William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A hearty stew and wine, perfect for this months cold weather. I was pleased with the results from this recipe. The lamb was tender and did not have a strong taste. At first I thought the butcher had made a mistake and that it was beef. Nope, it had a subtle lamb taste and subtle bacon taste. The H3 Merlot paired beautifully. There is room to tweak this recipe, as I did. I cut down the lamb to only 1 Lb. and it was enough for me. And I added a slice of bacon, celery and peas for more flavor and more vegetables. I also bumped up the chicken stock, because I wanted more liquid in my stew. It still thickened up a lot by day two and three. Wine and Food Pairing with the H3 Merlot Thoroughly enjoyed the H3 Merlot by itself. It also matched beautifully with the lamb. Both wine and stew are robust. Flavors were complimentary and contrasty. The wine, as my notes indicate on day one, was a bit savory, which paired well with the savory stew. On day two the wine had more fruit, which r...

Can you really find good Washington wines at reasonable prices? Last week I was snowed in for three days. My little car had a tough time on the icy roads, so I figured it was safer for my son and I to stay home. On the weekend my wife took us out in her SUV to run errands. Powering through snow and slush, we headed for the local grocer to stock up on supplies. My priority on our outing was to bring home wine to prevent me from raiding our home cellar. I'm saving most of those bottles for special occasions. Of the wines we purchased, I found three reasonably priced, locally produced, red wines. Two of the wines were priced at $10.99 and one was priced at $8.99. The prices were reasonable, but how did they taste? 2007 Powers Merlot 2007 Merlot is just one of many excellent wines by Powers Winery. The first wine I enjoyed was the Powers Winery 2007 Merlot. Powers is about a 10 minute drive from my home, so they are very local to me.  Bill Powers and his family have been crafti...

H3 - Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon This wine was a big surprise for me. My wife is continually buying wine I would never think of bringing home. I so enjoyed the wine, I left some for the next day. My notes are from day two. Tasting notes: What an interesting nose - spicy vegetal which leans towards baked bell pepper, cigar box, leather, empty pepper mill. Medium bodied wine, good fruit, pencil shavings, flower petals, hint of bubble gum, good mouth feel. I like it. Has a pleasant finish, not huge, not too dry. This is a buy me drink me wine, perfect for a grilled steak and prawns. This wine is locally priced in the $15 range (less if on sale). I’ve included some winemaker notes below.. www.columbia-crest.com Cheers! Winemaker notes: The H3 label is named for the American Viticultural Area in which Columbia Crest is located (Horse Heaven Hills AVA) and where it planted its estate vineyards more than two decades ago. All the grapes will come from those vineya...