winegirlblogs

The bottling process has begun here at our new facility in Lake Chelan. We’re finishing the blending of our 2008 red wines including some Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It’s hard work coming up with the perfect blends; lots of sampling. There’ll be another Kamari Black Label Reserve this year and fan favorites, Cab Franc and Malbec varietals and some new blends to be announced later.

Unfortunately there’ll be no photos today. While pouring wines at a most recent event in Seattle, our vehicle was burgled. Stolen was our laptop and digital camera among other things. We lost the machine itself as well as 6 months of wine artwork and photos. It’s a major bummer at an extremely busy time for us. But we’re pushing on, friends.

After deciding on our blends, we set up for the bottling line. As a true nano-winery, we bottle by hand which means washing, sanitizing, rinsing, sparging, filling, corking, foiling, and labeling the bottles pretty much one at a time. It is quite an operation to get up and running. On the first day, there are always a few snags and snaggles as we try to remember how the equipment works and what is the most efficient system of bottling. We usually call in a few dedicated winos to volunteer on the line.

After two sessions bottling, we have our 2008 Kamari Cabernet Franc and 2008 Kamari Malbec in bottles and resting in the cold room for a little while so they can deal with their bottle shock in cool, humid peace. These are long days, usually around 15 hours, after which we stumble home for a “nap” before the next day of flying water and flowing wine.

The Blending Room, our winery and tasting bar, on the North Shore of Lake Chelan, is open for business while we work. Come check us out for a taste or a case, ask questions, and watch out for the errant hose sprays from the bottling line.

J.H.

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.

J.H.

UPDATE:

The 2007 Cab. Franc is sold out, but Marketime is now carrying WineGirl Wines’ 2007 ‘My Derby Wife’ Merlot in addition to the 2008 Firá Chardonnay.

For those following along at home, the rules to the game have changed. In an effort to get our followers out and into the shops that are carrying WineGirl’s bottles on their shelves, we’re taking Where’s Wino? to the real world (in part). Here’s how it works:
1. We will post on this weblog, the name of a particular new retail shop that are carrying our wines.
2. You will go to the shop and take a photo of yourself next to our bottles on the shelf (everybody’s got a camera-phone, right).
3. You will submit the photo to us by email.
4. We will display the first photo of the correct location on the blog.
5. We will award the winning wino a fabulous prize.

And so, for the next installment of Where’s Wino? we’re sending you to Malt & Vine in Redmond, WA. It’s a lovely little shop that sells beer and wine to go and pours glasses to enjoy there and then. They have many interesting and seldom seen beers of the world available in bottle and on tap. Their wine selection is full of obscure labels from the Northwest and around the world. It’s a very intriguing collection of fine wines. If you’re into more than the usual bottles in the beer and wine aisle, Malt & Vine is worth checking out.

This is what our wines look like on the shelves without you there posing in the shot. They are carrying WineGirl Wines’ 2007 Kamari Cabernet Franc and our 2008 Firá Chardonnay. You don’t have to buy anything from the shop, but it may be hard to leave without something, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt the cause. Have fun.

J.H.

Inspired by the blog at French Market Spice, I decided to record a mealmaking in progress. On the menu this night was polenta chunklets with black beans and chard. It was easy to prepare and delicious to eat. I first sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil. Then I added cooked black beans, replumped ancho chile peppers, jalapeno chiles, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and Bouquet Garni from French Market Spice. Bouquet Garni is a classic french blend of savory, celery, chives, thyme, onion, and bay leaves.

To make the polenta, I mixed the coarse ground yellow cornmeal into boiling water until it was the consistency of mashed potatoes. I poured the mix into a baking pan and baked for nearly 20 minutes until the top was slightly crispy. I sliced the polenta into squares and served with the bean mixture on top with  shredded sharp cheddar and jack cheeses and diced green onions. I added sauteed chard on the side to add some green color and flavor.

Our 2007 Kamari Cabernet Franc was a perfect compliment to this meal. The peppery and earthy flavors of the wine went well with this hearty polenta dish. The soft fruit flavor in the Cab Franc added another dimension to the taste experience. Try something like this at home and you will not be disappointed.

J.H.

WineGirl Wines’ Kamari Black Label is now available for sale in stores. Well, it’s for sale in a store. In the past, we were able to get our wines onto the lips of the public through direct sales. As WineGirl Wines grows, so too must our reach to potential new fans. This week, QFC on Mercer Island (near Seattle, Washington) made a place on their shelves for our Kamari Cabernet Franc. It fits quite nicely I’d say.

Also, this week Full Pull Wines selected Kamari Cabernet Franc and Firá Chardonnay to be part of its growing wine list. Full Pull specializes in offering boutique Washington wines to its followers via email. The founder of Full Pull also writes a blog called Swordfern Wines describing adventures with the fine wines of Washington.

It was an exciting week in the effort to offer WineGirl Wines’ releases to the world. Of course, you can always check out winegirlwines.com to get bottles directly from the source.

J.H.