William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

About the time I started middle school, my parents decided to stop exchanging gifts on Christmas. Yep, no Christmas gifts kiddies. The rational for this, as it was explained to us, was that the Three  winesmen   Wines  Kings in the Bible visited the baby Jesus on the 6th of January and gave him gifts. This is known as the day of Epiphany and "Three Kings Day." So, growing up we exchanged gifts not on December 25th, but 12 days later on the 6th of January. We were not a particularly religious family, but this aspect of the Bible was observed at our home. Yes, with grumbling. Grandmother though, she always gave us gifts on Christmas! Sharing this story with you is about letting you know that it's okay if you don't give me a Christmas gift this year. You can always give me a gift on January 6th. That's a joke. I started this list a month ago. And I'm late posting it. That's what I'm sharing today. Keep in mind you can give the gift of wine o...

Minstrel & Muse Audio Art Magazine. What could be finer than unwrapping the gift of wine? I was happy to be invited back to Minstrel and Muse  - Audio Art Magazine, to talk about wine gifts. With only 9 days until Christmas these are becoming last minute gift ideas. I've provided links to some of the products we discussed today. I'm coming off of a cold, so I apologize if I was a little fuzzy. We touched on many of the subjects listed. I hope this helps you in selecting the perfect gift. Here's the link to the audio program. Enjoy!

More than a memorable Red Mountain wine. Terra Blanca 2006 Onyx. Recently I had a significant wine moment with a bottle of wine from Terra Blanca, the 2006 ONYX, Terra Blanca Estate Vineyard. This wine was a gift from a friend. A gift I greatly appreciate. There was no special occasion for opening this wine, it just happened to be the bottle I selected. Perhaps it is best that I was not anticipating anything out of this bottle, consequently, my experience was all the more noteworthy. On pulling the cork, the room was instantly enveloped in the aroma of black berries, fresh wild berries, ripe ready to eat berries, berry pie and berry cobbler. The moment hung suspended as I was transported back in time, memories of childhood, my grandmother and summers spent in Aberdeen, Washington cascaded over me. As I poured from the bottle into my glass, I recalled my grandmothers white 1971 Monte Carlo, with blue vinyl top. You could tell she enjoyed driving that car; we drove all over Aber...

Harvest in the Columbia Valley is over. Winemakers are busy working with the juice of their labors. Thanksgiving in Washington Wine Country is only 9 days away. And my sense of taste is almost back to normal. The longer I live in SE Washington, the more I'm affected by seasonal allergies and changes in temperature and humidity. All of this environmental influence on my body, greatly affects my ability to enjoy wine; red wine loses most of its subtlety and flavor when my internal barometer is screwy. Fortunately, this time of year my body usually returns to normal, just in time for the holidays. I plan to post suggestions for holiday food pairings: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Hopefully, I'll have time to post some gift suggestions too - I always appreciate help in that department; this time of year always seems to get away from me. All the best, Cheers!