Wine Club Insider back with you!

Yesterday, we took part in one of the great festival/sporting events anywhere in the USA; The Lilac Bloomsday Run, a 12 k (7.46 mile) run through the streets of Spokane with 52,000(!) of our closest friends.

In its 22rd year, Bloomsday - www.bloomsdayrun.org - is one of the largest (2nd largest, I believe, behind Bay to Breakers), best organized runs anywhere, and is a giant party that captivates an entire region for several days, including a huge fitness expo, community fitness and training classes etc.

It is also held the 1st Sunday in May, which nicely coincides with “Cinco de Mayo” festivities, which, this year, is being celebrated on the 5th of May…

I have to admit that I spent Saturday evening with my friends Jose and Margarita, rather than wine, but still managed to complete the pretty challenging run in 58 minutes, which isn’t bad for an old guy!

Dessert wines, as I have mentioned, are some of my favorites, with Ice Wine - or Eiswein - topping that list (okay, maybe Port is right up there).

We’ve talked a bit about Port in an earlier article, but I wanted to chat about how Ice Wines are made, since several vintages will be coming to market soon, just in time for your summer enjoyment.

So, what do you get when you let the grapes freeze on the vine, waiting until December or even January to pick them, by hand, in the dead of night, at less than 10 degrees?

Ice Wine, or Eiswein in Germany, is perhaps the most difficult to make, best-crafted wine in the world, and creates wine with such character and depth that it is hard to describe until you have tried it. These are world class wonders of delight and delicacy, with world class prices, to boot. In Germany, Riesling grapes are used for Eiswein, but other varietals are used around the world, including Gewurtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and even Pinot Noir and Catawba. Canadian Ice Wines are viewed as perhaps the greatest in the world, and can easily fetch more the $90 for a 375 ml bottle! New Zealand, Austria and the US also make wonderful Ice Wines.

Here are just a few of your choices:

Inniskillin (Canada)                             Vidal and Riesling         $65 – 90/375ml (maybe the best in the world!)

Terra Blanca (Washington)                  Chenin Blanc                $50/375 ml

Bonny Doon ‘Vin Glaciere’                    Muscat                         $24

Mission Hill Reserve     (Canada)          Vidal                             $60

Selaks (New Zealand) and Covey Run (Washington) make excellent Ice Wines for under $30!

Of course, there are a whole raft of German Eisweins, including the famous Dr. Loosens, which are spectacular, if a bit pricey.

Some wineries freeze their own grapes, which seems to me like cheating, but there is little argument about the finished product. Dolce from Far Niente Vineyard ($80/375 ml) is a great example.

So, there’s a bit of a primer on “the Nectar of the Gods.” Enjoy!!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Uncategorized, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Tasting Cinco de mayo, Dessert wines, Eiswein, Ice Wine, Running, Sweet wines, tequila, Wine Club

Wine Club Insider back with you.

Sitting here watching the snow come down (again!) and just about getting ready for spring… Don’t get me wrong; I love winter probably more than the next guy, as I love XC skiing, snowshoeing, running and even biking in the snow, but I’m getting itchy to do some riding up in the high hills.

Speaking of high hills, we did some snowshoeing in the mountains a week or so ago, and took a bottle of J. Lohr Paso Robles Cab up in a Nalgene bottle to celebrate the summit. I’ve got to say there’s something about having a good glass of wine out of a camp cup while eating dehydrated Shepherd’s Pie made on a Jet Boil! It was great! (Seriously!) and the new dehydrated meals are really pretty good, especially at 6000 feet in the snow!

The Wine Club - www.thewineclub.com - has one of the better online wine selections anywhere, with hundreds of offerings, including a very nice dessert wine selection. They have been one of the leading online dealers, and also have three retail shops in Santa Ana, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

They are going to be starting a Wine of the Month program in March of 2009, and I’m interested in seeing what they offer, as they have a great inventory to choose from. Keep your eye out for what could be a great opportunity!

Another one that has caught my eye recently is the Pacific Northwest Wine Club - www.pnwc.com- which specializes in wines from the - you guessed it - Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. They offer two bottles a month, and also have several tasting events throughout the region. Their newsletter, Vin Affairres, is informative, and well written. They also have gift memberships available starting at $24.99/month.

Finally, there is the “Sideways” Wine Club at www.sidewayswineclub.com. They are a direct descendant of the movie, and seem to have a great selection. Their website is entertaining and informative, but I’m going to check out their selection of Merlots before passing judgement…

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Dessert wines, Hiking, Pacific Northwest wines, Sideways, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift

Wine Club Insider back with you!

I missed my Monday post due to some surprise ‘puter problems… don’t try to upgrade/install software when you have any kind of a deadline, as it can really take some time to sort out, especially when your computer has as much stuff on it as mine does! Anyway, better late than never, so here I am!

Ever tried any fruit wine? Yes? How about any fruit wine that was any good? ah ha… not so much?

Well, let me share a secret with you; Pasek Cellars - www.pasekcellars.com - from Washington has mastered the art of the “non-traditional” wines.

I first found-and fell in love with-Pasek on a Thanksgiving trip to Leavenworth, Wa, a really cute Bavarian village high in the Sierras just east of Seattle. The entire town is done up for the holidays in traditional German fashion, including a central park with shops, fire drums, a giant tree, Sinter Klaus, kid’s parades, the whole shebang. They also have numerous wine tasting rooms, which brightened my shopping experience significantly!

Pasek has a beautiful wine bar right on Main Street, and they make a number of quite good “traditional” wines, such as a Chard, a Cab-Merlot and a Muscat Canelli, but their true magic lies in the great list of “strange” wines!

They make 12 different fruit wines of varying sweetness, including Guava, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Raspberry, Cranberry, Blackberry and Loganberry. And of each of these, they have more than one style, usually including a sweeter, dessert style, and a drier (if you can call them dry) style.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, but these are great wines! Yes, I’m a dessert wine guy (well, dessert of any kind) but seriously, these are terrific spirits! Character, taste, depth, essence of the fruit… you name it, they’ve got it.

My favorites (and I’ve seriously tried (and bought!) them all!) are the Blackberry wine, and the Loganberry Dessert wine. The Logan is a huge, port-style wine that will knock your socks off.

The Cranberry is one of the best I’ve tasted of that varietal, as is the raspberry. Trust me… you won’t be disappointed!

Even though they don’t have a wine club per se, they have an active mailing list, and they do ship, so give them a try… you’ll be pleasantly surprised, or I’ll come and drink the rest for you!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

Chardonnay, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Uncategorized, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Making, Wine Reviews Dessert wines, Fruit wine, Leavenworth, Loganberry, Pasek Cellars, Washington