URBAN enoteca is a relatively new place opening its doors in December 2010. It's part tasting room, part small bites restaurant. And it's the bomb. I've been here a couple times. Once for their AMAZING brunch on Sundays (you have to make plans right now to go there for brunch. It is hands down the best food I've ever put in my mouth) and for a wine tasting put on by a Pugest Sound Wine Meetup Group I'm a part of. For $20 I got a "library pass" to taste six wines, some cheese and meats, and a chance to win a dinner for four (which I didn't). In my opinion it wasn't worth $20, I've gotten a lot more tasting opportunities at different wine tastings for much less. Usually for $20 I expect to learn something. There wasn't much learning.
Joining me was Sarah, her mom Cathy, Cathy's man Al and Cathy's friend Karen. We had some fun with name tags and Sarah became Cordelia, Cathy Victoria, Al Sam, and Karen Ethel. It wasn't my most creative moment but it still got some laughs. The first wine we tried was from McCrea Cellars. I had the Roussane, which I'm not too familiar with (a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France) and it was delicious; light, crisp, summer-y. I ended up having a glass of this wine after the tasting.
Another mentionable wine was from the Fielding Hill Winery. I had their Cabernet Franc and in my notes there's a huge star and the word delicious, so it must be good. I really can't wait three days after an event to write my blog. Guess you'll just have to try it on your own.
Other wines we tried that night were from Cave B Estate (which has an amazing event space at the Gorge), Fidelitas Winery where I tried what looks like merot grhann, which I can only assume is merlot, Five Star Cellars had a really good sangiovese, not commonly found in Washington wines so that was a nice treat, and Kiona Vineyards, which is an ok winery yet pretty affordable so good as a regular day wine.
So heed my advice and check this place out, it's totally worth it. Tastings here are a little on the expensive side, but it's a great place to have a birthday, wedding announcement, or a reason to get people together over a glass of wine. And go to their brunch, you can meet me there this Sunday at 11:30am.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
When in Woodinville, drink wine.
On Saturday my friend Hayley and I had a whole fabulous Delille Cellars wine tasting planned for the afternoon. It was a deal we both got off LivingSocial.com, or so we thought. Looking all fabulous (like you should for all afternoon wine tastings) we piled in the car and headed from Renton to Woodinville. We didn't print the coupon because as it turns out people no longer invest in printers, so we figured we could bring it up on my phone. Yet after searching they were no were to be found. NOT LivingSocial's fault, my fault. The card I used declined and they told me by sending it to my old email address, which I never updated. So my fault not theirs, I still love you LivingSocial.
Well we were in Woodinville, which has no shortage on wineries and we decided to check out the tasting at Chateau St. Michelle. Oh jeeze another blog post about CSM. My bad. But they had barrel tastings for $10 with a free glass of wine. I wasn't about to pass this up. So crammed into a little cellar room we proceeded to taste giggle, push, chat, taste giggle... you get the idea. 8 tastings, 3 whites, 5 reds.
We started off with two whites: 2010 Cold Creek Chardonnay and 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay. Being a white wine lover I was disappointed that I didn't like either of these. The first was a milky color (from the French oak barrel), it was crisp and pretty intense. Even though it came from an oak barrel it was quite acidic, which I hear the vintage is known for. Yet this still confused me. Everything I know about wine is wrong! JK, but if someone wouldn’t mind explaining how a wine in an oak barrel can still be acidic, I’d appreciate it. The second was better; I have a cute little plus to it, just one though. I wrote down that it was mild, soft and pretty good. Very fruity with some understated oak. Ok maybe I need to go back and try this one again.
The reds: 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot - heavy, almost like a dessert wine but has a fantastic elegant finish. It was a surprise for a CSM Merlot. 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Malbec - My favorite from the tastings (a red gasp!). It has a delicate smell, tastes earthy, light and crispy. A perfect wine for summer (I said even with seafood, but Hayley disagreed). Will be purchasing this one.
2010 Cold Creek Cabernet Franc - (the worst) Good strong smell of blueberries and mocha (yum) but once you taste it's like a roundhouse kick to the face. So strong, I start coughing and embarrassing myself. So much for looking suave. 2010 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - smells like chocolate coffee, not a bad start but unfortunately it tastes like coffee too, not a fan. It's strong and that gross coffee after taste sits on your tongue. Had to go back for more Malbec just to erase the memory of those last two wines. Last red: 2010 Stone Tree Syrah - another nice surprise. Soft, mild, warm, although it was served cool :P would go great with red meat, cheese, crackers...my note continues to reflect how hungry I've gotten at this point.
Last white wasn't from a barrel. Got a glass of CSM Chardonnay Canon Ridge 2008 -crisp, acidic yet from a French Oak again (hm), woody smell with a rich yellowness and a thick color from the oak barrel. Was ok. I was too hungry to care. Next time please have some bread, crackers or cheese. Having better wine to cleanse your bad wine palette just isn't sufficient enough.
Well we were in Woodinville, which has no shortage on wineries and we decided to check out the tasting at Chateau St. Michelle. Oh jeeze another blog post about CSM. My bad. But they had barrel tastings for $10 with a free glass of wine. I wasn't about to pass this up. So crammed into a little cellar room we proceeded to taste giggle, push, chat, taste giggle... you get the idea. 8 tastings, 3 whites, 5 reds.
We started off with two whites: 2010 Cold Creek Chardonnay and 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay. Being a white wine lover I was disappointed that I didn't like either of these. The first was a milky color (from the French oak barrel), it was crisp and pretty intense. Even though it came from an oak barrel it was quite acidic, which I hear the vintage is known for. Yet this still confused me. Everything I know about wine is wrong! JK, but if someone wouldn’t mind explaining how a wine in an oak barrel can still be acidic, I’d appreciate it. The second was better; I have a cute little plus to it, just one though. I wrote down that it was mild, soft and pretty good. Very fruity with some understated oak. Ok maybe I need to go back and try this one again.
The reds: 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot - heavy, almost like a dessert wine but has a fantastic elegant finish. It was a surprise for a CSM Merlot. 2010 Canoe Ridge Estate Malbec - My favorite from the tastings (a red gasp!). It has a delicate smell, tastes earthy, light and crispy. A perfect wine for summer (I said even with seafood, but Hayley disagreed). Will be purchasing this one.
2010 Cold Creek Cabernet Franc - (the worst) Good strong smell of blueberries and mocha (yum) but once you taste it's like a roundhouse kick to the face. So strong, I start coughing and embarrassing myself. So much for looking suave. 2010 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - smells like chocolate coffee, not a bad start but unfortunately it tastes like coffee too, not a fan. It's strong and that gross coffee after taste sits on your tongue. Had to go back for more Malbec just to erase the memory of those last two wines. Last red: 2010 Stone Tree Syrah - another nice surprise. Soft, mild, warm, although it was served cool :P would go great with red meat, cheese, crackers...my note continues to reflect how hungry I've gotten at this point.
Last white wasn't from a barrel. Got a glass of CSM Chardonnay Canon Ridge 2008 -crisp, acidic yet from a French Oak again (hm), woody smell with a rich yellowness and a thick color from the oak barrel. Was ok. I was too hungry to care. Next time please have some bread, crackers or cheese. Having better wine to cleanse your bad wine palette just isn't sufficient enough.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Welcome with Michelle
And thus my first blog post begins with Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Hills Sauvignon Blanc. No, unfortunately I'm not at some fancy wine event. I figured since this blog is my "Excuse to Wine" (thanks Sarah) I have an excuse to buy a bottle of wine for more than $10. Oh shit, there's one of my secrets, I'm cheap or "inexpensive" as I've been taught in marketing. None the less, CSM Horse Heaven is one of my favorite wines and it still tastes good today. Even with the delicate pairing of bagel bites and hummus and green pepper. Yes I'm a white wine fan. Why you ask? Let me take you back...
After college I moved back into my parents home for a few (9) months. Unlike previous years when I've lived there, I was now over 21 and legally allowed to drink, yet turns out not quite as responsible. My friend Hayley and I were screwing around and wanting to go on the computer. So we poured a bottle of wine, something red, can't remember, I'm sure it came from my step dad's collection, into two Riedel glasses and settled in. It was cold, like it always seems to be in Seattle, and we were taking off our coats. WHAM BAM! Someone (I'm not claiming blame) hit one of the glasses. It was like a movie, all slow mo and shit. Ceiling, blinds, wall, computer, printer, desk, books, molding, carpet. The whole glass (half of the bottle) emptied. This was a few days after my parents remolded the office. Since then red wine has never been the same.
But don't you fret! This won't be a one sided white wine...whine. Most of my friends enjoy their red wine and will be happy to help out molding your little red wine minds.
For now, na strowie (cheers - in Polish) and to more posts, more eventful than this one.
As for the wine tasting part: CSM Horse Heaven 2009 is fermented in stainless steel barrels (70 something percent), so it has a bit of that acidic taste. But it's really well balanced with sweet tastes like apples and honey. So it has that crisp summer taste with a bit of warmth, much needed in a place like Seattle. Bought it at Safeway today for a discounted $11.25. BTW lots of good shit is grown in Horse Heaven Hills (near the Columbia Valley), and CSM isn't the only wine that comes from here (great place to go wine tasting with 6-7 wineries). I know you know this, I'm just sayin'.
After college I moved back into my parents home for a few (9) months. Unlike previous years when I've lived there, I was now over 21 and legally allowed to drink, yet turns out not quite as responsible. My friend Hayley and I were screwing around and wanting to go on the computer. So we poured a bottle of wine, something red, can't remember, I'm sure it came from my step dad's collection, into two Riedel glasses and settled in. It was cold, like it always seems to be in Seattle, and we were taking off our coats. WHAM BAM! Someone (I'm not claiming blame) hit one of the glasses. It was like a movie, all slow mo and shit. Ceiling, blinds, wall, computer, printer, desk, books, molding, carpet. The whole glass (half of the bottle) emptied. This was a few days after my parents remolded the office. Since then red wine has never been the same.
But don't you fret! This won't be a one sided white wine...whine. Most of my friends enjoy their red wine and will be happy to help out molding your little red wine minds.
For now, na strowie (cheers - in Polish) and to more posts, more eventful than this one.
As for the wine tasting part: CSM Horse Heaven 2009 is fermented in stainless steel barrels (70 something percent), so it has a bit of that acidic taste. But it's really well balanced with sweet tastes like apples and honey. So it has that crisp summer taste with a bit of warmth, much needed in a place like Seattle. Bought it at Safeway today for a discounted $11.25. BTW lots of good shit is grown in Horse Heaven Hills (near the Columbia Valley), and CSM isn't the only wine that comes from here (great place to go wine tasting with 6-7 wineries). I know you know this, I'm just sayin'.
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