Thursday, January 29, 2009

Oysters, anyone?

Our Sauvignon Blanc got a nice writeup in a recent tasting of wines to go with oysters, conducted by Chuck Hill at Wines Northwest. Put together some of the best and freshest oysters from the Hood Canal and some crisp, fruity Sauvignon Blanc, and you're in heaven. Chuck invited us to submit wine for the tasting, but unfortunately we were not personally invited to attend. I guess that wouldn't be fair. Maybe if I offer to wear a blindfold? That would probably improve the oyster consuming experience anyway (I mean, no matter how much you like them, they're not pretty).

Thursday, January 22, 2009

What is January?

Ah, January. I don't reckon January is the most popular month, but it's one of my favorites. There's little to do in the winery and sales slow to a trickle, allowing me to do some mining in the mountain of stuff that's piled up since August, back when Harvest preparations began. The end of Harvest pretty much rolls into the holiday sales season (this year with a little bottling thrown in, for good measure) so by the time the new year rolls around, I'm as cooked as a truck stop burger.

Plus, sometimes I get letters like this:

From: Jennifer in Georgia
Subject: Your Port

I bought a bottle – nice, tall – when I was on the island last year for the first time in May. Just opened it this week and have been sipping every night. I love it! I wish you had a distributor in Atlanta!

Happy Saint Vincent's Day!

January 22 is St. Vincent's day; St. Vincent is the patron saint of winemakers. Curiously, he's also the patron saint of vinegar makers, which is something that most winemakers hope not to become. I guess it's convenient for the winemakers in that if the winemaking doesn't go well, they don't have to buy a new talisman...