William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Minstrel and Muse #WineMuse Podcast  New World Pinot Noir Show - Part 2 "The uncertainty of life is there in front of you in the glass."  - Michael Richmond, winemaker Bouchaine Vineyards This month we have focused on New World Pinot Noir. Specifically, Pinot Noir from Carneros in California, Oregon Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley and a Pinot Noir from Chile. We are dividing the podcasts into three episodes. My posts with tasting notes are also in three parts. We are exploring the aesthetics of Pinot Noir and the cultivation and winemaking processes with Francois Lurton of Hacienda Araucano  in Chile, Michael Richmond of Bouchaine Vineyards in California and Steve Lutz of Lenné Estate in Oregon . These three interviews are part of our continuing Winemaker Conversations Series . This is Part 2 of our featured #WineMuse podcast show. Our discussion of New World Pinot Noir had to include California. We were fortunate to enjoy a tasting of three Napa...

Did Chardonnay ever go out of style? Regular readers and listeners, know that Linda Reznicek and I host a monthly wine podcast we call " WineMuse World Tour ." This year we have been tasting and reviewing wine from different regions around the world. After recording one of our shows, Linda and I began casually discussing the topic of Chardonnay. She asked me, "Why did Chardonnay go out of favor, or did it? What makes a GREAT Chardonnay?" I agreed it was a good topic and one worth pursuing. Linda arranged interviews with two famous California Chardonnay producers, and procured samples, she also scheduled interviews with two Washington winemakers I recommended. We have posted our featured #WineMuse podcast show where we explore the up and down trajectory of the world's favorite varietal, Chardonnay, through the words of great Chardonnay winemakers in Napa Valley and Washington state. This was a fun and inspirational show featuring the expertise of truly ...

Monday night I was invited to talk about "cheap" wine by Linda Reznicek of Minstrel and Muse . Linda hosts her talk show on Monday evenings. This was my first time speaking on a live audio stream. Yes, it was tough for Linda to shut me up. I did not mention all the wines I wanted due to time constraints. Below is a list of the wines I mentioned, as well as some of the wines I neglected to point out. Note: Wines with good QPR (Quality Price Ratio) have High Quality and a Low Price. All of the wines below are quality wines I would enjoy drinking and sharing with family and friends. They are at attractive price points, also referred to as wines having “Great QPR” *(Quality-Price Ratio). This is not a definitive list, just the list I was prepared to discuss.