William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

The heat of summer is beginning to roll hot and heavy through the Columbia Valley. Deal with it by tempering that oppressive heat with a lovely glass of Masset Rosato. Last week I went wine tasting with friends old and new in Zillah, Washington. We stopped at several boutique wineries and were introduced to many lovely wines. My new friend Summer is a local, Summer took us to one of her favorite local wineries, Masset Winery.

International Wine Club Shipment. Have you considered joining a wine of the month club? I recently received two samples from the International Wine of the Month Club . The wines I received were: 1. Au Bon Climat XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Santa Maria Valley Estate Bottled Chardonnay 2010 - USA. 2. Seghesio Barolo 2008 - Italy.

It's Pepi Time! Pepi wines are sourced from grapes grown in cool-climate vineyard regions of California. Clouds and rain, that's the week we've had in Eastern Washington. Where's our sunshine? Feeling a little low, I needed something to liven up the evening. Thankfully I had two bottles of Pepi wine sent to me for review. Their label reminds me of surfboards standing on end; which makes me think of sun, sand, vacation and good times. I enjoyed these two California wines. Thank you Pepi!

My frequent readers know that I am partial to Spanish wines , it should be no surprise that I've been looking forward to opening this bottle of Albardiales 2011 Tempranillo from Castilla-La Mancha. This wine was provided by the Castilla-La Mancha US Tour 2013 . Thank you. It was a lovely Spanish wine and it was my first experience with a wine from Castilla-La Mancha. To settle into the proper mood I connected my iPad to the stereo and listened to a  Spanish Flamenco playlist on Songza . With Flamenco music playing in the background I proceeded to open the bottle.

Guest post by Juli Crompe. For someone who admittedly likes cocktails, PROOF was unexpectedly a whole new world. While I like to think I know something about spirits (having studied them a bit in college for an elective course), PROOF was proof to me (haha!) that the world of spirits and distilleries is growing much faster and is much more innovative than just a few short years ago. I never cared much for gin, or dark spirits, and find most liquor by itself to be more of a nuisance than a pleasure, but PROOF changed that for me in a big way. I decided "When in Rome..." and chose not to limit myself at this event based on what I've previously enjoyed, and opened myself up to the possibility of new liqueurs, spirits and flavors.

Released today - Kiona 2010 Estate Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Come to the first Kiona Vineyards Release Party. Today and tomorrow, June 21 and 22, you can attend Kiona Vineyards first release party. The release party is for their new flagship wine, the 2010 Estate Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

Artist Deborah Barnard working in her studio. Working with fused glass. I've indirectly worked with glass for many years, but in the medium of pottery and glazes. You may have noticed some of the ceramic plates and bowls in my wine photos, most of them were made by me. But I've never worked with fused glass until last week. Pottery and fused glass have some common elements; frits, kilns and that mellifluous interaction of artistic intent with reactive chemicals and heat.

Guest Post by Juli Crompe. While the name of this blog suggests wine content, William and I recently had a chat about the explosion of distilleries in Washington state (and the Northwest) and decided it was worth a bit of attention. With the first annual PROOF Washington scheduled for June 15th, this is the perfect time to introduce yourself to some of the new, hot local distilleries. And if you purchase before June 7th, early bird pricing is in effect, saving you $5 per ticket! PROOF Washington will be held at The Foundry by Herban Feast (formerly known as Urban Enoteca), a hip, urban event space that will feature 40 distilleries and 12 local restaurants & food vendors sampling some delicious bites. Music will be spinning from KEXP's Greg Vandy & custom crafted cocktails will be shaken and stirred from expert local bartenders. At PROOF, you'll also be able to meet the men & women responsible for these libations, and learn about grains, barrel aging, fermentat...

May was Finger Lakes Wine Month. I was invited to join in the celebration of Finger Lakes wines. The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance sent me four New York wines to review. They sent a Riesling, a Chardonnay, a Gewurztraminer and a Pinot Noir. Part of Finger Lakes Wine Month included a virtual wine tasting on twitter last weekend. The wine I opened for the virtual tasting was the Thirsty Owl 2012 Dry Riesling. I tweeted for an hour with fellow participants. Feedback was strong and positive. This was not my first New York Riesling. I've participated in two previous Finger Lakes Riesling launches, in 2012 and in 2011 . Wines from the Finger Lakes are nearly impossible to find where I live. Yes, I was looking forward to this tasting. We used #FLXwine for our tweets.

An Oregon sparkling wine perfect for any occasion. This week we drank one of my wife's Mother day gifts; a bottle of Argyle 2009 Sparkling Brut Rosé. My mother selected the gift because she knows us so well. Thank you mom for gifting such a lovely wine.

This Oregon Pinot Noir is a real lady, demure and inviting. Made by a committed, passionate winemaker who has expressed a sense of place. Tasting Notes:

The month of May was a month of Pomum Cellars wines. It was my sincere pleasure to enjoy three wines sent to me by Woodinville winery Pomum Cellars . I met Pomum Cellars winemaker Javier Alfonso and his wife Shyla in Seattle at the Washington State Wine Awards . He and his wines made a strong impression.