William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

An end of the world wine destination. Some may consider SE Washington the ends of the earth. Miles of desert, few trees, rolling hills called mountains, wheat fields, apple orchards, hops and vineyards. I missed last weeks #winechat discussion on twitter because I was busy writing about the three hour lunch I enjoyed that day on Red Mountain with the marketing team of Hedges Family Estate winery . The #winechat topic was "End of the world wines." How appropriate a caption for the lunch I enjoyed and this post. FYI : The   Red Mountain AVA is the smallest in the state at only 4,040 acres. The AVA has 1,199 acres under cultivation. Primary grape varieties planted include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The vineyards have produced grapes for some of the most sought after wines in Washington State. Only 15 minutes from my front door. Christophe Hedges, General Manager. Arriving at the Hedges winery ...

Time for Red Mountain Syrah!  Many of my recent posts have focused on white and rose' wines. It's been two weeks of triple digit weather in SE Washington, so I have favored chilled wines. I am ready for a break from the heat. As much as I enjoy chilled white and pink wines in the summer, I still crave red wine, especially once the sun dips near the horizon. One of my favorite varieties is Syrah, Washington Syrah and Red Mountain Syrah. In that order. There's a quality and complexity to Red Mountain wines which titillates and gratifies the senses. This bottle of Kiona Vineyards and Winery 2012 Red Mountain Syrah did not disappoint. A worthwhile Wine of the Week. Tasting Notes Kiona 2012 Red Mountain Syrah Color : Bright Garnet. Nose : Violets, dark notes in background, soft soil, candied. Palate : Round, blue fruit focused to front, dry on the gums, tingle back of mouth, a little heat on the flavorful light finish. After 15 minutes : Broad nose, sarsaparilla...

Juli, thank you for the inspirational recommendation. Kia Ora! My New Zealand blogging partner, Juli Crompe of  Kiwi Daydreaming , is a fan of  Nobilo Wines  Sauvignon Blanc. You will always see a case of Nobilo wines in her home. Juli shared about the Nobilo Regional collection,  "...my wine of choice for any season, any day of the week." It is my pleasure this summer to confirm that Juli is correct. Nobilo makes wonderful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Both the Nobilo Regional Collection and their Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc will tingle your palate and toes. These are delicious, vibrant New Zealand wines. The Nobilo Regional Collection can often be found locally priced around $10. That's a win! If you want to take it up a notch, try the Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc. Nobilo Icon wines are rich, complex and full bodied, with excellent weight, structure and balance. Definitely raising the bar for Sauvignon Blanc. Bring some Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc ho...

Sip Pink! I'd like to thank my friends at Protocol Wine Studio for hosting a wonderful and educational wine tasting last month with a focus on rose' wines. Summer is a natural fit for crisp, dry rose' wines. Don't think sweet pink/orange wines, think refreshing, appetite inducing versatile wines. Each of the three rose's samples I received were different and complimented different types of cuisine. I was especially intrigued by the Erzetic Winery Rose' from Slovenia and the Donelan Rose' from Sonoma. Very different and fun wines. Stock up now to allay the heat of summer. About Protocol Wine Studio Protocol Wine Studio hosted the June 2015 #WineStudio session on Rose' wines. Protocol Wine Studio is all about wine education, thus a better understanding of our world via wine and our part in that world. Bravo. Follow along with our tweets on Tuesday evenings at 6 pm Pacific. Tasting Notes 1. Erzetic Winery Damski Rose', Slovenia ...

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 ...

30th Edition of #VAWinechat  On 25 June 2015 I participated in another fun #VAwinechat twitter wine tasting featuring Early Mountain Vineyards of Madison, Virginia. My friend Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like  is the host of #VAWinechat. He started Virginia Wine Chat  to bring wine bloggers and consumers together via a virtual gathering to discuss the wines, winemakers, wineries and regions of Virginia. I have been fortunate to participate in several Virginia Wine Chat wine tastings. Quality is strong in Virginia. Thank you Frank for the invitation and thank you Early Mountain Vineyards for sharing your lovely wines. A conversation with  Early Mountain Vineyards ​Twitter: @earlymountain Follow the twitter discussion #VAWineChat​ (L to R) Frank Morgan, Jonathan Hollerith, Ben Jordan.  Frank Morgan hosted the wine tasting with Early Mountain Vineyards' new Winemaker Ben Jordan and exiting Vineyard Manager and Winemaker Jonathan Holle...