And that was #WAugust
August in Washington this year was beautiful. The daily high temp in our area rarely exceeded 88 degrees, and was almost never below 68. In wine terms, that's GREAT. If you're a wine or weather geek, it’s noteworthy that Nantes, France (5,000 miles away) has weather that closely resembles the Seattle Tacoma area.
But enough about other places, #WAugust is about Washington.
Throughout the month we enjoyed several of our favorite local wines. Though we didn't make any Eastern Washington trips, we still had wine in the rack form Kontos, Cotes de Ciel, and Gard… some of Eastern Washington wines we enjoy the most. It’s worth saying again, Gard wines can be found (sometimes) at a Parkland Washington “bistro, wine bar & coffee shop” called 208, located at 208 Garfield Street… just a few blocks from PLU.
Now let’s talk about the places we did go.
A particular favorite, and one we’re sure you've noticed us mention here, on Facebook, or in conversation is Leony’s Cellars in Enumclaw. Wine master Salvador and his wife Sandi have a history of creating bold, unique red wines, crisp and refreshing white, and Ports that are quite spectacular. It seems every time we visit the tasting room (which also houses the wine making portion of the business) there’s something new. Between that, and the fact that Leony’s wines are exactly what we like, we stop in often.
Another favorite flavor comes from Kalamar Winery, in Bonney Lake. Mark produces some reds that are velvety smooth, bold, and have a finish that lasts. I (Z) am particularly fond of the 2015 Sangiovese, from the Yakima Valley grapes. It just seemed to tick all the boxes for a summer red. The Kalama Syrah is big and bold, and is a perfect wine to sip and enjoy, or would pair well with a good fatty meat. Being a small operation, Kalamar has varying hours. We’ve found it best to keep an eye on their facebook page to stay aware of the schedule.
A note to those headed out that way… if the sign is not out at the road side, they’re not open. It’s a nice big sign, you’ll see it if it’s there.
https://www.facebook.com/kalamarwinery
A new favorite this year is Babick Cellars in Enumclaw. Gary and Anita have the perfect setting for an evening with good friends and great wines. Babick wines are set apart by a lot of factors, but one that bears special mention is the extraordinarily low sulfites. Used liberally as a preservative in many wines, sulfites can also be a big factor in getting wine headaches. The severely decreased sulfites in Babick’s wines doesn’t effect the wine when the bottle is still corked, but once it’s opened, as Gary says, it might as well sit on the counter next to a ham sandwich…it won’t be quite the same half a day later. Not that an open bottle of Babick wine would ever linger long enough to go to taint!
Another new favorite this year is Chorus Frog Winery. While Chorus Frog is not a new pop-up, and owners Leann and Michael are certainly not new to the local wine community… this one was new to us this year. Sitting for a tasting revealed that this another winery that creates reds that blend well with our tastes. We brought several home, including Red Dragon… an exceptionally well balanced red blend. Surprisingly, we also brought home a Raspberry and Blackberry wine. Typically not the kind of wine we lean toward, but in all honesty, these are planned for mixing mimosas with!
Chorus Frog has a pretty consistent schedule (check their Facebook page), and may be open for appointment tastings too, so call and ask.
And far from the least of these, the Washington winery we have probably know the longest … Olalla wines. Known for the live music venue as well as the wine, we have been smitten with Olalla for a while now. From white Rhone blends to GSMs, and now even a Semillion Ice Wine, Olalla has always delivered top of the line wines, a superb tasting environment, and a great venue inside and outside for live music to enjoy with your wine. You can get glass pour or purchase a bottle to enjoy during the music, and a meat/cheese/crackers picnic basket. If you look back in the blog posts, you’ll find a few videos and snap shots of us enjoying Billy and Leanne and some fantastic red wine out on the lawn at Olalla.
Well, that’s some of our #WAugust highlights from a few King, Pierce, and Kitsap County wineries.
We hope your WAugust provided plenty of memories and time with family and friends. Please feel free to go over to the Facebook page(Facebook.com/KillintheEmptyNest) and leave some comments about your best WAugust discoveries. Don’t forget, #WAugust.
FOR NOW, HERE’S TO LOCAL WINE AND MUSIC. CHEERS TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND …
WE’LL SEE YA ON THE DANCE FLOOR!