William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Another perfect wine and food pairing. Part of the discussion I have with guests, is how palates change over time. Mine certainly has. This year I've noticed that once again, I am enjoying Rosé more and more. I also share with my guests that a good food pairing will elevate both the food and the wine. Alone they are good, but enjoyed together, they can be so much more. Today I am sharing how well I enjoyed the Origium 2016 Garnacha Rosé by Bodegas San Valero . It was good, but was especially enjoyable with food. And it reinforced my viewpoint about elevated wine and food pairings. So very pleased with this wine and the dinner I prepared. Cariñena is the second Denomination of Origin (D.O.) of Spain. The regional capital, Zaragoza, is halfway between Madrid and Barcelona and just two hours from France. The climate is continental, Grenache, Tempranillo, and Macabeo are the predominant varieties grown, along with the indigenous Cariñena variety. Also grown are Merlot, ...

Bring this Vibrant Rose' to the Party, Wedding, Anniversary Kit Singh, Winemaker. Eight years ago when I was discussing rose' wine with customers, the conversation was about modern dry rose' wine versus the old school sweet pink white Zinfandel. Today the conversation is more about nuance and complexity. This rose' is a bit more serious than the typical rose'. Interesting contrast to the previous rose' post . This spring I had the pleasure of visiting with Lauren Ashton Cellars winemaker Kit Singh at his Woodinville tasting room . It was a pleasure to sit down with Kit and talk with him about his wines while he poured them. He's smart, focused, passionate, and earnest about his goals. I hope you take the opportunity to purchase his wines when you see them. They are marvelous. Tasting Notes Lauren Ashton Cellars 2013 Rose ' Color : Melon blush/bronze/pale, shiny pretty. Nose : Citrus, melon, river rock, orange blossom. Palate : Focused, f...

Maison Bleue is a family-owned winery dedicated to the production of terroir-driven wines from designated vineyards and appellations located across Washington State. They focus primarily on Rhône varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Marsanne and Viognier, as well as Chardonnay.  Jon Meuret-Martinez, owner and winemaker of Maison Bleue Family Winery has had a long affection for Rhône wines. He realized that this is where he would start Maison Bleue Winery and his lifelong focus of Rhône-style wines. "A highly regarded producer of Syrah and Grenache." - Jancis Robinson, MW

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 successful union of elements. Tom O’Neil has been making wine for about 25 years in Washington. He interned with Chateau Ste. Michelle and was assistant winemaker at Milbrandt Vineyards. He opened his Richland, Washington winery, Thomas O'Neil Cellars , on April 15, 2011. I sampled the original bottling of 2009 Fusion in April, which quickly sold out. May 15th, Tom bottled a new blend of 2009 Fusion (Fusion 2.0). Thomas O'Neil Cellars 2009 Fusion 2.0.

A Gorgeous Red Table Wine The first thing you’ll notice about this bottle is the screw-cap. Not to worry, the screw cap is just a closure for this tasty bottle of wine. On first opening, you may think you have a pleasant but unassuming bottle of wine. Color is good, but the nose and body seem to be lacking. Once again, not to worry, pour a little into your glass, leave the screw-cap off and set the bottle aside for 2 hours or so. This would be a good time to start prepping for dinner. By the time dinner is ready, this wine should be ready to enjoy. Oh yes, you will be greeted by a completely different wine two or three hours later. Subduction Red deserves to be decanted or at least let it breathe for 2 hours or so as I suggest. This is a luscious wine full of flavor and a wonderful mouth feel. So, what’s in the bottle? There is 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 12% Mouvedre and 2% Cinsault – 700 cases were bottled. This wine is on my “Drink me now!” list. Highly recommended – just remembe...

Grenache is supposed to be the most widely planted red grape on the planet. Grenache, Garnacha Tinta, is the most widely planted varietal in Spain and many countries use it to make some fabulous wines (you may be familiar with Chateauneuf-du-pape in France). So it may be no suprise, to some of you, that it is finally making an appearance in Washington. A lucky few enjoyed a 2004 Grenache from Rob Griffin this Fall. Released in October to his Wine Club, the wine sold out by November - not so much was produced. I heard that this was the first harvest from some young vines - so more Grenache may be on the way for 2007. I hope. How was the wine? Very, very good. You can think of this wine as classic Grenache - raspberry on the palette, gentle spicy finish and very tasty. At release the wine was light and lovely, (perfect for Thanksgiving) by the end of November it had gained some body and the finish was longer and very good - what a nice change of pace from the regulars. If any of you have...