Label of the Month: LotM – December
Well, I’m not one to have favorites, but hand-over-fist the best value sparkling wine is none other than Domaine Ste. Michelle. Maybe it’s easy for me to remember since there’s not a million kinds of sparkling wines out there (yet), or perhaps the cheap sparklers are really that bad (which is infinitely true) or maybe its my bias toward Washington wines applied to the sparkler category. But, every year I can’t wait for the Fred Meyer December Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling wine sale (that conveniently lasts through New Years). So, here I am to 1) officially declare...
Read MoreWhere’s Wino? Malt & Vine.
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...
Read More20something 2009
What a night! 800 ticket holders and 75 Washington state wineries crowded into the Fremont Studios to taste wine, try gourmet foods, and simply be seen. Hosted by the Washington Wine Commission, the fifth annual 20something event boasted local chef Tom Douglas’s pork head, Ray’s Cafe Thai curry penne, and my new personal favorite coffee roaster Stumptown Coffee. Yum Yum. So, while the night started off at 6PM, the majority of the peeps came strolling in around 7PM in a true fashionably-late style. Pouring our 2008 Columbia Valley Firá Chardonnay and 2007 Walla Walla Valley...
Read MoreMoving wine around
This week, we took the time to rack some aging wines. Racking entails transfering the wine from the barrel, washing out the sediment (lees), returning the wine to the barrel and topping off the barrel with extra wine. We transfer the wine by pressurizing the barrel with inert gas and pushing the wine through the hose to the waiting vessel. This method is very gentle on the wine and limits unnecessary exposure to the air. It’s nice not to have to use the pump for this process. As much as I like our little pump, it requires priming which can be a chore, especially for this job. The...
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