Taste Washington 2012 Day One

Treveri sparklers were captivating - that's a sparkling Syrah in my glass.

Yesterday, I attended day one of Taste Washington in Seattle, Washington. With 200 Washington wineries present and pouring, I made a list this year of who to visit. This is my third time attending Taste Washington, so I'm applying my lessons learned:

How to Taste at Taste (revised 20 April 2012 - see #5)

1. Have a list of wineries to visit. My "must not miss" list.
(I have posted this list of wineries and included my favorite wines of Taste Washington 2012)
2. Dark shirt to avoid any visible drips or spills.
3. Spit, spit, spit, so I can appreciate all of the wonderful wines and still walk and talk.
4. Eat and hydrate. An easy task if you pace yourself. I take a break every hour.
#5. I forgot this step - What to do in Seattle After Taste Washington!

Winemaker Anna Schafer of aMaurice Cellars, Walla Walla.
She is making spectacular wines, do not miss visiting.

I consider yesterday a success. I was able to visit with 16 wineries/winemakers, and sample a total of 53 wonderful wines. With written notes too and photos.

So many wonderful Washington wines were poured yesterday.

My strongest impression of yesterday? Quality, quality, passion. I liked every wine I sampled yesterday, some I even adored. I don't have time this morning, before day two of Taste Washington, to delve in detail about the wines I liked and which ones I really, really liked. That's for later. Today I have 13 more wineries on my must visit list. I will try to get to the oysters today too.

Don't drive after Taste Washington. Many forms of transportation are available.

This year, Taste Washington expanded wine tasting to two days. The event, as usual, was well organized, well attended, and a great deal of fun.

Related Post: Taste Washington! How I will Review 29 Wineries and 103 Wines

Cheers!

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

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

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine. That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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