Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another fine installment of the Carpe Vinum Weekly Newsletter and Tasting Announcement! And it’s a special week and a special tasting! “Aren’t they all?” you may ask. “Yep!” I always reply. It’s Washington’s fine wines this week, and a true cause for celebration. If not for just the deliciousness of the wines themselves, it’s a celebration for our local football team heading off to the most-watched sport event of the year!

That’s right. I said “local” football team. Since no one has brought a franchise here, it’s up to all of the West (excluding California) to look up to these Seattle guys as our “local” team. I mean, what gives? How does Florida get 3 teams and Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and a couple of Dakotas get nothing? “But what about the Broncos?” you may ask “They’re part of the West and maybe they’re MY favorite team.” Well. . they lost. . .and they don’t have wine in Denver, so for the purposes of this newsletter, their importance is lost on me. So we’re celebrating with Washington wines! After all, what could go better with that Superbowl party? No. No, don’t say “Budweiser.” Alright, alright! I suppose they are a sponsor and it is football, after all. But there are plenty of good wine-y days between then and now.

So. . .the wines of Washington! I think, in a similar way to that sports team, we can consider the wines of Washington to be local, as well. I mean, they’re only wines of Washington by virtue of a few lines on a map and the fact that rivers are easy to use as borders. In fact, Walla Walla could be ours if the border was pushed just a few feet to the North. . .not that we really wanted Walla Walla before the wine thing got big there. Ah, well. They’re still close enough for us to get plenty of these delicious wines that the rest of the country is starving for. Come to think of it, that’s a pretty fair trade-off. They can keep all the sports teams over there, but easy access to some of the best wine-growing regions in the world somehow seems more important to me.

So here’s seven excellent wines from around Washington. They’re all powerful reds, with a focus on easy-drinking red blends. I like the red blends since it’s all of the same juice as the premium, more expensive wines from the wineries, but at a far smaller cost. I also put in a couple of excellent Syrahs into the bonus round, just to make things even more exciting!

So Friday, January 27th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

The Kick Off!!
Ryan Patrick 2003 Rock Island Red, Columbia Valley
Goose Ridge 2001 Vireo, Columbia Valley
Russell Creek Winery 2003 Tributary, Walla Walla and Columbia Valleys
Dunham Cellars 2004 Three Leged Red, Walla Walla Valley
Spring Valley Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley

The Overtime!!
Five Star 2002 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
K Vintners 2003 Syrah Milbrandt, Columbia Valley

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines from Pittsburg, the home of the other winning team going to the Superbowl! Ah. . .heh. . .just kidding. There’s no wines from Pittsburg. We’re really doing wines of New Zealand! I just wanted to see if anyone was paying attention.

M