William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Zippy Washington Riesling Discovery  How do you choose a bottle of wine? I hope you use this blog to find a bottle or two to purchase and enjoy at home. Myself, I rely on wineries reaching out to me, invites to taste, samples to try and review at home, twitter wine tastings, wine festivals and events and the occasional media visit in wine country. But what about local wine stewards? Do I trust them and their recommendations? This week I stopped by Mid-Columbia Wine and Spirits in Richland, Washington. I have mentioned before, I have a terrible time selecting a bottle of wine. There are so many, many possible choices. Some of the bottles represent people and winemakers I've met, tasting rooms and personal experiences. Other bottles are international temptations, mysteries awaiting discovery. I wandered the store and looked at every bottle of wine they had on display. Then went back to where I started. Undecided still. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded when it comes to expe...

It's All About Romance, Food + Wine Pairings. It's the second Saturday of February and time for Wine Pairing Weekend! February's iteration of Wine Pairing Weekend #winePW we are sharing our favorite romantic recipes with a wine pairing. Food + Wine shared with romance in mind on wine Pairing Weekend #9. Especially appropriate since it is Valentines Day. Our gracious host this month is Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla . We are on twitter at 8 am Pacific/11 am Eastern today sharing our recipes for romance and wine pairings using #WinePW. You are invited to join us. It is an engaging, fun and passionate group of food and wine bloggers. A list of todays participants and links to their romantic recipes is at the bottom. Back to this months theme, Food + Wine = Romance My take on this months romance theme is more of a post romance recipe for revitalization. After the passion you need to fuel up for round two, or three. My choice is a Frittata wit...

My New Favorite Washington Riesling  This week I spoke with Chateau Ste. Michelle winemaker Wendy Stuckey; wonderful conversation and worth listening to on our #winemuse World Tour podcast . Afterwards, I was eager to bring home a bottle of  her Riesling. Lucky me, I found this 2012 Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling on sale for $11.99 - a fantastic bargain for an amazing wine. Cold Creek Vineyard was planted in the 1970's and is one of the oldest Washington vineyards. Truly impressed by this vintage and bottle of Riesling. Phenomenal wine, especially on such a hot week in the Columbia Valley. Loved this wine. Suggested music pairing : Luluc - Passerby . Pour yourself a glass and put this album on - relax. Tasting Notes : Color : Pale straw, edged with green highlights. Nose : Bright mineral core, apple peel, melon, wet slate, honey, eucalyptus kissed with cinnamon. Phenomenal nose, intense and satisfying. Peach blossom added as it warmed. Palat...

Hello Old Friend . Chateau Ste Michelle has made Riesling for decades. There was a time I could not think of one without thinking of the other. Washington Riesling and Chateau Ste Michelle were synonymous. Riesling was Washington wine (we called it Johannisberg Riesling at the time). This was one of the first wines I drank on a regular basis. I have noted many times on this blog that I've wandered away from Washington Riesling. Seduced by other varieties and styles of wine. On a whim I purchased this bottle of Riesling to get a feel, a taste, an idea of what a $6 bottle of Washington Riesling is delivering. I wondered, is it good? Is it something I would drink today? For this post I did a little research on Riesling and this famous winery. You can't grow Riesling the same way you grow red wine grapes. Site location is important and proven sites for Riesling are finally being established. Some growers are starting to treat Riesling with respect. Evidently Riesling is ba...

Discover a Vibrant Washington Sauvignon Blanc. Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. A friend brought this bottle to our house a month ago. But we never got around to opening it. This sunny afternoon we were craving chicken wings, so we placed a to go order for a batch of lemon-pepper wings. I thought this Sauvignon Blanc would be just the wine to pair with the chicken. I was correct. On opening, the wine was a pale yellow-green color, with a bright, grassy, citrus nose and undertones of honey and cinnamon-apple. Grassy and grapefruit notes followed through, along with a vibrant core of refreshing acidity and a hint of spice. I enjoyed this wine and it was an excellent match to the salty lemon-pepper chicken. Recommended. Release Info: 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Horse Heaven Vineyard Vineyard planted in 1970's it is a moderately warm site, tempered by the Columbia River 70% stainless steel fermentation Sur lie aged for one month ABV 12.5% Retail Price: $16 www.st...

Good Wine, Happy Camper Fall is settling on us quite rapidly. Today, our sunny afternoon was framed by ominous dark clouds lurking on the horizon north of us. It‘s unsettling how quickly the cool weather descends on SE Washington. That touch of autumn sunshine put me in the mood for grilling steaks tonight. I‘ll embrace the sun when I can. But, what good is steak without wine? On my way home, I grabbed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. On a whim, I bought a wine I would not usually purchase; it was priced on sale for less that $15. My expectations were not high for the wine, I was just hoping for something palatable. Chateau St. Michelle Chateau St. Michelle, is a Washington winery - an Eastern and Western Washington winery. The St. Michelle winery and tasting room is located in Woodinville, Washington, just across lake Washington from Seattle. However, this wine is made in Patterson, Washington, from Columbia Valley grapes (Indian Wells series) at the...

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Nellie's Garden Dry Rosé Warmer weather has come to represent Rosé Wine season. Gone are the pale, sickly sweet pink American wines of the past. The modern Washington Rosé is dry and succulent, pairing oh so well with summer foods and friends hanging out on the patio next to the grill. It may be difficult to find, but Chateau Ste. Michelle does bottle a wonderful dry Rosé . It has been a few years since I last found a bottle without going to their Patterson winery/tasting room, but I recently found a bottle locally. Note that this is a 2006 vintage, while a 2007 vintage would be more appropriate, the 2006 did not disappoint. The first thing you notice about this wine is the color. While not quite blood red, it is a wonderful clear and bright red color, or deep pink rose. This is a DRY wine, quite tart, very clean finish, with a distinct cranberry flavor. I enjoyed the wine with a pineapple, lettuce salad, dusted with freshly grated Parmesan with...