Drink Northwest: A Wine Blog
Blog Posts matching TO:2012 Tasting Games: Round 1: Recap Thursday, February 2nd 2012 by
NW Wine Correspondent - Allie Merrick
Round 1 of the Northwest Wines To You 2012 Tasting Games featured Nicolas Bazan Wines. Allie Merrick, the NW Wine Correspondent, broadcasted LIVE with commentary contributed by the featured Tasting Team. Jim Wiskerchen & the Blue Tooth Wine Society from Arizona represented well with a combined score of 310 points. Three Pinot Noirs, the 2007 Mis Nietos, the 2008 Una Vida & the 2009 Haydee were tasted & talked about. While each had favorable qualities to offer, it was the 2008 Una Vida that was the favorite of the night. A special thanks goes out to Nicolas Bazan Wines & to the Blue Tooth Wine Society for a memorable first round. Join us for Round 2 on February 29th. The sipping will start at 6:00pm PST. Click HERE to learn more. If you'd like to taste along with us, click HERE to get the wine shipped to you. Tweet A Thirst For French Toast Tuesday, February 28th 2012 by
NW Wine Correspondent - Allie Merrick
 Before I got into wine, the words “FRENCH TOAST” made me hungry. Now, it makes me thirsty, as I think of FRENCH oak barrels and the associated TOAST levels used for making wine. FRENCH While Pinot Noir made in the Willamette Valley is Oregonian, not Burgundian, the barrel preference of winemakers in both regions is generally the same. While there are many factors about a barrel to consider such as the staves, grain, thickness, size and the cooper’s techniques used in making the barrel, a more broad and basic decision is centered on a sense of place. When it comes to wine, conversations about terroir include the topic of the barrel. And while oak barrels are sourced from many regions, it is the French and American forests that are the focus. While French barrels tend to be more expensive, they are said to be more expressive with more tannins and flavor components that speak up in the wine with a less “oaky” refrain compared to the American options. That said, some winemakers will take "the best of both worlds" approach and use a formula of barrels from both French and American forests. TOAST When my husband toasts bread, it comes out dark or charred even. For me, I prefer my bread toasted with just a hint of heat and slight tint of light brown. Our preferences and palates are quite different. This sort of comparative can also apply to wine in regard to the toast level of the barrel used. I asked Ghost Hill Cellar’s winemaker, Rebecca Shouldis, to explain to me a bit about a barrel’s toast levels. “The dark the toast the darker the flavors imparted by the barrels. Lighter means more vanilla and caramel vs. chocolate, coffee and richness.” Whether French or American, lightly toasted or heavily charred, barrels offer another option that contributes to the outcome of a wine. I believe Rebecca Shouldis said it best. “Barrels are a great tool when aging wines to create what a winemaker it looking for stylistically. Think of them as the painter's palate of colors or a chef's seasonings for a dish.” Cheers to a thirst for wine driven by “FRENCH TOAST”! Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Tweet 2012 Tasting Games: Round 2: Recap Monday, March 5th 2012 by
NW Wine Correspondent - Allie Merrick
ROUND 2 of the NWWTY 2012 TASTING GAMES was all about the wines from Purple Hands. Winemaker, Cody Wright, joined me online along with the featured Tasting Team - the Washington Cellar Rats. We tasted the Purple Hands 2010 Pinot Noir & the Purple Hands 2009 Oregon Red Blend. If you weren't able to join us, don't worry. We recorded the whole session! Click HERE to see what you missed. Cheers to the Washington Cellar Rats who tallied up 560 points this round! And a VERY special thanks to Cody Wright at Purple Hands Wines. Thanks for taking the time to taste & talk with us! Tune in on March 28th for ROUND 3 of the NWWTY 2012 TASTING GAMES. Next up, our featured wine will be from Biggio Hamina. Winemaker, Todd Hamina will join me online with our next Tasting Team - the Willamette Winos. Cheers! Allie Allie Merrick NW Wine Correpsondent Labels: purple hands wine, cody wright, tasting games, washington cellar rats, allie merrick, oregon, pinot noir
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2012 Tasting Games: Round 3: Recap Monday, April 2nd 2012 by
Allie Merrick - NWWTY Wine Correspondent
Round 3 of the Northwest Wines To You 2012 Tasting Games featured Biggio Hamina. Todd Hamina, the winemaker & owner, joined us while in Las Vegas for this LIVE tasting. Our tasting team for the evening, the Willamette Winos, tasted along and tuned in online. They paired each wine with excellent fare, sharing details that made our mouths water. Fortunately, our palates had the great pleasure of tasting the following wines: Todd explained that he believed "Pinot should be a lady, but not a wallflower." Certainly, NONE of these wines were wallflowers. Each of them had something to say and spoke with eloquence from start to finish. Cheers to a terrific trio of wine & a talented winemaker - Todd Hamina. Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Tweet Announcing the NWWTY 2012 Tasting Games Tuesday, November 29th 2011 by
NW Wine Correspondent
 Let the games begin! Northwest Wines To You is proud to present our first annual NWWTY 2012 Tasting Games. Each month in 2012, a virtual tasting will be hosted by our NW Wine Correspondent, Allie Merrick, and broadcasted LIVE. Over the course of the year, tasting teams (one from each state we ship to) will be invited to participate in one or more of these tastings. Tasting team captains will receive selections of wine to taste with their team the night of the event when Allie Merrick is joined by the evening's featured winemaker for conversations about the wine. Tasting teams can earn points two ways: 1) verbal: submitting questions and comments in the online chat window provided 2) visual: submitting pictures taken at their team's tasting Ready to sip with us? To be considered as a participating tasting team, you must be from one of these states: Alabama Alaska Arizona California Colorado Florida Hawaii Idaho Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nevada New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Washington D.C. Wisconsin Wyoming For a chance to be selected, please fill out the form below. In addition to the free wine that will be sent to you, those selected will have the opportunity to receive discounts, free shipping & other special opportunities to purchase premier hard to get wines with select access to special wine libraries. May the best wine tasting team win! And what will they win? That's a surprise. Tweet Happy New Vintage! Tuesday, January 3rd 2012 by
Allie Merrick - NWWTY Wine Correspondent
 With the New Year comes a new vintage. And what will this one bring? That song is yet to be sung. With 2011 still in barrel or held in bottle and 2012 in the vineyard, the only tales that can be told are those from previous vintages. Here is the tune of Oregon’s 2011 vintage, as hummed by Harvey Steiman (Wine Spectator): “For four months, 2011 vintage looked like a disaster waiting to happen for Oregon vintners. The vines produced a huge crop and it didn't look as if conditions would ever get warm enough to ripen it. It was, in the end, the latest vintage in Oregon history. Most wineries didn't start picking until after Oct. 15, and were still picking in the first week in November. Most of the grapes were brought in under warm, sunny skies. Rain was forecast in late September and early October, but only a few showers materialized. Alcohols were low, about the same as in 2010, but color and flavor surprised vintners with their depth. They are calling it a miracle vintage.” The lyrics of the new vintage were sung out in this exclusive vineyard report with Rebecca Marie Pittock-Shouldis (Winemaker at Ghost Hill Cellars). Listen to audio captured onsite at the Bayliss-Bower Vineyard. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If this cliche holds true, Oregon's 2011 vintage will be one worth singing praises to. Let us await what comes with glasses half full (not half empty) with the fruits of labor we have in hand. As we ring in the new vintage, let's reflect on vintages past one bottle at a time... 2005 Anthony Dell Cellars - 2005 Rio Red 2006 Artisanal Wine Cellars - 2006 Pinot Noir Adams Vineyard Reserve 2007 Kelley Fox Wines - 2007 Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard 2008 AlexEli Vineyard - 2008 Riesling 2009 Stag Hollow Wines - 2009 Dolcetto Yamhill Carlton 2010 Purple Hands Wines - 2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Cheers to vintages those old & those new! Something old. Something new. When it comes to wine, both will do. As we wait for the new vintage to come at last, Let’s enjoy what we sip from vintages past. Santé, Allie Merrick NWWTY Wine Correspondent Labels: 2011 Vintage, Northwest Wines To You, Purple Hands Wines, Stag Hollow Wines, AlexEli Vineyard, Kelley Fox Wines, Artisanal Wine Cellars, Anthony Dell Cellars, Rebecca Marie Pittock-Shouldis, Ghost Hill Cellars, Allie Merrick
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Welcome to Drink Northwest: A Blog Collective from Premium Northwest Wineries Wednesday, June 8th 2011 by
Northwest Wines to You
Hello readers! Did you know that three common tools in a winemaker's toolbox include dustpans, broom handles, and plungers? And we’re not talking about cleaning. We have seen dustpans (clean and food-grade ready, of course) used in separating fermented grapes and juice from their seeds in a tank, a broom handle in stirring the wine in a barrel (called battonage), and a plunger attached to a long stick used as “punch-down” tool to keep the skins of the grapes mixed in with the juice as it settles during fermentation. At Drink Northwest, you’ll learn more about the quirks, tricks, and gossip from the cellar and vineyard of your favorite northwest wineries. We are proud to serve as a showcase for premium wines of the Northwest, but more so, act as a conduit between the winemaker and wine drinker – allowing you direct access to the producers of small Northwest estates and wineries. We look forward to connecting you to our expanding world of wine and keeping you updated on happenings, news, and events. You’ll get to hear memories, anecdotes, and trivia first-hand from the people behind the wines. Most importantly, you will make that personal connection with the wines and stories that are most interesting to you. Labels: Northwest Wines Pinot Noir Travel Wine Country Oregon Wine Country Washington Wine Country wine Drink Northwest premium wines cellar gossip connecting winemakers and wine drinkers
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In The Vineyard: Carlton Hill Wine Company Monday, October 10th 2011 by
Allie Merrick - NW Wine Correspondent
Raising a vineyard is much like raising a child, in that it requires a lot of work. While the work requirement is great, the reward is too. And the more you give, the more you'll get. It's not a matter of nature vs. nurture. It is more a matter of nurturing nature in a variety of ways in the vineyard. This is a lesson I recently learned from David Polite, the owner & winemaker at Carlton Hill Wine Company. From lowering the number of shoots by selection to raising the hight of catch wires by hand, the workload is high. Watch & learn about what's involved for rearing the vines for a wine you can raise your glass to. By: Allie Merrick
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The Voice Of Vino Tuesday, October 25th 2011 by
Allie Merrick - NW Wine Correspondent
The voice of reason would suggest that all things have a voice.
And so it is that for every wine sipped, there is something to be said. However, as a bottle of vino can't vocalize for itself, who will speak on its behalf? Not just one, but many. And most will have different things to say. This is where the artistic nature of wine is apparent. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, perfection is on the palate of the taster. In describing the same wine, there are those who will espouse great points & grandiose reviews, while others will only mention the wine's mediocrity with opposition to expert opinion. Who is right? Both perhaps. And perhaps that's the way it should be. After all, a bottle of wine is like a piece of art. It ignites a conversation. A single thirty second description of wine can lead to an hour of dialogue. Take a look at the examples below: Example #1: Ghost Hill Cellars 2010 Pinot Noir Blanc (described by Rebecca Marie Pittock Shouldis) "...a bewitching bouquet of tangerine & lime with wildflowers..." The flavor profile defined with tangerine, lime & wildflowers was given depth with its manner noted as 'bewitching'. Example #2: CAW 2008 Pinot Noir (described by Norma Coats) "...seamless texture..." I suppose she could have said that the wine was 'smooth', but 'seamless texture' says far more. Today, let's raise our glasses to using words worthy of the wines we love. Let's also toast to opposing opinions that create conversations in which neither side is right or wrong. Cheers, Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Labels: ghost hill cellars, CAW wines, rebecca marie pittock shouldis, norma coats, pinot noir, allie merrick
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AVA: What does it REALLY mean? Monday, October 31st 2011 by
Allie Merrick
 AVA. Allie's Various Articles? Nope. That's not what it stands for. While what you are reading is indeed one of the various articles I'll write, AVA stands for something substantial in the world of wine. These three letters are an acronym with a definition that provides depth in terms of designation for wine. An American Vitucultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States. Within the area outlined, an AVA defines a section of land that has a particular set of geographical characteristics. Don't believe me? Look it up on Wikipedia. Now that you know what AVA means, why does it matter? To answer this question, let's think of wine in terms of someone you've talk to over the phone but never met in person. Think of when you meet that person for the first time face-to-face. You gain a physical validation & recognition for that person. This same validation you find in 'putting a face to a name' can be found in 'putting a place to a wine'. An AVA provides physical validation & recognition for a wine by defining it by the place it came from. Seeing an AVA listed on a wine label gives you a greater understanding of that wine, in regard to what you might expect when you explore the contents inside the bottle. With every bottle of wine having a story to tell, a chapter of it's autobiography is made apparent with its AVA. Just as a person's facial features can tell you a bit about that person, an AVA can speak to the wine's characteristics in terms of the flavors generally found from the land in that location. Take the Pacific Northwest for example. Here are a few AVA's to seek out that have sip-worthy stories to tell. OR: Applegate Valley, Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Red Hill Douglas County, Ribbon Ridge, Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon, Umpqua Valley & Willamette Valley WA: Horse Heaven Hills, Lake Chelan, Puget Sound, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain, Wahluke Slope & Yakima Valley OR & WA: Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley & Walla Walla I encourage you to follow up with this introduction by getting to know each AVA 'in person' by pouring examples labeled with the land it comes from. In tasting each wine, another tale of the AVA will be told as it's pronounced on your palate. Cheers, Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Tweet | Previous PostsArchives2012 (10)
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