PRUNING HAS BEGUN! Sure, we've only done about 5 vines but it's a start. The important thing is that Spring is near.
This weekend I will be pouring wines, along with 20 or so other wineries, at the Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, WA. This is one of the premier festivals in the Northwest and offers lots of wine, food and good music. If you're into it use that search engine thingy to learn more. You can also call one of my favorite wine shops, Corky Cellars in Des Moines.
Don't forget that the Capital Food and Wine Festival is coming up in late March. I may have mistakenly informed you that it was sooner than later but I was wro. . .incorrect.
Come up and visit Employee of the month Runner-up, Ryan. He has a lot of labeling to do and could use a break.
You look beautiful in Spring, Husum!
Joel
Hey everyone!
Thanks to all of you who made it up this weekend to taste our new releases. According to your feedback, we're going to have another 12 months of great wine from top to bottom.
Don't forget that these new wines will be hitting the road this weekend when they are unveiled at Auburn Wine and Caviar. I will be holding a special release party on Friday night from 4 to 8ish for all of our friends and readers of this piece of crap blog. I will also be pouring Saturday afternoon for non-friends and non-readers. (2402 A Street SE, Auburn, WA.)
I enjoyed seeing all of you who came out to Wine Alley last Thursday night to taste the last of last years vintages. I'm glad to see you all support your local wine shop.
I was on a bottling fury last week and with the help of employee of the month runner-up, Ryan and John and Regina, I was able to get it all done. Regina drinks more wine during a day of bottling than most people drink in a lifetime.
You'll always be my Valentine, Husum!
Joel
Hello my people,
I can't say enough how I underestimated the Enumclaw Chocolate and Wine Festival. We do dozens of wine festivals every year and I definitely have my favorites, but this one, for a first year event, has launched its way to the top ten, and for many reasons. The facility was great, the selection of wineries was great, and the people attending were great. Mark your calendar for next year. Below is a picture of Lisa and Penni enjoying the velvety flavors of Wind River Cellars. (www.enumclawchocolateandwine.com)
The other picture below is of what I must deal with this week, taking wine out of those round looking wood things we in the wine business call "barrels". Barrels help wine age until they are ready to put into a bottle. These bottles are then sold to the consumer, which provides the winery with what we call "Revenue". Revenue helps a winery grow more grapes and buy more barrels the following year so that they can do it all over again. I will be "Bottling" this week. Bottling is the process of putting the wine into the bottle. This is done with equipment we call "Friends coming up to help bottle".
Valentine's Day Weekend we will be releasing 6 or 7 new vintages. I'm sorry to see the current vintages go. It's like dumping your girlfriend of the last 12 months for someone younger. After 12 years of Wind River Cellars, I've become pretty good at saying "Good bye, I'll see you at the library tasting next November". I'm very excited about the new releases which include '06 Lem, '07 Cab Franc, '06 Merlot, '06 Syrah, '08 Chardonnay and '08 Pinot Gris. It's quite possible that a few of these wines will show up at the tasting I'm doing this Thursday at Wine Alley in Renton. Some people call Renton "Northern Kent", some call it "Southern Bellvue", I just call it "Home to a great wine shop".
If you can't make it to the winery for the big release weekend, I'll be pouring them the following week at Auburn Wine and Caviar. (In Auburn, you idiot!) In the past, we've always held this event in a high profile location but this year I'm doing it in a central location with plenty of parking. Those of you that attended the release party at the Space Needle remember what a pain in the ass it was to park, get on that elevator and then try to talk your way in. That won't be a problem in Auburn. I promise you'll like this shop. Friday the 20th is for you people that take the time to read this horrible piece of crap blog. I'll have new releases and a few old classics. I promise a great time. For those of you that don't take the time to read this piece of crap blog, come down Saturday the 21st. I'll still pour you the new releases but you probably won't get the classics.
Don't forget that Capital Food and Wine Festival is coming up. This is another top 10 favorite.
Stay festive, Husum!
Joel
There's a new champion! Ya, the NFL had that little thing called "Superbowl" but most of America and armed forces over seas were more into the 6th Annual Wind River Cellars Chili Cook-Off. Near record attendance witnessed Chris Keyser of Hood River, Oregon, charm a late arriving bachelorette party into choosing his Red Horse Ranch recipe for top honor. The $10,000 first prize will come in handy for Chris and his wife, Tracy as they are expecting their first child in a few months. "This is an incredible honor" said Keyser. "It makes me want to name my daughter 'Wind River Cellars'". In an unfortunate side story to the competition, Tracy Keyser was escorted away by local law enforcement for eating more chili than a pregnant woman should be allowed. She will be barred from attending the nationals in Santa Fe, NM next month where Chris will be competing for the National Chili Championship. Thank you to all who attended. I think it was the best chili cook-off yet. Below are a few pics from the event.
Here's some cool news. I will be releasing 6 new vintages over Valentine's weekend. They include '06 merlot, '06 syrah, '08 pinot gris, '07 cabernet franc, '07 chardonnay and '06 Lemberger. If you're unable to visit the winery during this open house weekend, I will be hosting a release tasting at Auburn Wine and Caviar on February 20th and 21st. (www.auburnwineandcaviar.com)
February 28th I will be pouring at the annual Capital Food and Wine Festival in Lacey. This has always been a fun event with lots of music, wine and that other beverage known as "beer". I only know about beer second hand but understand that it can be quite refreshing and delicious.
For those of you looking for something to do this coming weekend, I will be pouring the last of my current vintages at the Enumclaw Wine and Chocolate Festival on Friday and Saturday.
All of you city slickers need not worry. I'll have some events coming up in Seattle and Portland in the Spring. Right now, I'm feelin' just a little bit country.
Happy trails, Husum!
Joel