Wine & Social Media; What's the Connection?

Wineries, like many businesses, are trying to tap into or harness the so-called mystery that is social media. There are workshops, conferences and summits on how wineries can leverage the ins and outs of social media and laugh all the way to the bank. Social media in general, and in wine specifically has spawned companies, and brands, how-to videos, books and workshops seeking magic bullets and that ever-elusive ROI.

While I personally find the use of social media to a be a positive and almost too easy relationship building device, many that I've spoken with in the wine industry remain skeptical about the time commitment. "It takes too much time." "It's hard to get started." "I'm not a tech person." While I don't want to make any claims about the undeniable value of the use of social media, I do have a story that I want to relay.

On December 12th, 2010 Neil Cooper of Cooper Wine Company loaded his truck and was making his way to 106 Pine, a wine shop in downtown Seattle. He sent out a tweet that the "sled was loaded up" and "he was on his way." Somewhere between Red Mountain and Seattle, the folks at 106 Pine got in touch with Neil to let him know that they had fallen victim to the incredible week of rain that saw flooding all over Seattle. The shop was inundated with water; the tasting needed to be canceled.

Neil contacted the 1200-odd followers between his personal and business pages. Together, they started reaching out to other wine shops, and within an hour a new location had been selected at the relatively new Wine World Warehouse. While a new location was being settled, the twitter machines were a-twitter (see what I did there?) with what had happened to Neil's original tasting and the subsequent relocation. Folks who had no idea about Neil's original plans were now clued in to the small bit of adventure for Neil and the new location.


When I got to Wine World later that afternoon, there were four wineries pouring at the bar in the center of the store. The traffic was heavily weighted to the far right side of the bar where Neil poured. While we were there, 30 to 40 people came and went to Neil's side of the bar, and maybe 4 to 5 people visited the other three combined. At one point one of the other winemakers walked over and said, "Well, I might as well join the party." Neil was his usual affable self: joking, smiling and laughing with folks. Hugs and handshakes preceded glass pours of Neil's Pinot Gris, L'Inizio, or his variety of Cabernets. There was a party atmosphere on that rainy Sunday in Wine World and Cooper Wine fans and friends of Neil were the reason.

When I talked to Neil about it later, he mentioned that every single one of his wine club members made it to Wine World. He had about 75 folks come through that day, many were club members but many were not. The twitter traffic had also generated interest from other wine shops in Seattle, enabling Neil to parlay what could have originally been a royal pain into a gain. Neil credits one of his twitter followers (@wawineman) for reaching out to Wine World and helping to make that tasting happen. Other followers re-tweeted the new location and times, drumming up attention and promoting the Wine World tasting for folks who don’t follow Cooper Wine on Twitter or Facebook.

So what does Neil Cooper know about technology and new media that others in the wine industry fail to grasp? Nothing, really. It's not a technology thing. Neil Cooper knows people. He knows how to make people feel welcome, valued, and he loves to talk to you. That's his big secret. Social media isn't about being cutting edge; it's about engaging people and building - and more importantly - maintaining relationships. So while Neil benefits from having natural charisma he also benefits from the relationships he's built.

When I hear a winery or winemaker waxing cynically about the real value of social media and things like Twitter I think of that rainy day in December, a flooded wine shop, and the smile on Neil's face when I saw him at Wine World. The ROI was pretty easy to measure that day.

You Can Find Me In the Club...

50 Cent is, in some people's eyes, an icon. He was shot a bunch of times and lived through it, he also made a song out of the classic nursery rhyme "you can find me in the club, rub a dub dub, three men in the tub." But this post has nothing to do with him, except the title. The last thing I want is to get into a "beef" with 50 Cent. The guy has massive pectorals and guns, and I don't have either. While classic hip hop beefs have only augmented an emcee's career (see Nas, Jay Z, Kool Moe Dee, and Big Daddy Kane) others have ended in tragedy. The most compelling and tragic ending being that between Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. Basically I wrote this post to begin a discussion about wine clubs, and now here I am going down a tangent that could get me shot. On to wine clubs, then.

Wine clubs serve a variety of purposes for wineries and winemakers. Neil Cooper of Cooper Wine Company gave me the skinny on what wine club members mean to him. For one; they provide a stability in sales. Wine clubs often have various tiers of commitments, but even the lowest tier often commits a member to a case of wine annually. For smaller production wineries who typically have a nominal marketing budget, this guaranteed and repeat customer base certainly helps you sleep better at night. At a recent wine club launch by Laurelhurst Cellars, who only make a couple hundred cases of wine per vintage, there were about 60 people in attendance. New club members were in committing to either one case or two with Laurelhurst Cellars, which means they sold somewhere between 20 and 25% of their release just on this club launch.

Another thing that Neil talked about is having club members act as "brand ambassadors." Club members are obviously invested and as such, they're likely to spread the word about your wine to their friends. If I believe in something to the point that I’m willing to make a substantial commitment, I'm likely to share it with my friends and even passersby, whether it's the wait staff at a restaurant or diners who may have taken note of the bottle. Neil says that club members are also more likely to buy more wine simply because they come by the tasting room more often and purchase wine above their club commitments. Another element that you may notice is that club members often develop a relationship with the wineries and the staff. That relationship, particularly in the case of the smaller production wineries, is a very personal one. While they're financially invested they're often emotionally invested in the success of the winery or winemaker and so they bring friends, coworkers and acquaintances to a brand of wine.

As a customer and someone interested in a wine club, the question I asked was which club should I join? I know and have lots of great personal relationships with several winemakers. For the past four years I'd been a member of one wine club, as a gift from my brother-in-law. The Barnard Griffin Reserve wine club was a great club of which to be a member. The wines were very good, particularly their Merlot, and they did a lot of things really well, including offering club member-only wines. They make such a variety of wines, and the reserves are all so good that it provided a really well-rounded experience.

What was missing for me, however, was the personal relationship. The people in the tasting room were very nice, but as they’re in the Tri-Cities and given their size, I never got to know those folks. The other missing component was exclusivity. Excepting the member-only wines, the reserve wines I received in my shipment were also available at the state store and local groceries. Finding the wines in grocery stores for less than I paid as a club member didn't necessarily make me very happy. Having said all that, I enjoyed my four years as a member, particularly the year my brother-in-law paid for.

I recently changed clubs and am now a Silver Level member of Laurelhurst Cellars. I made this decision for a few reasons. For one, they offer different levels of commitment and I can afford one case of wine a year while still having a wine budget with which to sample other wines. Secondly, they're going to do wine club member-only releases and first offerings. These guys are only making a couple hundred cases and they sell through all of their wine each year. My membership guarantees me access. Thirdly, I have a personal relationship with them. I met Greg, Gabe and Dave through the course of writing a piece for the blog. Their story is inspiring, and it's easy to relate to them because they're a small operation and they're likable down-to-earth guys. Fourthly, as an additional bonus, they're not far from my house. I can get to the club events; I can pick up my wine and avoid shipping costs; and while I know I can find their wine around Seattle, I'm not going to see it deeply discounted.

So what wine club is right for you? How the hell am I supposed to know? I write a wine blog, I'm not a psychic. I'd certainly recommend the Laurelhurst Cellars club. If I had an unlimited budget, there are a few others I’d definitely join. Some clubs of note: Syncline Wines, Anam Cara Cellars, and Kiona. The first two because they make such great wines, and Kiona probably has a leg up on everyone when it comes to awesome club shipments. Their Spring 2010 shipment was all Merlot, 1993, 1996, 1999 2001 and 2005 Merlots. Awesome.

Red Mountain Revelation

Blogger types came to Washington in droves this past weekend and went to Walla Walla for three days of the Wine Bloggers Conference 2010. I followed a good deal of it online and from the sounds of it, they had an amazing time. On Sunday the lucky ones, or the smart ones, whichever, hopped on a bus out of Walla Walla and came to Washington's most unique AVA, Red Mountain. Gwynne and I were invited out by Keith, ReNae and Heather from Terra Blanca to take in the event as well.

What happened over the next five to six hours was a crash course in the exquisite terroir that is unique to Red Mountain. The Red Mountain AVA Alliance had organized a tour de force of what makes the soils, the vines, and by extension the wines, so incredible.

The education in the importance of 'Place,' and that Red Mountain is indeed so different, began at Col Solare, the beautiful estate winery that is a partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Antinori family of Italy. Col Solare makes one wine; it's damn good. Kevin Corliss, head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle, talked about making a decision to move to Red Mountain for the partnership between the Antinori family and Chateau Ste. Michelle. Based on the wines that were already coming out of Red Mountain, particulary with regard to tannin structure, the move was a natural choice. Marcus Notaro then took participants through a tasting of the 2006 Col Solare, which was what you've come to expect from this wine. It was an experience of leather, tobacco and deep mahogany. As a counterpoint to the 2006, Marcus had us barrel taste the 2009 Cabernet. This really tripped me up; the nose was like a flashback to the old Strawberry Shortcake paraphernalia, a bright strawberry punch in the nose (No, I didn't own any Strawberry Shortcake stuff, ahem...) and the wine was a mouthful of tannins.


From there Dr. Alan Busacca, geologist and owner of the Alma Terra wines made in concert with Robert Smasne, gave us a quick geology lesson. The bloggers had already heard about the Missoula floods that formed all of Washington's fertile wine growing regions. Alan focused on the variety and diversity of Red Mountain soil, caused by the turbulent eddies over the top of Red Mountain, which stuck up towards some of the shallower levels of the flood. During that flood these changing currents and flows made for differing deposits and tons of various soil ranges, leaving Red Mountain, acre per acre, with greater soil diversity than any AVA in the Northwest.

From Col Solare the bloggers were broken into groups of 5 to 8 and led through the vineyards down to the Hedges Estate. Along the way folks walked beside Red Mountain legends and experts like Jim Holmes, Ryan Johnson, Chris Upchurch and Dick Boushey. I was with Dick Boushey's group and he said, "well these two goofy engineers decided 'let's give it a try' and they struck grape growing gold." After the clif notes version of Red Mountain history, Dick went on to explain that the real challenge for the future of Red Mountain is going to be irrigation. This part of the state only gets 6 inches of rain a year and that allows for a variety of soil not seen in Walla Walla, for example, which gets at least twice as much rain. It becomes difficult to keep the grapes alive without good water options. (Only days after this did Red Mountain get really big news.)

Arriving at Hedges Estate bloggers were greeted by Christophe Hedges, who looks a little like Daniel Craig, you know, the blonde James Bond guy. Christophe said that Hedges Estate firmly believes three things: 1) scores have had an influence on the wines being made; 2) the idea of place is more important than brand because brands will die out, but place will remain even once we're all gone; and 3) the concept and proliferation of non-estate vineyards have shown that people have lost control of place.
I got the first two, and am apt to agree with him; the last, I don't know that I necessarily agree with, and not so sure I even entirely get. We proceeded inside the Hedges Estate, which is beautiful and very French-like. Inside we tasted four different Red Mountain wines against wines of a similar (and high) caliber from the world's famous growing regions; Napa Valley, Cote Rotie and Barossa Valley. This was a great way to show the distinction of Red Mountain terroir and it was interesting to taste the differences and similarities between the varietals.



After the stop at Hedges we made our way to what is perhaps the most famous and sought after vineyard in the winemaking state of Washington: Ciel Du Cheval. Jim Holmes, one of the "goofy engineers" who originally founded of Red Mountain (and who, with John Williams, founded Kiona Winery) met us there. Jim explained the plans he and John had, and how things have changed so much. Jim talked about the wines that come from the various blocks of Ciel Du Cheval, and the idea of how important the 100 point wines made out of this vineyard by Quilceda Creek have been to the development of Red Mountain, as well as Washington as a whole. Jim then led us through some soil testing exercises right there in the vineyard. It was a bit surreal for me to be standing on such hallowed ground playing in the dirt with Jim Holmes, Alan Busacca and Chris Upchurch.

Or final stop was the beautiful facilities of Terra Blanca Winery and the much needed cool of the wine caves there. Winemaker and Owner Keith Pilgrim talked about the structure of Red Mountain wines and focused specifically on ageability. Keith started the bloggers out with a barrel sample of 2009 Cabernet and talked about the size and structure of that wine and how the structure and tannins allowed Red Mountain wines to really age well. At this time something of a vertical tasting of the Onyx blend took place. Wine Bloggers were treated to pours of the 2006, 2001 and 1999 Onyx. The group I talked with were impressed not only with the wines, but with how much life they still seemed to have, even with the 1999. It was a classic case of Red Mountain structure allowing them to age for a good long time.


The education adjourned for the evening and the bloggers were treated to an incredible Grand Tasting and dinner by Chef Frank Magana of Picazo 717. The Grand Tasting had wines from 11 wineries and Jim Holmes was pouring wines that were made from Ciel Du Cheval fruit. These wineries were not messing around, Jim poured the 07 Quilceda Creek, and Delille Cellars poured both their Grand Ciel Cabernet and Syrah. In addition to some of the wineries who played host earlier, wines were poured by Andrew Will, Cooper Wine, Fidelitas,, Goedhart Family and Grand Reve Vintners. Red Mountain originals Kiona as well as Portrait Cellars and Hightower were poured as well. From the Grand Tasting we adjourned to dinner with a glass of Terra Blanca's 2005 Block 8 Syrah, and Frank Magana showed us how he gets down with BBQ. An amazing Tuscan white bean salad preceded a carnivore's delight: ostrich skewers, wild boar sausage and some serious St. Louis style spare ribs. The evening wrapped up with strawberry shortcake, berry cobbler, and some of the best conversation for miles around.

As the sun set on Red Mountain it was clear to these weary travelers that Red Mountain wine is in a class of it's own, and its terroir is responsible.

(I do have to once again tip my hat to ReNae & Keith Pilgrim at Terra Blanca, they are amazing hosts, and great amabassadors of Washington Wine and Red Mountain.)

Tacos, Red Wine, and Fire on the Mountain

Operation: Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting
Report:  Field Observations, Day 1
Covert Agent: Joshua G. Gana
Status:  Declassified

In early April 2010, Agent Gana intercepted wire traffic on the twitter machine alluding to a bootleg gathering of winos in Eastern Washington. Early reports indicated a weekend of tacos, red wine, fire, and general carousing in the Yakima Valley area, under the guise of "Spring Barrel Tasting". Gana, with more than 10 years experience and specialized training as a wine palatification expert, recognized this as mere cover for what truly was sure to take place: a clash of twitterati, cougars, phenomenal wine, and down home hospitality.  Courtesy of the fine folks at Wine Yakima Valley, Agent Gana dispatched himself to the scene to infiltrate the winos, posing as a "Wine Writer" with "The Oregon Wine Blog," whatever that means. What follows is Gana's narrative of day 1.

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Friday was a gorgeous day for wine tasting, unfortunately, most of the day was spent traveling in the german carmobile to get from Corvallis to the oasis of the Tri-Cities. Upon arriving, I was welcomed with the warm hospitality of the staff at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Pasco, a connection made through the graciousness of the staff at the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau. Now I'm a man of habit and have extreme loyalty to another hotel chain across the river in Richland. I'll tell you what, though, the HIEx in Pasco has it going on and gives them a run for their money. An all-suite property next to a convention center and right off the highway, the accommodations were spacious and well-appointed, the staff wonderful, and the breakfast...well you'll just have to wait until day 2 to hear about that. Literally a hop, skip, and a jump from I-182, I was in the heart of wine country minutes after leaving the hotel.

Barnard Griffin was the first stop on this fine Friday evening as I worked my way into the valley. After sipping some of their 06 Cabernet and peeking at the new bottling facility, I was on the road. There were bigger and better things on the docket for this particular evening. Next stop, Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser's Vintners Village. After picking up my Premiere Pass for the weekend, allowing access to reserve and special tastings at nearly 30 wineries in the region, I wandered around observing the sheer brilliance of the event organization. Take the vintners village, for example. A whole day's worth of wineries within walking distance, great wine, and porta-potties set up on the road to boot. What more does a wino need? Thurston was a nice surprise, with a fabulous petite sirah in the barrel and tempranillo that made me swoon.

Next up was a brief jaunt to Alexandria Nicole Cellars, where there was a noticeable buzz in the air as the crowd got larger and the winemakers had less time to chat. Great wine, great setting, and I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't a race to see how many wineries I could get to before the end of the day. I had to drive home, after all. ANC closed at 5, the "main event" of the evening wasn't until 6 PM at Red Mountain...can you say Picazo 7Seventeen? I could, and did. So did the cherry chipotle pork shanks I had as an appetizer. Yep. Frank, you are the man.

Main event time. Due to the generosity and kindness of one Neil Cooper, I found myself on the guest list for the Fidelitas Taco Wagon Dinner. Did you catch that? Fidelitas, Cooper, Tacos, and Wagons.  So the technical name of the event was the Feast of St. Fidelas, but there was legitimately a delicious taco cart carving pork off of a spit and serving up some gourmet mexican delight.  Paired with Champeoux merlot, I was in taco wine heaven.  Frequent Blog readers know that Clive (@clivity) has been firmly planted in the Washington Twitterati Hall of Fame.  Me (@OR_Wine_Blog), on the other hand, didn't meet many of the regular tweeters in person until the 'wagon dinner.  Coop (@coop_cwc) introduced me to @divatink, @heyjenk, and @littlebluest; icons on the machine.  And yes, we introduced ourselves by twitter handle.  A riveting conversation on social media and wine ensued.

The evening capped off with a soft opening of Cooper Wine Company, Red Mountain's newest winery. The event was a veritable who's who in the Eastern Washington Wine Industry. In the old Seth Ryan facility, Coop has made some significant transformations in the property and the wine, which is crafted under the tutelage of Charlie Hoppes. Cooper wine is for real. We tried three of his four offerings during our fabulous dinner at Picazo 7Seventeen in February, and this particular evening Coop was proud to share the fourth: a Walla Walla Cabernet. Amazing. I tried to stick a bottle in my jacket to take back to the hotel, to no avail. Can't wait until he opens in a few weeks. Oh yea, there was also a large bonfire.

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Agent Gana, signing off. Report on Day 2 of "Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting" forthcoming.

Picazo 7Seventeen Part 2: Food, Wine, and Fullness

On Friday, we shared the first in this two-part series on our experience at Picazo 7Seventeen,  a casual fine dining wine bar and restaurant in Prosser, Washington.  See that article to read all about how our wagon got hitched to the Picazo post, Chef/Owner Frank Magana, and the philosophy of the restaurant.  Now it's time for the food and wine, yo.  As a refresher, or for those who didn't read Part 1, the orgasmic experience that will soon be described consisted of a 7-course meal presented by Chef Magana for the staff of The Oregon Wine Blog, each course paired perfectly with a local wine by General Manager Trina Cortez.

Josh Gana (that's me) from The Oregon Wine Blog (this very publication), described dinner at Picazo in a unique way:

...[a] grab on to the headboard and hang on for the ride type of culinary experience.

Come along for the ride!  Oh, and I fully acknowledge that  I may fall into that snobby, food and wine writer tone.  Sorry if that's the case.  We really aren't snooty, I promise.

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First Course

After we had been seated, Trina and Frank approached our table and inquired as to whether there were any food dislikes or allergies, as they had "prepared a little bit of everything to put on the table." Luckily, we're an easy group in that respect and love a chef's surprise. They had prepared 7 courses, and hoped we didn't mind. No, indeed, we didn't mind at all.

The Wine:  2008 Alexandria Nicole Cellars Horse Heaven Hills Marsanne (pre-release)

The Food:  Sweet onion and squash stuffed calimari on a bed of greens with a tarragon balsamic vinaigrette made from a chardonnay/vanilla pressed oil and a grilled pepper.

The Assessment:  This course was our preview of greatness to come.  We found that the puree literally melted in our mouths and the produce was fresh and vibrant.  The tarragon added a wonderful complexity, and the simple unassuming pepper was to die for.  On the wine, we found a hint of residual sugar and were lucky that Trina had shared the pre-release wine with us.  It was simply an outstanding pairing, with the Marsanne perfectly complementing the calimari.  As Gwynn put it,

Would it be in poor taste to lick the plate?

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Second Course

As Trina was pouring our second glass of wine for the evening, she nonchalantly pointed to a family two tables away, stating "oh, there's the winemaker of this wine."  That kind of camaraderie part of the magic of Picazo.

The Wine: 2008 Cooper Pinot Gris

The Food:  Firecracker prawns with red chili flakes and harissa (a North African hot chili sauce).

The Assessment:  Umm, so you could remove the word "fire" and the "er" from the name of these prawns and you'd end up with their true nature:  crack.  They are amazing.  The flavor complexity of the spice profile was transformative, and the pinot gris was a perfect wine to cut the heat of the harissa.  It was a well-balanced pairing, and we used the bread to soak up the delicious sauce when the prawns were gone.  Cooper wine is tasting-room only at this point, but watch out because their doing great things on Red Mountain.  This was our favorite course.

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Third Course


Immediately prior to dinner, we had done a tasting at Airfield Estates a few blocks away.  We knew Picazo was featuring some of their wines, so were excited to dig in to a glass.  Oh, and yea, this is sort of a crappy photo. I was so excited that I started eating and then remembered to take the picture -- so the presentation was shot.

The Wine:  2008 Airfield Estates Thunderbolt (95% Sauvignon Blac, 5% Semillon)

The Food:  Seafood pasta puttanesca with scallops, salmon, clams, and mussels laid on fresh squid ink noodles.

The Assessment:  The delicateness of the seafood was complemented by the hearty noodles -- which our group described as amazing and interesting.  In fact, Micheal commented that the noodles tasted like an ink pen, "in the best possible way."  The wine was delicious and perfect with the seafood, but didn't stand up to the strength of the noodles.  According to Clive:

This is the greatest pasta sauce to ever walk the face of the Earth.

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Fourth Course

At this point in the dinner, my notes started to become a bit illegible and I believe I was in the restroom when the wine was poured.  Just another day's work for a wine blogger.  Neil Cooper, the winemaker from Cooper Wine Company, also stopped by during this course and we had a great chat.

The Wine:  2008 Airfield Estates Dolcetto

The Food:  Pork tenderloin encrusted with coffee and chili powder, paired with a romesco sauce, marconi almonds, and grilled green onions.

The Assessment:  The wine was smoky and sweet, pairs well with any grilled meat.  The biggest pleasant surprise was the coffee encrustation -- it was spicy and bold, but the nutty romesco sauce mellowed it out.  Micheal had some trouble finding that balance, but the rest of us loved the combination of coffee flavor and sauce, and the dolcetto was amazing with the onion.  Quote of the course:

I want to live in that sauce.

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Fifth Course


When the chef brought this course out, he acknowledged the quantity of wonderful food to grace our table thus far, and noted that they had tried to keep this course small.  They broke down a whole tenderloin, though, so it small just wasn't in the cards.  Darn.

The Wine:  2007 Cooper L'inizio (9 vineyard, 4 varietal Bordeaux blend)

The Food:   Maple bacon wrapped beef tenderloin with a kumquat demi glaze bbq sauce reduction, laying on a pastini.

The Assessment:  A communal "holy shit" emerged around the table upon tasting the tenderloin with the wine.  The kumquat was all over the delicious sauce, and the knife cut the beef like hot butter.  It was amazing.  A perfect pairing, we noted that the bread under the beef had even been carefully prepared, even though one may never see the grill marks, signaling the sheer attention to detail on the meal.  I'll be honest that there are a number of other comments I wrote down about this wonderful course; I just can't read the "5-glasses down" handwriting.

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Sixth Course


Honestly, we couldn't believe there was more amazing food coming.  There was.

The Wine:  2007 Cooper Cabernet Sauvignon (decanted for 1.5 hours)

The Food:  Dijon encrusted rack of lamb with a local chukar cherry peach salsa and an artichoke risotto cake stuffed with manchego cheese.

The Assessment:  Micheal was clearly making googly eyes at the wine from the initial pour.  He rated it as one of his top 10 cabs ever.  He also noted that he wanted to buy Neil a bottle of wine, it was so good.  We found the lamb to be wonderfully prepared, with the tart dijon balancing the wine.  Clive summed this dish up by saying,

This is comfort food if your mom is Jesus.

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Seventh Course


Dessert, need I say more?  I suppose I do, this is a blog after all.  So with this course, both Frank and Trina joined us again and informed us that they couldn't agree on a wine pairing, so I'll be damned if they weren't going to have to serve us both selections.

The Wine:  2007 DavenLore Winery Syrah Forte (Port Style) & 2008 Alexandria Nicole Cellars Syrah Ice Wine

The Food:  Strawberry creme brulee layered on chocolate ganache.

The Assessment:  Rick immediately noted that this was the first ice wine that he has enjoyed.  The ice wine paired perfectly with the creme brulee, and we found the forte a wonderful partner to the chocolate ganache.  In a way, you could say the ice wine enhanced a delicious flavor, and the forte complemented the chocolate.  We were left nearly speechless with the fresh strawberry essence.

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Thanks for sticking with us through this journey. Hands down, it was a wonderful dinner with perfectly paired wines. On the drive back to Yakima, we were debating as to what the most favorite / least favorite dishes were - and we just couldn't decide. They were all amazing and the wines were spectacular. The entire experience was really special. Please, check out Picazo...and Cooper Wine Company, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Airfield Estates, and Daven Lore Winery...it will be the best decision you ever made.