A Season of Change - September Update

Kiona Lemberger on the Vine 2015.

A Bountiful Harvest

The mornings in SE Washington have cooled, and the evenings are spectacular this time of year. Think glorious sunsets and star filled sky. The word from the Washington grape growers I have spoken with is an early and bountiful harvest.

De-stemming Syrah at Gordon Estate.

This month I had had the opportunity to meet Tyler Tennyson of Gordon Estate Winery. Tyler has been with Gordon Estate 13 months and is energizing their winemaking program. We sampled from barrel the 2015 Chardonnay, Wild Yeast Chardonnay, Malbec Rose' and Syrah. Yum and yum. I believe 2015 will be a vintage to remember. I'll have a review of his 2014 Chardonnay soon.

Podcast Goodbye

On the home front, I'm sad to announce that the Wine Muse Podcast I have co-hosted for two years is ending. It's been a fun time. Linda who hosts Blog Talk Radio is changing directions and decided to stop podcasting for the foreseeable future. It was a pleasure and honor to speak with those in the winemaking industry around the world. We recorded the final two episodes last week: "Alpha Montes - Wines of Chile" and "The Most Northern Winery in the World - Norway."

Many thanks to Linda Rez for inviting me to share my passion for wine on The Wine Muse. As the Wine Muse show evolved, not only did we taste and discuss wine, we added conversations with winemakers and special wine industry guests. We expanded our knowledge and awareness of wine. It was a lot of fun and worthwhile. My mental image of wine continues to evolve. It is possible the #Winemuse will return in another guise. If it does you will be the first to know.

Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center Prosser, Washington.

Now Pouring and Talking Wine

Last year I visited Prosser Wine Country on a special media visit. This month I began working in Prosser at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center. Yes, I am pouring Washington wine again.

The Walter Clore Center is the culmination of a ten year effort to build a facility for telling the stories of Washington wine. This is a place where you are invited to experience a diversity of Washington wine and food products. A dynamic environment with an ever changing wine list.

A few of the wines poured in September.

Working part-time at the Walter Clore Center in Prosser, fine tuning my Washington palate is taking me in new directions. I am working with a great group of people and love, love talking to visitors about Washington Wine Country! Almost lost my voice the first day from all the great discussions. Stop by on a weekend and say hello if I'm there.

One door closed and another opened. It is truly an exciting time to live and work in Washington Wine Country. I encourage you to visit and taste Washington wine. You can thank me later.

Cheers!

Three Albariños and Several Food Pairings | Taste Rías Baixas

As promised, more reviews of Albariño wines from Rías Baixas. My previous post ( My Favorite White Wines this Summer are from DO Rias Baixas ), I emphasized more traditional food pairings, grilled shrimp, Ceviche, and watermelon. This time, I wanted to try some different pairings to see how well Albariño wines would match. I love seafood, but I was curious about the flexibility of this variety. My test pairings began with a series of mini quiche I made at home, spinach, hamburger, tomato, dill and steak. Following are my tastings notes on the wines and the food pairing results. Results were mixed. Map of DO Rías Baixas and sub-zones. While twelve grape varieties are permitted in DO Rías Baixas, the white Albariño grape represents 96% of all plantings. Albariño refreshes as a drinking wine and appeals to diverse cuisine. Albariño from Galicia delivers for me on many levels. Bright acidity, refreshing citrus flavors and that compelling salinity which in...

2 Badger Mountain Organic NSA Red Wines Reviewed

Some of you prefer organic food, but have you tried organic wine? I had a great experience at a red wine tasting at Badger Mountain Organic Vineyard and Powers Winery. Mickey Dunne, winery Owner and Sales Director, was my host. I was delighted by the Badger Mountain Organic NSA wines. It all made perfect sense. Rejoice because these are top-notch wines, big on flavor and modest on price.

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 ...

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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