William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Time to take home a taste of Catalunya! Wine is truly about food, family and friends. This self-evident truth was presented clearly to me when I received two bottles of wine from DO Catalunya for review. Unexpectedly, the following week I received two gifts from my sister-in-law who lives in Spain; the first a book on the Catalan wine regions and the second a book on Catalan cuisine ! That is synchronicity. Thank you Crystal for the wonderful gifts.  DO Catalunya is one of twelve Denominació d’Origen in Catalonia. Catalonia/Catalan is the wine growing region in Northeastern Spain surrounding Barcelona. Catalan? Catalunya? The DO Catalunya is one of twelve Denominació d’Origen in Catalonia. Catalonia/Catalan is the wine growing region in Northeastern Spain surrounding Barcelona. Catalonia produces over 140 million bottles of wine and 240 million bottles of Cava. Wine has been produced in Catalonia for over 2,500 years. Rome was particularly fond of many wines from t...

An enticing wine made from a windswept estate vineyard. I'm often asked by visitors to Washington wine country about the quality of our wines. "Why are these wines so good?" As most of you know, you cannot make good wine without good grapes. And Washington wine grapes can be very good. Case in point. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is home to 25% of the state's vineyard acreage.   Eastern Washington lies in a sweet spot in the Pacific Northwest. The Cascade mountain range captures most of the precipitation from the Pacific coast, leaving much of Eastern Washington semi-arid desert steppe. To grow grapes here, you must irrigate. The Northwest location also provides additional daylight in the summer, plus additional heat units and typically cool desert evenings. The best vineyards are located on poor soils, which are  relatively pest free, so no vine grafting required. Frequent winds also contribute to a nearly perfect growing region. View of a portion of the ...

New Zealand Wine Rocks! Another hot day on the sunny SE side of Washington state is wearing. The forecast is continued triple digit temperatures. With weather like this my favorite go to wine is Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Today, I recommend you seek refuge from the heat from a selection of refreshing New Zealand white wines: Kim Crawford Pinot Gris, Unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In my part of the world Kim Crawford has become synonymous with quality New Zealand wine. After enjoying these three wines I can confirm it is a well deserved reputation. *Note : Regular readers know that in 2011 I started a New Zealand wine blog with my friend Juli Crompe, www.kiwidaydreaming.com , because of a mutual fixation with wines of New Zealand. Sadly, our New Zealand blog has lost steam, so I will post my New Zealand wine reviews to this blog. Juli is well and keeping busy. I had a pleasant visit with her earlier this year in Seattle at the Washington State Wine ...

A blissful bottle of Washington Tempranillo. It is a privilege to taste, sample, experience and review wine. Over the years I have built a mental image of what wine means to me. The more wine I experience, the more I want to experience. There is a world of wine waiting to be discovered. If you have followed along with the #winemuse podcast show I am co-hosting, then you know that each month we taste and review a wine from a different country. So far we have visited Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and next month Austria. As the show has evolved, we have added conversations with the winemakers. We are expanding our knowledge and awareness of wine from around the world and hope that some of you are joining us. It is a lot of fun and worthwhile. My mental image of wine continues to evolve. How does this translate and how is it relevant to the 2011 Stottle Tempranillo ? Recognition of exceptional wine. I knew instantly this would be my "Wine of the Wee...

A rewarding collaboration creates an uplifting Malbec dominant wine. Amancaya is produced in Argentina’s Mendoza region, by Nicolas Catena of Bodega Catena, in partnership with Barons de Rothchild (Lafite). Catena is one of South America’s largest wineries. The Amancaya is a flower of the Andes, worn by native Indian women of Mendoza. Tasting Notes 2011 Amancaya Gran Reserva: Color : Dark garnet. Nose : Earthy, leather jacket, cherry, candied, Palate : Medium body, dry, spicy cherry, light mid-palate, medium finish with heat. 30 Minutes : Nose candied cherry, dusty leather jacket, tar, cedar liner from a cigar tube. Fuller, tobacco, spice, dried cherry, sip of espresso, dry medium finish. More my speed. 45 minutes : Delivering at this point. Cherry, currant, hint of sage, integrated and enjoyable across the palate. One hour : Creamy with apple tannin, dry cherry, dry on the cheeks, swirled across the tongue, tobacco, cherry-coffee finish with nice kiss of acid. Not hea...

Great things develop with time.  The Mackey brothers, Philip and Roger launched Mackey Vineyards in 2010. Expect great things from this winery. Tasting Notes : Color : Garnet Nose : Opened with a caress of cherry, rose petal, pencil shavings, and vanilla, joined by chocolate wrapper, caramel taffy, crushed conifer needles and tobacco leaf. Palate : Medium bright, currant, tart edges, cherry tart, vanilla. Bright at opening. After 30 minutes bakers chocolate with orange notes on the finish - fresh. At 60 minutes the wine began to open up, drier and fuller on the palate. At two hours held steady. Magic window was three hours. Smooth, integrated, earthy read fruit, violets, cigar box, cumin, cherry, anise, very tasty accompaniment to dinner. Thoughts : At opening a subtle tart wine. Suitable for food, especially Beef Carpaccio, Beef Tartar or an extremely rare bloody steak. For more enjoyment I would decant for at least an hour...

Red is for Summer too. We're in the midst of a heat wave. Yes, it is dry heat, but seriously, triple digits is hot. You might think reaching for a white would be my first impulse in this hot weather. It is. But sometimes I want a red wine too. When selecting red wine in the summer, shy away from the big heavy reds. Look for something light and fresh. This 2011 Lafite Bordeaux is an excellent choice for summer. An approachable and affordable Bordeaux. I hope the following tasting notes help you in selecting a red wine this summer. Tasting Notes 2011 Lafite Reserve Special Bordeaux : Color : Cherry red. Nose : Cherry fruit leather, cardamon, spice mill. Palate : Light, dry cherry, strawberry, delicate, feminine quality, balanced dry finish. A delicate, balanced red wine that will delight the senses on a hot, humid day. Well suited for anything cooked on the grill. I enjoyed this wine with grilled baby back ribs. Excellent pairing. Thoughts : The low alcohol, delicate bod...

"Wine is a personal experience. So is greatness." - William Pollard Jr. responding to the question, "Can a $15 bottle of wine be great?" T hank you to Linda of Minstrel and Muse Audio Arts Magazine for inviting me back to share my thoughts on how to taste wine. We discussed the subject of wine tasting at home . Our focus was primarily on how to taste and appreciate red wine, with an emphasis on Malbec. We hope to arrange an online wine tasting with listeners soon. We'll have more information to share as we work out the details. I'm looking forward to this as I love to share my excitement about wine. Plus I love an audience. > Link to Audio Program, "The ABC's of Wine Tasting" . Having worked in a winery tasting room and visited many, I feel qualified to share my feelings on the subject of Wine Tasting. Once the wine is poured in your glass, there is a process to the tasting...

Hedges CMS with grilled peppers, steak and mushrooms. On this chilly November morning, I find myself thinking of summer. The too warm afternoons, fiery valley sunsets, wafting smoke from the grill and of course, all the delicious wines I enjoyed. Here's a picture from August which I "re-discovered" on my computer yesterday. Grilled steak with mushrooms and peppers and a bottle of 2009 Hedges CMS. This photo is at a much higher resolution than I typically share - click on it and enjoy a summer memory. Cheers! Links to Hedges CMS Red reviews Buy this wine direct from Hedges The Midwest Wine Guy Reviews Hedges CMS Nickel and Dime Wine reviews Hedges CMS Yelp reviews of Hedges Winery The Random Oenophile Blog Tasting Notes Hedges CMS The Puget Sound Blogs What Were Drinking Hedges CMS Red

My second video wine review. Enjoyed this wine so much, I decided to record opening and tasting a bottle. Hamilton Cellars is a Richland, Washington winery. Their renowned winemaker is Charlie Hoppes. Their 2008 White Wine is mostly Semillon with a little Viognier - and very lovely. If you are unfamiliar with Washington Semillon, I encourage you to view my four videos from the  Semillon Panel at the Walla Walla Wine Bloggers Conference 2010 . Hamilton Cellars Located in Queensgate Village, 1950 Keene Rd, Bldg I, Richland, WA 99352 Phone: 509-628-8227 Tasting Room is open: Wednesday- Thursday- Sunday 12:00 - 5:00 pm, Friday - Sat 12:00 - 8:00 pm , or by appointment* http://www.hamiltoncellars.com/ Cheers!