William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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...

What could be better than enjoying some sparkling wine while celebrating the new year? While Washington is known for red and white still wines, it is not known for sparkling wine. Bookwalter Winery once had a blush sparkling wine, about 16 years ago. But they discontinued it due to production costs. That last case of Bookwalter lasted about a year, even with good intentions of holding onto it longer. While I am not an expert on Champagne, I still have some recommendations. Because I drink what I like. Washington: Chateau St. Michelle does produce a fine list of sparklers. My personal favorite is their NV Blanc de Noirs. This is a pink wine with small bubbles and a delicate taste. I suggest you pick from their list of seven sparklers, extra dry, brut, frizzante, etc. and find out which one you prefer. A terrific bargain, especially when priced on sale for about $10 and sometimes less. Oregon: The first choice for Oregon has to be sparkling wine from Argyle Winery. They have five d...