A Family and Friend Forward Washington Winery.
This week I had the pleasure of meeting Vickie Kitzke, Paul Kitzke and some of Kitzke Cellars closest friends. Vickie invited me to her home to sample all of Kitzke Cellars 2006 – 2008 delicious red wines. The 2008 vintages are not officially released.
If you are not familiar with Kitzke Cellars, that’s because they are a local, boutique, family-owned winery. They have been farming in the area since the 1970s, and have gradually transformed their orchards into vineyards. With fewer than 1,000 cases produced annually, Kitzke Cellars is by definition a boutique winery. Kitzke Cellars is located on Candy Mountain, off of Dallas road and a stone’s throw from West Richland, Washington. They are about a five minute drive from my home, that’s local friends. The family is working to finish construction of the tasting room; Vickie expects to open to the public sometime in April 2011. When they open, you will be able to visit the tasting room on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
This winery is a true family effort. The oldest son is responsible for the design and construction of the tasting room, their Columbia Valley Janaina Sensacão Red is named after their daughter, and don’t fail to notice that the 2006 Upsidedown Columbia Valley Red Table wine is named in honor of their sponsored snowboarding son. Husband Paul Kitzke has grapes planted on the family property. When you visit the tasting room, you’ll be greeted by their Cabernet Franc. Also, a family friends daughter designed the label for Kitzke Cellars.
Note: My first exposure to Kitzke Cellars was the 2006 Upsidedown label (reviewed here). I’ve become quite fond of the colorful, fun label and of the easy to enjoy wine too (a great value at $10 recommended).
Back to the wines I tasted.
After sampling a dozen Kitzke Cellars red wines, my favorites included: 2007 Cabernet Franc, 2008 Nebbiolo, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Janaina Sensacão Red, 2007 and 2008 Sangiovese and the 2006 Upsidedown Red Table wine. All of the wines have beautiful varietal characteristics, perfect for complimenting food and company. About that Nebbiolo…I was most intrigued by the unreleased Kitzke Cellars Nebbiolo. This was my first exposure to Washington Nebbiolo and I liked it. It put me in mind of a high quality, California Zinfandel.
What is Nebbiolo?
Nebbiolo is a red Italian wine grape varietal, predominately associated with the Piedmont region where it makes the wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme. Like the finicky Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is extremely site-sensitive, difficult to grow and temperamental in the cellar. Some winemakers say it is the most difficult wine grape to work with. It prefers cooler areas with warm-to-hot daytime temperatures and a high degree of luminosity. Once again, Washington State is proving itself as the definitive wine growing region of the world. Friends, this is one wine you must seek out – contact the winery for availability of Kitzke Cellars Nebbiolo. Vickie kindly gifted me a bottle of Nebbiolo, which I intend to thoroughly assess this spring.
Thanks again Paul and Vickie, loved the wines and visiting with your friends. I look forward to enjoying sunsets with a glass Kitzke Cellars in hand.
Taste Kitzke Cellars at These Events
72308 E 260 PRNE Richland, WA 99352
www.kitzkecellars.com
Phone: (509)521-5369
Email: info@kitzkecellars.com
Cheers!
This week I had the pleasure of meeting Vickie Kitzke, Paul Kitzke and some of Kitzke Cellars closest friends. Vickie invited me to her home to sample all of Kitzke Cellars 2006 – 2008 delicious red wines. The 2008 vintages are not officially released.
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| Vickie Kitzke (right) and friend. |
This winery is a true family effort. The oldest son is responsible for the design and construction of the tasting room, their Columbia Valley Janaina Sensacão Red is named after their daughter, and don’t fail to notice that the 2006 Upsidedown Columbia Valley Red Table wine is named in honor of their sponsored snowboarding son. Husband Paul Kitzke has grapes planted on the family property. When you visit the tasting room, you’ll be greeted by their Cabernet Franc. Also, a family friends daughter designed the label for Kitzke Cellars.
 |
| Logo designed by a friends daughter. |
Back to the wines I tasted.
After sampling a dozen Kitzke Cellars red wines, my favorites included: 2007 Cabernet Franc, 2008 Nebbiolo, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Janaina Sensacão Red, 2007 and 2008 Sangiovese and the 2006 Upsidedown Red Table wine. All of the wines have beautiful varietal characteristics, perfect for complimenting food and company. About that Nebbiolo…I was most intrigued by the unreleased Kitzke Cellars Nebbiolo. This was my first exposure to Washington Nebbiolo and I liked it. It put me in mind of a high quality, California Zinfandel.
What is Nebbiolo?
Nebbiolo is a red Italian wine grape varietal, predominately associated with the Piedmont region where it makes the wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme. Like the finicky Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is extremely site-sensitive, difficult to grow and temperamental in the cellar. Some winemakers say it is the most difficult wine grape to work with. It prefers cooler areas with warm-to-hot daytime temperatures and a high degree of luminosity. Once again, Washington State is proving itself as the definitive wine growing region of the world. Friends, this is one wine you must seek out – contact the winery for availability of Kitzke Cellars Nebbiolo. Vickie kindly gifted me a bottle of Nebbiolo, which I intend to thoroughly assess this spring.
Thanks again Paul and Vickie, loved the wines and visiting with your friends. I look forward to enjoying sunsets with a glass Kitzke Cellars in hand.
Taste Kitzke Cellars at These Events
- If you want to sample Kitzke Cellars wines before the tasting room opens, they will be pouring at Taste Washington Seattle at the Grand Tasting on March 27th.
- They will also be at Taste Washington in Portland on May 1, 2011.
- As of this posting, several Kitzke Cellars wines are available for purchase from their website at a discount. Check out their website for pricing.
- Locally, I have found Kitzke Cellar wines at Yokes Grocery in West Richland, and the Albertsons on Gage and Leslie in South Richland.
72308 E 260 PRNE Richland, WA 99352
www.kitzkecellars.com
Phone: (509)521-5369
Email: info@kitzkecellars.com
Cheers!