WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Remember, remember the First of November. For what? Well, this day is exactly 60 days from the end of the year! That’s 60 more wine shopping days until that New Year’s Eve party. Also, on this day in History, in 1512 Michelangelo debuted the Sistine Chapel to the public. On this day in 1604 Shakespeare debuted his tragedy “Othello” in London. On this day in 1952 the United States debuted a hydrogen megaton bomb named “Mike” in the south Pacific, totally obliterating an entire island. And on this day, today, 2007, we will be debuting the Carpe Vinum Newsletter for the Day That Is Today Announcing the Tasting Tomorrow Which Will Be Debuting Seven Spectacular Wines from Washington!

And, of course, that first line was an augmented version of the of the rhyme for Guy Fawkes Night, a relatively obscure British tradition held on November 5th and popularized by the movie “V for Vendetta”. That being four days away makes this day Guy Fawkes Eve Eve Eve. Of course, being that no-one in this country recognizes this event, it kinda goes without saying. But I’m saying it anyway. What does this have to do with wines of Washington? Well if you take . . . I mean . . . the connection being, Guy . . . um . . . okay, I got nothing. I just just needed an angle to get this thing started.

So talking about the wines, which I wasn’t, Washington is making some of my favorite wines in the world, and is one of the more exciting scenes to be watching. I mean, as one of my favorites, and featuring the Washington wine tastings fairly often, what can I say that I haven’t said before? Okay, I’ll do a bit of a refresher for any newcomers to the list. Washington is the state above Oregon . . . er . . . to the North of Oregon. Okay, we already knew that. Too remedial.

The most important part of Washington wines to know is the Columbia Valley which, of course, follows the Columbia River. In the broadest of terms the Columbia Valley is almost the entire area East of the Cascade mountains. Big area, yes. And a bit vague when it comes to explaining where a wine comes from within the area. The authorities that be are gradually cutting this grand area into smaller pieces, giving the wines from those areas more of a sense of identity, like the regions of Walla Walla, Red Mountain and Yakima, for example.

The grapes grown and the wines made in Washington are widely varied and include bits of almost everything you can think of, but most important are the Bordeaux Varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also of great importance, and increasing quality is the Syrah. The Cabernets and Merlots from highly-esteemed locations are fetching super-high prices as is the fashion for these types of wines worldwide, but where I find the most interest is in the simple blended table wines which I can find every bit as good.

So there we have it. Washington wines in a nutshell! Well, not served in a nutshell. Unless it’s for a squirrel. A squirrel of legal drinking age, of course. Speaking of ages, on this day, the First of November (Remember, remember?), today musician Lyle Lovett is 50, Playboy Playmate, mediocre actress and scatological humorist Jenny McCarthy will be 35, and were Medieval French monarch Louis the Stammerer (Louis II) still alive, he’d be 1161 years old. And probably pretty distressed about it.

So Friday, November 2nd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Washington Wines!!!
Basket Case 2005 Syrah, Columbia Valley
Basalt Cellars 2004 Rim Rock Red, Columbia Valley
Tamarack Cellars 2005 Firehouse Red, Columbia Valley
Canoe Ridge 2004 Red Blend, Columbia Valley
Gamache Vintners 2005 Boulder Red, Columbia Valley

More Washington Wines!!!
Seven Hills 2005 Malbec, Columbia Valley
Dalla Vina 2005 Syrah, 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 of South Africa!

M