Hot, Hot, Hot…

Happy to accept an invite to a trade tasting put together by the Washington State Wine Commission which was hosted by Ste Michelle Winery at their chateau estate. Wandering around from booth to booth I was soon regretting that I hadn’t listened to the web gal’s common sense/nagging to put some sun screen on. Sound familiar guys ha ha!

While it was a gorgeous afternoon, I found it too hot to sip and enjoy the reds. I wound up enjoying a Nutty Squirrel ice cream cone and a mix of 14 Hands Unicorn Rose Bubbles and fruit drink in the shade the best. And I am not a big fan of dessert or Rose. Oh well, when it gets hot, dessert & Rose gets real tasty. For being a trade tasting, it was very nice and made me wonder why Napa and Sonoma don’t do more of them.

Before departing the event, had a chance to corner Ste Michelle’s head winemaker, David Rosenthal, to do the NSI quiz which he seemed to get a kick out of. Cheers and enjoy!

What was last night’s dinner? Was out on a small boat with friends and had bahn mi, excellent Vietnamese.

Favorite drink? Riesling. We agreed to disagree. Ha ha!

Favorite music? Eighties rock. I still like Bon Jovi.

What’s your favorite Seattle area restaurant? Mkt. Just fantastic farm to table food, very small, intimate, 24 seats. I think it’s Ethan Stowell’s best restaurant.

Favorite thing about living and working in Seattle? I love the combination of mountains and ocean. Man, a summer day like this, there’s no better place to be.

What makes a great winery? A commitment and vision of each wine it produces which I’m proud that Ste Michelle does.

Any trip, meal or wine on your bucket list? I’d like to go to South Africa for its wine and culture. And for a close second, love to go Perth in Western Australia.

Any brush with celebrity? When I was a 21-year-old intern in Napa, was working with Robert Mondavi’s granddaughter. And I got an invite from her to have dinner with Robert Mondavi. And even then, when I knew nothing about wine, knew this was special.

Final thoughts? It’s been a great season so far. Good concerts, hear them rehearsing right out my window. Fingers crossed, looks like a terrific harvest. And really looking forward to the upcoming events like the Auction of Washington Wines’ Picnic on August 12th is going to be fantastic. Go to our web site and come to an event at Ste Michelle.