Blind Wine Tasting

3/14/2008 — This last weekend, my father decided to put on a blind wine tasting event for a group of his friends. There were around 20 people there for the tasting which made for a great sample of people. Some of the people were really into wine, some complete novices, and others just enjoyed wine but were hardly experts. So a good mix of people to get opinions from. Earlier in the week, my Dad and I sifted through his wine cellar and found 16 bottles of wine, all from the Northwest Signature Wines selection of course, to blind taste at his party. I had hoped to be there but I had a previous engagement and wasn't able to make it. But the next day, my Dad called me and gave me a recap of the evening. The first thing he mentioned was about how much fun his friends had. None of them had really done a blind wine tasting with a multitude of wine before, so this was a first experience for them. The tasting was complete with wines ranging in price from $8 to $80 a bottle, score cards, bottle covers, and of course food. They went through the white wines first (as recommended by our in-house expert Candace Ann Frasher), surprisingly overall, the whites went over ok but not great. Then they moved on to the reds, this is where the evening got very interesting. For one, the people seemed to enjoy the reds much more than whites. But most surprising, when the evening was all said and done, the best wines picked by the blind tasting were not the highest priced wines. That's not say that a high priced wine is not good, it's just quite clear that a wine that costs $10 to $25 can stack up to a wine that costs much more. I found this interesting and in a way fascinating. My Dad mentioned when the people found out the price of their top picks (and the prices of their least favorite), they were stunned that some of their favorite wines were, well, cheaper! I guess it proves that wines that are in the moderate price range can be in the higher quality range. So if we learned anything from this, it would be that I encourage you to try your own blind tasting party. And when you do, pick wines from a broad range of varietals and price points, have some great snack food, and just have fun doing it. It will be a great evening with your friends.

Whitestone Winery

3/14/2008 — A few weeks ago, at a small and narrow restaurant in downtown Spokane called Steelhead Bar and Grill, I met the owner and winemaker, Michael, of Whitestone Winery for lunch. We had met at the Washington wine conference a few weeks earlier. Whitestone is a great story. It is a family business, Michael is the winemaker and markets the wines and his Dad run the vineyard. Whitestone is another estate winery, which as you know if you've ever read my past posts, are my favorite type of wineries. Vine to bottle, as the adage goes. Their vineyard is located about an hour west of Spokane near Lake Roosevelt. Interesting enough, the vineyard sits in this microclimate that is very unique to the area. But as you guessed, great for growing grapes. Michael is an interesting guy. Young and ambitious, with great skill as a winemaker. We had a great hour and a half conversation about wine, marketing online, and the possibility of Whitestone becoming listed on Northwest Signature Wines. I left with a bottle of their red blend, Pieces of Red, to try. A few days later I opened up the bottle with a friend of mine to test it out. The first thing I noticed was a great aroma and nose...a good sign. I left it to breathe for a bit and then poured a glass. A great wine! I would certainly carry this wine on the site. Blends can be hit or miss sometimes, but I have to say, Michael has done great job with this wine. I look forward to trying the rest of Michael’s wines and exploring the possibility of Whitestone joining the site. I will certainly let you know if we decide to work together because their wines are worth sharing.

Nick Brumback
President & Founder