William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

I relish writing about wine, especially when it allows me to meet the people who are behind the bottles of wine on store shelves. A bottle of wine means more to me after I know the history of the people making the wine. Matching a face to the label helps me too. This month, I had the opportunity to learn more about Saget La Perriere and their Loire Valley wines at a luncheon with Arnaud Saget. It was a true treat. The Saget family is among a handful of estates enjoying three centuries of vineyard and wine production. The modern Saget approach brings together crus and terroirs, vintages and cuvees from the Loire Valley in France. They have 890 acres to vine, six estates and long-term contracts with family owned vineyards. They create and blend a range of Loire Valley wines. An approach more closely associated with new world wine production. When you drink Saget La Perriere, you are tasting a more complex expression of the Loire Valley. Of note is that Sage...

When I evaluate a bottle of wine, I usually take notes over time on how the wine smells and tastes. If you read my wine reviews, then you know that wine does indeed change over time. The longer wine is exposed to air, the more the aromas and flavors will change - typically in a good way. Swirling the wine in your glass is one method for aerating wine. If you have time to wait, a method for slowly aerating wine is to open a bottle an hour or more before you pour or to decant the bottle. But what if you can't wait? "Who the hell waits an hour to drink a bottle of wine?" - Anonymous, on how long I may let a bottle breathe. What does aeration do? As soon as a bottle of wine is opened, oxidation begins to occur. While oxidation is bad for a sealed bottle of wine, it is actually beneficial to an open bottle of wine. Oxidation releases the aromas and flavors in a bottle of wine, especially red wines which have more tannin and complexity. You can think...

Taking a breather today to index my posts for the month of March. March was Washington Wine Month, which culminated with Taste Washington on the last weekend. I was able to attend the Grand Tasting on Sunday and also attended a wine seminar on the Columbia Gorge Saturday. A standout event and what I believe is the best wine event for the money, period. Give me some time to catch up with my writing commitments and I will share some 2015 Taste Washington takeaways. It's only the first week of April, and I already have multiple wine tastings experiences to share with you. A gorgeous Walla Walla Carmenere vertical tasting last Friday and Monday a lovely wine luncheon with Arnaud Saget of Saget La Perriere, Pouilly sur Loire, France. A wonderful start of the month.  * EVENT: Spring Barrel Tasting Weekend April 24 - 26 This month is Spring Barrel Weekend in the Yakima Valley - Spring Barrel Tasting weekend is your chance to get a jump on tasting and purchasing some of...