Face My friends know I am a huge fan of New Zealand wine. In 2012 I became a little obsessed and created a New Zealand wine blog with my friend Julie. We called it " Kiwi Daydreaming " because we could not stop daydreaming about New Zealand wine. Today, I am sharing my thoughts on three Marlborough, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc wines. Each wine is distinct. Each is delicious in its own way. If you know me, you know that I cannot review any wine without including wine and food pairings. Those are included as well! About Appellation Marlborough Wine: Appellation Marlborough Wine™ was established in 2018 with a strict certification process that the region’s producers are able to apply for. AMW is trademarked in all key global wine markets and it is the legal recognition that sets it apart from other new world certification practices. Wines bearing the Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) quality mark provide consumers the following guarantees: O...