William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Companion post to the podcast - " Successful Techies to Lake Chelan Wine Makers: Kevin & Holly Brown, Siren Song" Siren Song Grand Opening and Release Party July 2nd. We were fortunate to receive pre-lease bottles of the  Siren Song Wines 2013 The Muse Sparkling Brut Pinot Noir prior to this special #WineMuse podcast. We had to taste this wine since it shares the name of our Wine Muse podcast. My tasting notes are below. Listen to the podcast - Siren Song Wines . Husband and wife team, Holly and Kevin Brown, legends in High Tech circles for their founding of Visio, Symform, and Tableau Software, changed gears to pursue a creative, shared passion of food and wine. They started Siren Song Wines and the Foodie website, The Brown Lounge . Lake Chelan, Washington is one of the most scenic areas in the world, and the location of their new Mediterranean-inspired wine tasting room and event center. Part winery, restaurant, and event facility, this will be the perfect...

Local farm fresh eggs, cooking with friends - capturing the moment. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's the holiday about family, friends and sharing time and good food together. Of course wine is involved.  This is the time of year I remember fondly when our family went driving through the woods, over Snoqualmie pass across the Cascade mountains, down I5 to Aberdeen, Washington and my grandmothers historic 1906 home. Fireplace roaring, full table setting with delicious turkey and all the fixings. Pumpkin pie with ice cream for dessert. Thanksgiving was family time. Being together was important. My grandmother wanted us to have wonderful experiences; perhaps she was thinking that these would be memories to cherish. They are. I think of my grandmother Claudia as the archetypal grandmother, for me she is the very definition of "grandmother." On our Second Annual Thanksgiving #WineMuse wine podcast on Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine, we ...

Minstrel and Muse #WineMuse Podcast  New World Pinot Noir Show - Part 3 This month on our featured #WineMuse podcast show  Linda Reznicek and yours truly, have focused on New World Pinot Noir. We have tackled the question of " What's so great about Pinot Noir? " As we wrap up Part 3 of our discussion on Pinot Noir, we had to include Oregon. We were fortunate to enjoy a tasting of three Oregon wines made by Stephen Lutz of  Lenné Estate as well as an engaging conversation with this talented winemaker and vineyard manager. "Steve Lutz is a genius!" Tina Morey, Certified Sommelier, Protocol Wine Studio . 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. This special podcast series is divided into three episodes. My posts with tasting notes are also in three parts. We have explored the aesthetics of Pinot Noir and the cul...

Over the weekend I was tweeting with my Australian friend @nessaussie, a Sommelier in Perth, about wine. We were discussing the Swan Valley of Western Australia. This morning I woke thinking about the wine we featured on the September #WineMuse Podcast. It was then that I realized I had not posted my tasting notes for the Hope Estate 2010 Shiraz " The Ripper "...fruit sourced from the Geographe Region of Western Australia. *Podcast Note : "You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz (& To Spit or Swallow Wine)" Y ou can listen to our discussion of this wine on Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine and our #WineMuse podcast . The show has a special interview with Keith Pilgrim of Terra Blanca Winery . Western Australia is the largest state in Australia. The Margaret River Valley Wine growing region is centered in the cooler south-western tip of the state of Western Australia. This area produces less than 5% of the country's wine (but excels in quality I'm to...

Thursday 20 February at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST Join us Thursday, February 20th at 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST for our virtual tasting podcast. Grab a bottle of this wine and compare palates while we learn about Argentina Malbec. If you miss the live show, you can always listen to the recorded show. In partnership with Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine - we will conduct live virtual wine tastings on the Third Thursday of each month at 5 PM PST. These wine tastings are hosted by Linda Rez of Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine  and co-hosted by William Pollard of Wild 4 Washington Wine .

Taste Along with Linda and William. Join us Thursday, February 6th at 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST for our first virtual tasting podcast of the Terra Blanca Arch Terrace Red Mountain 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.   Taste with us live - here's the link to the show. In partnership with Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine - we are hosting a live virtual wine tasting. This will be the first of many wine tastings hosted by Minstrel and Muse. Grab a bottle of the featured wine and taste along with Linda of Minstrel and Muse and William of Wild 4 Washington Wine . If you cannot join us for the live tasting, you can always taste along with our recorded podcast show. Taste this wine online with us on February 6th.

"Wine is a personal experience. So is greatness." - William Pollard Jr. responding to the question, "Can a $15 bottle of wine be great?" T hank you to Linda of Minstrel and Muse Audio Arts Magazine for inviting me back to share my thoughts on how to taste wine. We discussed the subject of wine tasting at home . Our focus was primarily on how to taste and appreciate red wine, with an emphasis on Malbec. We hope to arrange an online wine tasting with listeners soon. We'll have more information to share as we work out the details. I'm looking forward to this as I love to share my excitement about wine. Plus I love an audience. > Link to Audio Program, "The ABC's of Wine Tasting" . Having worked in a winery tasting room and visited many, I feel qualified to share my feelings on the subject of Wine Tasting. Once the wine is poured in your glass, there is a process to the tasting...

Celebrate the Holidays at Minstrel and Muse, Audio Art Magazine. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Naturally, I was happy to be invited back to Minstrel and Muse to talk about my favorite Washington beverages for Thanksgiving. As Linda mentioned during the interview, the beverages we choose to pair with our Thanksgiving meals are part of a tradition involving family and friends. Our conversation began with a discussion on hard cider options. Yes, hard cider. Cider is a good choice for those wanting a change from other traditional refreshments. I'd suggest pairing cherry and dry ciders with turkey - both recommended cideries have options for you. If you don't do turkey, apricot or pear cider would be good options for ham. We also discussed appetizer wine options - I recommended dry sparkling wine and dry white still wines. Of course we talked Thanksgiving dinner. We may have gone off track a time or two. At least I know I did. Here's the link to this podcas...