William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Guest post by Juli Crompe. Awww 20Something... I waited an entire year for this event to come around again, with such excitement. After an amazing time at  last years 20Something , I had been anxious for months about going back to Fremont Studios. I have to admit, my excitement turned to slight disappointment shortly into the event for a few reasons. Although there were a lot of things I liked about this years 20Something, there were things that I feel need improvement: Needs Improvement 1. I noticed there were almost no wineries pouring at tables. It took me a little while to realize they were walking around pouring. Last year it was a mix of both tables and pourers walking around (a huge plus; my glass was never empty). But this year I couldn't find some of the wineries I wanted to try, this caused me to miss some of the ones I'd been excited about. I ended up asking quite a few people pouring if they'd seen this wine, or that winery, but many had no idea wha...

Guest post by Juli Crompe. Day two of Taste Washington was a crazy frenzy of playing catch up of everything I didn't get a chance to hit on day one; and everything I still had left for day two. Planning Ahead Every year Taste releases a floor map of where each winery, restaurant, business, special section, etc. will be, and I wouldn't get nearly as much done without mapping out my route pre-event. This year I spent about 90 minutes looking over the wineries and planning out where I wanted to go. I also made a spreadsheet and a corresponding map for each day (I split the map in half; half the room on day one, and the other half on day two). While I definitely take it to the extreme, I do suggest looking over the map before the event; it allows you to maximize your time and see who will be there! The biggest advantage to this is to ensure you can make it to some of the more popular wineries early in the day before they pour out. For example, Col Solare poured out by ...

Guest Post by Juli Crompe. Taste Washington. If you love wine, and live in Seattle (or follow the Washington wine scene), these two words can't help but bring a smile to your face. In its 16th year, Taste is the nation's largest single-region wine and food event, showcasing Washington state wines. This year the event attracted more than 3,000 attendees, 225 wineries with more than 750 different bottles of wine, 65 restaurants and a long list of extras, including: seminars, a vineyards section, Chef demonstrations, special VIP additions and even hotel discounts and packages for attendees. In all honesty, Taste has become so big you can't possibly do it in two days, let alone one. Until recently Taste was only one day; I believe it was the best decision ever to make it two days. Now, I'm just waiting for it to be three...or seven days long...as I leave every year wishing I had far more time; despite my being there from the second the doors opened until the second ...

Guest Post by Juli Crompe. Another year has come and gone at Taste Washington Seattle (Taste). I feel so lucky and grateful for the opportunity to attend for the third year in a row. On top of the wonderful event itself, Taste now offers seminars before the event, four on Saturday and three on Sunday, on a variety of extremely interesting and educational topics (check them out  here ). On Saturday, I chose to attend "Intro to the World of Wine", with moderator Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report , and panelists Dr. Kevin Pogue of Whitman College, Thomas Henick-Kling of Washington State University, Thomas Price MS of the Metropolitan Grill and Linda Murphy, author of " American Wine, an Honest Drink ." Quite the caliber of experts for a 90 minute synopsis on the world  of wine. Luckily, they chose to focus mainly on Washington and a few basics. I thought this would be the perfect seminar to share with you; regardless of if you're new to wine or knowl...

A wonderful dinner companion. I first met winemaker Scott Southard at Taste Washington Seattle! His style of winemaking continues to impress. You don't know Scott Southard and his wines? It is time you did. FYI: You can meet Scott Southard and sample his wines at Taste Washington Seattle 2013 this March 23 and 24. There's still time to purchase tickets. photo: Southard 2010 Columbia Valley Red Wine. Tasting Notes: On the first day, this wine had a pretty ruby color. An exciting spicy nose, with sandalwood, nutmeg, cocoa, raspberry, graphite and strawberry. It was smooth, medium bodied, bright, with round spicy flavors of raspberry and strawberry. The finish was smooth, spicy, with fine tannin, raspberry and a bright, dry finish. This was a friendly, balanced wine. Tannin became more noticeable with air. The Southard 2010 Columbia Valley Red wine was a good match to the slow roasted rack of lamb I prepared. On the second day, the Southa...

photo: Scott Southard. Southard Winery Sugarloaf red wine reviewed. I met winemaker Scott Southard last year at Taste Washington Seattle! His wines impressed then and they continue to impress today. You don't know Scott Southard and his wines? It is time you did. The Southard family winery is located in Selah, Washington, across the street from their estate Riesling vineyard. I recently visited Scott at the winery, there was a lot of snow on the ground. Where's Selah, Washington? Selah is just minutes from downtown Yakima. It was easy to find. Scott has an extremely educated palate and preference in wine. This fact was obvious to me on the first taste of the Southard 2010 Sugarloaf vineyard Yakima valley red wine. I raved about this wine with friends and even shared a glass or two. They loved it! photo: Southard 2010 Sugarloaf Vineyard Yakima Valley Red Wine Tasting Notes: This wine was tasty on opening; it had caramel, cherry and sage on the nose, with a cle...

Apple wine featured at Taste Washington Seattle. At this years Taste Washington I was exposed to a lot of great wine, but one of the delights for me this year was not just wine and food, but Washington cider. I like cider, but it has not been a beverage often consumed at home. To my surprise, there's a growing number of cideries setting up shop in Washington. As evidence, there were three Washington cideries pouring hard cider at Taste Washington Seattle. And boy was it good and well received. Learning about Finnriver Farm and Cidery at Taste Washington Seattle. I sampled all the ciders offered by Finnriver Farm and Cidery, Methow Valley Ciderhouse and Tieton Cider Works. These cideries had an array of styles, from the stark, bone dry, the slightly sweet, to the super sweet and even fruit and hops flavored ciders. Truly a cider for every palate and occasion. I enjoyed the break from drinking wine to savoring a cool, sparkling and refreshing cider. There's even enough ...

Sparkling Sake, Jyunmai Sawa Sawa. Brewed by Choryo Shuzo. A visit to Seattle is never complete for me without a stop at Uwajimaya . Conveniently located near Safeco Field and the freeway exit/entrance, I always shop there on my way in or out of the city. A Seattle landmark, Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. This month after Taste Washington Seattle , I popped in for some last minute shopping before heading home to Eastern Washington. I tend to lose myself in Uwajimaya, my first stop is the  Kinokuniya Bookstore  which has a diverse selection of Japanese books, manga, toys, Hello Kity, calendars, t-shirts, music and DVDs. The main Uwajimaya store is stocked with Asian foods and beverages. The frozen Japanese soba noodles I purchased have turned out to be of excellent quality and make for a savory meal – firm and very slurpable. Of course I brought home humbows, sushi and a bottle of sake. I was drawn to the little ...

Favorite  Wineries and Wines. At the 2012 Taste Washington! 225 Washington wineries poured over 800 wines, and more than 50 Northwest restaurants served specially prepared food. This was the 15th annual Taste Washington! in Seattle, Washington. The quality was strong this year at Taste Washington. Which made it difficult at times to decide which wines were good and which were very good. Even so, I favored over half the wines I tasted this year. This is the list of the wineries I visited, my favorite wineries are noted as are my favorite wines. Top 7 Favorite Wineries at Taste Washington! Corvus Cellars, Efeste, Gramercy Cellars, Lodmell Cellars, Maison Bleu Winery, Mark Ryan Winery, Treveri Cellars. I personally tasted 103 wines, and enjoyed every wine I sampled at Taste Washington 2012. However, of the 103 wines I tasted, there were 58 wines of exceptional quality and character, those are the wines on this list. The list is arranged alphabetically b...

Taste Washington! Recommended Wines. David LeClaire at Taste Washington, interviewed by niconico.com Technically, 509 Wine Company was not one of the wineries pouring at Taste Washington. One of the exhibitors, David LeClaire of Wine World Warehouse, was pouring 509 wines. Officially, the winery is called “Five Zero Nine” they are located in the Fremont District of Seattle, Washington. Five Zero Nine was established by Mike Blom, UC Davis graduate and California winemaker, and Kevin Conroy of Blue Rooster, Inc. an interactive marketing, design and System Integration company located in the Fremont neighborhood. Five Zero Nine sources fruit from Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley. The Wines. Clos Des Seattle Viognier. 2010 Clos Des Seattle Viognier - Light, fruity, peach, good. Retail price $18.99. Recommended. 2009 Coq Au Vin. 2009 Coq Au Vin - Spicy, good. Retail price $24.99. Recommended. 2009 Roots Syrah. * Favorite: 2009 Roots Syrah – Very good, fav...

Taste Washington! Recommended Wines. This was my first exposure to Whitestone wines, I was completely unaware of the brand until I met them at Taste Washington. Their label is one to remember and find. If your local wine shop or grocer does not have Whitestone Wines, ask them to bring them in for you. These are approachable wines, showcasing the beauty of the fruit, balanced and not heavy. Whitestone Vineyards was founded by Walter and Judy Haig in 1992.  With the help of Washington State University, their vineyard site at Lake Roosevelt Shores, behind Grand Coulee Dam, was prepped for planting. Spring of 1994, the vineyard was planted, re-introducing grape vines to the area. 1996 marked the first harvest, their grapes were purchased by several Walla Walla wineries. In 2001, Walter and Judy started making wine themselves with their Estate Merlot grapes. The following year the winery produced wine from all three of their grape varietals. All of the grapes used in their wines com...

Taste Washington! Recommended Wines. Waters is an artisanal boutique winery located in Walla Walla, Washington. Waters was founded in 2005 based on the belief that the Walla Walla Valley terroir is capable of producing distinctive red wines that rival the finest of the Old and New World regions alike. Waters produces a few thousand cases of small lot bottlings each year. Jamie Brown Winemaker/GM.  A Walla Walla native, Jamie studied winemaking alongside winemakers such as Rusty Figgins (Glen Fiona), Eric Dunham, (Dunham Cellars), and Jean François Pellet (Pepper Bridge, Amavi) before earning his first reviews as the winemaker at James Leigh Cellars. Since its beginning, Jamie Brown’s talents have facilitated the successes of Waters Winery as well as subsequent endeavors, 21 grams and Wines of Substance, both collaborations with winemaker and Master Sommelier, Greg Harrington (Gramercy Cellars). Dreux Dillingham, Assistant Winemaker. Assistant winemaker Dreux Dillingham po...

Taste Washington! Recommended Wines. Winemaker Larry Lehmbecker launched his "LEHM" label in 2005, for wines made exclusively with fruit from the Lake Chelan Valley. In 2010, WinePress Northwest honored Vin du Lac as "Northwest Winery of the Year." Lake Chelan is cultivating some truly premium fruit and it shows well in the “LEHM” wines. Lake Chelan is a beautiful vacation destination east of the Cascades, which has become a premium wine country destination. I've been fortunate to sample several different bottles of Vin du Lac wines this year, I look forward to enjoying more of Larry's superlative wines. My first visit to Lake Chelan was in 2006. I stayed in a condo on the lake with a stunning view of the Cascade Mountains. It was also my first occasion to visit several Lake Chelan wineries. In April 2009 the Lake Chelan AVA became the 11th AVA in Washington. Located in the north-central part of the state around Lake Chelan, the area is a sub-appellation ...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. Treveri Cellars, Favorite Sparkling Wines of Taste Washington! 2012 Treveri Sparkling Syrah - Lovely. Treveri Cellars opened Thanksgiving in 2010 and produces handcrafted Methode Champenois sparkling wines. Treveri Cellars is a sparkling wine only facility. Treveri wines have quality, varietal variety, they are available (for me) locally, and they are affordable sparkling Washington wines. At my home I've enjoyed Treveri sparkling Pinot Gris and Treveri sparkling Gewurztraminer with dinner. They were as tasty and fun as the wines I sampled at Taste Washington in Seattle. My friends, go find some Treveri sparkling wine and make any occasion a celebration at home. Strongly recommended. Really like these wines. Can you tell? Yes, I'm a fan. At the bottom of this post is information about Treveri owner/winemaker  Juergen Grieb. The Lovely Wines: * Favorite: Extra Brut - Good, especially after all that red. Retail price $...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. Southard Winery is a family owned and operated winery located a few miles north of Selah, Washington. They produce Estate Riesling as well as Rhône cultivars grown in the Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley, and Wahluke Slope AVAs. I enjoyed visiting with winemaker Scott Southard at Taste Washington. This is the only winery I know of located in the small community of Selah. Another winery on my must visit list. The Wines: Southard 2010 White Wine. White Wine, Viognier/Roussanne - Lovely mid-palate, fruit, ABV 14.5% . Recommended. Southard 2010 Sugarloaf Vineyard Red Wine. 2010 Sugarloaf Red Blend - Pretty nose, spicy, lots of red fruit, $20. Recommended. Southard 2009 Syrah Lawrence Vineyard. * Favorite: 2009 Lawrence Vineyard Syrah - Interesting nose, meat, vegetal, not very Washington in style, dry, need to evaluate at home. Wines listed here are the wines I liked and recommend. My favorite wines appealed to me because they...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. Rotie is a winery based entirely on making traditional Rhone blends in Washington State. The idea is to combine old world wine-making techniques with the best Rhone varietals in the area. They are small winery dedicated to creating old world wines from new world grapes. Winemaker, Sean Boyd - “These wines are not meant for grocery store shelves, but rather they need to be cellared as they are still evolving in bottle.  I will never sterile filter these wines.” The Wines: 2010 Southern Blend. 2010 Southern Blend, tight, spice, bright. 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Production 600 cases, retail price $40. Recommended. (As of this posting, only 6 cases remain). 2010 Northern Blend. 2010 Northern Blend, Syrah, Viognier, spice, round, tight. 95% Syrah, 15% Viognier. Recommended. Wines listed here are the wines I liked and recommend. My favorite wines appealed to me because they expressed unique characteristics and qual...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. In 1997, Chuck and Tracy Reininger launched their dream – owning a premiere winery in the Walla Walla Valley. Chuck sees himself as an intuitive winemaker with a strong connection to nature. He strives at all times to ensure that his wine is the best that it can be. I can attest to the quality and sheer deliciousness of his wines.  Reininger Winery is on my must visit list. The Wines – I was so focused on tasting the wines, I neglected to take any photos. 2007 Merlot -  Lot of fruit, the hot sausage I ate before tasting wiped my palate, very tasty, like. 100% Merlot, Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills vineyards, ABV 14.2%, production 1072 cases, retail price $38. Recommended. * Favorite: 2007 Carmenere - 100% deliciousness, spicy. 100% Carmenere, Seven Hills vineyard, ABV 14.5%, production 617 cases, retail price $47 .  * Favorite: 2008 Syrah - Lovely, classic Washington Syrah, very good. 100% Syrah, Seven Hills, ...

Taste Washington! 2012 Recommended Wines. I'm quite familiar with Hedges Family Estate. I've visited the Hedges Family Estate Chateau many times on Red Mountain, only a 13 minute drive from my home. Hedges makes wonderful, expressive wines, I should know, I have benefited from my wife’s Hedges wine club membership; they treat their wine club members very well. Last year, I enjoyed Lunch and conversation with Christophe Hedges and his family at his Red Mountain home. Kenan, Hedges Assistant Vineyard Manager. This year, Assistant Vineyard Manager, Kenan, invited me via twitter to stop by and visit at Taste Washington. I'm glad I did. The Hedges 2008 Red Mountain Red Wine is drinking very well today, and their Cabernet Franc Rose was my favorite Rose at Taste Washington! The Wines: Screwcaps on Chardonnay - 100 Point No. 2010 House of Independent Producers Chardonnay – Dionysus vineyard, planted in 1975, 100 point NO on screwcap. Unoaked, clean crisp. Independ...