"They are producing some kick-ass wines at this winery."
William Pollard, Wild 4 Washington Wine
It's starting to get a little hectic and stressful. I blame my stress on the holidays and everything I want to do to show my appreciation and affection for family and friends. While I was preparing for the Thanksgiving podcast on Minstrel and Muse radio "Thanksgiving Traditions", I started to think that it would be fun to showcase one winery and only their wines as the solution for holiday entertaining. One winery shopping if you will. And a way to make selecting the perfect wine a little bit easier. Choose them all!
I bounced the idea off of Linda, host of Minstrel and Muse.
"Why not showcase the wines of one winery at Thanksgiving or Christmas? This would be a way to show guests the wonderful portfolio of wines that winery makes?" Linda liked the idea too.
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| Matt Rawn summer 2007. |
One of the Yakima Valley wineries I am a big fan of is Two Mountain Winery in Zillah, Washington. I became a fan of Two Mountain Winery in 2007 when I attended their summer Vineyard Club Seminars. Matt Rawn was a wonderful instructor, his passion for growing grapes and making wine obvious. Their wines are even better today.
Looking for wine for your holiday parties and feasts?
I'm going to list the wines I sampled and enjoyed this year at the Two Mountain Winery tasting room, with the intent of you pairing these wines with your holiday functions and celebrations. I'll list suggested food pairings too. There are a few additional wines listed on the winery website - I'm only listing the wines I have had the opportunity to sample and recommend.
*Note: If you need assistance matching wine to food, Wine Folly has an excellent infographic: "The Guide to Wine for Beginners." You can even order a copy in poster format - perfect gift idea, hint, hint.
Two Mountain Winery Tasting Notes and Pairing Suggestions
Two Mountain 2012 Riesling: Spot on, just right, off dry, stone fruit fun.
Very enjoyable Riesling - and I'm picky about Riesling. A good starter wine, perfect for prawns, finger foods, cheese trays or a salad course. Pair with game hen or turkey too. SRP: $15.
Two Mountain 2012 Rosé: Great nose, strawberry, big blast of strawberry on the palate, bright, long finish. Lovely. Dry. Who doesn't love Washington Rosé? Very suitable for spicy dishes, ham, turkey, salmon and could be a beginning or main course wine. Very flexible wine for pairing. SRP: $15.
Hidden Horse no.9: Red fruit, herbal, mint nose, black cherry. Good food wine.
A lighter bodied red and a good companion to food. This would be wonderful with pork dishes, candied ham, pork chops or pork tenderloin. You could also start the party with this wine and pair with heavier cured meat and cheeses. SRP: $15.
Two Mountain 2009 Merlot: Round fruity nose. Spicy, currant, cherry, root beer. Good.
Moving up a notch, this would be a good wine for lamb - I love lamb dishes. Try it with leg of lamb, lamb cutlets, and seasoned pork dishes including BBQ ribs. SRP: $22.
Two Mountain Syrah 2009: Earthy, dark fruit, tarragon, caramel, raspberry cordial. Almost sweet on the long finish. If you smoke your dinner, this would be a lovely wine to pair with smoked meats. I'm thinking smoked/slow roasted beef and pork ribs, roasts, steaks, BBQ chicken and spicy sausage. Now I'm hungry. I reviewed this wine in February 2013 - read the review. SRP: $22.
Two Mountain 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon: Briney, minty, red fruit, dry, tacky finish.
Sometimes we have prime rib for Christmas dinner. This wine would be fantastic with prime rib. Just about any red meat dish would be fabulous with this wine. SRP: $28.
Two Mountain 2009 Cabernet Franc: Gorgeous. Big. Fruity. Long finish. Succulent. Lip smacker. Loved, loved this wine. You could start and end the evening with this wine. Food not necessary. If you want to just show off how good Washington Cabernet Franc can be, this is the wine you want. So buy some and show it off. Food optional. SRP: $30.
Vinho Vermelho 2007: Candied cherry, chocolate. Citrus, prune, toffee, sage on big finish.
This is a decadent dessert wine. Rich, heavy and delicious. Kick back after dinner by the fireplace and reflect on how fortunate and thankful you feel. You could always retire outside and smoke a cigar with this wine too. I would. If you want to pair with dessert food - make sure it is not as sweet as the wine. Enjoy! SRP: $47.
Two Mountain Winery truly is a one stop winery for all your wine needs this season. They are producing some kick-ass wines at this winery. www.twomountainwinery.com
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| Busy tasting room - happy guests. |
Two Mountain Winery is located in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. That's almost an hour drive for me and well worth the effort. My last visit to Two Mountain Winery was late this summer. Regrettably, I lost my tasting notes and only recently found them on my cell phone. Who put them there?
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| Kelly - Tasting Room Manager. |
I'd also like to thank Kelly, the Two Mountain tasting room manager, for a wonderful visit at the tasting room. She was extremely busy with a full room when I arrived. She was also juggling organizing a Wine Club party for that evening. Still, she managed to be cheerful, helpful and accommodating. Bravo. That's the kind of customer service I appreciate. Thank you.
* Note: The winery has great customer feedback on Yelp.
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| Patrick Rawn helping out in the tasting room. |
Two Mountain Winery is owned and operated by brothers Matthew and Patrick Rawn. Their family has been farming in the Rattlesnake Hills area of Washington State’s Yakima Valley for more than half a century. In 1951, their grandfather established Schmidt Orchards with 40 acres of peaches, apricots, prunes, and apples. Copeland Vineyard was planted in 2000 with uncle, Ron Schmidt, they crushed their first vintage in 2002. Today, three generations contribute to Two Mountain Winery and their 26-acre estate vineyard.
Grown, Produced and Bottled by
Two Mountain Winery
2151 Cheyne Rd Zillah, WA 98953
(509) 829-3900
www.twomountainwinery.com
I hope my one winery suggestion for choosing your holiday wines helped. What a fun way to showcase a Washington winery and the wonderful wines they make. There's passion in there friends.
Cheers!