Drink Northwest: A Wine Blog
Blog Posts matching WINE: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 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 Is tasting blind better? Tuesday, April 17th 2012 by
NW Wine Correspondent - Allie Merrick
 Let's do it blind! Yes, you heard me. Let's sip without sight. Is tasting blind better? We'll find out. And we invite you to find out as well, by joining us on April 25th at 6:00 PM PST (9:00 PM EST). You are invited to taste and talk with me and the Northwest Wine Anthem Annex tasting group. as we do a blind tasting of three wines from Northwest Wines To You. Let's taste & talk together! All you need to go is GET THE WINE & GET ONLINE. Cheers! Allie Allie Merrick is the NW Wine Correspondent and co-host of My Wine Words. Labels: savor, three blind bottles, tasting games, allie merrick, my wine words, wine tasting, virtual tasting, blind tasting
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2012 Tasting Games: Round 4: Recap Friday, May 11th 2012 by
Allie Merrick - NWWTY Wine Correspondent
NWWTY 2012 TASTING GAMES: ROUND 4 The Wine: Three Blind Bottles The Team: Northwest Wine Anthem Annex The Score: 280 Points Labels: savor, three blind bottles, tasting games, allie merrick, wine tasting, virtual tasting, blind tasting
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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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2012 Tasting Games: Round 1: Nicolas Bazan Wines Monday, January 16th 2012 by
NW Wine Correspondent - Allie Merrick
 Ding! Ding! Ding! Round 1 of the NWWTY 2012 Tasting Games will soon begin. Our first virtual tasting features Nicolas Bazan Wines. Dr. Nicolas Bazan, owner of Nicolas Bazan Wines, will be joining me on Wednesday, February 25th at 6:00pm PST to share the story of his wine. Not only will we be talking. We’ll be tasting as well. (Yes. I love my job.) The 2007 Mis Nietos, 2008 Una Vida & 2009 Haydee will be opened & explored, as I will be joined by the first tasting team to compete in the 2012 Tasting Games - the Blue Tooth Wine Society from Arizona. Together we’ll define each wine in our own words as we share our thoughts on what we see, smell & taste. During this virtual tasting, the team will gain participation points for every comment they contribute to the conversation. Here’s a little prelude to the pouring. Dr. Nicolas Bazan is a neuroscientist who resides in New Orleans. He is the Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the LSU Health Sciences Center. Born in Argentina, his dedication & devotion to studying the mind brought him to New York (Columbia University) and Boston (Harvard) for his education. A neuroscientist by day, Dr. Bazan became a novelist by night. He wrote a story named after the main character in his book - ‘Una Vida’ which translates to ‘One Life’. Another translation to mention is that of his book being translated into a movie that is soon to be released. A book. A movie. It doesn’t stop there. Una Vida is also a wine. The Nicolas Bazan Una Vida Pinot Noir has a story all its own to tell. Want to join us for the first virtual tasting of the 2012 Tasting Games? We’d love to have you join us as we taste the three expressions of Pinot Noir from Nicolas Bazan Wines and talk to Dr. Nicolas Bazan himself. As a spectator, you are certainly welcome to sip along at home and participate in our online conversation if you wish. Here’s what you will need to do. 1) Click HERE to order the wine we’ll be tasting (at a discounted rate for the occasion). 2) Get online and go HERE on Wednesday, January 25th at 6:00pm PST. Cheers, Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Tweet 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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Perks You Can Pour Sunday, November 13 2011 by
Allie Merrick
 With no special handshake or secret password required, a wine club serves as an adult society granting special access to wine & the personal experience that comes with it. The perks you can pour are many. PRICE Who doesn’t love a deal? Whether you are of little means or more means than you know what to do with, there is satisfaction you can sip when the price of what you pour is less than what others have to pay. This being the case, there is cause to join a club in respect to commerce. As a Robison Ranch Cellars wine club member, among the many benefits you’ll find a 15% discount on all wine purchases. Beyond that, you receive a 20% discount on all case purchases. Looking for details? Look no further. [ Click HERE for details on the Robison Ranch Cellars Wine Club. ] PRODUCT Whether it’s a new release, the current vintage or a library wine, access is granted first and foremost (and in some cases exclusively) to wine club members. If you have fallen in love with a winery and want to maintain a relationship involving inventory, wine club membership is most important - especially if it’s a long distance relationship that you have. If you become a member of the ROCO ‘Rock Hound’ Wine Club, you’re guaranteed the wine that others may not get. Traditional ROCO wines sell out 5 to 9 months after release to the public. You receive the first chance to sample the wines and purchase more. In addition, tasting and vintage notes are included with each order - allowing you to get to know the goods even better. [ Click HERE for details on the ROCO Wine Club. ] PARTIES Entertaining & engaging, wine events presented exclusively to wine club members can produce memorable moments that build a bridge and a bond between you & the wine you love. If you are a local or can take the time to travel for select scheduled events, being a wine club member can get you backstage and behind the scenes at the wineries you know and love. Take Bishop Creek Cellars for example. Twice a year (in the Spring & the Fall), their wine club members are invited to tour the vineyard and winemaking facility, barrel taste & enjoy a special luncheon (on the house). [ Click HERE for details on the Bishop Creek Cellars Wine Club. ] So, if you’re looking for perks you can pour, in terms of price, product & parties, wine clubs offer opportunities worth seeking out. To explore more, take a look at what the wineries of Northwest Wines To You have to offer. For Northwest Wines you love to drink, find membership options with this link: http://northwestwinestoyou.com/wine-clubs/browse-wine-clubs.html Cheers, Allie Merrick NW Wine Correspondent Tweet | Previous PostsArchives2012 (10)
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