Ahem.
Then 2019 we did some tastings, but nothing as serious as 2018.
This year I decided I was buying Janet and I this passport again. It really helps to get us out and do something, and wine. I mean, come on.
There are several on the list that we've tasted before and remember. And several we weren't sure if we've tasted (not promising at all), and some we've never tasted. The thing about hitting any tasting room multiple times, is every year is different. Their wines change. The grapes change. One wine you may hate one year, then the next you taste it and buy several bottles.
We started our 2023 adventure yesterday. We know by experience we should only do 3 wineries in one outting. After three your taste buds are really wined out. AND you probably shouldn't drink any more so you can drive.
The wineries on the list, though, all have different hours, different locations, and some require reservations. The Woodineville Winery group have created an app for this Passport thing. And while that's great, they don't allow you to sort the wineries by location or available times. So...me being me, I put it all in a spreadsheet. You're shocked aren't you?
Janet and I have our next tasting dates already on the calendar and now simply have to choose where to go. But before I get ahead of myself, let's talk about yesterday's tastings.
We started at Zerba Cellars. I didn't recall it, but we had tasted at Zerba before in 2014. I didn't have a very good experience there at that time. And, to be fair, my wine knowledge was lacking at that time. Still, this visit was fantastic. The two ladies working the tasting room were warm and welcoming. They knew a lot about the wines and spent enough time explaining to us. What makes Zerba special is it's called "rock" wine. The vines grow in a very rocky area, and prefer that. The rocks make the vines really work at it and the result is a bolder taste. I bought three bottles there and would certainly go back and taste them again.
The next one was 425 Cellars. This was a new one for us. The woman working it was also fantastic. We were the only ones in the room at the time so she spent time chatting us up. She didn't have a lot of knowledge about the red wines because she was a white wine drinker. That was ok with me she knew enough. Their wines were so fantastic. Every one we tasted I fell in love with. Even the white wine we tasted (it was a Pinot Grigio). Their wines were so good that I joined their wine club and bought 3 bottles. Janet bought a rose from them too. I'd highly recommend this winery tasting room. In fact, I'll meet you there.
After 425, we took a break and had lunch at Vivi Pizzeria. Their pizza is thin crust and so amazingly delicious. Janet and I split a wedge salad and a pizza. It was just what we needed to finish out tasting day.
The last winery we tasted at was Patterson. We know Patterson very well. We've tasted there several times. This time, though, we just didn't think their wines were that great. It could be that the first two wineries were so great that Patterson was just lackluster.
I managed to come home with 7 bottles of wine. 6 I bought and 1 Janet bought. She likes to buy wine and send it home with me because here is where we'll usually be drinking it. She also likes to let me buy the wine because she knows she'll be likely with me when we drink it. Smart.
I am happy that we're tasting wines again. I missed it last year. It also gets me out of house - which is where I like to stay too much. I can't wait to taste some of the new ones on the list. Stay tuned for those stories.
0 comments:
Post a Comment