William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Virginia Wine Baby! "Still a lot to prove, and I like that." - Nate Walsh Last week I enjoyed another Virginia Wine Chat wine tasting with host Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like and Nate Walsh, Winemaker & Vineyard Manager of Sunset Hills Vineyard . I interacted with them and other wine media friends via twitter #VAwinechat. Frank and Nate were on a UStream video feed  so we could watch them as they tasted. Frank Morgan (left) and Nate Walsh (right). Together we tasted three different Virginia wines made by Nate Walsh. We also learned a little about Nate. Nate Walsh arrived at Loudoun County wine country as a fluke. He's not from a wine making family and he was not educated as a winemaker. After earning degrees in English and Italian and in need of cash, he took a summer job working in the vineyard and never left. He's worked in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Central Otago in New Zealand and then came back home to Virginia. " Still a lot ...

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...

Hand Made Spirits Using Only Local Ingredients. This weekend I was in Prosser, Washington at the annual Scottish Fest and Highlands Games . It seemed a larger more enthusiastic crowd this year. People were in a good mood and we enjoyed mingling with the Scots in kilts. Like last year, afterwards we wandered two buildings over to Kestrel Vintners and enjoyed premium Washington wine with a tasty and filling lunch. Scottish Fest and Highland Games in Prosser. Unlike last year, this year as we walked over to Kestrel I stopped at Blue Flame Spirits . Blue Flame Spirits is a Prosser distillery. They make Vodka, Gin, Wheat Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Brandy and Grappa. I sampled their Vodka and Wheat Whiskey. As I was about to purchase a bottle of their Vodka, I saw bottles of Grappa against the wall. "Hold on. You have Grappa too?" Brian Morton, owner Blue Flame Spirits. Owner and distiller Brian Morton was pouring for me. He's a friendly guy with a big ...

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine.  That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...

“Wine is part of the conversation, but shouldn't be the conversation. Wine unites people.” — Luca Paschina, Winemaker Barboursville Vineyards When the host of Virginia Wine Chat asked me to participate in a Barboursville Vineyards wine tasting, I immediately said "Yes!" Barboursville Vineyard s is Virginias oldest winery, established by Gianni Zonin in 1977. I had the pleasure of visiting Barboursville Vineyards in 2011 where Gianni Zonin was our host and his winemaker, Luca Paschina was our guide. They impressed me with their stunning wines, professional staff, delicious food prepared by their on premise James Beard nominated chef and their commitment to historical preservation. They have preserved the ruins of Governor Barbours mansion designed by Thomas Jefferson which is on their Estate. The original floor plan is part of the label design on their Octagon wine. It seemed evident in 2011 that Barboursville Vineyards was a gem of Virginia wineries. Since t...

Have you discovered Virginia wine country? When I think Virginia wine, the first wine which comes to mind is Virginia Viognier. Viognier is synonymous with good, quality Viginia wine. My first exposure to Virginia Viognier was in 2011. My expectations were high when I was asked to taste and compare three different Virginia Viogniers by Keswick Vineyards. The original colonies were mandated by England to grow vinifera and to make wine. They failed miserably. Thomas Jefferson struggled for 30 years to grow vinifera, without success. Today Jefferson’s vision has been realized by the achievements of 250 Virginia wineries. Virginia is the fifth largest wine producing state in the United States and a world class wine country destination. I encourage you to go visit. "Inspiration comes from family to be a good winemaker and a good person and wines reflect personality"  -  Stephen Barnard, Keswick Vineyards Winemaker Keswick Vineyards winemaker is Steven Barnard, w...

Disco is Not Dead - Drink Me! One of the perks of living near so many wineries, is the pleasure of dropping in and tasting wine before buying. Sunday I popped by Barnard Griffin winery and enjoyed their $5 Tulip wine tasting. At the end of the tasting, my tasting fee was discounted from the price of my purchase. Where else can you try wine before you buy? Tulip Tasting The Barnard Griffin Tulip tasting lineup consists primarily of their traditional consumer label. The list will change with availability. Following is the list I sampled at this tasting. I was torn among three wines and decided on the 2010 Merlot because it said "drink me" the loudest. Go find this wine before it is sold out! 2012 Pinot Gris - Floral, fresh, with a tropical flourish. Almost bought this one. 2013 Fume' Blanc - Very tropical, gentle, relaxed, easy sipper. 2012 Chardonnay - Ginger, friendly, chill, "drink me." 2013 Riesling - Pretty, restrained, orange on the finish. 2...