Wine Lovin Women

Good Bye 2015……..Hello 2016 The last few hours of 2015 are upon us….and what an amazing year it has been.  2015 was a fantastic journey for both Denise and I and we are thankful to all of you who support and follow us as we explore the world of wine. We started 2015 at the Seattle Food and Wine Experience in Seattle, Washington.  We love this event and already have our tickets for 2016. If you have never been to this type of event, you need to try this one.  It sets the bar high for all others.  Some of the best restaurants of Seattle are there and the wine, beer and spirits are unbelievable.  Spring 2015 found us headed to Walla Walla.  Our dear friends Michael and Coralee open their home and hearts to us several times a year and each visit is so special.  Walla Walla valley has a rich history in agriculture.  Michael always prepares some of the best meals from local food and we always have amazing wine adventures. If you have never visited Walla Walla before, come an

Screw, Natural, Synthetic and now the Zork and the Vinolok! I have asked wine makers about their choice in corks, most of them use the natural cork because of tradition and the craftsmanship they put into their product they want to see this thru to the cork.  However, with all the choices now and the cost of losing a bottle to “cork” contamination other choices have gained popularity and  are due some consideration. Natural Cork Natural Corks benefits the wine aging by letting small amount of air into the bottle. Your bold wines and reds benefit from the oxygen that the cork allows in development of all the wonderful flavors that make these wines so drinkable and approachable. A natural cork though can dry out, go bad or let too much air into the bottle and the biggest problem…being “Corked” which is a very expensive loss. Agglomerated Cork This cork is made from cork dust and glue….although food safe, do you really want this in contact with your beautiful wi

Tra nche Cellars We first discovered Tranche Cellars at the Gig Harbor Wine Festival,  we immediately put it on our list of Winery’s we needed to visit in Walla Walla. This Estate Winery and tasting room is beautifully done, from the concrete fermentation eggs to the large stainless tanks and rolling hills of grapevines, this is a winery that is a must see. Their spring release “Rhone Series” was perfect for this long hot summer. 2014 Pink Pape  A blend of Cinsault, Counoise and Grenche.   Beautifully done, soft with a stunning array of flavors.  Really harmonious,  with excellent length for a Rose’. 2012 Slice of Pape Blanc Roussanne, Voignier and Marsanne.  Elegant and refined with ripe fruit notes with balanced flavor. Dry, lingering easily and generously on the finish. 2011 Slice of Pape Grenache, Mouvvedre and Syrah.  Striking complexity, with richly layered fruit, ending long and well focused finish. 2013 Pinot Gris; Simply delicious. With fresh frui

With this hot summer all the Rose’ wines being produced have been fun to try.  I had the honor and privilege to judge at the recent Rose' Revival in Seattle and found Kaella Winery from Woodenville as one that really stood out with its well balanced fruit, textured structure, while being full in the mouth and remaining completely fresh.  This is a great summer wine to try. Enjoy..Cheers! Denise http://www.kaellawinery.com

Rose' The sun was heating up the day so start pouring some Rosé. The Rosé gets a bad rap from its past, comparing it to the sickening sweet “Blush” wines of long ago.    The Rose’ coming out now, you don’t need to be ashamed to admit you like.   The Rosé wine producers continue to improve the quality and array of flavors and outstanding versions are coming out now; some of the best are dry, crisp and refreshing.    The Rosé color comes from the short amount of time that the skins of the grape stay in contact with the juices…only a few hours.    Since they are fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the freshness, you will find the Rosé has little tannins. While the sun is shining, Rosé has proved to be a refreshing option to pour.    Such as the Rosé of Cabernet Franc from Columbia Valley by Masquerade Wine Company in Bellingham; this has a soft, dry fruit flavor.    Cougar Crest Winery from Walla Walla has a Grenache Rosé, which is crisp and refreshing wi

A RE-VISIT TO DUMAS STATION WINERY     Dumas Station, Dayton, Washington A recent visit to Dayton, Washington meant only one thing…….I was heading to Dumas Station Winery to taste the launch of their new white wine, Cow Catcher White and re-visit some of my all time favorites. For those who have not read some of our older blogs, Dumas Station is definitely a favorite.  They are located on Highway 12 just outside of Dayton in a historical 1908 apple packing shed that was built by James Dumas.  Jay, Doug, Debbie and Ali are the people behind this great winery and for the past six years have introduced me to their amazing wines.  They have crafted a lot of heart and soul into each vintage and not one season has disappointed me. I’m not going to get all descriptive and detailed on each wine.  You can go to www.dumasstation.com if you want the specifications on each wine.  Here is my personal view about Dumas Station. Cab Franc pairs well with chocolate! Everyo

Tribute After attending this year's Washington Wine and Food Experience there were so many new wines that stuck out and I wanted to share one of them. I am sure there were a whole lot more we didn't get to try however it's not possible to sample all the amazing winery's at this event or all the great food...we tried however did not succeed. Tribute a Red Blend by Browne Family Vineyards, I fell in love with from the start, a very fine nose than a powerful yet subtle balance of ripe flavors that showed many layers, with a memorable long lasting berry finish. Brown Family Vineyards has a tasting room in Walla Walla however if you don't have plans to go to Walla Walla (first you need to put a trip on the calander right now) you can also purchase at QFC and Costco. Cheers!  Denise

Listen up Wine Lovin Women readers,  here is a wine maker to watch and make sure to try...Elsom Cellars. What a joy it was to experience these well made wines with depth of flavor, complexity and character. A wine maker who studied here than spent time in Italy, shows her talent in her wine. 2009 Logan Red Wine Blend 70% Malbec, 21 % Syrah If the color doesn't   tell the full story the nose will, its impeccably rounded with an amazing aroma and background.  The feel is a lush and rich as they come, a master of blending with detail and finishing  highlights. 2009 Isabella Red Wine Blend 33% Double Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Artz Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Gilber Malbec, 11% Double Canyon Petit Verdot Show stopping harmonious layers, it hardly gets more delicious than this.  So soft and velvety you can't resist taking another sip.  Good balance for what amounts to a great wine, this impressively powerful blend. Jody Elsom is a master at making supe

The Fourth Annual Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival After a year absence from the wine tasting scene, the Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival made its return this past weekend.  Some of the best local Washington wineries, breweries and restaurants were present to share in the return of this special annual event. Vendors from both sides of the state were well represented and I was pleasantly surprised by the local representation of wineries right here in my own back yard. As before, the complimentary shuttle service was and still is one of the best ways to get to the festival.  Timely shuttles pick up and drop off at several designated spots throughout Gig Harbor so you don’t have to fight for parking at the event site.  They pick you up and drop you off right in front of the event so not much walking is required. I liked the new entry into the event this year.  I thought it was well planned out and organized.  In 2012 there seem to be a bottle neck getting into the event

Throw a wine tasting party…here is how A wine tasting party is great for socializing, discovering new wines and gaining some new favorites thru fun experimentation. This type of party is one of the easiest theme party’s to hold since its focus is on the wine.   Throwing a wine tasting party isn’t drudgery like hosting can sometimes turn out to be, while you are working hard you miss out on your own party, this is pretty much a guarantee good time for everyone. A successful party of any kind comes from the preparation ahead of time so you will first need to decide on a theme. Here are some ideas : Blind taste testing ; cover the bottle with brown bag, wine bags, wrapping paper or colored  tissue.   Vertical tasting ; you taste the same variety of wine from same producer  but different years Theme tasting ; wines can all be white or all red, the same grape such as a Pinot, same region or by price point   Region tasting ; you can have wine from same region which you ha

Bad Day…..Good Bottle We all have those days in which we wished we had never climbed out of bed.  Tuesday was that day for me. By the time I was leaving the office for the day I just wanted to pound my supervisor into the ground and never look back.  But I simply clocked out and got in my car for the long commute home.  It was raining (a northwest normal) and the traffic was crawling at a snail’s pace.  My windshield wipers were hard at work but 10 miles into the commute, my passenger side wiper decided it had enough.  It flung itself onto the hood of my car but thank goodness I was crawling in the slow lane and was able to pull over to the shoulder. I put my emergency flashers on and carefully stepped out of my car and around to the passenger side.  Unbeknown to me, I had parked right by a very large mud puddle and since it was dark outside, proceeded to step into the puddle that swallowed my feet up to my ankles. I quickly groped my way along the hood, retrieved th

Gift of wine A Gift; something given voluntarily to show favor towards someone or honor an occasion……what a nice thought and I wanted to honor gift giving by writing about the gift of wine.   Many times we either give or receive wine as a gift I wanted     to take a moment to honor the thought and the thoughtfulness that goes into selecting.   I know when I am given wine as a gift I feel very honored, I know the thought was put into the selection , maybe it is something the giver has even tried , loved and wanted to share….that is special.   I just wanted to say thank you and encourage all to give the gift of wine and wish you Happy New Year of giving wine in 2014! Cheers, Denise

Box Wine Well I did it, took one for the team, this is for you our readers…. I tried box wine.   I can admit I did not approach this with an open mind, I fully expected   to be horrible.   I will admit I was wrong in a few cases and correct in the rest. Box wine now has given me a whole new meaning to "juice box". Box wine does have its advantages, it’s easy to pack, no glass so if you got camping, back packing or kayaking you don’t have the empty glass bottle to worry about and the packaging is eco-friendly.   The word is that you can keep these after opening for up to 4 weeks….guess I will have to test this theory also   to see if maybe time will improve some of these…doubtful. Cabernet Sauvignon I only have one that I would say was drinkable out of all, which would be Black Box. The rest were thick with tannins and sharp on the palette Black Box , This was the best of the reds I tried, it paired well with the smores when we were camping, if I had to choose a b

A Simple Post   Sometimes there is nothing extraordinary going on in our lives but we are busy with day to day living.   We go to work, come home, take care of our families and just live.   Before we know it time has passed and we haven’t seen our dearest friends.   We reach out to them with a phone call and set a time and place to meet. Tonight I met up with my dearest friend and shared a meal with some good wine.   The Italian restaurant was new to me and I enjoyed not only the food (ok so my choice of main entrée was not the best) but a very nice bottle of Barbera. (The waiter was very good too J )   Shame on me for not writing down the name but if you write to me at winelovinwomengmail.com   I will tell you where the restaurant is located.   It’s the only Barbera on the menu so it won’t take too much effort to call them and ask.     I will be going back to the restaurant because there were dishes I really should/wanted to try but decided to step out and try some

Corks Two good friends decided to share their love and adventures in wine and here we are one year later… It’s hard to believe that it has already been over a year since Denise and I started our blog.   The wines we have tasted……the people we have met……the adventures into the sultry summer nights …….yes, you know who you are.   We have enjoyed every moment and have already begun our second year with new ideas and bottles of wine yet to be tasted. As I look back through my wine tasting notes, journals and corks I realized I had an awesome year tasting a huge variety of wine.   I’m now on a personal acquaintance with my grocery store wine department and I’ve tasted almost every label on the shelf. (Let me say I sampled my fair share of bad wine this past year).   Walla Walla and the grapes from Horse Heaven Hills have produced some of my very favorite wines and I give a big THANK YOU to MOR MOR Bistro in Poulsbo, Washington for introducing me to the small production vintners

Not my father’s Zinfandel I remember when I was a child my Dad making wine in the cellar, the Zinfandel grapes would arrive in the wooden crates from California and we would not be allowed to sneak a taste of the beautiful fruit. I never got a chance to try his wine however I remember his friends commenting how wonderful it was.   So I thought in honor of my father on Father’s Day I would explore Zinfandel. Zinfandel originated in Croatia, though many think of it as primarily a California wine, it is also widely grown in Italy.   However there is nothing more typical California than Zinfandel, some of the best California growing regions are: Paso Robles, Lodi and Sonoma/Napa.   Lodi is the self-proclaimed Zinfandel Capital producing over 40 percent of the California Zinfandel with vines dating back to the 1880’s.    These old vines produce a distinct color and multi-deminalsional characteristics in a red wine from dark berry flavor that has layers of spice, plum, pepper and vanill

Sauvignon Blanc…Summer in a glass The sun is shining which means it is time to branch out and try something new that is crisp and fresh….my choice is a Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is a green skinned grape variety which is planted in many wine regions of the world, generating a crisp, dry and refreshing white wine.   Sauvignon Blanc is widely cultivated in France, Chile, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and California.   Some California Sauvignon Blanc’s are called Fume Blanc which sometime can be thought of as a different type of wine. Depending on the climate the flavor can range from grassy to sweetly tropical, with a grapefruit or bell-pepper aromas and taste, some New Zealand variety’s you can pick out gooseberry.   Sauvignon Blanc when chilled pairs well with fish, chicken, cheese… particularly a good Chevre and it also one wine that pairs well with Sushi. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the first wines that pioneered the screw cap top, mainly by New Ze

Wine scoring… who is scoring and what do they mean? You will see mostly Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate scores mentioned at most retail wine stores which is a great marketing tool.   What do the numbers represent? v   95-100: Excellent, Classic, a great wine (never seen 100) v   90-94: Outstanding, exceptional, and well made v   85-89:   Very good to above average ( may be a great value if the price is right) v   80-84: Average little distinction   Wine Advocate Robert Parker is a well recognize wine critic, tasting are done in peer group, single blind tasting, the scores represent the cumulative average. Wine Spectator is scored by the editor in the wine region in his jurisdiction, all tastings are blind.   If you know what you like, read the tasting notes, such as; spice, berry, smooth finish or mouth feel and other subtle characteristics. I notice that when tannins are mentioned as “smooth” this usually means the tannins are prevalent and so I personally

Cheers, Chin-Chin, Salute! The sound made by the twisting of a cork, followed by a loud pop and the crackling of effervesce means there is a celebration to come, christening an important moment and memory’s to be made.   Significant occasions warrant a significant bubbly selection, here are a few notes to help you make your selection: Spumante is Italian sparkling wine, means “foamy” which can refer to all sparkling Italian wines, tends to be sweet. Presseco is an Italian sparkling dry white wine made from Grera grape primary grown in the Presseco region of Italy. Brut is a term used sometimes for the driest sparkling wines which means it has less sugar than those labeled extra dry. Champagne is a wine producing region in the far north of France near Paris.   Though used as a term to describe sparkling wine, true Champagne is aged longer than sparkling wine so can be dryer in taste. The most prestigist brand of Champagne Don Perignon is produced by Moet & Cha

Sangiovese Sangiovese is my first love, it happened in Napa Valley; I was at the Culinary Institute at Greystone for lunch.   They paired one of the courses with a Sangiovese from Charles Krug, and I have been in love with Sangiovese ever since.   Charles Krug does not make a Sangiovese anymore so I have been on a mission to find that special one again. Sangiovese is one of the most planted red variety grapes in Italy. The Sangiovese grape changes in response to its environment, which is why it so diverse, elegant and complex when well-made. The flavor profile of Sangiovese is generally not assertive it can show a strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plumy character. Some of my new discoveries are: Walla Walla river winery by cougar crest Sangiovese has a soft nose and silky feel on the palate, with expressive fruit….a dream in a glass. Elegance Winery Sangiovese is gorgeous and rich with body, persistence that is loaded with plush personality.   Showing la