William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Because bubbles are fantastic with everything. This time of year, sparkling wine seems most appropriate to me for celebrating the season with family and friends. At my home, we enjoy bubbles year-round. Meals just seem more enjoyable when paired with a bottle of sparkling wine. The wines I'm reviewing here are not Champagne, they have bubbles, but they are not Champagne. I point this out because people often, mistakenly, call all wines with bubbles "Champagne." Wines with bubbles are generally referred to as “Sparkling Wine.” Because they sparkle. However, there are sparkling wines from other regions of the world with specific regional names, such as: Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy and  Crémant   d'Alsace from north-eastern France. Note: Champagne was invented and perfected in Champagne, France. True “Champagne” is only made in the Champagne region of France, using the Méthode Champenoise to create those lovely bubbles. The Champagne winemaking comm...

Photo: 2010 Poet's Leap Riesling. Wow! The Poet’s Leap Riesling is made by German winemaker Armin Diel, proprietor of the renowned Schlossgut Diel. Mr. Diel makes the Poet's Leap Riesling at the Long Shadows Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. I first tasted this wine in February at the Long Shadows winery, then again in July during a virtual tasting (I had my bottle at home and tweeted about it). I believe this wine has improved in bottle. This time at opening, the wine was steely, it reminded me of polished steel. It was crisp, bright with wonderful minerality. It was not austere, it was tantalizing. Wow! After 2 days in the refrigerator, it was even better. Tonight, it was beautifully integrated, sublime, full of introspection. Pale gold in color, with a lively aroma of soft petrol, nectarine, toast and river rock. Bright, round and spiky flavors front palate, crisp, with lovely apple-pear and honey flavors mid-palate, exiting with a refreshing tart finish of granny...