Tildio, Nefarious, and Hard Row to Hoe wineries are teaming up to celebrate the newly established Lake Chelan AVA by setting sail aboard the grand “Lady of the Lake.” Join us for an evening cruise around beautiful Lake Chelan as we try six proudly vinted estate wines, nibble on tasty bites from Erik Cannella and Adrianne Dow Young of Young Cannella, and groove to the Brazilian Bosa Nova jazz music of Grupo Amoroso. This two-hour adventure is scheduled for Saturday, May 30th and will depart from the Lady’s dock at 8 p.m. sharp (boarding begins at 7:45). Tickets are $45 per person and offered as a special treat to our wine club membersat $35. Space is very limited so don’t doddle! To purchase yours, please call either Tildio (509.687.8463), Nefarious (509.682.9505), or Hard Row to Hoe (509.687.3000).
See you on the boat!
The fine print: Ticket price includes the cruise, Brazilian jazz, six estate wines,food, and fun. For everyone’s enjoyment, this is a 21 and over cruise.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wine snobbery and all that silliness...
I may be running the risk of offending some here, but I hope not. I work most days in our tasting room and as we get busier in the summer months, there seems to always be an upswing in wine snobbery. You know, the puffed up chest, this is what I know business. Maybe I get tired or maybe I am actually noticing that we all want to do our best to impress our friends.
I can only make comment from my side of the bar and I do know that I perceive wine in an entirely different light. I live with the stuff everyday, it could just different for me. I remember the first time I tried a pine nut, I couldn't stand it, today I hardly cook anything without them. Wine is like that too. I hear the theory from our guests all of the time that you evolve from sweet whites to reds. I think that must mean that by the time you are a Cab. drinker, you are the real deal.
If that is the case, then why is Riesling part of the Long Shadows project? I am honestly not the hugest fan of Merlot, but I've drank some that have blown my mind. What would it be like to put all of our preconceived notions about wine out of our minds? Wouldn't it be lovely to step up to a glass, not care if it is white, pink, or red and to appreciate it for it varietal characteristic, it's balance, and what it appropriate for what it is? I hear comments about sweet wines all of the time and I never realized that that was something bad or that it made you a novice wine drinker. Winemakers think about residual sugar in terms of how it relates to pH. If you drank a Riesling that was dry and had a pH of 2.9, you might prefer sucking on a lemon. We just think about how one flavor plays off of another and how those layers all work together to create something that is highly enjoyable.
I may be all wrong and maybe you should stick to what you already think works for you. But if I happen to be right, wouldn't it open up the whole world of wine?
-Heather
I can only make comment from my side of the bar and I do know that I perceive wine in an entirely different light. I live with the stuff everyday, it could just different for me. I remember the first time I tried a pine nut, I couldn't stand it, today I hardly cook anything without them. Wine is like that too. I hear the theory from our guests all of the time that you evolve from sweet whites to reds. I think that must mean that by the time you are a Cab. drinker, you are the real deal.
If that is the case, then why is Riesling part of the Long Shadows project? I am honestly not the hugest fan of Merlot, but I've drank some that have blown my mind. What would it be like to put all of our preconceived notions about wine out of our minds? Wouldn't it be lovely to step up to a glass, not care if it is white, pink, or red and to appreciate it for it varietal characteristic, it's balance, and what it appropriate for what it is? I hear comments about sweet wines all of the time and I never realized that that was something bad or that it made you a novice wine drinker. Winemakers think about residual sugar in terms of how it relates to pH. If you drank a Riesling that was dry and had a pH of 2.9, you might prefer sucking on a lemon. We just think about how one flavor plays off of another and how those layers all work together to create something that is highly enjoyable.
I may be all wrong and maybe you should stick to what you already think works for you. But if I happen to be right, wouldn't it open up the whole world of wine?
-Heather
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Inspired
This book just arrived in our tasting room and it has been a long time since I've been so taken with a cookbook. It is beautiful, approachable, and so completely Northwest. Written by the founder of Beecher's Cheese in Pike Place Market, it includes a lot of their famous recipes like Mac and Cheese, along with all kinds of tidbits about local produce and people who help define our regional cuisine. It is so utterly delightful that I don't even know where to start. My little sis is graduating on Friday night, so perhaps my first attempt will be the Chocolate Truffle Cookies for her dessert buffet. I'll report back. - Heather
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Dirty, Bad, Fun In A Glass?
I love Sangria and I do admit that with some hesitation. I know it can be bad. Really, really bad. The truth is you can't make crappy wine taste better by adding sugar, fruit, and hard alcohol. But you can make it good, if you start with great wine and ripe fruit. I have wine in front of me everyday and sometimes I get bored. Maybe I am just really a cocktail girl at heart. In the summer, sitting out on the patio, something bubbly and all pretty with floating fruit is truly appealing.With summer officially beginning this weekend, it seems a good time to make mention of a very delicious sparkling sangria. I found this in a spring issue of Martha Stewart last year (another confession) and I just can't stop loving it.
Sparkling Sangria with Peaches and Basil
1 bottle champagne, sparkling wine, prosecco
1/4 cup Vodka
1/8 cup sugar
1 bunch of basil leaves
4 very ripe peaches, sliced thinly (or substitute strawberries or raspberries)
Mix everything but the bubbles in a pitcher and mash a little to release the flavor of the basil and fruit. Add the sparkling wine and serve.
- Heather
Sunday, May 18, 2008
How can wet be dry?
I'm on my soapbox today.
One thing that really gets to me is when someone says 'this wine is dry' for all the wrong reasons.
Dryness in a wine simply refers to the amount of residual sugar left in it. A completely 'dry' wine is one that has no sugar left in it, or a level of residual sugar that is below most people's threshold for detecting sweetness in a liquid. Sweet is the exact opposite of dry.
A fruity wine with absolutely no astringency or tannic bite can be a 'dry' wine if there is no sugar left in it. It comes as a surprise to some people that a perfectly lovely clean, balanced, fruity white wine with no sugar left in it is called 'dry'. I think they're often trying to detect a harshness in the wine in question instead of sweetness.
Port (especially young ones) would be a prime example of tannic, and possibly astringent, wine that is not dry because of the residual sugar. But... they are fabulous!
So for the record, when a wine has an astringent or 'drying' quality to the roof or back of your mouth it would be correctly described as 'tannic' or 'astringent'.
When a wine has been allowed to ferment all the way to 'dryness' that just means there is no, or very little, sugar left in it.
One thing that really gets to me is when someone says 'this wine is dry' for all the wrong reasons.
Dryness in a wine simply refers to the amount of residual sugar left in it. A completely 'dry' wine is one that has no sugar left in it, or a level of residual sugar that is below most people's threshold for detecting sweetness in a liquid. Sweet is the exact opposite of dry.
A fruity wine with absolutely no astringency or tannic bite can be a 'dry' wine if there is no sugar left in it. It comes as a surprise to some people that a perfectly lovely clean, balanced, fruity white wine with no sugar left in it is called 'dry'. I think they're often trying to detect a harshness in the wine in question instead of sweetness.
Port (especially young ones) would be a prime example of tannic, and possibly astringent, wine that is not dry because of the residual sugar. But... they are fabulous!
So for the record, when a wine has an astringent or 'drying' quality to the roof or back of your mouth it would be correctly described as 'tannic' or 'astringent'.
When a wine has been allowed to ferment all the way to 'dryness' that just means there is no, or very little, sugar left in it.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Spring Barrel Tasting in Lake Chelan
The wineries of Lake Chelan will be throwing open their cellar doors this weekend to sample the fruits of last fall's labor. If you are looking for a fun weekend adventure, join us as we thief samples from the barrels, pour newly released wines, and celebrate what is one of the truly exciting elements of winemaking. Spring barrel tasting will be occurring throughout the valley this Saturday, May 17th and Sunday,May 18th.
We hope to see you at our cellar door!
We hope to see you at our cellar door!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Skiing on Cinco de Mayo
So it has been a little over a week since our big adventure to Alpental and I am still having trouble believing we spent May 5th skiing. I'll will confess that we drank nearly as many pitchers of beer as runs we skiied.
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