tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43444205507683803982023-11-16T02:42:59.363-08:00Sips & The CityMy Adventures in trying all the best of the vineTaryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-10495670560897779932019-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:002019-03-17T21:24:02.261-07:00Upcoming Event: Taste Washington 2019 - March 28th to 31st - Various Locations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">The sun is shining here in Washington which means spring is
upon us and the nation’s biggest single region food and wine event is quickly
approaching! </span><a href="https://tastewashington.org/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Taste Washington</a><span style="text-align: center;"> kicks off Thursday March 28th, and is sure to</span><span style="text-align: center;"> be a fantastic weekend celebrating all things </span><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wawine&src=typd" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">#wawine</a><span style="text-align: center;">!</span><br />
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<b>The Red & White Party</b></div>
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The festivities officially begin with the <a href="https://tastewashington.org/red-white-party-2019/" target="_blank">Red & White Party</a>, held Thursday March 28<sup>th</sup>
from 7-10pm at AQUA by El Gaucho. The event encourages guests to dress in their
best red or white attire and heads into the “cellars” of 30 premier Washington
winemakers to sample their favorite bottles, including pours usually only available
for wine club members and 90+ point pours. You won’t find these wines at any of
the other Taste Washington events, they are exclusive to the Red & White
Party and are sure to please. Tickets for the exclusive Red & White Party
can be found <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/red-white-party" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Taste Washington on the Farm + Canlis Wine Dinner</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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This year the <a href="https://tastewashington.org/taste-washington-on-the-farm-2019/" target="_blank">Taste Washington on the farm</a> feature takes guests to Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center in Carnation, WA
on Friday March 29<sup>th</sup>, where participants will have the opportunity
to enjoy a gourmet lunch from chef Melissa Miranda paired with wines from Buty
Winery, Hightower Cellars, Novelty Hill-Januik Winery, and Three Rivers Winery.
Find tickets <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/taste-washington-on-the-farm" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Also on Friday the 29<sup>th</sup> is a <a href="https://tastewashington.org/canlis-wine-dinner/" target="_blank">new dinner at Canlis</a> featuring “the best Washington wines you’re never heard of” from 6-9pm. Tickets
for this dinner at the iconic Seattle restaurant can be found <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/wine-dinner-at-canlis" target="_blank">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The New Vintage</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Held this year at one of Seattle’s new stylish venues, The
Sanctuary, <a href="https://tastewashington.org/the-new-vintage-2019/" target="_blank">The New Vintage</a> features
wines from top Washington wineries and bites from an impressive list of featured
chefs. An add on this year is the opportunity to extend the evening with the The
New Vintage + Lexus Late Night hosted by Chef Edouardo Jordan. This private
party is held at Salare restaurant and features bites prepared by two-time
James Beard Award-winning chef Edouardo Jordan, plus tastings of premier
Washington wines and cutting-edge cocktails from the Salare bartenders. Tickets
to the events can be found <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/the-new-vintage" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<b>The Seminars</b></div>
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Always an educational and delicious experience, the <a href="https://tastewashington.org/seminars-2019/" target="_blank">Seminars</a>
are held once again at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle from 10:30am-12pm on both
Saturday and Sunday of Taste Washington weekend. There are several sessions
that are already sold out, but seats remain in several others so don’t miss our
on the opportunity to learn from some of of the nation’s leading experts,
including top winemakers, Master Sommeliers, wine writers and academics.
Tickets for Saturday seminars can be found <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/saturday-seminars" target="_blank">here</a>,
and Sunday seminars can be found <a href="https://ticketing.sagacitymedia.com/f/taste-washington-2019/sunday-seminars" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Grand Tasting</b></div>
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The biggest draw of the Taste Washington events is no doubt
the <a href="https://tastewashington.org/grand-tasting-2019/" target="_blank">Grand Tasting</a>, held both Saturday and Sunday March 30<sup>th</sup> and 31<sup>st</sup>.
Sample wines from over 235 Washington wineries and bites from over 65 local restaurants.
I always enjoy this event every year since I get the opportunity to try new
releases from favorite wineries as well as seek out wineries I have never heard
of or tried before. I have taken this approach for my past several times
attending and have come away with some new favorites! I plan to do this same this
year and tackle the event program in the days leading up to the event to map out
my route and select some new wineries to try! Guests can purchase standard or
VIP tickets (which gets you in an hour earlier, a VIP swag bag and access to an
exclusive VIP lounge) and both can be found <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/851203?venueId=123303" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Taste Washington is a partnership between Visit Seattle and Washington
State Wine and that partnership brings us an amazing line up of events year
after year. As I mentioned before, I always look forward to the ability to venture
out of my Washington wine comfort zone (i.e. the zone of wineries I know and
love) to try pours from new wineries and those that I have never tried before. So
don’t miss out on this year’s fun and get you tickets now to one (or all?) of the
amazing events Taste Washington has to offer!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-53828157487737970372019-03-13T20:48:00.000-07:002019-03-13T20:48:06.548-07:00A Can-Do Attitude - Canned Wine is a Highlight at the 2019 Seattle Wine & Food Experience<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="text-align: center;">I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Seattle Wine
& Food Experience (SWFE), in its second year (first for me, I missed it
last year!) at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. I was eager to get
back to this event, which has always been a favorite of mine. One aspect I had
to get the hang of was how spread out it was around the building. The event was
split between two floors of the building, and the second floor was split with a
walk-way connecting another area that we didn’t even discover until much later
into the event! Even though it was a bit confusing, it was kind of an adventure
traveling to different areas for a variety of food and beverages!</span><br />
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<b>The Food</b></div>
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There were some delicious bites at this year’s SWFE! Some of
our favorites were found right away when we arrived, as they were in the lower
area offerings. Some of my favorites included the Mini Crawfish Pie from Chef
Brent Clarkson of the Tulalip Resort’s Cedars Café, the Irish Guinness and Beef
Stew from Chef Susan Jensen of Tulalip Resort’s The Draft Sports Bar &
Grill, and the Smoked Beef Brisket from Licketty’s Barbeque (seriously, that
brisket was AMAZING). There were so many wonderful options at the event, I
could have swung through them all again if I had the time and the stomach for
it!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qpQq6p44-7_Pj1nXU5Mh5Lbt_kt63eEKEbmjXYj51fEzxh0o2b5KxpGJ1SHG-NFbce3s1AA-6uAMaejiAqqBHFVLM2_j44XWds_9ut44s_0YktW42MCtt_Jm5TxMMI1keK13oL6yAbQ/s1600/20190223_132346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qpQq6p44-7_Pj1nXU5Mh5Lbt_kt63eEKEbmjXYj51fEzxh0o2b5KxpGJ1SHG-NFbce3s1AA-6uAMaejiAqqBHFVLM2_j44XWds_9ut44s_0YktW42MCtt_Jm5TxMMI1keK13oL6yAbQ/s320/20190223_132346.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Crawfish Pie - Chef Brent Clarkson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5VTwffrClhum8afHZOWbLtN86P6RlUBMVoeY1dCqiHZ31gNsDRL7M0gZDuyGiOhAuLPnWQrjClDMM2qEyiORcfzFcQpADOSESFouRkkvW-WStCbLb02YJfmkRFxrRKkg3iXDxkgbROM/s1600/20190223_132332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5VTwffrClhum8afHZOWbLtN86P6RlUBMVoeY1dCqiHZ31gNsDRL7M0gZDuyGiOhAuLPnWQrjClDMM2qEyiORcfzFcQpADOSESFouRkkvW-WStCbLb02YJfmkRFxrRKkg3iXDxkgbROM/s320/20190223_132332.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irish Guinness & Beef Stew - Chef Susan Jensen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E-dL49lcG-hzjWXSRDS3mxYQdgJsdkifoYZu7ujNlgtqU2foxuTjtmDrUGmLlHa9PpDmqekw1m-N1Aaoiijg8uWJOWnv_MHPtqFqoL0PpU5wXFZR0bQv7O8hJ2T9qzBT6WIziS64gcM/s1600/20190223_135229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E-dL49lcG-hzjWXSRDS3mxYQdgJsdkifoYZu7ujNlgtqU2foxuTjtmDrUGmLlHa9PpDmqekw1m-N1Aaoiijg8uWJOWnv_MHPtqFqoL0PpU5wXFZR0bQv7O8hJ2T9qzBT6WIziS64gcM/s320/20190223_135229.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked Beef Brisket - Licketty's Barbeque</td></tr>
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<b>The Drinks</b></div>
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The highlight I want to focus on this year was the
availability of canned wines in the marketplace now! There were quite a few of
them present at this year’s SWFE and they were quite a treat! If you think
about it, canned wine is perfect for the adventure types of the Pacific
Northwest. Packing cans of wine is far easier than packing bottles when
camping, hiking, or just out and about. Wine bottles on a boat? Inconvenient.
Cans of wine on a boat? Bring on the sunshine and rosé! Wineries are making
strides to put quality product in these cans, which is why the trend is really
starting to take off. I came across several tasty options, including wines from
Cascadian Outfitters (from the vines of Goose Ridge Estates), Canned Oregon
(they even make pink bubbly in a can! YES PLEASE.), and Lil’ Rascal from the
Great Oregon Wine Company. And it wasn’t just the wine in cans, I came across
San Juan Seltzer, which is locally made spiked sparkling water in a variety of tasty
flavors. I am loving all of these options and I am most definitely going to
track some of these down for my summer outings this year (now where is that pink
bubbly in a can?).<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyHfGm2i_Ntujsj7jB_pBgJ4Hm_50zKkpVjQ_YTCAZcLaN1woPvJsDHv99xjrB6PfOkqovFomncsl-LtRKWW9fqgsWOoe-SVnuHksGdZZhYWHmyv7ZWzo67m0B9-bWVGFkBFgzXR3Ng8/s1600/20190223_132718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyHfGm2i_Ntujsj7jB_pBgJ4Hm_50zKkpVjQ_YTCAZcLaN1woPvJsDHv99xjrB6PfOkqovFomncsl-LtRKWW9fqgsWOoe-SVnuHksGdZZhYWHmyv7ZWzo67m0B9-bWVGFkBFgzXR3Ng8/s320/20190223_132718.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascadian Outfitters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canned Oregon</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaBD3rBZlAZkWipQ3BRvkeQ_MiGDtxxjOVuMdqZsLo4PS9LLMXu7AiS4oFDSqGIU2-lSBwoPcCbgUqn7LjtVTBeKXtlTaUtmAliCGd5V7-u8oEUab6pvgLKB1epg9dJN8CAn5mgeteHg/s1600/20190223_140729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaBD3rBZlAZkWipQ3BRvkeQ_MiGDtxxjOVuMdqZsLo4PS9LLMXu7AiS4oFDSqGIU2-lSBwoPcCbgUqn7LjtVTBeKXtlTaUtmAliCGd5V7-u8oEUab6pvgLKB1epg9dJN8CAn5mgeteHg/s320/20190223_140729.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Oregon Wine Company</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It’s fun to see how SWFE has evolved since its early days.
While there are some aspects of it that I miss (the different demos and
“experiences” that they used to have), the wide variety of food and beverage
options makes this a must attend for all food and wine lovers. It’s different
from many other events in this area since it has offerings from regions outside
of Washington. I only attended the Grand Tasting, there were several other
events that looked amazing leading up to it. One of these years I am going to
make it to POP! Bubbles and Seafood.. that just looks fun.<br />
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Well that’s a wrap for the 2019 edition of SWFE, I look
forward to seeing what is to come from this event next year!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-75381056290673136172019-02-10T17:18:00.000-08:002019-02-10T17:18:34.242-08:00Upcoming Event: Seattle Wine & Food Experience 2019 - February 21st to 24th - Various Locations<br />
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I’m back to writing after a hiatus that brought me the most
adorable and happy tiny human just in time to provide details on one of my
favorite events of the year! The <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Wine & Food Experience </a>(SWFE) is
back this year with another event added to its already stellar list of delicious
activities. Over the course of four days February 21<sup>st</sup>-February 24<sup>th</sup>
2019, guests will able to nosh at Comfort, POP! Bubbles & Seafood, The Grand
Tasting and the new Sunday Supper.<br />
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<b>Comfort</b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Kicking off the festivities is </span><a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/comfort/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Comfort</a><span style="text-align: center;">,
held Thursday February 21</span><sup style="text-align: center;">st</sup><span style="text-align: center;"> at </span><a href="http://www.herbanfeast.com/venues/sodo-park/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">SODO Park</a><span style="text-align: center;">.
As in the past, this event combines feel good foods (or comfort foods, get it?)
and tasty drinks with a focus on </span><a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/comfort-breweries-and-distilleries/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">beer & cider</a><span style="text-align: center;">.
The event features gastropubs, burger joints and everyone’s favorite mac &
cheese. A French fry bar? A bloody mary bar? Yes please. To both. Don’t miss
the tasty goodness that starts the first of the Seattle Wine & Food
Experiences.</span><br />
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<b>POP! Bubbles & Seafood</b></div>
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Next up is the ever popular <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop-bubbles-seafood/" target="_blank">POP! Bubbles & Seafood</a>,
which combines everyone’s love of seafood and all things sparkling wine, Champagne,
Prosecco and Cava. This year’s event is being held at <a href="https://www.thesanctuaryseattle.com/" target="_blank">The Sanctuary Seattle</a> and is on Friday February 22<sup>nd</sup>. A tasting event focused mainly on
bubbly is pretty much my dream. Afterall, the best hashtag I’ve ever come up
with is #bubblesmakeeverythingbetter. And it’s true! A room full of bubbly and
the best Northwest Seafood around is bound to make EVERYTHING better. Guests
will also get to enjoy rosé, refreshing whites to accompany the seafood
and some high end reserve reds from some well known Washington wineries. Just take
a peek at the <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop-bubbles-seafood-restaurants/" target="_blank">food</a> and <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop-bubbles-seafood-wineries-and-distilleries/" target="_blank">drink</a> offerings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Grand Tasting</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The event that started it all, <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/grand-tasting/" target="_blank">The Grand Tasting</a> is in its 11<sup>th</sup> year! This event has come a long way and I have been
able to enjoy the ride for many years now. In its second year at Bell Harbor,
the Grand Tasting features <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/grand-tasting-wineries-distilleries-and-breweries/" target="_blank">wine, beer, cider and spirits</a> from both the Northwest and around the world. Hungry? Food is also a big part
of this, with <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/grand-tasting-restaurants/" target="_blank">restaurants</a> from around the area serving tasty bites to guests. There are also several events
within the event, or <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/experience/" target="_blank">“experiences”</a> offered that are sure to please. This is the go-to event for someone who wants
to try a little bit of everything all in one place. This has always been a
favorite of mine and I always leave having learned something new about a new
winery or restaurant!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Sunday Supper</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Brand new in 2019 is <a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/sunday-supper-2/" target="_blank">Sund</a><a href="https://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/sunday-supper-2/" target="_blank">ay Supper</a>,
held Sunday February 24<sup>th</sup> at <a href="https://www.block41.com/" target="_blank">Block 41</a>. Some of Seattle
best chefs come together to provide a dinner unlike no other, with each chef
serving up a different course. After dinner, mingle with chefs and other SWFE
producers at the after-party and wrap up the Seattle Wine & Food Experience
weekend in style.</div>
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Tickets to all event are available <a href="https://on.spingo.com/e/Seattle_Wine_and_Food_Experience_2019" target="_blank">here</a>,
and don’t wait since events can sell out. With so many great events happening
for the Seattle Wine & Food Experience, how do you pick just one to attend?
You don’t have to! Purchase the Seattle Wine & Food Experience Weekend Pass
and attend Comfort, POP! and the VIP session at the Grand Tasting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For now it’s back to the tiny human for me, hope to see you all
at the 2019 Seattle Wine & Food Experience!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-91050345131909068382018-02-11T13:22:00.000-08:002018-02-11T13:22:07.588-08:00Sips on the Road: A Fall Visit to Illinois Wine Country<div class="MsoNormal">
Last fall my husband and I headed east to visit some of his
family in Illinois. After a long weekend in Chicago being complete tourists, we
headed out of town to see the countryside. As we all know, I LOVE experiencing
other wine regions when I travel, so I was quick to do some research on
Illinois wine and find a few wineries to try in our travels around northern and
central Illinois. The <a href="https://illinoiswine.com/" target="_blank">Illinois Wine</a> website has a great <a href="https://illinoiswine.com/discover/history/" target="_blank">history page</a> with a
timeline of the (very lengthy) history of Illinois Wine. Fun fact #1: Illinois
was one of the largest wine producers in the United States prior to
prohibition! Fun fact #2: Illinois had 27 wineries in 2001, which grew
to 105 wineries by 2011! It’s always so fun learning about different wine regions
around the country.</div>
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On a day trip we took from Sycamore to Galena, we were able
to visit three wineries. And how fitting on our timing, as September is
Illinois Wine Month! Our first stop was at <a href="http://www.famousfossilwinery.com/" target="_blank">Famous Fossil Vineyard & Winery</a>,
a winery and vineyard across the street from a corn field located in Freeport,
IL. There I learned about their short growing season and how they generally
sell out of their wine a lot since they are relatively small batch, growing most
of the grapes right there on site. They do purchase some grapes, but all from growers
within 25 miles, and pride themselves on having truly locally sourced fruit for
their wines. It was at our first stop that I learned quite a bit about some
grape varietals I had never heard of. It
turns out that the <a href="https://mnhardy.umn.edu/varieties/fruit/grapes" target="_blank">University of Minnesota</a> had created several varietals, including Marquette (a red), La Crescent (a white),
and Frontenac (a red), all of which are grown at Famous Fossil. The winery also
does some fun fruit wines as well.</div>
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After we arrived in Galena, our second stop of the day was
to <a href="http://massbachridge.com/" target="_blank">Massbach Ridge</a>, who has a winery located in Elizabeth, IL and a tasting room
in Galena. At their winery in Elizabeth they grow grapes on 20 acres, which
actually puts them at the 2<sup>nd</sup> largest acreage in Illinois for
grapes! At Massbach I was able to try Seyval, another new varietal to me which
I likened to a Sauvignon Blanc. It was tasty! A nice crisp wine, perfect for a
sunny day. St. Pepin was another one I liked, which is similar to a Pinot
Grigio. Their Marechal Foch was a bit like a dry rosé and a bit like a pinot
noir. We had such a great visit to the Massbach Ridge tasting room and really
enjoyed learning more about local varietals grown in the area.</div>
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Just down the street in historic Galena is the <a href="http://www.galenacellars.com/winery/" target="_blank">Galena Cellars</a> tasting room, our third stop of the day.
Galena makes a TON of different wines, their tasting menu had 43 different
choices of white wines, red wines, rosés, sparkling wines, fruit wines, and dessert
& specialty wines. It was hard to narrow it down to just six for the
tasting! Galena Cellars grows about 28% of their own grapes, the rest are
sourced from around Illinois and around the country (even from WA I learned!).
One of the whites I enjoyed was Traminette, which is a hybrid grape of Gewürztraminer
and Seyval Blanc. I ended up picking up a bottle of this and experienced my first
ever “broken wine bottle in a suitcase” experience when my newly purchased Traminette
broke and spilled all over my belongings on the flight back from Chicago to
Seattle (devastating!). So, needless to say, I need to procure myself another bottle
of Traminette. I also really liked their Viognier, it was fun and peachy in
flavor. The Frontenac Gris was slightly like rosé, and was very tasty. Their
Bubblin Blanc is a sparkling made from a blend of Charonnay and Riesling
grapes. I also learned that the Riesling grapes they source for this sparkling
wine come from Washington! Washington wine is far reaching across the country
it seems! It’s so great to see our grapes being used in other wine regions
also.</div>
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The next day our travels took us south so we stopped by
<a href="http://www.jonamacorchard.com/" target="_blank">Jonomac Orchard</a> in Malta, IL. Jonamac has a
fantastic gift shop with apples, apple pies, and a wide variety of fall home décor
and gift items. After we stocked up on yummy treats and some new fall candles,
we were wandering around the property and stumbled upon their wine and cider
tasting room. This was a new addition to the property since the family we were
with had been to Jonomac so we were all pleasantly surprised and excited to try
some local wine and cider! Jonamac grows 32 varieties of apples (did you know there
were even that many?!) and uses many different ones for wines and ciders. Their
Honeycrisp Sweet Apple Wine is made from al locally sourced apples. It takes JUST
like a honeycrisp apple, which is my favorite apple variety. Their Autumn Harvest
Spiced Apple Wine can be enjoyed both warm or cold and tastes just like fall in
glass with wonderful spiced flavors. Their Orchard Blend is made from eight
different apples and is a semi-sweet apple wine. The Apple Blossom is a
sparkling apple wine and we learned a fun combination during our visit. Add the
Jonamac Apple Cider to the Apple Blossom and you get a “Jonamac Mimosa”! It..was..delicious!</div>
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It was a great time trying a new region of wine during our
Illinois visit. The grape varietals in Illinois are definitely a lot different
than those in Washington and getting to discover some new varietals I had never
tried before was such a fun experience. I look forward to future trips to other
wine regions!</div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-35737178014651186582017-04-02T20:56:00.000-07:002017-04-02T20:56:11.833-07:00An Afternoon of Rosé and Grenache Blanc at Taste Washington 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">We enjoyed the 20</span><sup style="text-align: center;">th</sup><span style="text-align: center;"> vintage of </span><a href="http://tastewashington.org/" style="text-align: center;">Taste Washington</a><span style="text-align: center;">
last weekend and it delighted attendees with tastes and bites as it always does. I attended Sunday this year and I took the same approach that I have the past few years, and ventured out to
try wines from wineries that I had never heard of before. With 225+ in
attendance, there were many of them! The winery count in Washington has grown
significantly in the past several years and it’s been exciting to try new
things from our new up and coming winemakers and wineries.</span><br />
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A common theme of many of the winery tables this year was
showcasing their brand-new summer weather wines, many of which I learned had
been bottled just a few days prior! When the sun peaks out and the cherry
blossoms start to awe us with their beauty, there is one type of wine that
comes to mind: Rosé. The 2016 vintage is showing very well and wineries have been
having fun creating Rosés from a variety of different grapes. It seems year
after year we see additional wineries venturing into this type of wine, likely
because, well, it’s delicious and it sells well! This year’s Taste Washington
was no exception, with several stand-out Rosés leading the charge into summer.</div>
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It also appears to be the year of Boushey Vineyard Grenache
Blanc, as I tried several different wineries’ bottles of this at Taste
Washington! This is a grape that until recently I only really saw as a
percentage of white blends. The stand-alone bottles that have come out this
year are outstanding. I look forward to seeing more wineries work with this
grape.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While there were too many to try in the brief few hours I
was there, here are the wines of the 2017 Taste Washington that stood out to me
during my adventures scouring CenturyLink Field Events Center from A-Z of Washington
wineries:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://synclinewine.com/">Syncline Winery</a> consistently puts
out some amazing wines, and this year was no different. I hurried to their
table early in the afternoon to make sure to get some of their 2015
Scintillation Grüner Veltliner Brut. Sparkling Grüner?! What amazingness is
this?! They also had the first of the many Boushey Vineyard Grenache Blancs
that I tried throughout the afternoon, with their 2015 vintage of it. And to cap off the delights, they were serving
their 2016 Rosé of 35% Cinsault, 35% Grenache, and 30% Mourvedre. I have
enjoyed every sip of every Syncline wine I have tried, they are creating some
beauties.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCetNBOwd7Dcs8xQO96HkIx36dnTcDH2mZVM-y52nlh-oA38n5CAiaa8LjwMns684Wapu4OYL1PSiNg_aoTEtylL2Pe_-3js9fpIqcIOHZr5X06fYtgXHC0IcLynxZ0ZD21ef7rJphTOk/s1600/IMG_20170326_133911_427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCetNBOwd7Dcs8xQO96HkIx36dnTcDH2mZVM-y52nlh-oA38n5CAiaa8LjwMns684Wapu4OYL1PSiNg_aoTEtylL2Pe_-3js9fpIqcIOHZr5X06fYtgXHC0IcLynxZ0ZD21ef7rJphTOk/s320/IMG_20170326_133911_427.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sycline Winery wines</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.butywinery.com/">Buty Winery</a> 2016 Rosé of the
Stones was another fun find. This Rosé of 68% Grenache and 32% Mourvèdre was lovely.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5ZhR15MfEXtswf7zDY_Y7Gor6fRTqxzxcRvZGIIfrCsZOIM8IjXYbCas5vFglbeM_fM1-1BlimJDqAlEY26XmPbNzy-D7z6oP7mTH90ra5Nk8WzQs_5fC4uZqqS7bEM9LHvg-0WPfvU/s1600/20170326_132305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5ZhR15MfEXtswf7zDY_Y7Gor6fRTqxzxcRvZGIIfrCsZOIM8IjXYbCas5vFglbeM_fM1-1BlimJDqAlEY26XmPbNzy-D7z6oP7mTH90ra5Nk8WzQs_5fC4uZqqS7bEM9LHvg-0WPfvU/s320/20170326_132305.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Rosé of the Stones</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.rulowinery.com/index.html">Rulo Winery</a> was one of
the wineries I put on my list that I hadn’t tried before. It was such a
wonderful visit to the table, as I had the opportunity to chat at length with
the winery owners Kurt and Vicki Schlicker while tasting through the wines.
This Walla Walla winery was established in 2000 and is another that sources
Grenache Blanc from Boushey. I really enjoyed tasting their 2016 Viognier and
2016 Rosé.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CVmcmX7V6qRGRigdgXpDHByJyzGNuD1MLgPbx9d-8SqsbgbGLpGS3pPJVZOhqhvj9ykt8W1EBkaaW4N0E-xGR8Rkgqb0iaepDUwKcSznQjAgHD3z0v8K_NMKioDAL_RnWfxW_3jqwZ8/s1600/20170326_134150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CVmcmX7V6qRGRigdgXpDHByJyzGNuD1MLgPbx9d-8SqsbgbGLpGS3pPJVZOhqhvj9ykt8W1EBkaaW4N0E-xGR8Rkgqb0iaepDUwKcSznQjAgHD3z0v8K_NMKioDAL_RnWfxW_3jqwZ8/s320/20170326_134150.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Viognier</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Rosé</td></tr>
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<a href="http://eternalwine.com/">Eternal Wines</a> was another new one I
tried at the event. This winery, established in 2014 by owner and winemaker
Brad Binko, is indeed new, since their first release was just last year! While I
tasted through several amazing wines, my favorite was the Eternal Patience 2014
Roussane, a 100% Roussane from the Walla Walla Valley. It was also great to get
to chat with the owner/winemaker Brad, I would expect to see more great things
from him in the coming vintages!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TSrFmxemGI2orROx0O8qLjgMZs_QJDv1UQsmwG5N6bXWXzFgrVOinnIZ2LxEkCFX55fgrHwLt2zkqqPol-QvGnBcTS9U5PLHBHoliIKJC-QNblJVXAY9M_9oJlIyvpXTm_7Johhnxa4/s1600/20170326_142048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TSrFmxemGI2orROx0O8qLjgMZs_QJDv1UQsmwG5N6bXWXzFgrVOinnIZ2LxEkCFX55fgrHwLt2zkqqPol-QvGnBcTS9U5PLHBHoliIKJC-QNblJVXAY9M_9oJlIyvpXTm_7Johhnxa4/s320/20170326_142048.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 Roussane</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.callancellars.com/">Callan Cellars</a> was another new
winery for me, and another that is also putting out some of their first wines. They
were pouring several fun wines at the event, including another Grenache Blanc!
I had the winery on my list prior to the event, and was also pointed toward the
Callan table by others at Taste Washington. Such great exposure for a new
winery!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLXprb-T2h1KuQwUOh6RTtSp_w9xsv4vQ_R1za577cD85bT9OjDmV-G1puekOe3CFtsXVmMu1_ShG6ds3XzMCq-1I_wIx11xIDgnWNlFfTych_GquSyWDGXZy042gLEO6GXWj9K8YqIc/s1600/20170326_150444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLXprb-T2h1KuQwUOh6RTtSp_w9xsv4vQ_R1za577cD85bT9OjDmV-G1puekOe3CFtsXVmMu1_ShG6ds3XzMCq-1I_wIx11xIDgnWNlFfTych_GquSyWDGXZy042gLEO6GXWj9K8YqIc/s320/20170326_150444.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callan Cellars Wines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.lattawines.com/">Latta Wines</a> has recently set up
shop in the Sodo Urban Works area of Seattle, but was established in 2011.
Winemaker and owner Andrew Latta is doing some great things with his own label.
We had the opportunity to try his Malbec while tasting at a few places in Sodo
Urban Works a few weeks ago, and I was excited to try other wines at Taste
Washington. The 2012 Upland Vineyard Grenache and 2013 Lawrence Vineyard
Roussane were awesome!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NGjo-TmA3-bFxhO7B7bEsObb36aE053TxPezTqqo-qCxdsJF-J9DlQ2fM-4h_OpTR39SDBxWyYcmGvvLNr9fc1t_Q7dlIKc0dX5yhv3MzX3QMEAHLXiuniz3-qkM_UPxNkyBNEDG1NY/s1600/20170326_152540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NGjo-TmA3-bFxhO7B7bEsObb36aE053TxPezTqqo-qCxdsJF-J9DlQ2fM-4h_OpTR39SDBxWyYcmGvvLNr9fc1t_Q7dlIKc0dX5yhv3MzX3QMEAHLXiuniz3-qkM_UPxNkyBNEDG1NY/s320/20170326_152540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latta wines</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.bartholomewwinery.com/">Bartholomew Winery’s</a> 2016 Rosé of Carménère was poured for the first time at Taste Washington and I
was excited to try it! Bart has put out some amazing Rosés and this year is
definitely my favorite so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVzaPDvjDd6dBs73jQ9K74DEY6oqdXWLP1fOW0WuuLnaiFzd-_FXdlOO-6UR44mbdc1PkTePB65Egcz3_oDNnNMeSGeY8dFyMQ84e7eLnAka0d6t5STLewTAGUFQTOTPkMsHBUi4pvjo/s1600/20170326_131940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVzaPDvjDd6dBs73jQ9K74DEY6oqdXWLP1fOW0WuuLnaiFzd-_FXdlOO-6UR44mbdc1PkTePB65Egcz3_oDNnNMeSGeY8dFyMQ84e7eLnAka0d6t5STLewTAGUFQTOTPkMsHBUi4pvjo/s320/20170326_131940.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Rosé of Carménère</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.pearlandstonewine.com/">Pearl and Stone Wine Co</a> was one that I found on my mission to try new wineries at last year’s Taste
Washington. I visited them at Seattle Wine and Food Experience last month and stopped
by at Taste Washington to try their new 2016 Unemployment Beach Rosé, a Rosé of
Cabernet Franc. It was delightful! I look forward to visiting the tasting room
soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYnEfK_sP2VrNKmAU_LwO9fK0U5nFcZ0NsvdP6KOR0kB18px3WRpAx_xteuwRhL9fHbbaTv9tQnAcaXLphUTk2cdgjTNPRypCYXJ5dj48SVUChYsjThEZz9I0NUmFxOutPOglM3-uZow/s1600/20170326_135803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYnEfK_sP2VrNKmAU_LwO9fK0U5nFcZ0NsvdP6KOR0kB18px3WRpAx_xteuwRhL9fHbbaTv9tQnAcaXLphUTk2cdgjTNPRypCYXJ5dj48SVUChYsjThEZz9I0NUmFxOutPOglM3-uZow/s320/20170326_135803.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Unemployment Beach Rosé</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.revelryvintners.com/">Revelry Vintners</a> had another favorite Rosé with their 2016 Columbia Valley Rosé. I have enjoyed
other wines from them in the past and definitely need to visit the tasting room
on my next trip to Walla Walla.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswKzp8w-S5-qxKQ3e1ogQaN7UDWtcBczNse56DRZ_9Bp3mRrvfWGvDCKqBUAIaFpnbZlNqVx_j4FwxB24jDhDtxGImeKomXnRVhhXeJ5eLf3U558hhwEHl48sWV9hYOqfxUiqWdGVBqQ/s1600/20170326_155700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswKzp8w-S5-qxKQ3e1ogQaN7UDWtcBczNse56DRZ_9Bp3mRrvfWGvDCKqBUAIaFpnbZlNqVx_j4FwxB24jDhDtxGImeKomXnRVhhXeJ5eLf3U558hhwEHl48sWV9hYOqfxUiqWdGVBqQ/s320/20170326_155700.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Rosé</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.mbwinery.com/">Maison Bleue</a> was pouring their 2014 Walla Walla Valley Bourgeois (pronounced boo-zhwa)
Grenache, a wine from In the Rocks AVA. This was a wonderful wine, and just one
of the many high quality wines that Maison Bleue has produced.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOfBTXaSv_FjNsGNihVCztj-LHtsEPVuuAjjkVWxnfITKEhZxl9sa1BFp-Px1sMEWNc2lbrfcPIVpxy05J_JmVModq-2ovhzwCVqu1kDVa4AEyvDM8rK3MPZ4a5nwB7nYI3dnpWEGFtY/s1600/20170326_160814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOfBTXaSv_FjNsGNihVCztj-LHtsEPVuuAjjkVWxnfITKEhZxl9sa1BFp-Px1sMEWNc2lbrfcPIVpxy05J_JmVModq-2ovhzwCVqu1kDVa4AEyvDM8rK3MPZ4a5nwB7nYI3dnpWEGFtY/s320/20170326_160814.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 Bourgeois Grenache</td></tr>
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<a href="http://keiracellars.com/">Keira Cellars</a> and <a href="http://truthtellerwinery.com/">Truth TellerWinery</a> were two other Woodinville wineries that I hadn’t tried before and were pouring
some tasty wines.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26cOUbz6HXQwKYeTySZ0IVilIvu8qqUV7Tg23B66Tf6TRF5m-tVK6I4XfSL_YE4nS-WdCr3WDyg8Cp4Mh-WrdOLZjpZCOYXZVMMXdG5byFeEDVwfHVi60EKmKgKIs7zfS3jXMoeE5nGU/s1600/20170326_161849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26cOUbz6HXQwKYeTySZ0IVilIvu8qqUV7Tg23B66Tf6TRF5m-tVK6I4XfSL_YE4nS-WdCr3WDyg8Cp4Mh-WrdOLZjpZCOYXZVMMXdG5byFeEDVwfHVi60EKmKgKIs7zfS3jXMoeE5nGU/s320/20170326_161849.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 Riesling</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truth Teller Winery wines</td></tr>
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I had a great time at this year’s Taste Washington, and was
pleased with my successes in trying so many new wineries. The great thing about
the Washington wine industry is that it keeps growing, and that means I will
have new places to try for years to come. In the mean time, I am ready to stock
up on some of those Grenache Blancs and Rosés and start longing for warmth and
sunny days (which seem to be elusive here in Western WA this year so far…).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s to another successful Taste Washington! Cheers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-31133380097502598792017-03-13T20:43:00.000-07:002018-02-11T10:35:12.831-08:00Seattle Wine & Food Experience, Continued...Hi Everyone! I am so excited for my first guest post at Sips & the City! The Seattle Food and Wine Experience is probably my favorite event of the year. And while I don’t know much about wine, I do know my food and beer! Here are a few of my favorites from the event that really stood out to me:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslpx-R2e6bcRmFcXSCDMYHRuB7KrUQil-kwARYX-ET8_NNB4bZbpNjKzGWuIh1_GrqcH3Z4B_bEEX6ezt0baEVYX39qs62canXYsxhZa_aP01R-_iY0H80Md_hK1rPg2GXuoWqipXnk8/s1600/unnamed+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslpx-R2e6bcRmFcXSCDMYHRuB7KrUQil-kwARYX-ET8_NNB4bZbpNjKzGWuIh1_GrqcH3Z4B_bEEX6ezt0baEVYX39qs62canXYsxhZa_aP01R-_iY0H80Md_hK1rPg2GXuoWqipXnk8/s200/unnamed+%25286%2529.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<b>Duke’s Seafood & Chowderhouse</b>
These guys bring it every year! This year’s sample was a fish taco with: lightly blackened wild Alaska true cod with feta, tequila lime aioli, cabbage, avocado and cucumber pico de gallo. It was incredible!! And who doesn’t love tacos? I’m definitely making a visit to Duke’s soon.
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<b>Washington Athletic Club</b>
I’m not a club member, but I think I might have to find out how to sneak in just for the food. I am a chicken wing aficionado and I can tell you the “Angry Grandmother” chicken wings were truly outstanding. The WAC’s “Angry Grandmother” sauce was sweet, spicy, garlic-ey and delicious. A perfect balance of heat and flavor. If they can make a chicken wing gourmet, just imagine the delicacies they could create for their upscale events. The WAC isn't just a fitness center. They have a hotel and event space and provide catering. They do an incredible job planning and hosting weddings as well.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKycyVFSsIcmDcdWnoJ9KEcxaUEOS2rS4O7sgvL4EBZyc3K47nXpSK_X0lQ8cxfcRKwcv2e7t8xzBopCinZ3S06MqEmL9iVZ2JnJ1th9Uq_7vHXqAWNladFEYnTLnjiNFLaJ32s_46A/s1600/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKycyVFSsIcmDcdWnoJ9KEcxaUEOS2rS4O7sgvL4EBZyc3K47nXpSK_X0lQ8cxfcRKwcv2e7t8xzBopCinZ3S06MqEmL9iVZ2JnJ1th9Uq_7vHXqAWNladFEYnTLnjiNFLaJ32s_46A/s320/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Anthony’s Pier 66</b>
Anthony’s is another perennial favorite at this event. This year they brought shrimp and grits: wild ocean prawns seared in Cajun spice over Anson Mills grits with crispy prosciutto and pepperonata. A delightful North-West twist on a Southern comfort food classic. I have tried and failed to make grits as light and creamy as Anthony’s. They know what they’re doing!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5KpfH4dWvP8RV1k8fnK79v2TOBuaBK9d1PIEYL4oAVgScI8MAHizeymUFcIqnfF95eHS5j1SemlDkXTjaCSLX_mheosoeGvBRyrFpJ1UhCx6hv6YWa3FNbzCzqvnrBo_SYozR8IZyUg/s1600/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5KpfH4dWvP8RV1k8fnK79v2TOBuaBK9d1PIEYL4oAVgScI8MAHizeymUFcIqnfF95eHS5j1SemlDkXTjaCSLX_mheosoeGvBRyrFpJ1UhCx6hv6YWa3FNbzCzqvnrBo_SYozR8IZyUg/s320/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Davids & Co. </b>
Barbeque, elevated. Do not believe the rumor that there is no good barbeque in Seattle. Davids is the real deal. They brought a smoked brisket slider with chow-chow relish and spicy mustard BBQ sauce. I could've stood by that booth and inhaled three or four plates! I've gnawed my way through some tough chewy briskets but this was smoked to perfection, all melty and buttery. The BBQ sauce was tangy and full flavored, but still let the meat shine through. You can get this meaty goodness at lunch on weekdays or during special events at Benaroya Hall downtown.
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<b>Kerrygold</b>
Now, we all know Kerrygold for their perfect Irish butter, but they don’t stop there! They make a variety of cheeses, including a Dubliner with Irish Stout and a cheddar with Irish whiskey. Both will make appearances on my charcuterie boards this year. I loved the restaurant booths, but Kerrygold's booth stood out to me because it was all products I could use to entertain at home and still produce a high-end restaurant result. They had a lot of information and recipes (all available on their website) to help you get the most out of their products. Now, I would be doing you a major disservice if I didn’t tell you about their Irish Cream Liqueur. Go buy some now. Seriously. I like an Irish cream liqueur as much as the next person, it’s never my go-to drink. But Kerrygold’s version has made me a fan. Slainte!
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<b>Bale Breaker
</b>I was already a fan of Bale Breaker going into the event. They are a truly outstanding brewery, so they deserve a shout-out. Bale Breaker brought their Field 41 Pale Ale, Topcutter IPA, and Bottomcutter IPA to the event. Their brewery in Yakima is literally in the middle of their hop fields, so they are absolute experts at selecting and brewing with top quality, fresh hops. Field 41 Pale ale is very smooth and easy drinking, with moderate bitterness from the dry-hopping process. It it a gateway beer to IPA's for those who don't think they like a hoppy beer. I think it would pair well with the shrimp and grits from Anthony's! Topcutter is one of my absolute favorite IPA's of all time. It is a true Pac NW IPA: floral, fruity, citrus-ey with solid bitterness. I love it on its own, but it would be fantastic paired with that fish taco from Duke's. Bottomcutter is a much more aggressively hoppy, imperial IPA. It is double dry hopped with bright citrus and pine notes alongside the bitterness. I would like it with a steak or that smoked brisket sandwich from David's & Co. If you are ever in Yakima, you really need to make a stop at their tasting room, where they have an expanded selection of brews you can't find anywhere else! Its worth the trip for sure. <br />
(no photo - I was busy drinking beer)
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Cheers!Marla Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13092772160990286713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-52007365744828498032017-03-07T20:38:00.000-08:002017-03-07T20:40:17.368-08:00Upcoming Event: Taste Washington 2017 - March 23rd to 26th - Various Locations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As we celebrate March as <a href="https://www.washingtonwine.org/winemonth">Taste Washington Wine Month</a>,
an annual month-long celebration of Washington State’s award winning wine
industry, we get eager with anticipation of what’s coming up soon. <a href="http://tastewashington.org/">Taste Washington</a>, the nation’s largest single-region
wine and food event, celebrates its 20<sup>th</sup> Anniversary in 2017 with four
days of wine, culinary delights, and education. With so much packed into such a
short period, it gets difficult to choose what to attend (or just opt for the <a href="http://tastewashington.org/event/the-connoisseur/">Connoisseur</a> pass and attend all of the signature events!). But I’m here to give you a
little insight into what will be happening for this year’s multi-day event so
you can make your choices with ease.</div>
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<b>Red & White Party<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Get the party started with the <a href="http://tastewashington.org/red-white-party-2017/">Red & White Party</a>,
held Thursday March 23rd from 7-10pm at <a href="http://elgaucho.com/dine/aqua/">AQUA by El Gaucho</a> overlooking the beautiful Seattle waterfront. This elegant affair features top
Washington winemakers pouring only their most coveted bottles. Don your red and
white best and enjoy bites and pours exclusively available at the Red & White Party – you won’t find these wines anywhere else at Taste Washington.
Tickets to this elite event are $175 and can be purchased <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/2384">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Taste Washington on
the Farm<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42WzBwmcJbC3M6NccYeiQCiqYRt7oWMAUSGD1xRiROG_I607nmuq0THbawMa8B8xs8U0-LjGxC7HBNjQIvoyF_jadc6poo-Q-DwPtwWWZM5zkOrkNCqVxzcZBAMikni4mQ18KuOYJT8c/s1600/WebsiteHeaders_OnTheFarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42WzBwmcJbC3M6NccYeiQCiqYRt7oWMAUSGD1xRiROG_I607nmuq0THbawMa8B8xs8U0-LjGxC7HBNjQIvoyF_jadc6poo-Q-DwPtwWWZM5zkOrkNCqVxzcZBAMikni4mQ18KuOYJT8c/s320/WebsiteHeaders_OnTheFarm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On Friday March 24<sup>th</sup>, head out of the city and
<a href="http://tastewashington.org/taste-washington-on-the-farm/">out to the farm</a>, and
explore the region’s beautiful products alongside local chefs, winemakers and
farmers. Each unique excursion will pair a farmer with a chef and
Washington winemakers. You’ll tour the property, then hear directly from chefs
and winemakers as they serve you lunch made from the farm’s products and paired
with Washington wines. While one of the experiences is already sold out
(you can get on the waitlist), don’t miss the other and get your <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/2385">tickets</a> to learn more about Seattle’s vibrant farm-to-table dining scene.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The New Vintage<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmHsyVdT16KsJLi-msxJQxNUG4y2-8Qgjlv47Wa6LksA0gMKZ3gIVjCAIMmQwRyHGoTcZ4S4nWMV88nh2DnBMql9-9QYLOMPX0ZTkEN7GH-n6CrhI9jbLVf5LLkBrVHhOjPPdymN2VgQ/s1600/TasteSlideshow_TheNewVintage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmHsyVdT16KsJLi-msxJQxNUG4y2-8Qgjlv47Wa6LksA0gMKZ3gIVjCAIMmQwRyHGoTcZ4S4nWMV88nh2DnBMql9-9QYLOMPX0ZTkEN7GH-n6CrhI9jbLVf5LLkBrVHhOjPPdymN2VgQ/s320/TasteSlideshow_TheNewVintage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://tastewashington.org/the-new-vintage/">The New Vintage</a> is back in action on Friday evening March 24<sup>th</sup> from 7-10pm at the <a href="http://www.fourseasons.com/seattle/">Four Seasons Hotel Seattle</a>.
What has quickly become a “see and be seen” event, this stylish party has an
amazing winery line-up and a host of featured chefs who will serve up some
delectable dishes as you dance the night away. The event even has a popular Rosé
Lounge, where you can sip on glasses of pink to your heart’s content. This
event sold out in 2016, so act quickly to secure your $75 <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/2386">ticket</a> to this trendy event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Taste & Savor
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New this year are the <a href="http://tastewashington.org/taste-savor-tour/">Taste & Savor Tours</a>, held both Saturday the 25<sup>th</sup> and Sunday the 26<sup>th</sup> at 8:30am and 9am each day (prior to the start of the seminars). Taste Washington is
partnering up with <a href="https://www.savorseattletours.com/">Savor Seattle</a> to bring you an extra special morning food
tour of Pike Place Market. Get early access to this Seattle icon on our Taste
& Savor Tour, exclusively available during Taste Washington. Nibble
on breakfast treats like biscuits and maple-bacon doughnuts, catch a fish at
the famous Pike Place Fish stand, and discover hidden gems even locals don’t
know about. You can get your <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/d/2393">tour tickets here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Seminars<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The <a href="http://tastewashington.org/seminars-2017/">Taste Washington Seminars</a>,
held on Saturday and Sunday March 25<sup>th</sup> and 26<sup>th</sup> at the
Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, are one of my favorite aspects of the event. I love
wine and I love learning about the wine I’m drinking (while drinking said
wine!). Learn from top winemakers, Master Sommeliers and national wine
personalities at these engaging seminars, which explore what makes Washington
State a world-class winegrowing region. This year’s seminar line-up is
truly wonderful, which some very well-known names making an appearance. With
three sessions on both Saturday and Sunday, you are sure to find the seminar
that’s right for you. From tastings to interactive panels, seminars are
entertaining, enlightening and in high demand. Get your <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/2387">Saturday</a> and <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/2388">Sunday</a> seminar tickets before they sell out!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Grand Tasting<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Taste Washington wouldn’t be complete without a tasting so
big you can’t even attempt to try everything in two days. This year’s <a href="http://tastewashington.org/grand-tasting-2016/">Grand Tasting</a> has an extra half hour
of tasting time, and will be held on Saturday March 25th and Sunday March 26th
from 1-5:30pm (VIP) and from 2-5:30pm (General Admission). This two-day tasting
event gathers over 235 Washington wineries, 65 top restaurants, renowned local
and national chefs, and more. For a more intimate and comfortable
tasting experience, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® cardholders are invited to
the exclusive VIP lounge at the Grand Tasting featuring Washington winemakers
and delicious bites. The <a href="http://tastewashington.org/chef-stage/">Alaska Mileage Plan Chef’s Stage</a> features top local and national chefs cooking live on-site in a
state-of-the-art kitchen built right on the Taste Washington show floor. Check
out the list of <a href="http://tastewashington.org/wineries-2017/">wineries</a> pouring at the event, as well as <a href="http://tastewashington.org/restaurants-2017/">restaurants</a> serving up tasty bites.
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<a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/Taste-Washington-tickets/artist/851203?tm_link=edp_Artist_Image">Grand Tasting ticket</a> prices are as follows: two-day VIP passes are $210 and two-day general
admission passes are $145, single-day VIP passes are $165 and single-day
general admission passes are $95, VIP passes include an extra hour of tasting,
a VIP swag bag and access to VIP Barrel Room presented by Muckleshoot Casino.
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And there you have it. All of the amazingness to come in the
2017 Taste Washington celebration wrapped up in one nice neat little blog post.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the new wines I will get to try at
this year’s Grand Tasting. As I have mapped out my game-plan for the Grand
Tasting the past few years (and you MUST have a game-plan. Or else you get the
same overwhelming feeling you get when you go into Costco without a list..) I
have made a point to select wineries that I may have never heard of before.
This has helped me try A LOT of new wines every year and I have discovered some
amazing ones. I highly recommend this approach if you are someone like me who
has tried a lot of different Washington wine and want to force yourself away
from the tried and true ones you already know are good. So get your tickets to
any or all of the Taste Washington events, and I look forward to sharing some
tastes with you! Cheers!</div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-27423408063415508392017-03-04T18:02:00.000-08:002017-03-04T18:02:05.020-08:00Another Year of Great Experiences at the Seattle Wine & Food Experience Grand Tasting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The 9<sup>th</sup> year of the <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/">Seattle Wine & Food Experience</a> (SWFE) was a huge success, a three-day weekend extravaganza that
wrapped up with the Grand Tasting at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. This year’s
Grand Tasting was a blast. In Seattle Magazine’s first year at the helm, we saw
a different layout and very diverse offerings in the world of wine, beer, cider
and spirits. So many options, so little time… but may I present a few of the
stops I made that stood out at this year’s Grand Tasting.</div>
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<b>SAVOR San Luis Obispo
County Tourism Experience</b></div>
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The SLO CAL booth was one of my favorite experiences of the
event, and I made several trips back to the area throughout the afternoon. We
started our media tour here as well prior to the event, so we were able to talk
to the reps in more detail about the <a href="http://www.visitsanluisobispocounty.com/savor">SAVOR tour</a> they have been doing to promote
the SLO region. The SLO region on the Central Coast of California is home to a
myriad of wineries, many just a short distance from the coast. With an
abundance of trails and other outdoor activities also present in the same area,
it makes for quite the destination for a getaway adventure. Even more exciting is
that Alaska Airlines is beginning a non-stop service from Seattle to San Luis
Obispo on April 13<sup>th</sup>! This means WA Wine lovers will have even
easier access to another of California’s wine regions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd-pJ_WJmvmvUKf2f3I9OfXwW32y6PALBHj3jpaJbXEkKp7pfGFfQpAPBsq1r86Vt2MoU6GQ0lpppE8toHS-DPr-m8tHMv2wW8hnnFyKbd8IQYM71rgkFATog12oNrUgMpzhjP8yjp78/s1600/IMG_20170226_121023_074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd-pJ_WJmvmvUKf2f3I9OfXwW32y6PALBHj3jpaJbXEkKp7pfGFfQpAPBsq1r86Vt2MoU6GQ0lpppE8toHS-DPr-m8tHMv2wW8hnnFyKbd8IQYM71rgkFATog12oNrUgMpzhjP8yjp78/s320/IMG_20170226_121023_074.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The SLO CAL experience at SWFE contained several wineries, a
brewery, and a few delicious offerings from area businesses. The <a href="http://www.brownbuttercookies.com/">Brown Butter Cookie Company</a> may have gotten me hooked on what will now be my favorite cookies. WOW. They
had the original and cocoa options available at SWFE and I was delighted to
bring some home also. <a href="http://www.pasolivo.com/">Pasolivo Olive Oil</a> had another
one of my favorite booths. The friendly gals at that table took us through a
tasting of their various flavors of olive oil (all locally sourced and produced
on their property) and paired the oils with several seasonings they had as
well. I loved the opportunity to try so many different flavor offerings!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The wines of the SLO CAL experience were also quite tasty.
Some favorites came from <a href="http://www.opolo.com/">Opolo Vineyards</a>, who had quite
the extensive line-up (they make a ton of different wines!). I really enjoyed
the 2015 Viognier. <a href="http://www.roberthallwinery.com/">Robert Hall Winery</a> also
had some great offerings, with my favorite from them being the 2015 Cuvée
de Robles, a wonderful red blend from the Paso Robles wine region.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGzy-91ydxZo2ECOvbsjVhc_VXsZ7bRa5obG-NLrjqAuRcycsM1nhSwyln9kb2wTGnkp8J_WFAT-BHc-OtUxgNc6R5r0ReaghP2NrYJ2mXb_FL2ea4d0KGJLmlRhIQmQOMNJstasF23E/s1600/20170226_142248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGzy-91ydxZo2ECOvbsjVhc_VXsZ7bRa5obG-NLrjqAuRcycsM1nhSwyln9kb2wTGnkp8J_WFAT-BHc-OtUxgNc6R5r0ReaghP2NrYJ2mXb_FL2ea4d0KGJLmlRhIQmQOMNJstasF23E/s320/20170226_142248.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opolo Vineyards 2015 Viognier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rxm6286XqC5f649ejOWO5vzb9Im9RjPw2E3pfXko3SZzApgj1OMad6GD0nvGdPlJL5VSUIv7oilPD3o3h-WYgBQq0W1jjLqrI5oVIf72uEqlCFhMlhO4BJdz6WmElSh7y9ALpyxXWCg/s1600/20170226_140738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rxm6286XqC5f649ejOWO5vzb9Im9RjPw2E3pfXko3SZzApgj1OMad6GD0nvGdPlJL5VSUIv7oilPD3o3h-WYgBQq0W1jjLqrI5oVIf72uEqlCFhMlhO4BJdz6WmElSh7y9ALpyxXWCg/s320/20170226_140738.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Hall Winery 2015 Cuvée de Robles</td></tr>
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<b>Yakima Valley Tourism
Craft Food & Beverage<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Back this year was the <a href="http://www.visityakima.com/">Yakima Valley Tourism</a> featured
region! The Yakima Valley contains five unique AVA’s, comprising over 17,000
acres of vineyards. The area grows over half of all of Washington’s wine
grapes! Another fun fact of the area is that they also produce over 75% of the
U.S. hop crop, and are now recognized as the most important hop-growing region
in the entire world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were able to try several wines from <a href="http://nhvines.com/">Naches Heights Vineyards</a> as well as
beer from <a href="https://www.balebreaker.com/">Bale Breaker Brewing</a>,
both which paired well with the AMAZING tamales from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Los-Hernandez-Tamales-111478705541635/">Los Hernandez Tamales</a>.
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<b>The Sweet Suite<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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What was surely everyone’s favorite destination at SWFE,
this year all of the desert offerings were grouped into one “experience” area.
We enjoyed doughnuts from <a href="http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/">Top Pot</a>, ice cream and beer floats (yes, beer floats, they were amazing) from <a href="http://www.benjerry.com/">Ben & Jerry’s</a> and <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/Beer/home">New Belgium Brewing</a>, and more ice cream from <a href="http://www.snoqualmieicecream.com/">Snoqualmie Ice Cream</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWwb0Nyqf0wDnPTx6ko64zy5K_S2A4L0PnY_HhsONH4vPhzYLA-DCd-km8zHsB5KHlCiH-68GJWk-cmxA0xXu3zIPFEavOH__1BV0zMYAVQESlVQshUUw867sh9kxpwmDNfFW1UMMQzY/s1600/IMG_20170226_115816_573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWwb0Nyqf0wDnPTx6ko64zy5K_S2A4L0PnY_HhsONH4vPhzYLA-DCd-km8zHsB5KHlCiH-68GJWk-cmxA0xXu3zIPFEavOH__1BV0zMYAVQESlVQshUUw867sh9kxpwmDNfFW1UMMQzY/s320/IMG_20170226_115816_573.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Washington Wine<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I always make an effort to try some new things at these
large events, as I can get too accustomed to just going to the wineries I know
I enjoy. So I made sure to stop by some places I hadn’t tried before, and one
of the gems I discovered was <a href="http://www.henryearlwines.com/">Henry Earl Estates</a> a
Walla Walla winery. I really enjoyed their 2012 unoaked Chardonnay, and it made
me long for warmer days as most of the crisp whites and roses at these events
tend to. I need to get myself out to Walla Walla again (it’s been years, need
to change that) and visit the winery to try some more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP9fAq5ozti9hSwJoJHZRKVPvCyDT0j5VdPkbFVsDSwgJ2qsK5en_g8NU63Lbx_vt1h3m7Kdv1Qn-moY6OfvS-GhQck8Ijn4bHh1HUSI5hZNuamt7SYviLtTJz7rD9T6UmKVvJsFZrcc/s1600/20170226_151931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP9fAq5ozti9hSwJoJHZRKVPvCyDT0j5VdPkbFVsDSwgJ2qsK5en_g8NU63Lbx_vt1h3m7Kdv1Qn-moY6OfvS-GhQck8Ijn4bHh1HUSI5hZNuamt7SYviLtTJz7rD9T6UmKVvJsFZrcc/s320/20170226_151931.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Earl Estates 2012 Chardonnay</td></tr>
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I also found the <a href="http://www.barnardgriffin.com/">Barnard Griffin Winery</a> 2016
Rose of Sangiovese, a wine that I had enjoyed vintages and vintages ago but had
not tried in the past few years. I love that I get to start stocking my wine
rack with roses soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdShMXR_7gAw4MKRyF8a38cLObpraTfDuLUK0uLOMySgYZ4CeTNvkjBqhxoqHMBZGfQb903xW0_7FArQ_9yL6hqMXcf6CZnvjISo3cUGjGA8p7sC9khN9HHknxaC4LlSPCwmOXJ7lQtl0/s1600/20170226_163745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdShMXR_7gAw4MKRyF8a38cLObpraTfDuLUK0uLOMySgYZ4CeTNvkjBqhxoqHMBZGfQb903xW0_7FArQ_9yL6hqMXcf6CZnvjISo3cUGjGA8p7sC9khN9HHknxaC4LlSPCwmOXJ7lQtl0/s320/20170226_163745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barnard Griffin Wines</td></tr>
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Some other great stops were <a href="http://www.ninehatswines.com/">Nine Hats Wines</a>, <a href="https://www.pearlandstonewine.com/">Pearl and Stone Wine Co.</a>, <a href="http://www.trevericellars.com/">Treveri Cellars</a>,
and <a href="http://www.charlessmithwines.com/">Charles Smith Wines</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love attending SWFE every year, since I’m able to try so
many new things. It’s been so fun watching this even evolve over the past
several years and I’m so happy for the success and the growth it’s had! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Look for another post coming from a Sips & the City contributing
writer, Marla, about the food of SWFE!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-32315405338454765112017-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:002017-01-09T19:59:26.616-08:00Upcoming Event: 2017 Seattle Wine and Food Experience Weekend - February 24th - 26th, 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObXG30dD6Si8yjwXFw7RciwHPayJFhbXnqEKDsu_DRePDPlVVWwR-tRkI6-VyGDfFgchVmelTN3LfDI8CoLalaEzzoEdkG9Qhem7kp7CgChvsyFguPKdadyUPPwIHx7jzLfrHcRQ34Y/s1600/SWFE-SavetheDate-236x162-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObXG30dD6Si8yjwXFw7RciwHPayJFhbXnqEKDsu_DRePDPlVVWwR-tRkI6-VyGDfFgchVmelTN3LfDI8CoLalaEzzoEdkG9Qhem7kp7CgChvsyFguPKdadyUPPwIHx7jzLfrHcRQ34Y/s320/SWFE-SavetheDate-236x162-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2017 is off to a great start and what better way to kick off
the year than to start talking about this year’s delectable food and wine
events that are coming up. The 2017<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/">Seattle Wine and Food
Experience</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(SWFE)
has grown this year into a 3-day festival, offering a full spectrum of
Seattle’s culinary and craft beverage scene. Founded in 2009, SWFE has exploded
into a premier event that is not to be missed. Under <i><a href="http://www.seattlemag.com/">Seattle</a></i> magazine’s new ownership, the footprint of
the event is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> growing to
reach a wider audience and showcase the city through its incredible
food and beverage scene. Each event “experience” is vastly different, so you
can attend the one that fits your palate, or make a weekend of it and attend
all three.<br />
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<o:p> </o:p><b>POP! Bubbles & Seafood</b></div>
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The SWFE extravaganza kicks off from 6-9pm Friday night
February 24<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at the beautiful McCaw Hall with the 3<sup>rd</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>annual<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop-bubbles-seafood/">POP!
Bubbles & Seafood</a>. Presented by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.tulalipresortcasino.com/">Tulalip Resort Casino</a>, this
event features:<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<li>30+ sparkling wines from around the world & reserve red
wines</li>
<li>20 of Seattle’s best chefs</li>
<li>Oyster Bars featuring<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/">Taylor Shellfish</a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.hamahamaoysters.com/">Hama Hama Oysters</a> and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.saltedseaseattle.com/">Salted Sea</a></li>
<li>Specialty Cocktails & Beer</li>
<li><a href="http://www.callebaut.com/usen/finestbelgianchocolate">Callebaut Belgium
Chocolate</a> Lounge</li>
<li><a href="http://dubreezyentertainment.com/">DJ Dubreezy</a> Tunes</li>
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POP! has been an elusive event for me that I have not yet had
the privilege of attending for one reason or another, and this year will be
much of the same! Since I will be on an airplane flying back to WA while this
amazing event is going on, please go and drink extra bubbly for me! Tickets for
POP! are $85 and can be<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://on.spingo.com/e/seattle_wine_and_food_experience">purchased here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Comfort</b></div>
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SWFE’s newest addition is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/comfort/">Comfort</a>, which is
being held 5-8pm on Saturday evening February 25th at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://fremontfoundry.com/">Fremont Foundry</a>. Presented by Tulalip
Resort Casino, Comfort offers some of Seattle’s best feel-good foods and crafty
brews from mac and cheese to fried chicken, beer, cider, hot toddies and more.
There will be<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="fontstyle01">more than 50 craft beers, ciders, bubbly and more to quench
your thirst between tasty bites</span>. This new event features:<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<li>Gastropubs, taverns, burger joints and more</li>
<li>Beer and Cider from around the Pacific Northwest</li>
<li><a href="http://www.potatoes.com/">Washington Potato
Commission</a> Fry Bar</li>
<li>Bloody Mary bar featuring<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.bakonvodka.com/">Bakon
Vodk</a></li>
<li>Milk and Cookies Bar</li>
<li>Hot Toddy Bar sponsored by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://perfectpourseattle.com/">Perfect
Pour Seattle</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bradenlandon.com/">DJ Braden Landon</a></li>
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<u1:p> </u1:p>This event definitely caters to a different crowd than POP!,
which is why it’s amazing! It’s a great addition to the SWFE line-up and sounds
like it will be simply delicious. Tickets for Comfort are $55 and can be<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://on.spingo.com/e/seattle_wine_and_food_experience">found here</a>.</div>
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<b>The Seattle Wine and Food Experience Grand Tasting</b></div>
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Last but certainly not least in this delicious weekend is the<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/grand-tasting/">SWFE Grand
Tasting</a>, which returns Sunday February 26th, 2017 to the Seattle Center
Exhibition Hall. The Grand Tasting is a deluxe showcase for wine,
beverage, food and lifestyle in the Northwest. Wines from the Northwest and
beyond are featured along with local and regional beer, cider and
spirits. Why should you attend the SWFE Grand Tasting? Here’s just a
glimpse:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>More than 500 wines, plus tastes from
distilleries, beer and cider</li>
<li>Fare from 25 local chefs and 25
specialty food makers</li>
<li>Explore the<span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="http://www.celebritycruises.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Celebrity</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Modern Luxury Lounge
for a chance to win a cruise!</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.visityakima.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Yakima
Valley</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Craft Food and Beverage Exhibit</span></li>
<li>The Savor Experience from<span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="http://www.visitsanluisobispocounty.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">San Luis Obispo County</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li>The Sweet Suite–Indulge to your
hearts content</li>
<li>The “Pearls” of<span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="https://www.smwe.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ste. Michelle Wine Estates</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> with wines
from Canon 13, Intrinsic, Mamma Mia and more</span></li>
<li>Taste from<span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="http://www.nickyusa.com/nicky-farms" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nicky Farms</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> exotic meats,</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="http://www.heritagemeatswa.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Heritage Meats</a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Butchery
Block and Sustainable Alaska Seafood</span></li>
<li>Like what you’re tasting? You can
buy your favorite wine, beer, cider and spirits from the QFC product store
benefiting<span class="apple-converted-space" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><a href="http://www.lesdamesseattle.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Les Dames d’Escoffier</a></li>
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The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/drinks/">drinks</a> and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/restaurants-2/">eats</a> are
impressive and if you are feeling like the $70 General Admission session from
1pm – 5pm just isn’t enough time for you to try them all, up your tasting game
with a VIP ticket! This $90 ticket comes with an extra hour of tasting and a
swanky VIP swag bag. That extra hour from 12-1pm when the crowds are thinner
has always been my favorite time at the event. You get more one on one with the
wineries to learn a bit more about the wine and the most popular food items
don’t get have lines! VIP is definitely worth the cost! Find your<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://on.spingo.com/e/seattle_wine_and_food_experience">ticket options
here</a>.</div>
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If you’re feeling adventurous, the Seattle Wine and Food
Experience is offering a Weekend Pass package for $220, which includes tickets
to POP!, Comfort, and a VIP pass to the Grand Tasting (a $10 savings if you do
all three events!).</div>
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But wait, there’s more! Because this event is just so
wonderful and I don’t want you to miss out on it, Sips & the City is giving
away a pair of tickets to this year’s Seattle Wine and Food Experience Grand
Tasting! To enter, post a comment below with what you are most excited about at
this year’s SWFE. Is it the food? The wine? The spirits? Just let me know what
it is and you’re entered, it’s as easy as that! Winner will be drawn at random
from all entries received this Friday January 13<sup>th</sup> (who says
it’s an unlucky day?). Please make sure to leave your email address (you don’t
have to post it publicly) so I can contact you if you win. Good luck and happy
tasting! See you at the 2017 Seattle Wine and Food Experience!<o:p></o:p></div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-79653863695537010692016-11-06T10:06:00.001-08:002016-11-06T10:06:07.516-08:00Upcoming Event: 1st Annual Holiday Wine Fest - Nov 12th & 13th, 2016 - Seattle Center Exhibition Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0povpS_wTDJ1t-HO6nsjUjGQComtXdVSogLPyifglvh3q5laS1U-NOWTzy1iQaVqLIg6anpLY-etA99SZNz7eG8JKmfSHXehPba5szu_ba-GEQpbjmkWMWAQbl4bqkuwbDeSr5dw7Gk/s1600/Holiday-Wine-Fest-Horizontal-x45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0povpS_wTDJ1t-HO6nsjUjGQComtXdVSogLPyifglvh3q5laS1U-NOWTzy1iQaVqLIg6anpLY-etA99SZNz7eG8JKmfSHXehPba5szu_ba-GEQpbjmkWMWAQbl4bqkuwbDeSr5dw7Gk/s320/Holiday-Wine-Fest-Horizontal-x45.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
holidays are just about upon us and what better way to celebrate than toasting
to the season with some amazing wine? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The 1st Annual </span><a href="https://holidaywinefest.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Holiday Wine Fest</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">a Global Celebration of Wine will be held
Saturday and Sunday November 12th and 13th at the Seattle Center Exhibition
Hall. This all-day Saturday and Sunday event features a world-class line-up of
local, regional, national and international wines, ciders, spirits, gourmet
cuisine and artisan vendors. With half the offerings from Washington and
the other half international, you’re sure to find a new favorite to share at
the Thanksgiving table and the plethora of Christmas parties that are coming
up! The event will be held over three sessions, with two on Saturday the 12th and
one on Sunday the 13th. You will also have the opportunity to purchase your
favorite new wine, cider or spirit at the event and take it home with you!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Festival Tasting Sessions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span data-term="goog_494164115" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday,
Nov. 12: Noon – 4pm ($40 admission)<br />
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<span data-term="goog_494164115" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_494164117" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday, Nov. 12: 5pm – 9pm ($45 admission)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-term="goog_494164115" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_494164117" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_494164119" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday, Nov. 13: Noon – 4pm ($40
admission)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For an
entire list (and it’s a long one!) of the local and international wineries,
cideries, breweries and distilleries pouring at the event, visit the </span><a href="https://holidaywinefest.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">event website</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.
This event benefits </span><a href="https://www.cityfruit.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">City Fruit</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which promotes the cultivation of urban fruit
in order to nourish people, build community, and protect the climate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To
purchase tickets, </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-holiday-wine-fest-celebrating-the-world-of-wine-tickets-26958730288" style="font-family: inherit;">click here</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.
Tickets include unlimited wine, cider, beer, and spirits tasting, a
tasting glass, culinary samples and artisan shopping.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Come
celebrate the world of wine November 12th & 13th at the inaugural Holiday
Wine Fest!</span><br />
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-7641955531776244252016-06-01T20:44:00.000-07:002016-06-01T20:44:47.326-07:00Rosé is Here to Stay!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It’s go time on summer and with that comes our shift to the “warm
weather wines”! I don’t know about you, but I generally don’t touch red wine in
the warm summer months since I want something that is refreshing and cold when the
temperature outside starts to soar. Rosé has come mainstream lately, as
it most certainly should. It took a bit of pushing though, as too many people
looked at pink wine and were transported back to the White Zins and cheap blush
wines their moms and grandmothers drank for so many years. I am here to tell
you that today’s rosé has evolved greatly from those! Rosé is
made just like every other wine, but the grape skins are only left in contact
with the juice for a short time, rather than throughout fermentation like with
a red wine. The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice and
depending on the grape used, the darker the color of the rosé, which is
why you will see all the colors of the pink rainbow when it comes to rosés
(which is one of the reasons I love this type of wine!). Essentially, you can
make pretty much any red grape varietal into a rosé. Many wineries even blend
different varietals for their final product. The fun that winemakers have been
having creating these wines is what makes the Washington rosé scene so
amazing! While there are way too many to even try to compile in one post, here
are several that I have come across this spring through my tasting adventures
locally and in Eastern Washington!</div>
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<b><a href="http://new.laurenashtoncellars.com/">Lauren Ashton Cellars</a> 2015 Rosé</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvRJVpnOcNLNnm_hsRHoxLWc15Ldj3NkSzfOOZOtvpFZxQ8pjo1bMs17PKEKrOUID_spw7IbzHgxYT_9wiuNddQNd43kwnzGxGumtOBVEhSBJBPyF7DeMchvZiTlJuIxotJoEQgieo0E/s1600/IMG_20160601_180446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvRJVpnOcNLNnm_hsRHoxLWc15Ldj3NkSzfOOZOtvpFZxQ8pjo1bMs17PKEKrOUID_spw7IbzHgxYT_9wiuNddQNd43kwnzGxGumtOBVEhSBJBPyF7DeMchvZiTlJuIxotJoEQgieo0E/s320/IMG_20160601_180446.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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This lovely wine is 50% Grenache and 50% Mouvedre and is
just beautiful in color. Tons of strawberry fun awaits you and it has a cool
and crisp finish. Their tasting room is beautiful and we had the best time when
we visited there quite awhile back. I wasn’t able to make the release party for
this amazing rosé, so special thanks to the winery for sharing this
bottle with me so that I could share it with you! This is definitely one to
pick up for summer BBQs and warm nights.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.kionawine.com/">Kiona Vineyards</a> 2015 Red Mountain Rosé</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRErU4PSIvYGw6E9QS-IzRvmpF3alWzLPAT7XbMIJ6S0R7xUMWmFBP7FyTviuRfjDFkfPoteg8x37Uw0oO7HWCPuueouK_bjTr8onGOFg8A3jU6eCTLOk3xhtvmKyYo2bsA9Iq2vEf5eQ/s1600/IMG_20160528_145151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRErU4PSIvYGw6E9QS-IzRvmpF3alWzLPAT7XbMIJ6S0R7xUMWmFBP7FyTviuRfjDFkfPoteg8x37Uw0oO7HWCPuueouK_bjTr8onGOFg8A3jU6eCTLOk3xhtvmKyYo2bsA9Iq2vEf5eQ/s320/IMG_20160528_145151.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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The Kiona rosé does not disappoint year after year. I
usually always try to find a bottle of it, and this year was no exception. We visited
the winery during Pre-Spring Barrel back in April and I made sure to snag two bottles
for my summer time collection. This is an estate Sangiovese, which is always a
fun grape to have for rosé. This is another that has an exquisite color
and they only made 150 cases of it this year, so my guess is that it’s long gone
by now. If you can’t snag any in any of the stores they distribute to, then
make sure to get set to grab a bottle next spring!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.airfieldwines.com/">Airfield Estates</a> 2015 Yakima
Valley Rosé</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno9IwEQBNLSZomaJnC5vtBX7JZkyApyDaexULMZCddW1dcD4Hfz1N0OBbqRdYvKeEzEZZDKLzF0nyiI72ixnyOYiL2ecEDDYpT7p7v03lI0mSpHOmT-mHS-dNLQotaY9qq6780A8zYLQ/s1600/IMG_20160429_185429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno9IwEQBNLSZomaJnC5vtBX7JZkyApyDaexULMZCddW1dcD4Hfz1N0OBbqRdYvKeEzEZZDKLzF0nyiI72ixnyOYiL2ecEDDYpT7p7v03lI0mSpHOmT-mHS-dNLQotaY9qq6780A8zYLQ/s320/IMG_20160429_185429.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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Another rosé of Sangiovese! This was our first stop
during our Pre-Spring Barrel tasting in Eastern Washington, and I couldn’t get
enough of this wine. What’s really fun is the difference in color between this
one and the Kiona one, even though they are both made from the same grape.
There is so much creativity that can go into how long a winemaker chooses to
leave the skins with the juice, so the wines can come out very different even
when using the same grape. I really wish I would have scooped up more of this
one at the winery, hopefully I can find it locally!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.hamiltoncellars.com/">Hamilton Cellars</a> 2012 Rosé of Malbec</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVJ35K0oPeQUWg0XrimyTOqbCS9QCi9rpH7X6WQTb8Sp120GDBthKUzNbPCyyeekPMqNcpk1_QCbxUnK5gNGUJ6iPgTT4hlL-pomRxQ1ubXH0z8A7fIPpuJfse61fxgW_-jb6En4vzo4/s1600/IMG_20160416_153015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVJ35K0oPeQUWg0XrimyTOqbCS9QCi9rpH7X6WQTb8Sp120GDBthKUzNbPCyyeekPMqNcpk1_QCbxUnK5gNGUJ6iPgTT4hlL-pomRxQ1ubXH0z8A7fIPpuJfse61fxgW_-jb6En4vzo4/s320/IMG_20160416_153015.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
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I made my first visit to Hamilton Cellars during Pre-Spring Barrel,
and was very impressed! The facility is brand new as of 2014 and is the only
Net Zero solar winery in Washington! Since they planted in their property, they
will have all estate red wines starting with the 2017 vintage, which is very
exciting! We tasted many older vintages of wines at our visit, including this Rosé.
I really enjoyed both this Rosé of Malbec and also their 100% Malbec as
well. The rosé is darker in color and a hint spicier than the others I
tried, which made it stand out!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.terrablanca.com/">Terra Blanca</a> 2015 Arch Terrace Red
Mountain Rosé</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRghJbiwAPFmX0r_wfaQTvjBZvSyELNgBdev_SpDRCx1NtLgp_NPVUydQYO0lqCOF2DWcdOXq5354YqIWDQSAP5j1iW_t_vHcEb7TljrcXBFVpU_R-zHsQZMPpEaJLtwtPDpKLG1RHWJA/s1600/IMG_20160416_164917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRghJbiwAPFmX0r_wfaQTvjBZvSyELNgBdev_SpDRCx1NtLgp_NPVUydQYO0lqCOF2DWcdOXq5354YqIWDQSAP5j1iW_t_vHcEb7TljrcXBFVpU_R-zHsQZMPpEaJLtwtPDpKLG1RHWJA/s320/IMG_20160416_164917.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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Terra Blanca is known for being a winery that makes just
about every type of wine (their tasting menu is impressive!) and has a beautiful
facility on Red Mountain. The Arch Terrace Rosé is a blend of Sangiovese
and Cabernet Franc. It’s lively and fun and sure to be a summer time favorite.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Washington wineries put out a plethora of rosés so
you are always guaranteed quite the selection at your local wine store. So the
next time you find yourself wondering what wine goes with your evening (or day,
c’mon, I don’t judge), there’s only one thing to remember: Drink Pink!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><o:p>What's your favorite Washington </o:p>rosé? Share in the comments here or on twitter @tarynmiller!</i></div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-73941068233560341692016-04-06T21:13:00.000-07:002016-04-06T21:13:44.827-07:00The Delights and New Finds of Taste Washington 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I attended this year’s </span><a href="http://tastewashington.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Taste Washington</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Grand Taste on
Sunday, which was a change from years past when we went for the Saturday
tasting. I will say, the lack of crowds on Sunday made it quite the enjoyable
experience! It was nice to have the ability to stop and chat with winemakers
and actually taste through several wines without feeling rushed to step out of
the way for the next person in line. It’s always a challenge to learn a lot
about what you’re tasting at busy events like this, but I had a great time this
year with the lesser Sunday crowd! As I have in the past few years, I made my
focus trying wines from wineries I either had never heard of, or just had not
had a chance to try yet. Boy oh boy did this work out in my favor as I found
several great Washington wines that I can’t wait to try more of! I always walk
into the Grand Taste with my go-to stops mapped out, so that I can make sure to
hit the ones I have identified in advance. I took that approach once again this
year, and managed to make it to many of the wineries and restaurants I had
mapped out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my favorite stops was at the new </span><a href="http://www.pearlandstonewine.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Pearl and Stone WineCo.</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/pearlandstone" style="font-family: inherit;">@pearlandstone</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">), a winery based in North Bend that was launched in
2013. They started with their 2014 Unemployment Beach Rosé and just released
their second vintage with their 2015 wine. The 2015 vintage is a 100% Cabernet
Franc Rosé from Two Blondes Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Their inaugural red
wine is their 2013 Wandering, a Bordeaux style blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon,
30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The grapes in this also
hail from Two Blondes in the Yakima Valley AVA! This is drinking amazing right
now! We also had the chance to try a taste of their new 2014 Wandering which
will release later this summer. They are open for tastings at their North Bend
tasting room on Saturdays from 12-4pm and I look forward to stopping in soon to
try the wines again (and perhaps get a chance to take some home!).</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearl and Stone Wine Co.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another fun new winery I came across was <a href="http://www.anewwine.com/">Anew Winery</a>,
a Ste Michelle Wine Estates winery from Paterson, WA. They were pouring their
three wines at Taste Washington, a 2014 Columbia Valley Pinot Grigio, a 2014
Columbia Valley Riesling, and a 2014 Columbia Valley Rosé, which is a blend of
83% Syrah and 17% Sangiovese. The wines were all reminiscent of summer in a
glass and made me long for sunny days (good thing we are getting some!). My friend
who was tasting with me commented that the wine bottles and labels were “so
cute!” which is SO fitting considering I had just gotten done chatting with the
winery rep pouring them for us about how the wines were created to appeal to a
target demographic (guess who?). I can say that they are on point, as we happen
to fit right into that demographic and we enjoyed the wines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWrqBQywsMrm5dMtuC88iTwuNKhZO6t1k_2kOCesE0UMD0iLaFDY-AWbLZLf6D2rCFc6zHjLo58H-pbPf7JTgSdrXPxQRNgzEFqllukhtV2Z9b_sRcmkzVnyvWlIDmm7TFmqFuCQFkig/s1600/20160403_140225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWrqBQywsMrm5dMtuC88iTwuNKhZO6t1k_2kOCesE0UMD0iLaFDY-AWbLZLf6D2rCFc6zHjLo58H-pbPf7JTgSdrXPxQRNgzEFqllukhtV2Z9b_sRcmkzVnyvWlIDmm7TFmqFuCQFkig/s320/20160403_140225.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anew Wines</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">More favorites from the event included the <a href="https://www.sevenhillswinery.com/">Seven Hills Winery</a> (twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/7hillswinery">@</a></span><a href="https://twitter.com/7hillswinery">7hillswinery</a>, instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/7hillswinery/">7hillswinery</a>) <span style="font-family: inherit;">2015 Columbia Valley Dry Rosé, the entire line-up
from <a href="http://savagegracewines.com/">Savage Grace Wines</a> (twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/savagegracewine">@savagegracewine</a>) <span style="font-family: inherit;">(a favorite once again; you
may remember my praise for them <a href="http://www.taryn-sipsandthecity.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-tried-and-true-and-new-and-notable.html">last year</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">),
and the 2015 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc and 2013 Columbia Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon from <a href="http://brownefamilyvineyards.com/">Browne Family Vineyards</a> (instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/brownefamilyvineyards/">brownefamilyvineyards</a>) <span style="font-family: inherit;">of
Walla Walla.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPsPBwml24HEQHMjo1MyRA_-V5YUTCF-Vk79nBnFTeviJDAvECMcwJhiWkkWhRJ4gturroM3y4S1CCE8CabzLXjfkxBU2nOKXLVmFw2dMRpGrRqlIoCDQ6vz2OgvLIiR6BuScfSHvRq0/s1600/20160403_151347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPsPBwml24HEQHMjo1MyRA_-V5YUTCF-Vk79nBnFTeviJDAvECMcwJhiWkkWhRJ4gturroM3y4S1CCE8CabzLXjfkxBU2nOKXLVmFw2dMRpGrRqlIoCDQ6vz2OgvLIiR6BuScfSHvRq0/s320/20160403_151347.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seven Hills Rose</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKJpbt7017FMvKX_lKUm4zlAn9JIa3Djq710881jU2bW5ZzZU9SwtOmbzxFU7wGcepGysja9s80Iq-UKYCsokdtPGQXYtOtDEDtykFXQr2WxpwDEoN2V2vlOIFhzH5qHhIRy8KKWyS_w/s1600/20160403_152317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKJpbt7017FMvKX_lKUm4zlAn9JIa3Djq710881jU2bW5ZzZU9SwtOmbzxFU7wGcepGysja9s80Iq-UKYCsokdtPGQXYtOtDEDtykFXQr2WxpwDEoN2V2vlOIFhzH5qHhIRy8KKWyS_w/s320/20160403_152317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savage Grace Wines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1I7sGcndnhubY__Gpn51JMaIr42wQClewbuGwR_dFsiG-X6nEo1wV50naMITcjCj57wazENiLy81oHpNBUM8AO_1-8zlbkrotWCNDdTq0srUih86O7Ug_nGIfjVNTBsoVfpfzZ1Yzbw/s1600/20160403_152323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1I7sGcndnhubY__Gpn51JMaIr42wQClewbuGwR_dFsiG-X6nEo1wV50naMITcjCj57wazENiLy81oHpNBUM8AO_1-8zlbkrotWCNDdTq0srUih86O7Ug_nGIfjVNTBsoVfpfzZ1Yzbw/s320/20160403_152323.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savage Grace Wines</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the end of the day we concluded that our upcoming trip to
Red Mountain for some tasting would include a few specific stops and that we
needed to plan a Walla Walla trip ASAP! Once again, Taste Washington provided the
opportunity to try both new wines and those that you don’t often get a chance
to enjoy (the </span><a href="http://www.betzfamilywinery.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Betz</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> line-up was also fantastic
and my chat with Bob Betz himself was delightful). I love this event every year
for that very reason. You don’t attend Taste Washington to try every wine in
the room or just sample wines from wineries you know. You attend it to have the
opportunity to try new things and find new favorites! It was another fantastic
event from the </span><a href="https://www.washingtonwine.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Washington State Wine Commission</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and
</span><a href="http://www.visitseattle.org/" style="font-family: inherit;">Visit Seattle</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">!</span></div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-44246390539850585552016-03-14T21:56:00.001-07:002016-03-14T21:56:05.986-07:00Upcoming Event: Taste Washington 2016 - March 31st - April 3rd - Various Locations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://tastewashington.org/">Taste Washington</a> (Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/tastewashington">@TasteWashington</a>), the nation’s largest single region food and wine
event, is back in action from March 31<sup>st</sup> to April 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2016. As always, there are a multitude of events to please your palate, culminating with
the Grand Taste on April 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup>. Here is your one-stop
shop for details on each of the various Taste Washington events and activities:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Red & White
Party – Thursday March 31<sup>st</sup> – AQUA by El Gaucho</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The elegant Red & White party is back for its 3<sup>rd</sup>
vintage and is once again held at AQUA by El Gaucho on the Seattle waterfront.
Guests are asked to don their best red and/or white attire and get to enjoy
pours of library wines, barrel samples and reserves. The food menu is prepared
by Executive Chef Wesley Hood and is designed to pair with the amazing wines
poured at the event. Tickets are $175 and can be <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/1791">found here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Taste Washington on
the Farm<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know about you, but I think of cows whenever I think
of Taste Washington on the farm. Maybe it has something to do with the cows on
the header photo for this portion of Taste Washington.. but I digress.. Taste
Washington on the Farm is back this year on April 1<sup>st</sup>, where guests
get to travel out to local farms and meet the people who create our area’s
amazing food and wine. Each opportunity will pair a local chef, Washington
winemaker and a Pacific NW farmer to show you behind the scenes and let you
experience some amazing food and wine. Two of three of this year’s options are
already sold out, so I hope you already secured your tickets! Ticket and event
information can be <a href="http://tastewashington.org/taste-washington-on-the-farm/">found here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The New Vintage<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the second year of The New Vintage in its new form,
now held on the Friday prior to the Grand Taste. Previously called 20something:
the new vintage, this stylish event caters to the young and hip, and showcases
Washington wine in the trendiest of ways. This year’s event is held at Motif
Seattle from 7-10pm on Friday April 1<sup>st</sup>. <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/1794">Get your tickets here</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Taste Washington
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The seminars are always such a fun way to get your learn on
and enjoy wine at the same time. They are held both Saturday and Sunday April 2<sup>nd</sup>
and 3<sup>rd</sup> from 10:30am-12pm (so you can attend prior to the Grand
Taste) and are in the conference rooms of the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel
Seattle. Each session covers a different topic and allows you to taste through
several wines. I have always enjoyed my time at any sort of wine seminar and the
Taste Washington seminars are extremely well done. <a href="http://tastewashington.org/seminars-2016/">Visit this page</a> for the seminar line-up ticket information. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Grand Taste<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Taste Washington Grand Taste is truly the head of the
class when it comes to offerings of wine events. You’ll find more wineries here
than any other event, and many that only pour for Taste Washington and no other
tasting events. I’ve said it in past years and I will say it again, this will
be overwhelming for you unless you plan your attack. A very helpful map is
provided each year that shows the location of all wineries and restaurants. I
always print it out and flip through the guide for the show in advance,
highlighting wineries that I want to try and restaurant options that look
appealing. This keeps me on track during the event, and while I may stray to
try other wines, I at least have a goal to get to the ones I have pre-selected.
There’s more wine at the Grand Taste than any person could ever dream of sampling
in 2 days (225 wineries worth), so do yourself a favor and make plan! You’ll
thank me later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Grand Taste is held Saturday April 2<sup>nd</sup> and
Sunday April 3<sup>rd</sup> at CenturyLink Field Events Center. A VIP ticket
($160 for one-day or $205 for both days) allows you access at 1pm (an hour
earlier than the masses), a swag bag, and access to the VIP barrel room. I
highly recommend VIP if you are someone who is interested in talking with the
wineries about what you are sampling. During this first VIP hour, the crowd is
significantly thinner and you have the opportunity to linger longer at the
winery tables to get a little more info about the wine. I always use that first
hour to hit all my “must try” wineries just for that very reason. No lines,
less crowds! It’s a win-win really. If VIP tickets aren’t in your budget, you
can still score general admission passes at $90 for a one-day pass and $140 for
both Saturday and Sunday. <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/Taste-Washington-tickets/artist/851203?tm_link=edp_Artist_Name">You can purchase all tickets here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There you have it! So many wine activities in just a few days that it's hard to decide which events to attend (or you could just go to all, that would be impressive!). Taste Washington is the premier event in Washington and you won't be </span>disappointed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in a choice to attend any of the fantastic events that are a part of it. So get your tickets today and I'll see you there!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-28765924314816600092016-02-28T15:08:00.000-08:002016-02-28T15:08:08.258-08:00The 2016 Seattle Wine & Food Experience is Another Hit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If you missed this year’s</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Seattle Wine & Food
Experience</a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(SWFE), you missed
out big! This year’s event was a hit, and guests left with extremely full
bellies and a list of new wine, beer, cider and spirits favorites. I personally
LOVED the food options at this year’s event. The restaurants certainly brought
their A-game and the food offerings were simply delightful. I also discovered a
new cidery and had the chance to try several offerings of my favorite type of
beverage: sparkling wine/champagne! In case you missed my Instagram feed at the
event (find me on Instagram: </span><a href="http://instagram.com/sipsandthecity" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">sipsandthecity</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">),
here are my favorites and finds from this year’s Seattle Wine & Food
Experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">Well, let’s start here since I am still
salivating over some of the thing I had at the event. My favorites this year
were of land and sea! My #1 was definitely the dish from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.dukeschowderhouse.com/">Duke’s Seafood & Chowder House</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> (Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/dukeschowder">@dukeschowder</a>). They served up
“Kickin’ wild Alaska salmon and organic potato prawn cakes drizzled with basil
citrus vinaigrette”. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the flavors of the
potato prawn cakes and vinaigrette came together beautifully. I sent many a
person to the Duke’s table throughout the event when they asked what was my
favorite so far!<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">My other favorite was from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.anthonys.com/restaurants/detail/budds-broiler">Budd’s Broiler</a>,
which is a new Anthony’s Restaurants steakhouse located adjacent to their
Columbia Point restaurant on the Columbia River in Richland, WA. Their offering
of “Shaking Beef: tenderloin of beef pan-seared with a sweet, soy glaze and
finished with a freshly squeezed lime juice” was AMAZING. I’m not going to lie,
I may have enjoyed this dish more than once… ssshh.. don’t tell! You added the
lime juice yourself after you picked up your plate, which made that flavor
fresh and forward, which paired amazing with the beef. I will most definitely
be tracking down this restaurant during a visit east of the mountains!<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">The Cider<u1:p></u1:p></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">I discovered a brand new cidery at this year’s
SWFE!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.flatbedcider.com/">Flatbed Cider</a> (Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/flatbedcider">@FlatbedCider</a>) (Instagram:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/flatbedcider/">Flatbedcider</a>) just
started putting out their juice in January of this year from Milton-Freewater,
OR (right across the state line from Walla Walla) and is working their way into
stores in the Seattle market. Their Crisp Apple Cider was everything a
cider should be without too many extra flavors taking away from what’s most
important: the apples! I’m going to track this down at a local store soon. I
was told they are currently found in Whole Foods and Bartells in Seattle!<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">The Wine<u1:p></u1:p></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">One of the SWFE “experiences” we were able to
try during our media preview of the event before it started was the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.ste-michelle.com/">Chateau
Ste. Michelle</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> (Twitter:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/stemichelle">@SteMichelle</a>) (Instagram:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/chateaustemichelle/">ChateauSteMichelle</a>)
“Riesling Challenge”. During this, we tasted through four separate
Rieslings, from dry, to off-dry, to sweet. After tasting all four, you casted
your vote for your favorite and received a sticker saying you were “Dry”
“Off-dry” or “Sweet”! The Rieslings (in order) were the 2014 Dry Riesling, the
2014 Eroica Riesling, the 2014 Riesling, and the 2014 Harvest Select Sweet
Riesling. Usually I am more of an off-dry person, but today I was feeling the
sweet, and my vote was for the Harvest Select Sweet Riesling! A friend that
attended the event with me said she “didn’t like Riesling” (a common thing you
hear from many people), but after taking the Riesling Challenge she was swayed
and convinced she just hadn’t been trying the right ones. She found a favorite
and realized not all Rieslings are created equal!<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">Sparkling wine, prosecco, Champagne. AKA my
favorite beverages and the foundation for my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>hashtag
#bubblesmakeeverythingbetter, because you know what? They do! This year’s SWFE
featured many sparkling wines, partly due to the fact that many of them poured
at the POP! Bubbles and Seafood event that was held the night prior. I was in
bubbly heaven at SWFE and was able to try several new ones and a few old
favorites.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.trevericellars.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.trevericellars.com/">Treveri
Cellars</a> (Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/trevericellars">@TreveriCellars</a>)
(Instagram:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/trevericellars/">TreveriCellars</a>) is <u1:p></u1:p>always
a favorite of mine, and I make sure to seek them out at every event they are
pouring at (I may or may not also be a wine club member…). This year they were
in the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://wineyakimavalley.org/">Yakima Valley</a> area, the featured
wine region for the event. The Sparkling Rosé is always a go-to for
me, I do love me some pink bubbles…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">I came upon<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.gloriaferrer.com/">Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards</a> (Twitter:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/GloriaFerrer">@</a><a href="https://twitter.com/GloriaFerrer">GloriaFerrer</a>) in the
California wines area, and was pleasantly surprised by the sparkling wines. The
Sonoma Brut, Blanc de Noirs, and the Blanc de Blancs were all quite lovely, and
all have very decent price points for sparkling. Looking forward to trying more
again soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://piper-heidsieck.com/en/">Piper-Heidsieck</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a Champagne house from the
Champagne region of France that has been in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>existence
since 1785. The Brut was being poured at SWFE by its Importer,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://terlatowines.com/new-wines/france/piper-heidsieck">Terlato Wines</a>,
with whom the Champagne house has created long-term partnership with to bring
the wines abroad. This wine won Best of Show for the 2016 Seattle Wine &
Food Experience Wine Awards, and I can see why! The wine is blend of all three
main grapes in the Champagne region: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. <u1:p></u1:p>It’s
also a great price point for a true Champagne, and I definitely picked up a
bottle at the bottle shop at SWFE!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">I loved the offerings at SWFE this year and I
always recommend this event to friends due to the many offerings available.
It’s just a wine event, it’s truly a wine AND food event, and it continues to
grow and get better year after year. Don’t miss out on future years of this
event, it only gets better with age!<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-80053004091302659452016-01-31T17:38:00.002-08:002016-01-31T17:38:36.648-08:00Upcoming Event: 6th Annual Cabernet Classic - February 6th, 2016 - Porche Bellevue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKaUrrdhLKsLQ7oTDVE0n_yX7PsKW2N_jeU29kQB7TvQX_umoanUe124XzioPJK0PsDzrm8vh3UyHELJrfZ1N6AMBZbTs8BvcVIGigU0EJqbb-9PrnZHF_0uDsX1kAJmruxZyPqv2Grk/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKaUrrdhLKsLQ7oTDVE0n_yX7PsKW2N_jeU29kQB7TvQX_umoanUe124XzioPJK0PsDzrm8vh3UyHELJrfZ1N6AMBZbTs8BvcVIGigU0EJqbb-9PrnZHF_0uDsX1kAJmruxZyPqv2Grk/s320/unnamed.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The “King of Grapes” is on showcase this next Saturday
February 6<sup>th</sup>, as <a href="http://seattleuncorked.com/event/cabernet-classic-feb-6th/">Seattle Uncorked</a> hosts the 6<sup>th</sup> Annual Cabernet Classic! Elegant wines need an elegant
location in which to be enjoyed, so this year’s event is being held at the new
<a href="http://www.porschebellevue.com/">Porche <st1:city w:st="on">Bellevue</st1:city></a> from 6-9pm. The event features 28 of <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>’s most
exclusive wineries and will include Cabernets and Cab based blends from current
releases and library selections. To top it off, guests will enjoy an easy
arrival and departure with complimentary valet parking from <a href="http://www.butlervalet.com/"><st1:city w:st="on">Butler</st1:city> Valet</a>.</div>
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<b>Wineries pouring at this year’s Cabernet Classic include:</b></div>
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Alleromb</div>
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Avennia<br />
Den Hoed</div>
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Ambassador Vineyard</div>
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Betz Family Winery</div>
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Bunnell Family Cellar</div>
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Corlis/Tranche</div>
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Côte Bonneville</div>
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DeLille Cellars</div>
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Dunham Cellars</div>
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Fidelitas</div>
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Figgins Estate</div>
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Five Star Cellars</div>
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Hedges Family Estates</div>
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J. Bookwalter Winery</div>
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L’Ecole No. 41</div>
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Mullan Road (Cakebread)</div>
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Obelisco Estate</div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pepper</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> Winery</div>
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Reininger Winery</div>
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Smasne Cellars</div>
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Sparkman Cellars</div>
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Upchurch Vineyard</div>
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Va Piano Vineyards</div>
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Waters Winery</div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Woodward</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Canyon</st1:placetype></st1:place> Winery</div>
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Tickets are $100 and net proceeds from the event benefit
Talk It Up TV and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. <a href="http://www.seattleuncorked.com/event/cabernet-classic-feb-6th">More
information on the event and tickets are available here</a>.</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-67910482306358066942016-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:002016-01-27T21:47:02.327-08:00Upcoming Event: The 2016 Seattle Wine & Food Experience - February 20th & 21st, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh it’s a new year in <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> and you know what that means?! The <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/">Seattle Wine & Food Experience</a> (SWFE) is once again almost upon us! That’s right folks, the deliciousness of Jamie Peha’s signature annual event is just around the corner. In true SWFE fashion, this year’s event is bigger and better than ever with more than 200 vendors lining the aisles at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Sunday February 21<sup>st</sup> from 12-5pm (VIP) and 1-5pm (GA). <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop-bubbles-seafood/">POP! Bubbles and Seafood</a> also returns for its second year, this time held in the elegant McCaw Hall on Saturday evening February 20<sup>th</sup> from 6-9pm.</div>
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As the name suggests, this event has classy and sophisticated all over it, but without the snobby price tag. POP! is presented by Seattle Magazine and brings together some of <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>’s finest seafood restaurants under one roof. Picture glorious plates of salmon, clams, oysters and shrimp, served side by side with sips from more than 40 sparkling wines from around the world. Bubbles not your thing? Then pair your seafood with cold beer, chilled cider or refreshing white wines.</div>
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Event Features:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal">The Oyster Room</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> Caviar</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Specialty Cocktails & Beer</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Cacao Barry Chocolate Salon</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Zwilling Predicat <st1:state w:st="on">Champagne</st1:state> Flute</li>
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Tickets for POP! Bubbles and Seafood are just $75 (say what now?!) and are <a href="http://swfe.strangertickets.com/events/29536289/pop-bubbles-amp-seafood">available here</a>. This event sold out last year and is most definitely expected to sell out again so act fast to secure your tickets at this amazing price.</div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><b>Seattle</b></st1:city></st1:place><b> Wine & Food Experience Grand Tasting<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The Seattle Wine & Food Experience is a deluxe showcase for wine, beverage, food and lifestyly in the Northwest. Wines from our local area and beyond are featured along with regional beer, cider and spirits. Unlike other beverage tasting events that may just have a small selection of food on the side, SWFE is a very food focused event. I mean, <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/restaurants-2/">just look at the line-up of chefs</a> and what they will be preparing for the event! I can personally attest to this being one of my favorite food events of the year due to the selection and quality of items served.</div>
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This year’s featured wine region is <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>’s <a href="http://yakimavalleywinecountry.com/"><st1:city w:st="on">Yakima</st1:city> Valley</a>, which is home to many well known and quality wines (and sparkling wines!). The wine goodness continues with wineries from <st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Oregon</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state> and beyond the US of A pouring their goods at this year’s event. Behold this year’s <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/drinks/">tasting line-up</a> and start preparing your plan of attack now!</div>
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One of the fun things about SWFE is the <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/experience/">“experiences”</a> that come along with the event as a whole. Just a few of them include:</div>
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<b>Ste Michelle Riesling Challenge</b> - Take the “Riesling Challenge” and determine which wine pleases your palate – Dry, Off Dry or Sweet. I bet you didn’t even know there were different types of riesling, did you?</div>
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<b>You Say Potato!</b> - Celebrate the potato! Kaspar’s Catering joins up with the Washington Potato Commission to present new recipes at the annual potato bar. This has always been a favorite stop for me at past year’s events!</div>
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<b>The <st1:placename w:st="on">Wine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype>: <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> vs. The World</b> - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Northwest</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Wine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place> leads the way to your educational experience at SWFE. Headed up by wine experts Regina Daigneault and Lenny Rede, stop by and blind taste specially selected wines and walk away feeling like a wine expert!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Distillery Walk</b> - Take a stroll through Distillery Walk featuring many of the region’s craft spirits makers as well as global brands. Find new favorites and taste new cocktail recipes too.</div>
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<b>QFC Advantage Reserve Lounge</b> - Guests enjoy specially selected reserve wines poured by knowledgeable QFC wine stewards including selections from Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyards, Intrinsic Wines Co., Tenet Wines, Waterbrook Winery and more!</div>
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SWFE benefits Les Dames d'Escoffier <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>, a 501c3 non-profit organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and philanthropy. Les Dames d'Escoffier <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> focuses on raising funds for scholarships for women in the culinary, beverage, and hospitality industries, and also supports community-outreach programs and sustainable-agriculture <wbr style="background-color: white; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333px; line-height: 15.333px;"></wbr>projects based in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Washington</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>. </div>
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Tickets for the Grand Tasting are just $60 for <a href="http://swfe.strangertickets.com/events/29125931/swfe-grand-tasting-general-admission">General Admission</a> and $75 for <a href="http://swfe.strangertickets.com/events/27163309/seattle-wine-and-food-experience-2016">VIP</a>. Make a weekend it and buy a <a href="http://swfe.strangertickets.com/events/29537158/swfe-weekend-pass">Weekend Pass</a> to attend both POP! Bubbles and Seafood and the SWFE Grand Tasting for just $140. Don’t miss out on this truly incredible event that showcases some of our area’s finest food and beverage!</div>
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More Event Info and photos from past years on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seattlewineandfoodexperience">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/seattlewinefood">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seattlewinefood/">Instagram</a>!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-14196659088794286312015-10-15T20:18:00.000-07:002015-10-15T20:19:14.467-07:00The Happenings - Upcoming Seattle Area Events!<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m aliiiiiiveeee! Sorry folks (all 5 of you who read this),
this summer was quite the spectacle what with my broken wrist and whatnot. Fun
fact: typing is downright horrible when you only have one hand to use… so
yeah.. in any event, I am back! And what better foray back into things than a
little post on some of the upcoming tasty events happening in the <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> area (and beyond).
We’re going across the alcohol palate tonight, and looking at an upcoming wine,
beer and cider event (I will just put them in order of when they are
happening)! Without further ado…<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">CiderHood</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Hood</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Canal</st1:placetype></st1:place>’s Alderbrook Resort
& Spa is kicking off fall with an event just for Northwest ciders! In
partnership with <a href="http://cidercraftmag.com/">CIDERCRAFT Magazine</a> (from the folks at <a href="http://www.sipnorthwest.com/">Sip NW</a>), Alderbrook is
hosting the first annual event which kicks off Friday October 23<sup>rd</sup>.
First up is a cider-paired dinner prepared by Executive Chef Josh Delgado at
Alderbrook’s upscale Restaurant. This event will be held from 6-9pm and will
feature flavors unique to Alderbrook’s region and dishes will be paired
alongside craft ciders from <a href="http://www.finnriver.com/">Finnriver Cidery</a> and <a href="http://reverendnatshardcider.com/">Reverend Nat’s</a>. Saturday the
24<sup>th</sup> brings a cider and bites tasting on Alderbrook’s waterfront
lawn. This event will adorn the lawn with outdoor artisan booths and tents full
of tasty goodness, including a raw bar presented by Hama Hama Oyster Company,
harvest flavored ice cream from Olympic Mountain Ice Cream, authentic paella
from the Paella House and much more. My goodness I just ate dinner and I’m
getting hungry again just reading through all this goodness. And what’s even
more fun, Finnriver Cidery and Alderbrook teamed up to make a new cider, called
Selkie Cider, which will make its debut at the Saturday tasting event. There
will be 15 cideries from <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> and <st1:state w:st="on">Oregon</st1:state> pouring at the
event! Nothing screams fall like falling leaves and Northwest cider in your
glass. Admission to the event is free, but there is a fee for food and beverage
tastings. More details at the <a href="http://www.alderbrookresort.com/">Alderbrook Resort & Spa</a> page
and <a href="http://cidercraftmag.com/ciderhood-an-inaugural-harvest-party-for-nw-cider-lovers/">CIDERCRAFT Magazine</a>.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">BREW <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://seattlemag.com/events/brew-seattle-2015-0">Seattle Magazine’s 3<sup>rd</sup> annual BREW <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city></a> will be held Friday October 23<sup>rd</sup> from
6-9pm at Elliott Hall at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Bell</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Harbor</st1:placetype></st1:place> down on the
waterfront.<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span>This
local-breweries-only tasting event of the year features over 20 breweries
located within <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>, tapping the local
creativity in our <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Emerald</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>. With
admission ticket, you receive 6 tasting tokens, which are each good for one
fill-up of your complimentary 5-oz BREW <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>
mini-mug. If 30 oz of <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>’s
best beers aren’t good enough for you, additional tokens can be purchased at
the event. The event will also feather music, <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> beer Culture and giveaways. Guests
also have the chance to vote for their favorite local brewery! At the event,
each guest will have a chance to weigh-in on the Brewery of the Year, which
will hold the title until next year’s event. Pike Brewery currently holds the title
and will be back to defend their honor! Tickets for BREW Seattle 2015 are $28
and can be purchased <a href="http://brewseattle2015.shindigg.com/">here</a>,
which also gives you the scoop on who is pouring at this year’s event!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Taste of Tulalip</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The 7<sup>th</sup> Annual <a href="http://www.tasteoftulalip.com/">Taste of Tulalip</a> Celebration is coming up the weekend of November 13<sup>th</sup> and 14<sup>th</sup>! This
AMAZING event will kick off with the Friday night wine and passed hors d’oeuvres
reception followed by the fittingly named Celebration Dinner. The multi-course
repast celebrates "La Famiglia,” as the Italians say, it's all about
"the family!" The evening's inspiration comes from the
love of Italian grandmothers everywhere who have a special passion for cooking
amazing food every day for their families. In tribute, Tulalip chefs
will recreate many of their beloved recipes, paired with a global offering
of rare, top wines. Sadly, this dinner is already sold out, but it’s
always a hit! The weekend’s highlight is always Saturday’s Grand Taste,
spanning four hours and featuring lavish food stations, as well as over 100
wines from Washington state, Oregon, California, Oporto, Maderia, global
selections of bubbles, as well as pours of late harvest and ice wines
and craft beer. As someone who has attended this twice, I can tell
you this is a MUST ATTEND. I have never attended an event where there was a
bigger selection of high end wines and delectable food options. The Taste of
Tulalip continues to evolve into the region’s premier wine event, bringing in top
names in wine and food. This year’s event will feature two lounges: the Bubbly
Lounge (yes please!) featuring sparkling wines from around the globe and the
Delta Lounge pouring a selection of late harvest wine, ice wines, port and
Madeira (basically, a dessert wine goodness lounge!). Also don’t miss the
Rock-n-Roll Cooking Challenge. Like what you taste? The Taste of Tulalip retail
wine shop will be available so you can take home your favorites. Tickets for the
Grand Taste can be found <a href="http://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0F004F0BA7091B59">here</a>. </div>
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There you have it! Three delicious events coming up over the
next month, each with a different focus. If you were really ambitious, you
could hit BREW <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>
Friday October 23<sup>rd</sup>, CiderHood on Saturday the 24<sup>th</sup> and head
up to Tulalip for the Grand Taste on November 14<sup>th</sup>. I am saddened
that I will be out of the area for the Brew and CiderHood, they look fantastic.
But get your tickets now to these great upcoming events! Cheers!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-64311454844909007642015-06-29T20:47:00.001-07:002015-06-29T20:51:02.945-07:00The #WhereYouWine Sweepstakes!<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve all seen them,
the perfectly staged Instagram photos showing your current wine of the moment in
front of whatever beautiful background you can find. You do it anyways, so why
not win a prize for it? The “Where You
Wine” sweepstakes from Whole Foods aims to do just that: give away prizes
for those who share photos of themselves enjoying wine around the <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific Northwest</st1:place> on Instagram with the #whereyouwine and
#sweepsentry hashtags!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Full details can be
found <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/whereyouwine" target="_blank">here</a>,
but the basic idea is this:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal">Follow <a href="https://instagram.com/wfmseattle" target="_blank">@WFMSeattle</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/WFMchambersbay" target="_blank">@WFMchambersbay</a> or <a href="https://instagram.com/WFMMillPlain" target="_blank">@WFMMillPlain</a>
on Instagram<o:p></o:p></li>
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#whereyouwine and #sweepsentry for an entry. <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">One Entry with the appropriate hashtags
is one (1) entry. <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Limit: one (1) Entry per person, per
day, regardless of method of entry. Only entries using the hashtags
#whereyouwine and #sweepsentry will be considered valid entries.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">There will be four (4) random drawings
held and each Bi-Weekly winner will receive a $20 Whole Foods
Market Gift Card.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">One (1) Grand Prize winner will be
randomly drawn around 08/01/15, from among all eligible entries received
throughout the Promotion. Grand Prize winner will receive a Wine Accessory
Gift Basket!<o:p></o:p></li>
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Since it’s a blast
giving away things here at Sips & the City, <b>I’m happy to be giving away
a $20 gift card to Whole Foods Market</b> that you can use to stock up on wine
to showcase in your #WhereYouWine photos so you can possibly win ANOTHER $20
gift card through the sweepstakes! It’s pretty much the best arrangement ever.
To enter, just visit Whole Foods Market's <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/wine" target="_blank">Summer Top 10 Wines</a> page and comment on this post with which of the wines listed you’re most
interested in trying. Winner drawn at random on 7/6/15 from all entries
received and gift certificate will be sent electronically, GOOD LUCK!</div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-11081077610746548462015-06-22T20:52:00.000-07:002015-06-22T20:52:28.070-07:00Upcoming Event: 2015 Wine Rocks, a Tasting Event - July 9th, 2015 - Pier 66<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Did you hear about the party on the Pier? (see what I did
there? I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it..) <a href="http://winerocksseattle.com/" target="_blank">Wine Rocks, a Tasting Event</a> is back in action on Thursday, July 9th down at Pier 66 on the beautiful <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> waterfront. This
awesome venue has been home of this event for the past few years and offers
great views and a perfect space for this ever growing event. I love Wine
Rocks because it’s an opportunity for winemakers to showcase their other
creative side: music! All but one of the musical acts performing at this year’s
event is affiliated in some way with a <st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place>
winery!</div>
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This year there more than 45 wineries, breweries, and cideries pouring their
goods for the masses. The ever popular and delicious food trucks are back, in
addition to other vendors with tasty food bites. Some fun features of this
year's event include:</div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Rhone
Zone Wine Bar – taste Rhone-inspired red, white and rosé wines (think
Syrah, Grenache, Viognier and more)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.restaurantzoe.com/" target="_blank">Restaurant Zoe</a> American Lamb Spit – grab a tasty
American lamb bite from Chef Scott Staples</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Rockin’
Cocktail Samples from <a href="http://www.bevmo.com/" target="_blank">BevMo!</a> – stay cool with
these summer sips of summer</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><st1:placename w:st="on">Yakima</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype>
Palate Pleasers – Sips and bites from <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>’s craft beverage and food
hub</li>
</ul>
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I've attended this event almost every year since it began
and it continues to grow each and every year. It's so exciting to see what new
development the event has every summer! Wine/beer/cider, the waterfront, and
rockin’ music? What’s not to love?!</div>
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Tickets to Wine Rocks are $45 and can be <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1411317" target="_blank">purchased
here</a>. For the full list of participating wineries, breweries, cideries,
food trucks and other vendors click <a href="http://winerocksseattle.com/purveyors" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Wine Rocks Seattle is sponsored by American Lamb Board,
Acqua Panna, BevMo!, City Arts, Dubreezy Entertainment, GoVino, S. Pellegrino,
Seattle Magazine, The Stranger, Tim’s Cascade Snacks, Yakima Valley Tourism and
Yelp.</div>
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<b>Want to get in on the
action?</b> Sips & the City is giving away a pair of tickets to Wine
Rocks, a Tasting Event! To enter all you have to do is visit the <a href="http://winerocksseattle.com/purveyors" target="_blank">“Purveyors” page</a> then
comment on this post with the name of the participating winery you are most
excited to taste the juice from at this year's event. It’s that easy! Please
include your name and email address so I can contact you to let you know how to
claim your prize if you win. The winner will be selected at random from all
entries received. Winner drawn this Friday June 26th!</div>
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Good luck and I'll see you on the Pier on July 9th!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-89404512461837222132015-06-09T21:11:00.003-07:002015-06-09T21:11:35.585-07:00Upcoming Event: Rosé Revival & Other Cool Whites - June 18th, 2015 - Ray's Boathouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwWKORhYOkxgE8tzub4UmQqqjA2PpcGOxoOTE9KA88FJRvthiXdAtULDI8eCwAsc2xalalbaKSEZsT2H_2w8bVjZqbk27HzJ62NyPi5aBm9PeIAA0808wNHLigWxkEz6C87GERe2bG60/s1600/rose.revival2015.square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwWKORhYOkxgE8tzub4UmQqqjA2PpcGOxoOTE9KA88FJRvthiXdAtULDI8eCwAsc2xalalbaKSEZsT2H_2w8bVjZqbk27HzJ62NyPi5aBm9PeIAA0808wNHLigWxkEz6C87GERe2bG60/s320/rose.revival2015.square.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, the days are longer, the the sun is shining, there's far too many people in "Suns Out, Guns Out" tank tops, and the temperature has reached a level where Seattlites start complaining; it must be summer! And with summer we start discriminating against our wines and long for only whites and rosés. Because come on, who wants to drink room temperature liquid when it's 90 degrees outside? Your troubles are no more! Look no further than Rosé Revival on June 18th at Ray's Boathouse. Held on a beautiful dock that is part of the event space adjacent to the restaurant, you're treated to a beautiful sunset and over a hundred rosé and white wines from 30+ different wineries. In addition to Northwest wineries (the list can be found <a href="http://seattleuncorked.com/event/rose-revival-other-cool-whites-thurs-june-18/">here</a>) there will also be a table with wines from Italy, France Argentina, Australia, and more. This is the 13th vintage of this great summer event, where attendees get to say no to reds! (Seriously, there are no red wines poured at this event!)<br /><br />This year's event includes a 5 p.m. early VIP entry ($50/ticket) limited to just 50 people (with the general admission ($35/ticket) starting at 6 p.m.). If you're tired of bumping elbows with other people while trying to get your next taste then try out this option! Also, all advance ticket purchasers (VIP or GA) get a ticket for Wild Salmon Sliders and other snacks from Ray's Boathouse! Like what you're tasting? There will be a wine store onsite so you can take home your favorites!<br /><br />I attended this event last year and really liked the small intimate nature of it. Sure, the big wine tasting events are fun and offer a huge variety, but the small events give you a chance to learn a little bit more about the wines you're tasting. Less people means a better chance to talk to the winemakers. The view doesn't hurt either, who doesn't like sipping wine while staring out at Puget Sound? So let's hope for a beautiful night like we had last year and <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1396712">get your tickets now</a> for this year's Rosé Revival & Other Cool Whites on June 18th!</span>Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-16955546723599515172015-04-14T19:01:00.000-07:002015-04-14T19:01:14.952-07:00How Do You Like Them Apples? The Explosion of the Cider Market<div class="MsoNormal">
During this year’s <a href="http://tastewashington.org/" target="_blank">Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></a> festivities, I had the pleasure of attending one of the seminars for the first
time along with my (normally beer drinking) boyfriend. My friend Erin James (of <a href="http://www.sipnorthwest.com/" target="_blank">Sip NW</a> and <a href="http://cidercraftmag.com/" target="_blank">CIDERCRAFT</a> magazines) was
on the panel and I was dying to learn all there is to know about the cider
movement and also see her do her thing in front of an audience. It was such a
great opportunity to learn about cider, where it came from, where it’s headed
and to hear from the actual producers themselves as well. Oh and the tasting..
you can’t forget the tasting portion! Deee-lish.<br />
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From 2012-2014 the cider industry saw a 65-85% growth,
which is absolutely insane if you ask me. Retail sales of cider are now around
$2 billion and doesn’t appear to be slowing any time soon. What’s blown
everyone’s minds is the rate of growth; it’s growing faster than all other alcoholic
beverage categories. They are capturing a HUGE market share of beer drinkers,
and I can say that with absolute fact. My craft beer loving, non-wine drinking
boyfriend has made a dramatic shift toward cider as of late, and now would
prefer cider over beer most days. It was
interesting to see that the “Big 5” brand owners that control much of the beer
market also dominate the cider market share as well. AB-InBev owns Stella’s
Cidre brand, Heineken owns Strongbow, Miller Coors owns Crispin/Fox Barrel and
Smith & Forge, C&C Group owns Blackthorn and others, and Boston Beer
Company owns Angry Orchard and its whopping 56 share of the total cider volume.
I knew the parent companies and I knew the ciders, but until the seminar had no
idea about the connections between them. With big beer comes big cider! <st1:state w:st="on">Washington, however,</st1:state> has enjoyed a
craft cider movement with cideries making quite a name for themselves in the
Northwest.</div>
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<b>Some fun cider facts
for you:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>The history of the apple dates back to its birthplace in an
area between <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:place>.</li>
<li>By the late 1700s, cider was the most popular drink (I bet
you didn’t know that?). An estimated 35 gallons/person/year was consumed at
that time.</li>
<li>Cider fell during prohibition as you can’t very easily hide
apple orchards like you could backroom distilleries. It’s seen its reemergence
over the last several years.</li>
<li>There are 16,000 named apple varieties in North America
(WOW).</li>
<li>There are four categories of cider apples: Sweets, Sharps,
Bittersweets and Bittersharps.</li>
<li>The NW is known for innovation in cider making compared
with other places in the U.S. Consumers around here also are known as being
quite willing to try new things, hence the “outside the box” creations from
cider makers.</li>
<li>More than ½ of all apples grown in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> are grown right here in <st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></li>
<li>There are 168,000 acres of apples growing in <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>, 300 acres of
which are dedicated cider apples.</li>
<li><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> is the #2 consumption
market for cider in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
(behind <st1:city w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:city>, <st1:city w:st="on">Portland</st1:city> is #3!).</li>
<li>According to one producer in attendance, it takes them 15
lbs of apples to make 1 gallon of cider (they use apples from smaller trees,
this could vary by producer).</li>
</ul>
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During the seminar, we were able to taste ciders from around
the world as well as a variety of ciders from <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> producers. It was fun to taste
the differences between them and see how the styles differ by region, much like
they do with wine. For our cider enjoyment, we were able to try (in the order
of tasting):</div>
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<b><u>International <o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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Sarasola Sidra (Basque Region of <st1:place w:st="on">Spain</st1:place>)</div>
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Cidre de Rhuys Brut (<st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>)</div>
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<a href="http://www.aspall.co.uk/" target="_blank">Aspall</a> English Dry (<st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>) - Fun Fact: Aspall is the oldest existing cidery on record.</div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><u>Washington</u></b></st1:place></st1:state><b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.seattlecidercompany.com/" target="_blank"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> Cider Co</a>. Dry
(<st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>) –
Seattle Cider has always been a local favorite, visit the tasting room to try
some of their awesome cider infusions (I had a basil mint cider when I was in
last time). </div>
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<a href="http://www.finnriver.com/" target="_blank">Finnriver</a> Dry-Hopped (Chimacum) – Fun Fact:
Hopped ciders are now a specific category at cider competitions. </div>
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<a href="http://snowdriftcider.com/" target="_blank">Snowdrift</a> Seckel Perry (<st1:place w:st="on">East
Wenatchee</st1:place>) – This cider is made from 100% seckel pears, and
is their first 100% varietal made this way. </div>
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<a href="http://whitewoodcider.com/" target="_blank">Whitewood</a> South Sounder (<st1:city w:st="on">Olympia</st1:city>) – This one was almost like a
barn yard on the nose (which the producer was the first to admit!), but the
taste was completely different and enjoyable. A very interesting cider! </div>
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<a href="http://www.dragonsheadcider.com/" target="_blank">Dragon’s Head</a> Pippin (Vashon) – I really liked this
one since I got a lot of Riesling on the nose, and we all know how I feel about
wine… </div>
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<a href="http://alpenfirecider.com/" target="_blank">Alpenfire</a> Calypso (Port Townsend) – This one
is fermented with blackberries and is put in rum barrels for additional flavor.
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<span id="goog_139715821"></span><a href="http://tietonciderworks.com/" target="_blank">Tieton</a><span id="goog_139715822"></span> Frost (Yakima) – They can’t call it an “ice
cider” since the production method for cider would be different from that of an
“ice wine”, but they treat it much the same so they named it to reflect that.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXSusRAcrynMwKXF2SyJf3vNoa5wrzvqcfzY2wTocSF8vs7ziDzyPu0iJwpIcyDXHSf4nXc5gULCjDVrhk11CEYmXJiNBHxuVRfw9wO-SAoegy0c7rIzCAnNGzs6k7oU4tMWazAnLiEo/s1600/IMAG4166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXSusRAcrynMwKXF2SyJf3vNoa5wrzvqcfzY2wTocSF8vs7ziDzyPu0iJwpIcyDXHSf4nXc5gULCjDVrhk11CEYmXJiNBHxuVRfw9wO-SAoegy0c7rIzCAnNGzs6k7oU4tMWazAnLiEo/s1600/IMAG4166.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Cider Tasting Line-Up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Overall, I much preferred the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> ciders we tried to the
international ones. We did try many more local ciders than international, but
the flavor profiles that <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>
cider producers are putting out are just amazing. My boyfriend already tracked
down some of the ones we tried very shortly after the seminar so
he could enjoy them at home! Looking forward to seeing what’s to come for this
booming industry in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>
state!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-104699224767556262015-04-08T21:54:00.000-07:002015-04-08T21:54:43.321-07:00The "Tried and True" and "New and Notable" of Taste Washington 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sigh… Taste Washington 2015 has come and gone, and we now
spend the next year dreaming of next year’s vintage of the best of the best of <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> wine and
food. While there were too many amazing events to attend all of them, I managed
to try some amazing gems at the Grand Taste Saturday edition, and got my learn
on at one of the Sunday Seminars! This post contains my wine highlights from
the Grand Taste, an upcoming post will cover all of the amazing things I
learned at the seminar.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<o:p> </o:p>As has been the case in previous years, I tried to attack
the Grand Taste with a simple mission: first, get to the elite wines that I
rarely get to try by the bottle due to their high end price point or quickness
in selling out; second, try new releases from wineries I always enjoy; and
third, try new things! I have had a great time the past few years going through
the wineries in the event guide before the event and selecting several that
I’ve never heard of or never tried wines from and making a point to try them
out. I have discovered some new favorites this way so I took this approach
again this year as well.</div>
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Of the “tried and true” collection, my favorites this year
included <a href="http://bartholomewwinery.com/" target="_blank">Bartholomew Winery’s</a> new Rosés, a 2014
L’Orange Pinot Gris, and a 2014 Rosé of Carmenere. These are both excellent
summer sippers and I’ll be stocking up on these excellently priced ($15/bottle)
treats very soon. <a href="http://synclinewine.com/" target="_blank">Syncline Wine Cellars</a>' entire Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>
line-up was stellar. While they didn’t have the bubbly this year (which was a
HIT for me a few years ago when we discovered it at Taste WA), they did have a
2013 Cinsault (I mean, how many people actually do this as a 100% varietal?!),
a 2014 Grüner Veltliner (citrus heaven in a glass, I had another one of these
across the aisle, which I’ll touch on in a bit), a 2014 Rosé, and 2013
Grenache/Carignan. Such out of the box varietals and Syncline does them
beautifully. The <a href="http://www.figginswine.com/" target="_blank">FIGGINS Estate</a> 2014 Estate
Riesling was one of my favorites of the day, and I heard from many others it
was the same for them. This wine isn't even released yet and is already sold
out with only 120 cases produced. Consider yourself lucky if you come across
someone with a bottle of this stuff, it had the perfect balance of sugar and
velvety crispness, and is everything I want in a Riesling. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk-WqgphdwnVEgakM0FBaMFzC9q3LRHmH05uCuqFkV7dvM1YTdpUVKStR2R6f77Kaou3H8p6sIkUxFFZCBe47tX_AvPIxT-J7ot7w2tN96g9Iob9xJSvpF0m4qEEWu_781PIJtn8XIvY/s1600/IMAG4154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk-WqgphdwnVEgakM0FBaMFzC9q3LRHmH05uCuqFkV7dvM1YTdpUVKStR2R6f77Kaou3H8p6sIkUxFFZCBe47tX_AvPIxT-J7ot7w2tN96g9Iob9xJSvpF0m4qEEWu_781PIJtn8XIvY/s1600/IMAG4154.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syncline Wine Cellars Line-Up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP__rncGrCjAA-V95Ro7HVDhevEsa-wweTEBcVJuiuVpYrbmX7G2vtKmo81e8p9RLVG4gKDMESO95rw-86FvrZYa5nh2sj8wv2O8Om_RQe-1SObOaL379fKwUYcPhXUIrcpmcDCK088B8/s1600/IMAG4142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP__rncGrCjAA-V95Ro7HVDhevEsa-wweTEBcVJuiuVpYrbmX7G2vtKmo81e8p9RLVG4gKDMESO95rw-86FvrZYa5nh2sj8wv2O8Om_RQe-1SObOaL379fKwUYcPhXUIrcpmcDCK088B8/s1600/IMAG4142.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FIGGINS Estate Riesling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For my “new and notable” wines (well, not necessarily brand
new wineries, just new to me), I enjoyed the line-up from Woodinville’s <a href="http://www.genoacellars.com/" target="_blank">Genoa Cellars</a>,
which included their 2012 Springline (Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,
Pinot Grigio), the 2011 Traveler (Super-Tuscan Red Mountain blend of
Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), and the 2011 Flying Colors
(Super-Tuscan Red Mountain blend of Sangiovese, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Another stand-out was <st1:city w:st="on">Walla Walla</st1:city>’s
<a href="http://www.laganacellars.com/" target="_blank">Lagana Cellars’</a> 2013 Pinot Noir. Additionally,
the <a href="http://store.waitsburgcellars.com/our-wines-c1.aspx" target="_blank">Waitsburg Cellars</a> 2014 ‘The Aromatics’ Cheninières Old Vine Chenin Blanc
was delightful, and fun fact, Paul Gregutt (yes, the one you’re thinking of!)
is the winemaker at Waitsburg, which is a collaboration with Precept Wine.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrR46N-9cO3B1_rIJoFevGPEZu2z9jYoftD5M9kL6hkAzCzfDHiPgOCweP68a8sQ3e1mRRK7iPqR9gfK4YKhgZPLxI2jXtwEklJvFw9eEIopnWkOuw-jJGBmg672B1Lc0YcKbZ7B-yRA/s1600/IMAG4147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrR46N-9cO3B1_rIJoFevGPEZu2z9jYoftD5M9kL6hkAzCzfDHiPgOCweP68a8sQ3e1mRRK7iPqR9gfK4YKhgZPLxI2jXtwEklJvFw9eEIopnWkOuw-jJGBmg672B1Lc0YcKbZ7B-yRA/s1600/IMAG4147.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lagana Cellars Pint Noir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NOIijqwgSDxpYb3IzG_tLOcLX5LdPHC7CZ_FLcHqfB6kX9uWwpmjSE5ik50rIEqF6y8uXDF0yvahndesxvFXB4DjbwMR_gj1IRNV86O5ykLqLWDacPSOPz21NJYe1lZofvKVU0evm8g/s1600/IMAG4156_BURST001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NOIijqwgSDxpYb3IzG_tLOcLX5LdPHC7CZ_FLcHqfB6kX9uWwpmjSE5ik50rIEqF6y8uXDF0yvahndesxvFXB4DjbwMR_gj1IRNV86O5ykLqLWDacPSOPz21NJYe1lZofvKVU0evm8g/s1600/IMAG4156_BURST001.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waitsburg Cellars Old Vine Chenin Blanc</td></tr>
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Of both “tried and true” and “new and notable” favorites, my
absolute stand-out for this year’s Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>
was the entire line-up from <a href="http://savagegracewines.com/" target="_blank">Savage Grace Wines</a>. It was
the first table I visited that day where I immediately like everything they
poured for me. I have heard the buzz around about Savage Grace’s wines, but
until this day had not been able to sample them. Their offerings at the Grand
Taste included a 2014 Riesling, a 2014 Grüner Veltliner (there’s the other one
I mentioned! Did you know there’s only about 12 acres of this grape planted in
WA?), a 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2013 Chardonnay, a 2013 Pinot Noir, and a 2014
Cabernet Franc. Often times I find that wineries hit home runs on whites or
they hit home runs on reds, but not both. This is one of those rare instances
where a winery has hit home runs on everything they are churning out. The
winery has only been around since 2011 and has already made quite the name for
itself. I look forward to tracking down more of these wines and seeing what
future vintages bring.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qlxnjB6abEJDQV_FmHd4ZJocmihAa-X7lQbJCLNIu3i_U9Y-0TxoRTXwByzkC9l-DNCx7SqIfh22MvTRq_hfcoEQbk8dFpaITedfAJhUEyM81Hfuo8T2C0oWEgiDnyu54YDVLQcmXWA/s1600/IMAG4152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qlxnjB6abEJDQV_FmHd4ZJocmihAa-X7lQbJCLNIu3i_U9Y-0TxoRTXwByzkC9l-DNCx7SqIfh22MvTRq_hfcoEQbk8dFpaITedfAJhUEyM81Hfuo8T2C0oWEgiDnyu54YDVLQcmXWA/s1600/IMAG4152.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Savage Grace Line-Up</td></tr>
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So many wines, so little time… I was quite pleased with the
winery offerings this year at Taste <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>,
they definitely brought their best offerings and I was able to try some
tremendous new wines. Stay tuned for my re-cap on the Sunday seminar I
attended: the Cider Renaissance!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-30210504032566953722015-03-04T19:33:00.000-08:002015-03-04T19:33:32.706-08:00Upcoming Event: 2015 Taste Washington - 3/26 to 3/29/2015 - Various Locations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bAzyV7QGb8rsgVd6R6c-S1dRJq9ZLDlhUqwFxU1Huv9UmuSeUM1C9zXFzZfHynrAJZcM-F4AqUaUsfpE6p39mqPYacJIGV49ZHJFPV4wHNCzRR2kNoWncB968yOXQnChWhCH14qhb0E/s1600/Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bAzyV7QGb8rsgVd6R6c-S1dRJq9ZLDlhUqwFxU1Huv9UmuSeUM1C9zXFzZfHynrAJZcM-F4AqUaUsfpE6p39mqPYacJIGV49ZHJFPV4wHNCzRR2kNoWncB968yOXQnChWhCH14qhb0E/s1600/Logo.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We have kicked off March of 2015 and </span><a href="http://www.washingtonwine.org/winemonth/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Washington Wine Month</a><span style="text-align: center;"> is in full effect! Who doesn’t love an entire month dedicated to the amazing
wines that are produced from our great state? One of the best parts of
Washington Wine Month is that it is capped off with </span><a href="http://www.washingtonwine.org/winemonth/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></a><span style="text-align: center;">,
the nation’s largest single region wine and food event. Taste </span><st1:state style="text-align: center;" w:st="on">Washington</st1:state><span style="text-align: center;"> is so much more than just the
Grand Taste. This year’s 4-day extravaganza, held March 26</span><sup style="text-align: center;">th</sup><span style="text-align: center;"> through
29</span><sup style="text-align: center;">th</sup><span style="text-align: center;">, includes several different events where you can sip some of
the finest wines </span><st1:state style="text-align: center;" w:st="on">Washington</st1:state><span style="text-align: center;">’s
many AVAs have to offer. So let’s a take a look see at all the fun, shall we?</span><br />
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<b>The Red & White
Party – Thursday March 26, 2015 – AQUA by El Gaucho</b></div>
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Everything kicks off with a VIP experience like none other.
Start your Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> off right on the <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> waterfront at the
elegant <a href="http://www.elgaucho.com/Aqua-by-El-Gaucho.html" target="_blank">AQUA by El Gaucho</a>. Enjoy<b> </b>exclusive pours from magnums of 90+ point Washington wines,<b> </b>including
<a href="http://www.andrewwill.com/home/" target="_blank">Andrew Will Winery</a>, <a href="http://www.avennia.com/" target="_blank">Avennia</a>,
<a href="http://www.baerwinery.com/welcome.html" target="_blank">Baer Winery</a>, <a href="http://corlissestates.com/" target="_blank">Corliss Vineyard</a>,
<a href="http://www.cotebonneville.com/" target="_blank">Côte Bonneville</a>, <a href="http://www.delillecellars.com/" target="_blank">DeLille Cellars</a>,
<a href="http://www.efeste.com/" target="_blank">Efesté</a>, <a href="http://www.figginswine.com/" target="_blank">FIGGINS</a>, <a href="http://www.forcemajeurevineyards.com/" target="_blank">ForceMajeure Vineyards</a>, <a href="http://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/" target="_blank">Januik</a>,
<a href="http://leonetticellar.com/" target="_blank">Leonetti</a>, <a href="http://www.longshadows.com/" target="_blank">Long Shadows Vintners</a>,
<a href="http://www.markryanwinery.com/" target="_blank">Mark Ryan Winery</a>, <a href="http://www.sofhcellars.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">Sleight of Hand Cellars</a>,
<a href="http://www.sparkmancellars.com/" target="_blank">Sparkman Cellars</a>, <a href="https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/" target="_blank">Woodward Canyon</a>,
and more. Show off your red and white best at this second annual event and also
enjoy appetizers from Executive Chef Wesley Hood and live music from The Ben
Fleck Trio. Get your <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/850" target="_blank">tickets here</a>.</div>
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<b>Taste <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> on the Farm –
Friday March 27<sup>th</sup>, 2015 – Various Locations<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG5bwFSF1QzFXLGp5rIMYXoqS38XaYIzxKF5o3iO_weBnJ1D6RJFHlpbR75JQvnbk8WWgMca5gOBrmn2DeuDSXhjlvERAnO0R8KQ-z5gckQpMFvjnFxVXh3JKPOtPPAaNFiHKdf-S23o/s1600/TasteWA_slideshow_TasteWa_Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG5bwFSF1QzFXLGp5rIMYXoqS38XaYIzxKF5o3iO_weBnJ1D6RJFHlpbR75JQvnbk8WWgMca5gOBrmn2DeuDSXhjlvERAnO0R8KQ-z5gckQpMFvjnFxVXh3JKPOtPPAaNFiHKdf-S23o/s1600/TasteWA_slideshow_TasteWa_Farm.jpg" height="100" width="320" /></a></div>
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A fun new twist to this year’s events is <a href="http://tastewashington.org/taste-washington-on-the-farm/" target="_blank">Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> on the Farm</a>,
a series of lunches bringing wine and food lovers to local farms to meet the
people who grow and produce the gourmet, artisanal products for which the <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific Northwest</st1:place> is known. Lunches will take place
Friday the 27th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests will meet farmers, get their
boots dirty and enjoy a delicious menu paired with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Washington</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>
wine. Transportation to each location is provided by <a href="http://evergreenescapes.com/" target="_blank">Evergreen Escapes</a>,
departing from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Washington</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Convention
Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> at 10am and returning at 4pm.</div>
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Three lunch experiences are available to choose from:</div>
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<b>Experience #1 –
Cheese bliss at Kurtwood Farms on <st1:place w:st="on">Vashon Island</st1:place><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Host
and featured chef</i>: Kurt Timmermeister of <a href="http://www.kurtwoodfarms.com/" target="_blank">Kurtwood Farms</a>,
a pioneer of the artisanal cheese movement in the Northwest.<br />
<i>Winery</i>: Chris Camarda of <a href="http://www.andrewwill.com/home/" target="_blank">Andrew Will</a>, a Vashon Island winery that specializes
in single vineyard designates and red blends and is one of the pioneers of
Washington State wine<br />
<i>Special guests</i>: Robin Pollard of
<a href="http://pollardcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Pollard Coffee</a>, a Vashon Island microroaster; &
Laura Cherry of <a href="http://www.dragonsheadcider.com/" target="_blank">Dragon’s Head Cider</a>, also on
Vashon Island, home to 1,500 cider fruit trees<br />
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<b>Experience #2 – Exploring the lush <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Snohomish</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place> at Willie Greens Organic</b><br />
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<i>Host:</i> Jeff Miller of <a href="http://www.williegreens.org/" target="_blank">Willie Greens Organic</a>, a Monroe-based family farm that produces more than 50 varieties of vegetables and berries<br />
<i>Featured chef</i>: Sam Crannell of <a href="http://www.lloydmartinseattle.com/" target="_blank">Lloyd Martin</a>, an award-winning restaurant in
Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood<br />
<i>Winery</i>: Robert Ramsay of <a href="http://www.robertramsaycellars.com/" target="_blank">Robert Ramsay Cellars</a>, a Woodinville-based
boutique winery focusing on Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache and
Mourvedre<br />
<i>Special guest</i>: Dan Albert of <a href="http://www.farmboxgreens.com/" target="_blank">Farmbox Greens</a>,
a year-round urban grow operation that produces tasty, highly nutritious
microgreens for consumers and commercial kitchens<br />
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<b>Experience #3 – A Deep Dive into Oyster Growing at Taylor Shellfish on Samish Bay</b><br />
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<i>Host</i>: Marcelle Taylor of <a href="http://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/" target="_blank">Taylor Shellfish</a> family-run company credited with starting the bivalve revolution in the 1980s<br />
<i>Featured chef</i>: The Taylor Shellfish
culinary team from their Seattle oyster bars will be on hand to shuck and serve
lunch<br />
<i>Winery:</i> Kevin and Julie Cedergreen of
<a href="http://www.cedergreencellars.com/" target="_blank">Cedergreen Cellars</a>, a family-run winery is
a family winery that was started in 2002<br />
<i>Special guests:</i> Trap Landry of
<a href="http://www.brittsliveculturefoods.com/" target="_blank">Britt’s Pickles</a>, who will talk about
good-for-your-gut fermented foods and the art of natural fermentation<br />
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Space is most definitely limited in these extraordinary
lunches, so be sure to get your tickets soon! You can get <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/1019?tm=1" target="_blank">tickets here</a>.</div>
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<b>The New Vintage –
Friday March 27<sup>th</sup>, 2015 – Four Seasons Hotel <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>We may all remember a fun and lively event normally held in
November known as 20something, the new vintage. Well the Wine Commission has
re-formulated this fun affair and brought it back as part of the Taste
Washington festivities! <a href="http://tastewashington.org/the-new-vintage/" target="_blank">The New Vintage</a> is being held at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, from 7-10pm on
Friday the 27<sup>th</sup>. Sip wine from more than 40 <st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place> wineries pouring new vintages and
traditional favorites, and pair your wine with bites from award-winning chefs.
So slip into your Friday night best and spend the evening sipping delicious
wine, enjoying amazing bites and dancing the night away. This will likely sell
out early, so get your <a href="http://tastewashington.tixclix.com/1005?tm=1" target="_blank">tickets here</a>!</div>
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<b>The Seminars -
Saturday & Sunday March 28<sup>th</sup> & 29<sup>th </sup>–</b> <b>Four Seasons Hotel <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Taste <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>
features a weekend full of educational wine seminars held at the Four Seasons
Hotel Seattle. Led by top national wine personalities and sommeliers, the
topics showcase various aspects of <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>
wine<span style="background: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">.</span> The <a href="http://tastewashington.org/seminars-2015/" target="_blank">Taste Washington Seminars</a> are always very entertaining, educational, and definitely allow you to sip
while you learn! Not only are you learning first hand from some of <st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place>’s producers
and other industry leaders, you taste along with that learning. There are three
seminars on Saturday and another three on Sunday. For full details on each
seminar, panelists, and wines/ciders being poured, please visit the <a href="http://tastewashington.org/seminars-2015/" target="_blank">event page</a>.</div>
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<b>The Grand Taste –
Saturday & Sunday March 28<sup>th</sup> & 29<sup>th</sup> – <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">CenturyLink</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Field</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Events</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Last, but CERTAINLY not least, is the Grand Taste, held over
a 2-day span on Saturday and Sunday the 28<sup>th</sup> and 29<sup>th</sup>.
This tasting features hundreds of <a href="http://tastewashington.org/wineries-2015/" target="_blank">Washington wineries</a> from all over the state, l<a href="http://tastewashington.org/restaurants-2015" target="_blank">ocal restaurants</a> serving up their finest bites, various exhibitors, and demonstrations on the
<a href="http://www.alaskaair.com/" target="_blank">Alaska Airlines</a> Chef Stage. I will tell you from my
experiences as a past attendee, you MUST make a game-plan for the Grand Taste.
If you go in with no plan you will be overwhelmed (though in a good way…) and
likely miss out on some favorites you want to catch. There are several wineries
that pour at the Grand Taste that you do not see at other <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> tasting events. Make sure to
visit them and visit them early! Some of the high end wineries pour out very
quickly and it’s such a treat to be able to try wines you may never have a
chance to again. Once the 2015 event program is released, print out the map
(which is coded by section making it easy to figure out what is where) and make
your notes of what wineries and restaurants you want to be sure to get to. It’s
that simple! This is an amazing tasting event that will stimulate your senses
all afternoon long. The VIP experience gets you in an hour earlier than
everyone else (very much worth it if just to avoid the crowds), a VIP swag bag,
and access to an exclusive lounge area. You can pick up a single-day ticket or
a two-day pass, and you can find <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/Taste-Washington-tickets/artist/851203?tm_link=edp_Artist_Name" target="_blank">ticket information here</a>.</div>
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Is that enough options for you? Taste Washington 2015 is
going to be a blast, so get your tickets secured to one (or all?) of the
fabulous events being offered and get ready to enjoy Washington’s finest!</div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-10932919762006786632015-02-05T20:50:00.000-08:002015-02-05T20:51:13.907-08:00Valentine's Day for the Wine Lover!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As we saunter into February 2015 (already?!) we reach that
time where we once again have to decide how we’re going to impress that special
someone on cupid’s favorite holiday. Since we’ve known for ages that love and
booze go hand in hand, why not use Valentine’s Day this year for some liquid
lovin’? There are a wide variety of Valentine’s Day related wine events coming
up, special drink recipes you can concoct, and some wines that are perfect for
your other half (or for yourself, not everyone has a Valentine, so spoil
yourself this year!). So let’s take a look-see, shall we?</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Happenings</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Head east and check out some red wine and chocolate
confections at the inaugural <b>Secret
Crush</b> event, held Friday, February 13, from 6:00 – 9:00pm at the <st1:street w:st="on">4th Street</st1:street> Theatre in <st1:city w:st="on">Yakima</st1:city>. The
event will feature award-winning, 90+ and gold medals wines, as well as special
wines too limited in quantity to have been reviewed. Enjoy gourmet bites and
cooking demonstrations with Chef Roger Hazzard of Bon Vino’s restaurant in Sunnyside.
For more information and tickets visit <a href="http://www.wineyakimavalley.org/" target="_blank">http://www.wineyakimavalley.org/</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Head up to Woodinville to check out some winery events
(courtesy of <a href="http://woodinvillewinecountry.com/" target="_blank">Woodinville Wine Country</a>:</li>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 15.95pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Visit </span><b style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.pattersoncellars.com/index.html" target="_blank">Patterson Cellars</a></b><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> for <a href="https://dotcal.com/event/landing?u=3b2af070&f=dotCal-dfb08c70-88b5-0132-2628-52540010a04a.ics&c=2d4740f0-edca-0131-ad4d-52540010a04a&w=&a=pattersoncellars" target="_blank">Valentine'sWeekend Wine & Chocolate</a> </span><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">all weekend long. Enjoy a </span><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">red wine and
Theo Chocolate pairing along with the release of the</span><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.95pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">2014 Patterson Cellars Rosé!</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.lachinivineyards.com/index.asp" target="_blank">Lachini Vineyards</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">invites you to share a bit of romance for Valentines Day at their Woodinville tasting
room with some fine wine & delectable foods! They will be pouring </span><st1:state style="text-indent: 0.5in;" w:st="on">Champagne</st1:state><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">, their new 2013 Sparkling Rose, their 2012 La
Contrada and their popular 2013 </span><st1:place style="text-indent: 0.5in;" w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pinot</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Port.</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> Enjoy caviar &
chocolate pairings. $20 for Flight & light bites. Friday, Feb 13th 2pm – 8pm,
Saturday Feb. 14th 12pm – 8pm.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Join the wineries of </span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://applefarmvillage.com/" target="_blank">Woodinville's Apple Farm Village</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> for an afternoon of wine and more this Valentine's Day. Stop into one tasting
room or visit all four! They will be celebrating the occasion from 1pm - 4pm
with the following festivities: </span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.otiskenyonwine.com/" target="_blank">Otis Kenyon Wine</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> and cheese monger Sheri Levine
of Calf & Kid offers you a special Northwest Valentine pairing experience
of 3 wines with 3 cheeses for $15 per person ($10 for club members.) </span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.zerbacellars.com/" target="_blank">Zerba</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> will pour their award-winning wine and feature local artists and their handmade
jewelry for guests to peruse. The tasting is $5 per person, refundable with the
purchase of a bottle of wine. </span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://laurenashtoncellars.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Ashton Cellars</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> will offer bites from
<a href="http://www.thepurplecafe.com/" target="_blank">Purple Cafe & Wine Bar</a> as well as a wine
flight for 2 (or more!). The pairing is $10 per person, refundable with the
purchase of a bottle of wine (complimentary for club members.) </span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.toriimorwinery.com/" target="_blank">Torii Mor Winery</a></b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> will pair their wines with <a href="http://wowchocolates.com/" target="_blank">WOW Chocolates</a> of </span><st1:city style="text-indent: 0.5in;" w:st="on">Redmond</st1:city><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">, perfect for
Valentine's Day. The pairing is $10 per person, refundable with the purchase of
2 bottles of wine (complimentary for club members).</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Take a <b>Valentine’s
Day Dinner or Lunch Cruise</b> on Lake Union & Lake Washington during
various sailings over the weekend. For more information visit <a href="http://www.waterwayscruises.com/pages/public_cruises/special_events_cruises/valentines_cruises/" target="_blank">Waterways Cruisesand Events</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Take a trip to Sumner for the <b><a href="http://www.sumnerdowntown.com/wine_walk.html" target="_blank">Sweethart Wine Walk</a></b> put on by the <a href="http://www.sumnerdowntown.com/" target="_blank">Sumner Downtown Association</a>.
Saturday February 14<sup>th</sup> from 4-7pm, choose from over 36 wines being
poured and receive a box of chocolates. Make it a weekend and purchase the
Overnight Package which includes two Wine Walk tickets and overnight stay at the
Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Sumner.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Check out <b><a href="http://undergroundtour.com/about/events.html" target="_blank">Vino & Victuals</a></b> on Saturday the 14<sup>th</sup> at 6pm and compare and contrast flavors of the
Northwest at an Underground tasting event. Savour wines and their perfect food
pairings during a romantic evening in an 1890s saloon. After dinner, descend
into the Underground for a look at <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>’s
scandalous past. Upon your return to Doc Maynard’s Public House, enjoy a
nightcap tasting of bourbon with dessert. <a href="https://www.gatemastertickets.com/undergroundtour/chooseticket.aspx?id=4432&date=02/14/2015" target="_blank">Get your tickets here</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Show off Your Skills<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Try these concoctions courtesy of <a href="http://www.bevmo.com/" target="_blank">BevMo</a> and <a href="https://distillery209.com/" target="_blank">No. 209 Gin</a> (click on photo to enlarge recipes):</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Wines to Dazzle Them With</span></b></div>
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What’s more romantic than bubbly on Valentine’s Day? Some of
<b><i>my</i></b>
favorite sparkling wines from <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state>
and afar:</div>
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<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><u>Washington</u></b></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.goodkarmawines.com/home" target="_blank">Karma Vineyards’</a></b> <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Méthode Champenoise Brut</span> is amazing. The
care that goes into the creation of each bottle is incredible and I highly
encourage a tour of their facility in Chelan to learn more about their process.
Their method used is the traditional technique of making <st1:state w:st="on">Champagne</st1:state>
in the so named region northeast of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Paris</st1:city>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.trevericellars.com/" target="_blank"><b>Treveri Cellars</b></a> has made a
name for themselves in recent years, and their selection of sparkling wines is
expansive. From their classic blanc de blanc, to sparkling Syrah, to Sparkling
Mueller-Thurgau, Treveri makes tremendous wines and makes them available at a
fantastic price point. These are easily found at many retailers around the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> area and beyond.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHpCnuY2D2gk-1XYxp6weOzaoSatBu9XwVVnt9DSfSsHAGMMRq4DGhpFhkuKuUthh0S245azJb1QM8Ngt5beRlO7gw2fC7ZW1YSjYzyakqdDUTmuQ8LhDFdcJ-AD74Zyh96rbghz7MwE/s1600/IMAG3862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHpCnuY2D2gk-1XYxp6weOzaoSatBu9XwVVnt9DSfSsHAGMMRq4DGhpFhkuKuUthh0S245azJb1QM8Ngt5beRlO7gw2fC7ZW1YSjYzyakqdDUTmuQ8LhDFdcJ-AD74Zyh96rbghz7MwE/s1600/IMAG3862.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://synclinewine.com/" target="_blank">Syncline Wine Cellars’</a></b> Scintillation Brut Rose is one I will regularly seek out when released (and seek it quickly, they have
been known to sell out very fast). A beautiful bubbly from a winery that is
consistently putting out fantastic juice.</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Beyond Our Borders<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Whoever came up with the brilliant upon brilliant marketing
plan to put <b><a href="https://www.francisfordcoppolawinery.com/" target="_blank">Francis Ford CoppolaWinery’s</a></b> Sofia
Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine in a can with a tiny pink straw is a GENIUS. I
can personally attest to toting the stuff into nail salons and movie theaters
(ssshh, don’t tell). It’s a zesty little can of bubbly and it’s perfect for
wherever you Valentine’s Day date should take you. Those things carry very well
in purses ladies! You can find the 4-packs of them at most retailers (and
definitely at wine stores).</li>
</ul>
<div>
</div>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="https://www.jwine.com/" target="_blank">J Vineyards &Winery</a></b> makes wines of several varietals, but their sparkling stood out big time to me
during my visit in to their tasting room in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Sonoma</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place>
in Fall of 2011. Since their founding in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Healdsburg</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">CA</st1:state></st1:place> in 1986, they have made their
sparkling wines using Méthode Champenoise, the same manner in which Karma
(mentioned above) makes their wines as well. I have seen J wines distributed
around the <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>
area.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnPixE5jfTkq1Ey2ov-bCx8pi5_SshNfwCOacsxFXgxtZEY3INMJroLTWVO7XBImsIG42FHPxuk30nGWdxaHyfgstOfhu6c1YOsqsGUovzrFczuy1WsVLMxs92RIYEEErP8BtnOuXz3A/s1600/IMAG3836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnPixE5jfTkq1Ey2ov-bCx8pi5_SshNfwCOacsxFXgxtZEY3INMJroLTWVO7XBImsIG42FHPxuk30nGWdxaHyfgstOfhu6c1YOsqsGUovzrFczuy1WsVLMxs92RIYEEErP8BtnOuXz3A/s1600/IMAG3836.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The <b><a href="http://www.annadecodorniu.com/en/" target="_blank">Anna de Codorníu</a></b> Brut Rosé is a BEAUTIFUL Cava consisting of
70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with the Anna name honoring the Codorníu
heiress who married the viticulturist Miquel Raventos in 1659. The Raventos
family has owned Codorníu since that time and retained Anna name as a world
renowned brand. Anna’s descendant Josep Raventos was the first to master the “Méthode Traditionalle” of making sparkling
wine in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>
and thus began the rich history of Cava. This aromatic wine has an ever so soft
strawberry color, with an amazingly smooth finish, balanced acidity and
wonderful flavors of green apple melded with strawberries. With a suggested
retail price of just $14.99, this is by far the best Brut Rosé I have ever had
at this price point. This wine needs no food pairing to enhance it, kick back
with a glass of this on its own and savor the beauty that is Anna de Codorníu.
I don’t have specific information on local distribution, however, stores like
Esquin Wine & Spirits (http://www.esquin.com/) are great about special
orders and I know I personally am going to see if I can track down another
bottle (or 4!) of this.</li>
</ul>
<div>
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So there you have it! Some events, some cocktails, and some
of the romantic bubbly to get you started in your Valentine’s Day planning. Good
luck and cheers!</div>
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Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4344420550768380398.post-32244024888402823822015-01-25T19:00:00.000-08:002015-01-25T19:00:01.932-08:00Upcoming Event: 2015 Seattle Wine & Food Experience - 2/22/15 - Seattle Center Exhibition Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ladies
and gents, it’s go time again! The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Wine
& Food Experience</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(SWFE)(<a href="http://twitter%2Ccom/SeattleWineFood" target="_blank">@SeattleWineFood</a>)
kicks off the 2015 event season on Sunday February 22<sup>nd</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>with all of the delectable food and
beverages that we have come to know and love at this event. The seventh vintage
of this event will once again be held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background: white;">(</span>12-5pm <span style="background: white;">VIP,</span> 1-5pm <span style="background: white;">General Admission)</span>, which has been home to all of the delicious
offerings for many years. As I’ve mentioned in past posts about SWFE, one of
the best parts of this event is that it isn’t just<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>specific. SWFE brings in
wines, beers and spirits from around the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and around the
world. This allows guests a great opportunity to try things they may never come
across at any other<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>tasting event.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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Brand new this year is a kick-off event happening on the eve of
SWFE (February 21<sup>st</sup>) hosted by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.seattlemag.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Magazine</a>.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/pop" target="_blank">POP! Bubbles
and Seafood</a> will feature seafood from local fish and shellfish
providers and a dozen chefs, paired with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">Champagne</st1:state>,
sparkling wine, cider and beer. Now, if you know me AT ALL, you’ll know that
one of my favorite sayings is “bubbles make everything better”. And if you know<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:city u1:st="on">Seattle</st1:city><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:city> at all, you know that one
thing that the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:place u1:st="on">Pacific
Northwest</st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:place> does
well is seafood. This is shaping up to be one heck of a kick-off party and will
no doubt be a sensory delight! The POP! event will be housed in a deluxe tent
adjacent to the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, equipped with chandeliers
(because c’mon, that is a most excellent pairing for a glass of bubbly. I love
those things) and heating. This tent will also serve as an additional VIP
lounge area on Sunday during the main event. So definitely make a weekend of it
and get your bubbly and seafood on in style on Saturday the 21<sup>st</sup>!<o:p></o:p><u2:p></u2:p></div>
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As in previous years, SWFE will have many “experiences” you can
partake in as you work your way around the exhibition hall. Some of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/experience" target="_blank">2015
featured experiences</a> include:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>The
QFC Advantage Lounge</b>
- QFC wine stewards pour selections from Brown Family Vineyards, Col
Solare, Erath, Mercer Estates, Maryhill, Northstar, Spring Valley
Vineyards, Waterbrook Winery, The Woodhouse Wine Estate and more.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Featured
Wine Region: Woodinville</b>
- 30 Woodinville wineries pouring more than 100 wines (and all <st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place>’s AVAs).<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Les
Dames d’Escoffier Alley</b>
- Les Dames d'Escoffier <st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place>
is the event beneficiary. Its talented membership provides a special
experience at SWFE with member beverages, food and specialty products
including Anthony’s Pier 66, Biscuit Box, Gelatiamo, Gnocci Bar, Hot Stove
Society, Kaspar’s Special Events & Catering, McCrea Cellars, Pike
Brewing Company, Serafina & Cicchetti, World Spice Merchants and more.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Northwest,
California and International Wines</b> - Get taste of wine regions from the Northwest and
beyond with sips from Woodinville, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California,
Wine Road Sonoma, Wine Yakima Valley, Cascade Valley Wine Country and
international wineries including Argentina, France, Israel, Italy,
Portugal, Uruguay and more.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Sip
Northwest Distillery Walk</b>
- Take a stroll at Sip Northwest Distillery Walk featuring many of the
region’s hottest craft spirits makers as well as global brands.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Heritage
Meats Butchery Showcase</b>
- New this year, master butcher Tracy Smaciarz, owner of Heritage Meats
will entertain and delight you with butchery demos that are coupled with
tastes from restaurants Bell + Whete featuring Gleason Ranch Beef and
Delicatus featuring Jerry Baker Pork.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Tim's
Cascade Snacks Beer and Cider Exhibit</b> - Local favorite Tim’s Cascade Snacks is serving up
new flavors of their famous salty chips and popcorn. Taste through new
developments in cider and beer or lounge at one of the café tables. <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Top
Pot Doughnut and Coffee Bar</b>
- Grab a hand-forged doughnut and revive your palate, with a stop at the
Top Pot Doughnut and Coffee Bar. For an added bonus, grab a sample sip
from Sun Liquor Distillery.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Stella
Artois Bistro & Chef Stage</b>
- Bring your glass and take a seat as you watch Diane LaVonne of Diane’s
Market Kitchen teach you about cooking and pairing beer with food. Sample
bites from the demonstration, and remember to pick up one of the coveted
Stella Artois Chalices.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Ste
Michelle Wine Estates Tasting Bar</b>
- Take the “Riesling Challenge” and determine which wine pleases your
palate – Dry, Off Dry or Sweet. Also taste through wine selections from
their portfolio including 14 Hands, Anew, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia
Crest, O Wines and Red Diamond. Seek out their displays in local QFCs for
a special ticket discount.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Wente
Vineyards Aroma Experience</b>
- Have you discovered a perfect glass of wine, but don’t know how to
identify the aromas? Wente Vineyards offers a unique Aroma Experience
where you will learn how to pick out specific aromas in wine, and be able
to describe them with ease. This experience is fun and interactive and
also features their family of wines for tasting.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Tasty
bites from more than <a href="http://seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/eats" target="_blank">20 Northwest chefs</a></b> - Stay tuned for menu items coming soon and find the full list of featured
chefs on the event website. Guests can savor the incredible creations from
more 25 of <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city>’s
most accomplished chefs and another 25 food exhibitors representing a
global range of cuisines. Stay hydrated with the quality waters from San
Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The event
benefits <a href="http://www.lesdamesseattle.com/" target="_blank">Les
Dames d’Escoffier Seattle</a>, a 501c3 non-profit organization of women leaders
in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and
philanthropy.<br />
<br />
Tickets for this year’s event are on sale now at <a href="http://www.seattlewineandfoodexperience.com/" target="_blank">www.seattlewineandfoodexperience.com</a>.
There are a few options for attendees depending on how much they want to amp up
their “experience” at the Seattle Wine & Food Experience (and coming from a
past attendee, it’s worth it for VIP! Just that extra hour ahead of the big
crowds is amazing):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
SWFE General Admission – $55<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
SWFE VIP – $70 (hour early entrance,
custom tote bag, special VIP area)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
POP! Bubbles & Seafood – $65<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
SWFE BIG – $125 (includes tickets to POP!
And SWFE VIP)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Check out
Seattle Wine & Food Experience on <a href="http://facebook.com/seattlewineandfoodexperience" target="_blank">Facebook</a>,
Twitter (<a href="http://seattlewinefood/" target="_blank">@seattlewinefood</a>)
and Instagram (/seattlewinefood) for more information on the event, past event
photos and other great information leading up to the shindig.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!</b> As a reward for reading all the way to the end of this
post (just kidding, I would have done it anyways…) Sips & The City is
giving away a pair of tickets to this year’s Seattle Wine & Food
Experience! And since we all know free is the best price, you should probably
get yourself entered to win these bad boys. To enter, just leave a comment on this
post about what you’re most looking forward to at this year’s event. Maybe it’s
a specific winery you love, a restaurant you know is participating that you
can’t get enough of, or just one of the various experiences as a whole? Let me
know what that is and one lucky winner will receive a pair of General Admission
tickets to the event! I will compile all responses received and randomly select
a winner on Friday January 30th. GOOD LUCK!<o:p></o:p></div>
Taryn Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14563248732717992092noreply@blogger.com29