Do you have a lover that really gets excited at the sound of a popping cork? Do they get a little bit more romantic when they have a glass in their hand? Do they consider wine to be a serious libido booster? Well, have I got a perfect Valentines Day gift for you! Why not give them the gift of red wine and chocolate?
The Yakima Valley wine region is celebrating again this year with its biggest Red Wine and Chocolate event ever. This year 52 wineries throughout the region will be participating in the event, which will be occurring the 19th and 20th of February this year.
By going out to the Yakima Valley Wine Association web site you can view all of the particulars on the wineries from A through Z. If you are coming out of Oregon to this event you can start right in the Tri Cities at Goose Ridge Winery and Barnard Griffin, and work your way all the way to Yakima.
The wineries are as far reaching in this event as they are varied in their level of participation. By buying passes from the Yakima Valley Wine Association at www.wineyakimavalley.org you are not only getting $5 off of your pass, but you are also opening yourself up to a range of great deals, treats, and samples from the participating wineries.
A few of my favorite places to visit for sweets during the Red Wine and Chocolate event are the Port soaked cherries at Hinzerling, and “Mom’s Chocolate Mousse” at Two Mountains Winery.
Other wineries offer new wine releases for the event. One such winery is Terra Blanca, who celebrates their annual Onyx release party on this weekend. People travel from all over the northwest to catch this amazing gala event.
Many places are offering deep discounts on their most popular wines. A perfect example is at Goose Ridge, where they will be offering their G3, Sol Duc, and Reserve Syrah at unbelievably low prices. Other wineries are offering case and bottle discounts for pass holders only.
If nothing else, there is always the entertainment that is offered at this fabulous event. Many of the wineries will be having chefs displaying and tasting out their creations, others will have live music, and several more will be displaying the art of many talented northwest artists.
Cost for the Yakima Red Wine and Chocolate event is $35 for the entire pass. There are several hotels and bed and breakfasts offering overnight packages. Also, if you wish to take a guided tour and leave your car in a safe place that option is available too through the www.wineyakimavalley.org site.
If you are going down the Columbia toward Portland you can always stop in and say hi to my friend Terrence at Waving Tree. He and Evelyn will be putting out a big spread, music, and tasting of their entire portfolio both Valentines weekend and President’s Day weekend.
I also heard from Lloyd at Sno Road Winery. He will be hosting a red wine and chocolate event at the tasting room in Echo. Honestly, I lost his email with all of the particulars, but it sounded like a blast. I’m sure you can call the tasting room for the particulars.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Hinzerling Winery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hinzerling Winery. Show all posts
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Goodbye Jerry Wallace. Thanks For The Wine & The Memories
Jerry Wallace, who launched Hinzerling Winery in Prosser, Wash., in 1976, passed away January 6th at 90 years of age.
Wallace was Seattle police officer beginning in 1944. He worked as a special driver for the mayor, among other tasks until his retirement in 1972.
In 1972, he and his family moved to Prosser, Washington, where they planted one of the earliest commercial wine grape vineyards in the region. Hinzerling Vineyard was the first in the state to use drip irrigation. Wallace and his wife, Dee, also founded the Roza chapter of the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest.
In 1976, Wallace and his son Mike launched Hinzerling Winery, making it one of the state's oldest wineries. The winery is best known for its Ports and dessert wines. The most recent wine that I reviewed from Hinzerling was Mike's Cream Sherry which is one of the best I've ever had.
In 2008, Jerry Wallace was nominated as a Legend of Washington Wine by the state wine industry. He is survived by his three children, Mike, Pam and Steve, as well as eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
To end this blog entry I want to finish with a personal letter to Jerry's son Mike and the rest of the Wallace family:
To the family and friends of Jerry Wallace:
My wife and I met Jerry in 1987 at the Prosser winery while traveling through the valley on our Honeymoon. We were a couple of young kids from Idaho, just old enough to drink, and highly curious about wine. Like many other 21 year olds, we thought that Riesling was the only "good" wine, and had spent a large portion of our trip through Washington and British Columbia tasting and purchasing just that. When we walked through the door of Hinzerling and met this striking gentleman we knew we weren't in a winery like any other. First, the winery wasn't some fancy million dollar complex with art on the walls. It was an old garage with the lab counter also acting as the tasting room bar. Also, the guy who was running the tasting room was also the guy who actually had made the wine. Needless to say, we were mesmerized. We spent over an hour listening to his stories and his methods for making wine. He actually convinced us to taste a few wines we had never considered, including our first tastes of Cabernet Sauvignon.
We purchased two bottles of wine from Jerry that day. One bottle of Rouge to enjoy on our first anniversary, which was delicious by the way. The second bottle was a bottle of 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon, which we still have in our wine cellar being stored for our 25th anniversary reception. Jerry was convinced that the bottle would be still good on our twenty fifth if we took good care of it, and we have. I'm not sure if it will win any awards or even be better than vinegar for the salad dressing, but the storage of that wine, and the thirst for wine knowledge that Jerry instilled in me that day has stayed with me for 23 years.
In two years we will open that bottle and serve it in some ceremonial way to our guests in the rememberence of Jerry. Mr. Wallace, thank you for sharing your love for wine and life with two dumb kids from Idaho.
Sincerely,
Rich Breshears
Wine Columnist for Eastern Oregonian Newspaper, and wine blogger at onerichwineguy.blogspot.com
Wallace was Seattle police officer beginning in 1944. He worked as a special driver for the mayor, among other tasks until his retirement in 1972.
In 1972, he and his family moved to Prosser, Washington, where they planted one of the earliest commercial wine grape vineyards in the region. Hinzerling Vineyard was the first in the state to use drip irrigation. Wallace and his wife, Dee, also founded the Roza chapter of the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest.
In 1976, Wallace and his son Mike launched Hinzerling Winery, making it one of the state's oldest wineries. The winery is best known for its Ports and dessert wines. The most recent wine that I reviewed from Hinzerling was Mike's Cream Sherry which is one of the best I've ever had.
In 2008, Jerry Wallace was nominated as a Legend of Washington Wine by the state wine industry. He is survived by his three children, Mike, Pam and Steve, as well as eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
To end this blog entry I want to finish with a personal letter to Jerry's son Mike and the rest of the Wallace family:
To the family and friends of Jerry Wallace:
My wife and I met Jerry in 1987 at the Prosser winery while traveling through the valley on our Honeymoon. We were a couple of young kids from Idaho, just old enough to drink, and highly curious about wine. Like many other 21 year olds, we thought that Riesling was the only "good" wine, and had spent a large portion of our trip through Washington and British Columbia tasting and purchasing just that. When we walked through the door of Hinzerling and met this striking gentleman we knew we weren't in a winery like any other. First, the winery wasn't some fancy million dollar complex with art on the walls. It was an old garage with the lab counter also acting as the tasting room bar. Also, the guy who was running the tasting room was also the guy who actually had made the wine. Needless to say, we were mesmerized. We spent over an hour listening to his stories and his methods for making wine. He actually convinced us to taste a few wines we had never considered, including our first tastes of Cabernet Sauvignon.
We purchased two bottles of wine from Jerry that day. One bottle of Rouge to enjoy on our first anniversary, which was delicious by the way. The second bottle was a bottle of 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon, which we still have in our wine cellar being stored for our 25th anniversary reception. Jerry was convinced that the bottle would be still good on our twenty fifth if we took good care of it, and we have. I'm not sure if it will win any awards or even be better than vinegar for the salad dressing, but the storage of that wine, and the thirst for wine knowledge that Jerry instilled in me that day has stayed with me for 23 years.
In two years we will open that bottle and serve it in some ceremonial way to our guests in the rememberence of Jerry. Mr. Wallace, thank you for sharing your love for wine and life with two dumb kids from Idaho.
Sincerely,
Rich Breshears
Wine Columnist for Eastern Oregonian Newspaper, and wine blogger at onerichwineguy.blogspot.com
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