Big Red Hiney by Skylight Cellars - Review @skylitecellars

Put a Big Red Hiney on your table.

There's a winery on the outskirts of Walla Walla you must not miss visiting. It's called Skylite Cellars. Before the new section of highway went in, you passed Skylite Cellars as you drove into Walla Walla from Seattle. The modified highway to Walla Walla now bypasses them, so you are likely to miss them. Don't make that mistake.

Very little of their wine is sold in the Tri-Cities where I live, so when I saw their second label, Hiney Wine in the local grocer I grabbed it. Skylite Cellars makes the Big Red Hiney red wine blend in Walla Walla, Washington. Though the name and the label are intentionally humorous, I will restrain myself from making the inevitable tongue in cheeks joke.

"You only go around once in life,

so grab all the Hiney Wine you can get!"

Tasting Notes Big Red Hiney

Color: Deep purple, a bit cloudy.
Nose: Smelled like red wine, black cherry, currant, coffee, wine barrel.
Palate: A little tart mid-palate, bright edges, raspberry, pomegranate, blackberry, medium body, medium finish with just enough acid to get the juices flowing. More integrated after 30 minutes, smoothed out some of the tartness and currant.

Thoughts: A fun, humorous label, the Big Red Hiney made for a good dinner wine. It is well suited to grilled, smoky food and sure to be enjoyed by guests. Break out a fistful or two of the Big Red Hiney and put a smile on everyone's face. Now I'm craving BBQ ribs. Recommended.

Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah, 14% Merlot
Closure: Natural cork
ABV: 13.5%
Paid: $10.95

Skylite Cellars
25 Campbell Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Phone: 509.529.8000
www.skylitecellars.com
@skylitecellars

Skylite Cellars Walla Walla tasting room.

I have visited Skylite Cellars only once. It was one of the friendliest tasting rooms I have had the pleasure to engage with and the wines were good to very good. Tasting room staff was engaging, intelligent, friendly and full of smiles. Tell them Wild 4 Washington Wine sent you when you stop by. Skylite Cellars also has a tasting room in Kirkland, just outside of Bellevue and Seattle which I have not visited.

Cheers!

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

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

Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon. The style has changed.

“There is something special going on at Col Solare." In mid-June 2022, I began working for Col Solare winery on the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. The Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare are famous for stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. That I knew going in. We are not here to make more wine... We are here to showcase place. At the end of June 2022, Col Solare winemaker Darel Allwine retired. Darel had been winemaker since 2013. Prior, he had been Col Solare assistant winemaker for Marcus Notaro. Marcus had been Col Solare winemaker when the Red Mountain facility opened and was winemaker before we had our Red Mountain facility. On July 1, 2022, Col Solare assistant winemaker, Stephanie Cohen, was promoted to Col Solare winemaker. I was present for this change. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Col Solare is the third winery I have worked for. I chose well. Often, I am asked by Col Solare guests, as I was last week, “Tell me about Col Solare. Who are you

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Search This Blog