WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s time! Time Again! Time for another Wonderful Newsletter of the Happy Fun COOL World of Carpe Vinum and the Tasting Announcement Therein, Thereby and Thereof! It’s another exciting week! Hot. Hot and exciting. But COOLER in here. Why? We’re celebrating the new release of the Carpe Vinum Ultra-Special AIR CONDITIONING.  What are we celebrating with? More wine, of course! Wines of the Pacific Northwest, to be exact. We all need something to celebrate, right? And drinking wine in a nicely AIR CONDITIONED environment is certainly worth celebrating.

But now we turn our attention away from the new and really COOL Carpe Vinum AIR CONDITIONING to the wines of this week. As I was sitting here this week, pondering the selections for this week’s tasting in my nicely AIR CONDITIONED space, I was thinking about the Pacific Northwest wines. I was thinking about how COOL it would be to serve up a whole bunch of Oregon Pinot Noirs to honor our neighbors just outside our nice AIR CONDITIONED homes. But then I said to myself, “Well gee. . .Oregon Pinot Noirs just cost so much. And I just spent all this cash on my new AIR CONDITIONING and the electrical work to get it put in here. Perhaps I should find a whole bunch of less expensive Pinots for a full tasting another day. After all, it’s too hot outside to drink all red wines.”

“Okay.” I replied. “But you might want to stop talking to yourself. Or folks will start talking about you. But how about a few decent and affordable CHILLED white wines, as well as a few stellar reds?” To which I didn’t reply, because then I’d be talking to myself again. Instead, I assembled a lot of really good things from Oregon and Washington. Ooh. . really good things.

Firstly (and secondly and thirdly) we have white blends, all different and all delicious and CHILLED. And all really affordable, too. Next we’ve got a Rose, as I’ve been asked repeatedly about more of them. I’ve tried this one too. Also delicious. Next we have a good Washington red blend “Calico Red”, a wine that fights back all the dog-label-wine-stereotypes by actually featuring a cat on the label. (Purr-fect! . . . Sorry. . .) Then we’ve got an Italian varietal grown in Oregon. What?! Ponzi’s Dolcetto! Then, as if it couldn’t get any better, it’s the return of the superb K Vintner’s Milbrandt Syrah.

Ooh! Ooh! And there’s even more! There’s a new Washington winery available in town that is located just over the border from Canada’s Okanogan Valley, famous for late-harvest wines and ice wines. Tomorrow I’ll have a dessert pour from the Okanogan Estate’s Late-Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Decadent!

I wouldn’t miss this for all the wine in the world! (Hmmm. . .well. . ALL the wine in the world? . . Hmmm. . .) And we’re AIR CONDITIONED. Um . . . y’know . . . in case I forgot to mention that.

So Friday, July 28th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

The Pacific Northwest!!!
Basel Cellars 2005 “Forget Me Not” (Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc), Columbia Valley, Washington
Fidelitas 2005 M100 White Wine (Semillon, Viognier, Rousanne), Columbia Valley, Washington
Z’IVO 2004 “Three” (Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Melon), Willamette Valley, Oregon
Gordon Brothers 2005 Rose (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), Columbia Valley, Washington
Bergevin Lane 2004 Calico Red (Cab, Merlot, Syrah, Zin, Cab Franc), Columbia Valley, Washington

Oregon & Washington!!!
Ponzi 2004 Dolcetto, Willamette Valley, Oregon
K Vintners 2004 Milbrandt Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington

Washington (Almost to British Columbia)!!!
Okanagan Estate 2004 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Okanagan Valley, Washington

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

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Germany & Austria!!

M