William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

2013 Brut Traditional Method Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Lake Chelan AVA 36 months on lees SRP: $42 Chris Sherry and Miguele de Quadros-Sherry of Elentone This morning, I wanted to share with you what a pleasure it was to meet winemaker Chris Sherry and Director Miguele de Quadros-Sherry of Elentone  wine. Chris is a tall, soft spoken gentleman, and a truly talented winemaker. Yesterday, he was guest winemaker at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington and was pouring his 2013  Elentone sparkling wine for tasting room visitors. In the United Kingdom, sparkling wine is often referred to as “Fizz.” Chris is originally from sunny England, he studied winemaking in France and was involved in several sparkling winemaking projects in the UK. He is an official judge for the international sparkling wine competition, Effervescents du Monde , held annually in Dijon. He left the United Kingdom to craft sparkling wine in Washington State. Southern...

Because bubbles are fantastic with everything. This time of year, sparkling wine seems most appropriate to me for celebrating the season with family and friends. At my home, we enjoy bubbles year-round. Meals just seem more enjoyable when paired with a bottle of sparkling wine. The wines I'm reviewing here are not Champagne, they have bubbles, but they are not Champagne. I point this out because people often, mistakenly, call all wines with bubbles "Champagne." Wines with bubbles are generally referred to as “Sparkling Wine.” Because they sparkle. However, there are sparkling wines from other regions of the world with specific regional names, such as: Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy and  Crémant   d'Alsace from north-eastern France. Note: Champagne was invented and perfected in Champagne, France. True “Champagne” is only made in the Champagne region of France, using the Méthode Champenoise to create those lovely bubbles. The Champagne winemaking comm...

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...