Sparkling Wines of Washington: A Blind Birthday Bubbly Tasting

 

One of the things that I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time now is a focus on Washington Sparkling Wine (raise your hand if you know why we can’t call it “Champagne” here?). I’ve had several different ones from different wineries and I thought it would be fun to do a little side by side of some of Washington’s finest (and most well-known) Sparkling Wine… blind! What better way to compare than to test our palates to guess the high-end from the low-end? AND, what better occasion to celebrate a birthday than to bust open five bottles of bubby with some girlfriends? As part of my “Birthday Week 2012”, we did just that. And so, “Birthday Bubbles” commenced…

Upcoming Event: 4th Annual WSU Wine Symposium - Palace Ballroom - Seattle

What do you get when you mix 11 WSU connected wineries, Beecher’s Cheese, a posh event space and food from Tom Douglas Catering? Why, the 4^th annual Washington State University Wine Symposium of course! As you may remember from last year, I assisted in organizing the 3^rd annual event in summer 2011. This year, I was given the lead role and, along with some amazing help, have managed to put together the biggest and best WSU Wine Symposium yet! The 4^th annual event will be held on Thursday, July 19^th, 2012 at the Palace Ballroom in downtown Seattle from 7-10pm.

The whole purpose of the event is to showcase WSU affiliated wineries. So whether it’s the winemaker, the owners, founding members, or a Coug that runs the show in the tasting room or back office, each and every winery that is featured at the Wine Symposium is somehow connected to WSU. This is the beauty of the event, showing Cougs how many amazing wines come from wineries connected to the University. Another addition to this year’s event is Beecher’s Cheese, the owner of which is also a WSU Alum! They will be there with their cheese and mac & cheese samples (maybe we should invite Oprah?) to pair with the wines. So whether you are a wine expert, or a newbie who wants to learn more about Washington wine and the fine people that make it, this event is for you.

The 4^th Annual WSU Wine Symposium will feature wines from:

Alexandria Nicole Cellars

Ash Hollow Estate Vineyard & Winery

Gard Vintners

Kiona Vineyards & Winery

Laurelhurst Cellars

Marcus Sophia Winery

Palouse Winery

Skylite Cellars

Smasne Cellars

Sozo Friends

William Church Winery

Some of the wineries are familiar faces at the event, back this year with new vintages, and others are first time participants. We are beyond excited to have such a stellar line-up of WSU connected wineries pouring at the event!

Your ticket for the event features entrance, tastings, heavy appetizers from Tom Douglas Catering, and a raffle ticket. This year’s raffle items include a wine gift basket from The Wine Alley, a wine basket and spirits basket from Sip Northwest Magazine, a private tasting from Smasne Cellars, a gift certificate from Beecher's Cheese, t-shirts/entrance to the Fall 2012 Cougar Crawl, and more!

Please join us in supporting all things WSU and get your tickets to what is sure to be a fantastic evening!

All tickets must be pre-purchased, so there will be no ticket sales at the door the night of the event. Visit the registration page here to get your tickets, and GO COUGS!

Rock Me All Night Long - Win 2 tickets to Wine Rocks Seattle 2012!

Have you procrastinated in obtaining your Wine Rocks 2012 tickets? Do you like free stuff? Well, then I have the contest for you. Sips & the City is giving away a pair of tickets to this year's Wine Rocks event, which (as I previously wrote about) is happening Wednesday July 11th, 2012.

Want a shot at the tickets? Here's what you have to do:

1. Head on over to the Twittersphere and follow @WineRocksSEA. There are great updates posted about the event.
2. Stop by the Wine Rocks Seattle facebook page and give them a "like". You'll also find more information about the event here.
3. Leave a comment on this post. I had fun with this last year by having people pair their favorite type of wine and music. Do it again! Think of it like a food & wine pairing but with music & wine. Get creative! Please make sure to leave your full name so I can find you if you win.

I'll randomly pick from all comments on Friday June 29th, 2012 at noon. Don't miss out on a chance to win tickets to what will surely be a fantastic event!

Upcoming Event: Wine Rocks Seattle 2012 - Elliott Hall at Pier 66

 Back for the 5th year in a row, Wine Rocks is set to once again showcase the "rockin'" side of wine, this year at Elliott Hall at Pier 66 on the Seattle waterfront. This year's event will take place on Wednesday July 11th, from 6 to 10pm. With the food trucks returning (those were a great feature at least year's event) and over 35 wineries, breweries and distilleries on hand, it's sure to be a great time (as always). One of the best parts of the event isn't just that there's music, but that the performances are by some of Washington's winemakers themselves! The line-up for this year includes:

• The Wicker Rhinos – Paul Gregutt (wine writer) and Larry Davidson (sommelier)
• The Fox & The Raven – Chip McLaughlin (Vinyl Wines) and Mari Gisele
• Turbo Grape Mashers – Gordy Rawson (Chatter Creek Cellars)
• Shelly & the Curves
• Soul Jelly

So how did Wine Rocks come to be? Founder Jen Doak states, “I created Wine Rocks in 2008 as an open house event for Gibson Guitars to bring publicity to their showroom. I suggested that they bring in a few local winery owners who also love strumming their guitars. The concept was a huge hit and Wine Rocks has grown every year since.” And boy has it ever. I've had the privilege of attending the past two year's events and each year it grew and changed venues to larger spaces. I can't wait to be down on the waterfront on a (hopefully) beautiful Seattle summer evening.

To date, participating wineries include: Animale Winery, Baer Winery, Barons V, Barrage Cellars, Celaeno Winery, Chatter Creek Winery, Corvus Cellars, DiStefano Winery, Dusted Valley Vintners, Eye of the Needle, Fidelitas Wines, Fjellene Cellars & Vineyard, Gifford Hirlinger, Glencorrie Winery, Gorman Winery, Guardian Cellars, Hightower Cellars, Jones of Washington, Kiona Vineyard & Winery, Long Shadows, Magnificant Wine Co., Mark Ryan Winery, Michael Florentino Cellars, Pontin del Roza Winery, Purple Star, Renegade Wine Co., Robert Ramsay Cellars, Smasne Cellars, Terra Blanca, Treveri Cellars, Walter Dacon Wines and Waters Winery.

Tack on some great breweries: Pike Brewing Company and Pyramid Breweries

And some distilleries: BroVo Spirits and Project V Distillery and Sausage Company

And you’ve got the recipe for another great Peha Promotions event!

This year’s Wine Rocks event benefits The Giving Grapes Foundation, a 501c3 organization that assists local charities who provide financial assistance to service industry professionals who have to take time off work due to injury or illness.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sips & the City will be giving away a pair of tickets to this awesome event! Be on the lookout for the post detailing the giveaway (coming soon)!

What are you waiting for? Get your tickets here and I’ll see you on the Pier for Wine Rocks 2012!