William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Take time to enjoy family and friends with Stottle Wines. The dreary, cool weather and that on and off drizzle has me bundled up today. Jacket and sweater are no longer optional. I'm cold, hungry and craving comfort. Good food, good friends and a good bottle of wine are on my list for tonight. My wine selection for this weekend is the Stottle 2011 Syrah Horse Heaven Hills. Because I'm fond of Syrah and the Horse Heaven Hills. Make some fond memories over the weekend and hug your loved ones. Tasting Notes Stottle Winery 2011 Syrah Horse Heaven Hills Color : Dark purple. Nose : Perfumed, smoky, violets, dark cacao, dark fruit, bacon fat, clove. Palate : Energetic, gripped my ears, pepper, leather, blackberry. 15 minutes : Relaxing, acid more present than tannin, dark fruit and dark chocolate, nose is more complex. Lively chocolate, plum finish kept it interesting. 30 minutes : chocolate, clove, mint nose. Tasty flavors, blueberry compote, tar, dark chocolate, balanci

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 worth your time

This month Minstrel and Muse Wine Muse podcast visits New Zealand! Linda and I enjoyed a tremendous New Zealand wine tasting and two fun winemaker conversations. We began the October podcast with a long-distance call to Marlborough, New Zealand to speak with Hamish Clark , Senior Winemaker for Saint Clair Family Estate . Hamish shared with us why Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is so special and many details on growing grapes and making wine on the South Island. * Show Link :  Listen to the show . Our second winemaker conversation was with Katie Nelson , Winemaker for 'O' Wines in Washington State. Each purchase of 'O' wines helps fund scholarship to send young women to college through the 'O' Wines Opportunity for Success Scholarship program. Katie also spent 6 weeks working harvest in New Zealand this April. Of course we asked her about the experience of living, working and making wine in New Zealand. A fun and inspiring discussion. A featured 2