William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Wake Me Up Walla Walla Two years working for a winery instilled a lot of confidence in my palate. Not that I did not enjoy wine before then, it just confirmed for me that I know what I like and I like good wine. At least that is, until last year. Last year I lived in a Muslim country, with minimal access to wine. So what could a Washington wine drinker do, when he can’t personally purchase Washington wine, or any wine? Making Do Without Wine Interestingly, I became fascinated by Middle Eastern perfumes and incense (Bakhoor). The range of styles and exotic aromas fascinated my Western senses ( see my post on UAE perfumes here ). After returning to Washington State, I noticed that my focus on perfume and incense had a negative effect on my wine appreciation. Syrah, once my go to, drink any day varietal, just no longer toots my horn. In general, I find Syrah too acidic to appreciate. Sadly, my enthusiasm for wine also became rather subdued. Difficult to believe, I know. Should I...

You had me at first sip... Sometimes I forget to take advantage of living in wine country. Life and responsibility take center stage. Then I remember how close I live to the wealth of Washington wine country. Minutes and not many miles from home, I have access to some of the best wines made in the world. It's all right here in Southeastern Washington. Accessing the delightful wonders of Walla Walla wine country is a mere one hour drive. I recently visited with Ashley Bruton at her family owned Skylite Cellars  in Walla Walla, Washington. Ashley was a wonderful host and shared many delicious Skylite Cellars red wines. It was a comfortable, fun, engaging visit. The wine which captivated me this time was her 2009 Syrah. View of the tasting room from the loft. Skylite Cellars is on the outskirts of Walla Walla on the old highway. The new highway bypasses their winery along with several others. You will have to make the effort to find this winery. It's wort...

Favorite  Wineries and Wines. At the 2012 Taste Washington! 225 Washington wineries poured over 800 wines, and more than 50 Northwest restaurants served specially prepared food. This was the 15th annual Taste Washington! in Seattle, Washington. The quality was strong this year at Taste Washington. Which made it difficult at times to decide which wines were good and which were very good. Even so, I favored over half the wines I tasted this year. This is the list of the wineries I visited, my favorite wineries are noted as are my favorite wines. Top 7 Favorite Wineries at Taste Washington! Corvus Cellars, Efeste, Gramercy Cellars, Lodmell Cellars, Maison Bleu Winery, Mark Ryan Winery, Treveri Cellars. I personally tasted 103 wines, and enjoyed every wine I sampled at Taste Washington 2012. However, of the 103 wines I tasted, there were 58 wines of exceptional quality and character, those are the wines on this list. The list is arranged alphabetically b...

Success Fostering Success Architect Ed Luebben was my companion last Saturday in Walla Walla. I've known Ed for almost 20 years. We worked for the same company for twelve years and still keep in touch. As an Architect, Ed has designed many Washington wineries. He even moved to Walla Walla to keep in better contact with his winery clients. Ed now lives in the Tri-Cities and continues to work on a variety of architectural projects - including wineries. Architect Ed Luebben.   Some of the facilities Ed designed include, Garrison Creek Cellars, Northstar Winery, the Enology and Viticulture facility at Walla Walla Community College and the Walla Walla Wine Incubator. Ed and I planned to make the trip to Walla Walla two years ago, we made good this year. Not only did Ed drive, he also introduced me to some of the best winemakers in the industry (more in my next couple of posts). Adamant Cellars. Wine Incubato...

Architect Ed Luebben being poured 2010 Stella Blanca Semillon. Vintage Walla Walla Winemaker dinner. Last night my friend, Architect Ed Luebben, joined me at Northstar Winery for a winemaker dinner. My wife was unable to attend this dinner in Walla Walla, so I felt it was appropriate to invite the Architect who designed Northstar Winery , my friend Ed Luebben. Ed used to live in Walla Walla and he has been involved in numerous Walla Walla wine projects, including Northstar. I apologize for not having better photos of the facility; I was more interested in food, wine and conversation last night (I dug through my old files for construction photos of Northstar, but all I could find were project renderings and a short animated walk-through).  Assistant Winemaker Noah Reed guides us through the wines. We dined outside, enjoying an ideal view of vineyards and the Blue Mountains. Our delicious wines were provided by Northstar and our wonderful dinner was prepared by Chef...

Last week  I reviewed the 2009 Blacksmith Syrah by Forgeron Cellars.  Since then, I have searched all over town for more Blacksmith Syrah, without success. Craving more bottles of that lovely Syrah, I finally emailed Marie-Eve Gilla, winemaker and co-owner of Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington, requesting a visit with her at the winery. Marie-Eve was very gracious and agreed to meet for a wine tasting Friday morning. While Walla Walla is only an hour drive from my home, it does seem difficult for me to schedule time to make the drive to Walla Walla wine country. Desire for more Syrah erased all obstacles. Also, my friend Ben Simons agreed to go with me. Ben is a wine blogger too, his blog is at, www.vinotology.com his twitter handle is @vinotology – a great guy to go wine tasting with. Leaving an overcast Tri-Cities for a misty Walla Walla, the Friday morning drive was laden with wine conversation. Never go wine tasting alone. Forgeron Cellars Winery on Bir...

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th...