My first encounter with Clive Pursehouse was through a cordial email invite to learn more about our winery under the theme of Seattle’s Urban Wineries. Immediately I could tell he was a writer and a gentleman simply by his lexicon. After several email exchanges I learned we had the University of Washington in common- he as an Administrator and I as a student in the Foster School of Business. So the University District was a natural meeting location. He suggested my new favorite restaurant Guanacos Tacos Pupuseria on Brooklyn serving fantastic Salvadorian Pupusas.
Gosh I was certainly nervous to meet with Clive, but most anything over good food is easy, so off I left to meet him one grey and rainy Seattle day. Guanacos is small, so it was hard to miss Clive seated in the center of it all perusing the menu, and I remember he said he’d recognize me either wearing a barrel or with a broken pair of sunglasses. Good one on him for doing his homework. I chuckled and was at ease. He then offered me the royal treatment and a true Pupusas experience, which was sincerely a treat when on a student budget. Let’s hope writers get to expense lunches at The Oregon Wine Blog especially when they are ranked 9th in Google’s Top 100 Wine Blogs.
So we chatted about social media and narcissism, wine and small wineries. He also introduced me to several of the little wineries in my area that I had never heard of like 509 Wines and Ward Johnson Winery. He was truly a dear wino friend! And, well the rest is history… follow this link to Clive’s story on WineGirl Wines.
As the New Year set in, tragedy hit home to millions on a little island in the Caribbean sea. We here in Seattle are well-known for our brilliance, lets say. Perhaps it’s the doldrum grey winter weather igniting the brain bulbs, but alas I can confidently say that most flashes of brilliance hitch a ride on the tie-die conveyor belt and are lost to the ether.
However, just the other day my good friend Garren’s bulb flashed and has burned brightly for over a week as he hit the pavement running on a wild hair. He set out on a mission to help those less fortunate in Haiti, by directing an ad-hoc silent auction of beautiful Pacific Northwest wines and among other delectable pleasures worthy of bidding for such a fantastic cause.
My advice with a grain of salt: Get out there and do something yourself or support Garren’s charismatic efforts!
This Saturday at the Vineyard Table in Seattle. Suggested donation $25, first 50 get a free bottle of wine. Browse the silent auction collection, of which we donated 6 bottles of wine, two My Derby Wife bottles of Merlot signed by yours truly Killer Bee-otch #36 of the Rat City Rollergirls included.
We are very excited to have our wines in our local grocery, Marketime. We have lived in Fremont, Seattle within blocks of this great market for 7 or 8 years now and enjoy having a good selection of supplies, food and treats so close. They definitely have a great beer and wine selection which I’ve been taking advantage of as long as I’ve been a customer. And now the special bottles of WineGirl Wines are part of that great wine selection. It’s a big wall of wine, but have a close look and you’ll spot 2007 Kamari Cabernet Franc. The 2008 Firá Chardonnay is around the corner in the white wine cooler. If you don’t already know about Marketime, take a little roadtrip for a visit. After you’ve grabbed a bottle, take a look around for their house-made sausage and delicious chocolate cake. It could be quite a night.
Marketime is in Fremont at 4416 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103.
See where else you can buy bottles of WineGirl Wines here.
This round’s Label of the Month is by Cycles Gladiator. They’ve shared this label on several styles of wines for several years now. Cycles Gladiator began in 2006 with this striking label. These wines are widely available, so you may have seen this one is stores. You can’t find it in Alabama though, where it is outlawed due to the label, a copy of a classic art poster.
The original art was created by French painter G. Massias in 1895 as a poster to advertise bicycles made by Gladiator. This was the Belle Époque in Europe when life was becoming easier for the upper classes due to new technologies and greater scientific understanding. Art Nouveau was the prominent visual style throughout much of Europe at the time. Cabaret was becoming a popular form of entertainment. The first Cabaret opened in Paris and was called the Le Chat Noir. This Art Nouveau poster from 1896 by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen is a famous one.
Also, around this time in Europe, sparkling champagne became part of popular culture as it shifted to a brut style with no added sugar. This is still the predominant style of champagne. This champagne ad from 1896 is a poster by Alphonse Mucha, who’s credited with popularizing this new art style.
This style of art including January’s Label of the Month captures a feeling that goes well with a more fun approach to wine. It’s an approach that we at WineGirl Wines always have in mind, so don’t be surprised to see Art Nouveau style on one of our labels someday.
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