William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

"This is a milestone year."  It sure feels like a milestone to achieve 62 revolutions around our sun. Perhaps, it is my age and all the cumulative experiences and memories in my head. This year, I’ve been in a reflective mood. It feels like I finally have some perspective on life, on all my interactions with other human beings.  Col Solare Fall Colors 2023 I’ve also come to the realization that I adore Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon.  Over the years I have cultivated a perspective on wine. Especially, Washington wine. I’ve been living in Washington wine country since 1986. My wine epiphany happened in 1991 with a bottle of L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot. Working for my first winery, Barnard Griffin 2005 – 2007, opened my mind to really learning about wine.  There is more to wine than just drinking. There’s sales, hospitality, service, storage, production, the people in the vineyards, the cellar crew, bottling line, label design, the many different varieties of Vitis Vinifer...

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th...

Reminded and Renewed by Guests Where does inspiration come from? For me, it has been driven by a passion for wine and my many wine industry and customer interactions. This month, I have been reminded by my guests at the Walter Clore Center, the reason why I originally began working for and writing about the wine industry. “This is the definition of Merlot.” Regular readers and Instagram followers, @wild4wawine , know that for the last two years I have worked at the Walter Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. Last year, 2017, we expanded our wine education programming. We went from hosting one blind tasting a month in 2016, to weekly wine education tastings every Saturday, plus a “Bubbles and Bites” sparkling wine and food pairing session one Sunday a month. We have retained our first Thursday evening blind tasting, hosted on the first Thursday of each month. Please note that we changed the start time this year, it now begins one hour later at 7 pm instead of 6 pm...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INAUGURAL BOTTLES, BREWS AND BARBECUES EVENT AIMS TO CELEBRATE THE PROSSER, WASH GOOD LIFE– WILL FEATURE REGIONAL WINES, LIVE MUSIC AND A BARBEQUE COMPETITION PROSSER, Wash.––The inaugural Bottles, Brews and Barbecues event, presented by The Prosser Wine Network , advances full steam ahead with robust sponsorship.  A large attendance is expected on Saturday, June 11 at the Vintner’s Village, located in the “birthplace of the Washington wine industry” of Prosser, Washington. Formerly known as the McKinley Springs BBQ Showdown and Benefit, the event was gifted to the Prosser Wine Network by McKinley Springs Winery in the Fall of 2015 and rebranded as “Bottles, Brews and Barbecues.”  The goal of the Bottles, Brews and Barbecues event:  to celebrate the good life found within the Prosser, Washington community and highlight members of the Prosser Wine Network in a relaxed, all-day outdoor event setting. Bottles, Brews and Barbecues will featu...

Experience Washington wine and food at Taste Washington March 31 - April 3. To all you wine lovers, I encourage you to make plans to attend Taste Washington 2016 .  Do your research before you walk through the doors and you will be rewarded with some truly remarkable wine experiences and an expanded palate for describing Washington wine. Prepare to be dazzled! Appellation Spotlight: Columbia Gorge AVA. Note : I strongly encourage you to sign up for one of the wine seminars on either Saturday or Sunday. These are world class tastings and discussions on my favorite subjects. Truly one of a kind, not to miss sessions. I attended the Columbia Gorge AVA seminar last year and learned a great deal. Today I am a huge fan of white wines made from Columbia Gorge AVA vineyards. I thank the seminar I attended as responsible for this as it brought this region to my attention. Join us March 31 – April 3 for the 19th Annual Taste Washington Indulge in the premier wine and fo...