William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A ginger kick, fewer steps and finished on the grill.  Taste? Delicious! This summer I've been experimenting with my oven settings and began using a new Hibachi grill. It's been a lot of fun to use my favorite recipes in new ways. It also occurred to me, there must be a way to simplify some of these recipes. Today, I wanted to share with you an updated version of my go to ribs recipe (this recipe originally appeared on my March 14, 2015 post ). The recipe is based on an Eastern North Carolina ribs recipe, so it is vinegar based. *Note :   In 2013 I was in Raleigh, North Carolina for a media visit with Nomacorc . Of the many takeaways from that visit, I learned how seriously they regard barbecue in North Carolina, east vs. west, vinegar or ketchup, tradition vs. innovation. I went east, with a vinegar sauce based on tradition. Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of barbecue. It is also packed f...

It was almost impossible to review this wine. My wife kept taking the bottle. Reviewing the Delille Cellars 2015 Chaleur Blanc white wine was challenging. I should mention that I first reviewed the 2015 vintage in October of 2016 . Loved it then too. This time, I thought I'd share with my wife while I was taking notes. Mistake? Before I knew it, half the bottle was gone, and I was only just started on my notes! "Truly a Northwest classic!" I had to hide the bottle just to save some wine for my day two notes and for photographs. She loved the Chaleur Blanc! Note to self, " Delille Cellars Chaleur Blanc is now one of my wife's favorite wines. Don't forget. " That is strong recommendation for this wine. From both of us! 2015 Chaleur Blanc by Delille Cellars. Tasting Notes Nose : Delicious toast, white flower, minerality, citrus. Palate : Good weight, creaminess, tart citrus and toast, lime skin, nice spike of acid mid-palate, leaned ...

"You have not experienced Washington wine or cuisine, until you have enjoyed the Chaleur Blanc with Pacific Northwest seafood." Ah, October in wine country, the leaves are turning colors of fire and sunset. Yes, it is noticeably cooler, I needed a blanket last night to sleep and I find myself wearing a hat indoors. Friends and readers know that this is the time of year I begin to crave Chardonnay. It is my wine of the season. And yet, I find myself drawn this year not to Chardonnay, but to a Sauvignon Blanc dominant white wine. A wine which was difficult to resist drinking in one sitting. A wine made in the Pacific Northwest for Northwest fare. The 2015 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Blanc is styled as a classic Bordeaux blend, with 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Semillon. After more than 20 vintages, the Chaleur Blanc has become a signature wine. I was impressed. Strongly Recommended! A true Pacific Northwest pairing! Tasting Notes Color : Dark Straw. Aroma : Yeas...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. DeLille Cellars currently produces five Bordeaux-styled wines: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Red, D2, Harrison Hill, and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Also produced are the Doyenne wines, which include a classic northern Rhône-style Syrah - awarded as one of the great 15 Syrahs of the world; a Roussanne; Métier a Southern Rhône-styled red wine;  AIX, a Provençe-style red, and a Provençe/Bandol-style Rosé. Their goal is to make the very best handcrafted, old-world style red and white wine made in the State of Washington. Jason Gorski, DeLille Cellars Assistant Winemaker. Chris Upchurch , Executive Winemaker/Vineyard Manager, Owner/Partner. Jason Gorski , Assistant Winemaker. I had the pleasure of visiting with Jason this year. The Wines: 2009 AIX - Dark, Yakima Valley, heat, young, not bad. 58% Syrah, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Mourvedre, retail price $36. Recommended. 2008 Signature Syrah. * Favorite: 2008 Signature Syrah - Earth, ...

Some overdue shout-outs and mentions. Last month I was at Taste Washington in Seattle, and it was a 7 hour rush. That is, I was rushing around on my “breaks” from greeting 3,000+ attendees. My breaks only allowed for a bit of time here and there to visit and taste. Today I’d like to say thank you to those I did not mention last month. Shout-Outs! Kitzke Cellars Before the event started, I did manage to visit briefly with Vickie Kitzke and her friends Linda and Bill. This was their first time at Taste Washington. I reviewed Kitzke Cellars here . Their tasting room in West Richland is open by appointment. Check them out at Taste Washington Portland on May 1st if you missed them in Seattle. Gordon Brothers Winery I had hoped to visit with Katie Nelson of Gordon Brothers Winery, but she was engaged with a crowd of tasters when I stopped by. My last visit to Gordon Brothers is reviewed here . They too will be at Taste Washington Portland on May 1st. Hedges Family Estate Winery...

As part of the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, Caleb Foster and his lovely wife Nina Buty Foster of Buty Winery, hosted an enchanting and educational Semillon tasting at their winery; along with, Marty Club of L'ecole No 41 winery and Jay Soloff of DeLille Cellars. There are 4 parts to this video, enjoy. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4   What an amazing panel discussion. Great deal of information exchanged. Loved, loved the wines too. Cheers!

Browsing through my photos and video from the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, this photo stands out for me.   Jay Soloff (left), Melissa Peterman (middle) and Steve Heimoff (right) Jay Soloff of DeLille Cellar s , was on Saturdays Semillon Panel, for the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference. Jay Soloff is DeLille Cellars founding partner and marketing director. Located in Woodinville, Washington, DeLille is dedicated to making Old World-style wines from New World fruit. Jay is a very intense guy, I wish I had half as much energy as he projects. Melissa Peterman is with Foodista.com . We kept bumping into each other during the conference. Foodista is a collaborative project to build the world's largest, highest quality cooking encyclopedia. With contributions, they are working to create a free resource that helps millions of people learn how to cook everything and anything. I knew nothing about Foodista before the conference, now I'm using it as a favorite recipe resource. Steve Hei...