This weekend I became cultured…but I got better

This weekend spawned a great change in me. I became cultured. I learned how to make my own wine…And then I went to Cabella’s and played shooting and bass fishing games for about three hours while eating elk jerky and wearing my new “Browning” hat.

I was invited down to Classic Winemakers, a winery in down near St. Martin’s University (which we won’t hold against them, one of the owners spent some time at PLU so he gets a pass). Through a coupon on “Living Social” that I’d promote, but you can’t even get it anymore anyway, we got to make 12 bottles of wine for $100. Solid deal if you ask me.

After tasting about 20 different varieties, we landed on a Pinot Noir (one of three different Pinots you can make) and Josh Monti, one of the owners, came in and took us through the process. We did all the work, and he explained what we were doing as we went along, right down to the reason we added oak extract pellets (namely, because a $1200 French Oak barrel wouldn’t really work with a coupon). This is a process I understand more and more winemakers are using, and it was fun to see it in action.

We added the juice, the oak and probably a few more things I can’t remember (if you want to know, go give it a shot! It was a lot of fun), and then stirred them together before creating a vortex in the barrel and adding the yeast.

Once the yeast was added, we sealed it up. The wine will stay at their facility for 4-8 weeks (in the Pinot’s case, four) during which time they’ll keep it under supervision and run tests to make sure it’s progressing nicely.

Once it’s ready to go, we’ll head back down and bottle it ourselves. I even get to design the label, which I’ll tell you right now, is going to be awesome. “A Dragon Fighting an Eagle, but not a Normal Eagle, One Like They Had In The Lord Of The Rings Pinot Noir” is going to be the best thing you’ve ever had. Let me know if you want a bottle!

Also, go check out Classic Winemakers. The prices are great and Josh was great about answering questions.

DeVine Wines Notes: Tastings this week will be on Thursday and Saturday and I’ll make sure to post an update, but sign up for the newsletter on www.de-vinewines.com to get the updates emailed directly to you.

NEXT Wednesday (July 28th at 7PM) will be our next game night, which should be pretty intense. Not to brag, but my team is going for our three-peat.  It will probably be a tough cork to pop though because I hear the mother-daughter squad with a couple wins under their belt is gunnin’ for us, and I have it on good authority that a team of previous champions is now back from fishing in the Arctic and plans on reclaiming their crown.  Let me know if you have any questions or plan on coming! If you reserve a table with me by emailing kevin@de-vinewines.com you’ll get a free appetizer of your choice during the game.

We Don’t pop Cris, We Pop Rosé

I really should stop using rap lyrics for the titles of posts…but I won’t.

As you all know, this weekend marks a very special celebration filled with joy, presents, happiness and appreciation for the person who matters most…and once my birthday is over, it’s Mother’s Day.

Little known fact that has no impact on your life at all but I’m going to write about it anyway: I was born on Mother’s Day. It’s true; if you ask Paula, she’s obligated by law to say that I was the best Mother’s Day present she’s ever gotten. The downside of this is that she had to share Mother’s Day with me several times during my childhood.

This year? She gets to share it with you! On Mother’s Day, she’ll be pouring J. Sparkling Rosé, which is on sale for the next two days only. It’s normally $38 a bottle, but for the next two days is $25 and if you buy a full case, only $20 a bottle. In the newsletter, she used some big wine words like “elegant” and “pinot noir mixed with chardonnay” but I don’t know what any of that even means.

Trust me guys: your mom would rather have Rosé than the macaroni frame you made her last year. You’re 28 years old dude!

Okay guys, I got things rolling, but honestly, I have a lot of “work” to do today and need to “get back to it” and “stop using sarcastic quotations in places that don’t merit them”…so basically, I’m going to cut and paste the tasting notes from the DeVine Wines newsletter and insert my own commentary in red. Here you go:

Next, for an everyday wine, try Kelso Red or Kelso White. The white is Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc and has a bit of sweetness to it; the red is Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and is a perfect little food wine. At only $6 a bottle and $72 a case before discounts, you can’t go wrong! Mix and match for all your summer barbecues.

Looking for something outside of the US? I have an amazing find on some Chardonnay and some Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France. The Chardonnay is only $10, lightly oaked, buttery, and easy to drink, while the Pinot Noir at only $12 is a steal! It is an excellent value and a treat to be able drink Pinot Noir without breaking the bank!

Call the shop before Thursday at noon and we can have your cases here in the shop by Friday afternoon!

…Okay turns out I didn’t have any commentary. But I agree: buy some wine for your summer barbecue. You can still get the Coors Light, but this will make it classier so women will come! Also: The patio is open now! Come down on the next warm afternoon (if we get one) and sit outside with a glass of something awesome and a plate of something super delicious.

I’ll see you tonight for the tasting. Stay thirsty my friends (man, I’m nowhere NEAR cool enough to say things like that).

Tax Relief Tasting! And an Alliteration comeback that will BLOW YOUR MIND!

Your taxes are due tomorrow. That means one of two things:

1. You’ll have something to celebrate.
2. You’ll have something to mourn.

Either way, it sounds like a great time to come have a glass of wine.

Okay can I be honest for a second? I feel bad…Please excuse the lazy lead-in: I know it’s about as original as a Nick Cannon movie, but cut me some slack, I have a meeting that starts in 15 minutes.

I’m told that there are some great wines this week. The focus of the Tax Relief Tasting will be “some wines that will not hurt your budget and stuff and some that will just be awesome to celebrate with” …or something more cleverly worded…

I’m really sorry; I’m preoccupied and my phrasing is lacking any creativity and alliteration. Maybe I’ll just wait to finish this until after my meeting…

…Okay I’m back.  The Tax Relief Tasting: “Wines that will wow and wines that won’t weaken your wallet” will focus on great wines to fit in any post-tax season budget.

Did you read that new description? Nailed it! I’m SO on my game right now!

Here’s the line up:

• For starters, we have some bubbly Prosecco to celebrate the fact that it’s done. Prosecco is one of two tastings that I’ve done so far, so I’ll be there with a smug look on my face…maybe a tweed jacket and trendy reading glasses.

After the Prosecco, there will be several other wines in different price categories to sample (don’t worry, the tasting will include them all, so even if the IRS left you penniless, you can live it up one more time):

• The “Yahoo! the IRS owes me a ton of money and I’m going to splurge” category will feature a taste of Saviah Cellars Stillwater Creek Chardonnay at $26.
• The “I did my taxes early because I get a refund this year” wine will be the excellent 2005 Saint Laurent Syrah at $20.
• The “OK I had to pay and I’m on a tight budget but I still want good wine” category will be graced by a great little French Cotes du Rhone (Grenache & Syrah) for $15.
• Finally, but most importantly to those of you in this predicament, the “Oh my God, I just gave the IRS everything I have” category, where we have a beautiful $10 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. This is smooth and rich and drinks like a $20 bottle. I’m assured It will put our other, highly sought-after $10 Cabernet (to remain nameless) to shame!

I’ll be there Thursday night (tasting runs from 5-8PM). Come down and have a glass with me! Most likely, I’ll finish my night by taking home a bottle of the “Oh my God, I just gave the IRS everything I have”…but I’ll see how my taxes go around midnight tonight.

Note: I wasn’t aware of this, and I ended up being a couple hours late last week, but on Saturday, the tastings runs from 1-4PM. The bar is open until 9, but the tasting ends at 4PM…4 o’clock…pacific standard time…Just to re-cap, the tasting ends at FOUR O’CLOCK PM.  This is important to remember, because if you show up late, your mom will mercilessly taunt you all night. Okay, she probably won’t, but mine might.