William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

One of my most successful wine and food pairings. In the classic technique of wine evaluation, the wine stands alone. Aroma, flavor, color, it is about what is in the bottle, then the glass and how you perceive it in the mouth. One then uses experience, knowledge and bias in making suggestions about quality of the wine, expected life of the wine and possible pairings with food. One does not always have the opportunity to put to the test the suggestions and recommendations. Today, I am eager to share not only my tasting notes on the 2014 Donnata’ Nero D’Avola Alessandro di Camporeale Sicilia DOC, but my successful pairing of this wine with dinner. It was bloody marvelous. My enthusiasm for this wine, which woke me up at 5am this morning, is predicated on how well the wine matched the food I prepared for dinner. It is not often I have a success of this magnitude. Reactions to my instagram posts before and during dinner, were also enthusiastic. Looks like the wine and foo...

Picture Series from Two Hands Wines , South Australia.   "We used to make wines that yell, now we make wines that charm."   -Michael Twelftree This month I enjoyed three Australian wines from Two Hands Wines Picture Series. Every wine in the Picture Series has its own inspiration and take on popular culture. With some old school Polaroid imagery by photographer Don Brice. The aim is to bring a smile to your face when you pick up the bottle, reminding you that wines should be approachable and of course… fun. Michael Twelftree from @twohandswine joined us on #winechat as we tasted and chatted about three of his wines; 2014 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz, 2014 Angels Share Shiraz and 2015 Sexy Beast Cabernet Sauvignon. Two Hands Wines has an extensive portfolio, the wines we focused on are from their introductory line. Thank you for sharing Michael. Also, thank you to Christina Portz @JusttheBottle , director of #winechat, for the invitation to participate in this fun and edu...

 “Find a Tall Sage and you have found a place that will sustain superior grape vines.” Dr. Walter Clore. The Tall Sage label is the Monson Family’s tribute to a man of great stature, the founder of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards , Arvid Monson. A tall sage is one that develops deep tap roots. I have been a fan of Gooseridge wines for many years. 2015 was one of the hotest growing seasons on record. The consistent heat developed sugar in the fruit quickly in many grape varieties. Canopy management was key to protecting the fruit from heat and sun. De-leafing and deficit irrigation was moderated during this vintage to allow the vines to cope with the hot growing season. The 2015 Tall Sage Chardonnay is ready to drink now. The 2015 Tall Sage Cabernet Sauvignon drank better on day two and could use another 6 months of bottle age to hit my sweet spot. Both Recommended . Tasting Notes 1. Review Tall Sage 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley AVA Color : Straw, green highli...

In 2011, TAPAS organized the first annual International Tempranillo Day: A celebration of the Tempranillo grape with all its regional synonyms. I encourage everyone to open a bottle of Tempranillo, enjoy the fun, and share their experiences online with the hashtag #TempranilloDay or #Tempranillo. A Word about the Date Going forward, International Tempranillo Day will always be on the second Thursday in November. Thursday was selected to facilitate commercial activities, as most restaurants and bottle shops are too busy on weekend days. The day remains the same but the date varies, thus avoiding future conflicts with Election Day, All Souls' Day, Day of the Dead, All Saints' Day, etc. The second Thursday in November will never be earlier than the 8th nor later than the 14th; thus ITD will not crowd Thanksgiving.

Desert Wind Winery grape clusters in front of the Walter Clore Center. I am doing some back-end work on this blog. Switched to the old blog layout temporarily. It seems Google has made changes to the Blogger engine. I am tweaking the settings and exploring these modifications. Hope to find time to address some of the wine reviews I have not posted. More soon if I can. 12/12/16 Blog Anniversary - 10 Years! December will mark the 10th anniversary of this wine blog. So many changes over the years. I have learned a great deal. It would seem suitable to reflect on what I have learned these last 10 years. On my to do list. *Note : You can find my daily wine pics on instagram.com/wild4wawine Bubbles Blind Tasting November 2016. Impact of Wine Tasting Sessions Yesterday, I hosted two wine tasting sessions at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. The morning class was Washington vs. France and the afternoon class was a blind tasting of sparkli...

Lodi wines are waiting for you and your table.  "I was struck by the diversity and quality of Lodi wines." As I wrote in my previous post, Lodi, California, Re-Discover Wine Country - Introduction , "It is in that sweet spot for people looking for an affordable, local wine country experience. And for the oenophile, Lodi wines are a treasure." The Lodi wine region grows over 100 different grape varieties. While I expected Zinfandel, I hoped for more, I was not disappointed. Indeed, there was delicate, fragrant Viognier, re-freshing Pinot Grigio, vibrant Albarino, zesty Kerner, and even Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache). And many wonderful reds. I was struck by the diversity and quality of Lodi wines. Clifford Brown at M2 Winery. For several years, I have been discussing wine online with my social media friend Clifford Brown @cliffordbrown3 . It was a pleasure to learn that Cliff would be part of the small group visiting Lodi. When we met on day one,...