Patrick takes us into the rainy vineyard to talk about shoot thinning and cluster counting. There were also a few groan-worthy dad jokes.
We don’t know about you, but we are so excited to re-open the tasting room starting Saturday, May 16th! We will maintain our regular hours of Wednesday through Sunday from 12pm – 5pm.
However, for us to re-open our winery, its very important that we all follow guidelines set by our local health district. Read about the the following changes below so you know what to expect when you come to visit our tasting room.
- Anyone exhibiting visible signs of illness will be turned away.
- Reservations strongly recommended. If you show up without reservations and we don’t have room, sadly, we will have to turn you away.
- Be prepared to stand outside while you wait to be shown to your table.
- We will be limiting the number of people in our tasting room to 10 people at a time (including staff).
- To accommodate more guests we will be utilizing our patio and lawn – so please come prepared for the possibility of being seated outside (i.e. dress for the weather, bring folding chairs or blankets.)
- As required by the state, we cannot have more than 6 people together per table.
- In order to maintain social distancing we will not be serving anyone at the bar in our tasting room.
- We will be serving flights versus one wine sample at a time, in order to limit contact between staff and guests.
- We will be utilizing a strict protocol of sanitation before, after, and during your visit.
- We will be utilizing a “no-touch” point of sale system.
- We will be requesting that all tour companies limit their tours to 10 people or fewer until further notice.
If you have any questions, please contact us via email, Facebook or Instagram .
I don’t know about you but we’ve been feeling a little stressed out lately. Luckily, we happen to have our own personal yoga guru on staff! Our own sweet Lindsey will guide you through a quick and easy sequence of spinal stretches to help you find some stress relief. Plus she throws in a few fun and easy moves with wine bottles for those of you looking to add some extra movement into your day. So check out this very approachable video on how to be mindful (with a glass of wine).
Posted by Williamson Orchard and Vineyard on Thursday, May 14, 2020
We wanted to have a little relaxing fun with our friends by hosting a quiz and offering prizes for the wine gurus in the Facebook Live event. Grab a glass of wine and settle in for a few minutes with Teresa leading us through twenty questions of a variety of wine facts. Winners are listed below.
Congratulations to our winners: Billie Farley, Ann Gartley, Katie Burright
1. What does the term “vintage” refer to? For example, when you see “Vintage 2012” on a bottle?
Answer: That’s the year when the grapes were picked. It’s not the year the wine was bottled and it’s not the year the wine was released.
2. How many grapevines in the world are grafted (a grapevine plant attached to a different root stock)?
a.54%
b.77%
c.85%
Answer: 85% of the world’s wine grape vines are grafted.
3. Why is it traditional to store wine with the bottle lying on its side or upside down instead of keeping them standing?
Answer: The wine stays in contact with the cork and thereby prevents the cork from drying up and then shrinking. A shrunk cork destroys the wine by letting in air.
4. What does it mean if the bottle is ‘corked’’.
Answer: It simply means that a wine bottle has a contaminated cork and this is understood if the wine you taste has a very musty smell which is very similar to the smell of wet mold or wet cardboard.
5. Besides yeast, what must be added to wine grapes to ensure fermentation and thus wine?
Answer: Nothing. Due to a natural chemical balance, grapes ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, water, or other nutrients.
6. How many species of oak are available for use in wine barrels?
a. 57
b.299
c.400
Answer: C. 400 different oak species are available to source wood for wine barrels.
7. Which country invented ice wine?
Answer: Germany invented Eiswein, or wine that is made from frozen grapes.
8. A standard size wine bottle holds 750 ml. How many liters is in a Jeroboam?
A. 1.5 liters
B. 3 liters
C. 6 liters
Answer: C. 6 liters
9. How many liters are in a Nebuchadnezzar?
8 liters
15 liters
20 liters
Answer: C. 20 liters
10. How many pounds of grapes does it take to make an average bottle of wine?
Answer: It takes about 2.5 pounds of grapes to make a bottle of wine.
11. How many gallons of wine is in a single barrel?
Answer: There are 60 gallons of wine in a barrel.
12. About how many cases of wine are in one barrel?
Answer: 25 cases
13. What is fortified wine?
Answer: Fortified wine has brandy or another spirit added to a wine base.
14. How many calories are in a 4-ounce glass of red wine?
A. 67 calories
B. 85 calories
C. 90 calories
Answer. B. glass of wine has approximately 85 calories.
15. A “vertical tasting” involves:
Answer: Wines from the same vineyards or winemakers but from different years
16. What is the dominant grape in Chianti wines?
Answer: Sangiovese
17. A medium to heavy bodied wine with Black pepper, plum and blackberry flavors describe which wine?
Beaujolais
Syrah
Pinot Grigio
Answer: Syrah
18. What does the word “appellation” refer to?
Answer: Place of origin of the wine.
19. How long does it take before a new grapevine will bear fruit suited to winemaking?
About 6 months-year
About 3-5 years
About 20-30 years
Answer: B. A grapevine needs a few years before its grapes are suitable for winemaking. In general, grapevines should be able to bear good winemaking grapes for about 40 years.
20. If a wine is described as “hot,” it most likely means it:
Has too high an alcohol content
B. Is spicy flavored
C. Is served at warmer than room temperature
Answer: A. This is a negative trait in most table or sparkling wines. Too much alcohol in wine can produce a burning sensation in the mouth and throat while being swallowed.
Join us May 28th at 4pm for
our first interactive virtual tasting!
Join in the fun and save when you order this
Virtual Happy Hour 6-Pack!
We will be broadcasting a live virtual tasting of these wines from our Facebook page. Order one of our Virtual Happy Hour 6-packs so that you can sip along with us! Each 6-pack includes 2 bottles of each wine so you can taste along with us and save the remaining bottles for later.
Included in this curated selection:
2 bottles 2016 Homestead Red ~ Blend of Cabernet and Syrah
Rated at 92 points and recieved a gold medal at the 2020 East Meets West International Wine Competition. Pulled a gold medal at 2020 Savor Northwest Wine Competition.
2 bottles 2016 Dry Rosé ~ Rosé of Petite Sirah
Perfect for summer sipping! You are going to love this fresh pink, light and flavorful wine.
2 bottles 2018 Lilly White ~ Blend of Viognier, Riesling, Muscato
Winner of a gold medal at the 2020 Savor Northwest Wine Competition and
a bronze medal at the 2020 East Meets West International Wine Competition
For a total of $104
But wait! Take advantage of our awesome incentive pricing!
We’re throwing in local delivery and some great prices to sweeten the deal.
General Public Pricing = 15% off of $104 + Local Delivery Included in Price
Wine Club Pricing = 20% off of $104 + Local Delivery Included in Price
**Incentive pricing available thru May 28th.**
Order your wines before 5pm on Tuesday, May 26th for our local delivery option.
Don’t forget to tune into our Virtual Happy Hour on
Thursday, May 28th and join in the fun!
If you have any questions, please contact us via email, Facebook or Instagram.
We have great Winners! Hey Moms – We think you totally rock! And so do your kids (even if they don’t say it often enough).
We think all mom’s deserve to treat themselves every so often. We have a plan to help you with that while helping your kiddos do something special for you this Mother’s Day.
Kids – draw a picture of why you love your mom or why you think she deserves a treat. Have a grown up help submit your drawing on our Facebook or Instagram page by 5pm on May 8, 2020. Our top 3 favorites will earn their awesome mom a special goodies bag valued at $25 dollars!
We had so many fabulous entries into our Mother’s Day Drawing contest; so many in fact, we had to add an additional winner. We have four happy moms that are receiving our goodies bag! We will be notifying all four moms via email as to how they can pick up their goodies bags in our tasting room.
Congratulations: Meagan Lepire, Lindsey McConnell-Soong, Janelle Phelps, and Katie Burright. So many talented young artists!
We are starting to plan and prepare for reopening the tasting room in the near (hopefully) future. Check out this silly video we made of our “training” session with future wine staff. We talk about some of the measures we will be taking in the tasting room for a while to make sure everyone is safe and healthy while still having fun at the winery.
Get the dirt on what’s happening in the vineyard right now from Mike Williamson!
We’ve got wine cocktails! Check out the video hosted by Teresa Shively and then get the party started (albeit a responsible, socially distant party) using the recipes we’ve put into a PDF for your use – Wine Spritzer and other wine cocktails.
Posted by Williamson Orchard and Vineyard on Thursday, April 16, 2020
Parents this video is for you! Here are some fun science experiments you can do with your kids using wine related items you have around the house. Maybe have a glass of wine while the kids are learning can make distance learning more enjoyable.
Williamson Vineyards Virtual Happy Hour
Posted by Williamson Orchard and Vineyard on Thursday, April 9, 2020