We had a special request for our Virtual Happy Hour from a wine fan. They had questions about the storing of wine, and thought we could help. Please watch the video for our suggestions.
We start with talking about upcoming winery events and new releases, Wine Storage and Transportation starts at about the 8.20 min. mark.
We’ve got some tasty wines back on the shelves!
2020 Dry Riesling – A clear, bright, pale straw colored wine, this is beautiful in the glass. Aromas of minerality and jasmine at first whiff, it completes with sweet notes of pear and lychee. This silky wine has flavors of pineapple and peach milkshake, and harbors hints of slate on the mid-palate and finishes with floral notes.
2019 Homestead Red (Wine Club Only) – 66% Cabernet, 34% Syrah
A deep opaque garnet with blue undertones, this wine promises a lush mouthful. Dark cherry and baked berry crisp leads on the nose with hints of bramble and wet slate. Plummy cherry preserves explode this big fruity wine onto the palate, and is balanced with bright acid and firm tannins. This is a chewy wine with a long finish.
2019 Petite Sirah (Wine Club Only) – Gorgeous ruby tones and opaque in the glass, the aromas of raspberry, blueberry, prune are balanced with a light dusting of white pepper and earthiness tease the nose. Firm tannins are balanced with a medium astringency creating a soft mouth feel. Flavors of raspberry and cherry jello, are balanced with hints of pistachio and white pepper on the palate end with a long finish of earth and blackberry jam and seed.
Click here to for more information and pricing.
Wine club members, please remember to sign into your account in the webstore to see wine club only wines and receive your special pricing.
Hip and Anne Delgado have been volunteering in the vineyard for Williamson’s since 2020 brix testing. Whether testing brix or powering through cluster counting in the spring, they have been amazing vineyard warriors!
Both Hip and Anne come from a rural background, with Hip being raised in plum and apricot orchards and Ann enjoying her summers at her great grandfather’s farm in Michigan. When they moved to the Sunnyslope, they planted a couple grape vines on their property and wanted to learn more about vineyards.
They love big bold reds and think the Williamson Vineyards 2018 Cabernet is the perfect compliment to their favorite farm to table offerings. Anne says “It’s been a pleasure to serve our community, get to know the Williamsons and learn more about vineyard living.”
Thanks so much, Hip & Anne!
The Idaho Wine Commission wrote an intriguing piece on smoke in Idaho vineyards for their blog. They sat down with Mike Williamson to find out about how smoke can be helpful and detrimental for Idaho grape growers. Read it here: Are Idaho grapes going up in smoke?
Both the 2020 Albariño and 2019 Malbec received Gold Medals at the Idaho Wine Competition on August 17, 2021. It’s always great to be included in the best that Idaho wines have to offer. The Albariño and Malbec are available for purchase in the tasting room. The 2020 Viognier is available to our wine club members and we expect to release the 2019 Petite Sirah in October.
2020 Viognier received a Silver Medal
2019 Petite Sirah received a Bronze Medal
Head over to our webstore for more information and to make purchases!
We hope you can find some fresh peas, if you don’t have them growing in your yard, frozen peas will work well too. If you can’t find fingerling potatoes, any small sized potatoes work. We recommend a waxy potato like reds or goldens. Fresh vegetables and light, refreshing, Williamson Vineyards wine, winner for dinner!
Fingerling Potatoes and Peas with Fresh Herbs
• 1 lb fingerling potatoes (or new potatoes)
• 2 cups fresh peas (frozen works in a pinch)
• 1 C packed Italian parsley
• 1/4 C packed tarragon leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1/8 c lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 T whole grain mustard
• 1 T capers
• 5 scallions
• 1/2 C chopped celery
• lemon zest
In medium pot, blanch potatoes 20 min or until fork tender, in salted water. ( Use enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch, and add a hearty 1 T of salt)
In a food processor, pulse parsley, tarragon, garlic until finely chopped. Add oil, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse a few more times and set aside.
In small pot, blanch fresh peas 2 minutes, in heavily salted water. (if using frozen, allow to thaw, dump into potato pot in the last 30 seconds of cooking to heat through)
Drain potatoes and peas, and place both in one large bowl.
Add chopped scallions, capers, whole grain mustard and celery, folding gently.
Fold in parsley tarragon mixture and taste for salt, adding a pinch more if necessary. Pepper to taste.
Garnish with tarragon leaves and lemon zest. Serve as a warm side dish with fish or chicken or meat, or serve chilled as a salad.
Enjoy!
Join us this week as we go over a few wine hacks designed to make your wine life a little more fun and easy, while adding a few handy ideas to add to your wine tool belt.
We start with talking about upcoming promotions and our winery events, Wine Hacks starts at about the 11:25min. mark.
August 4 thru August 22
Choose from a choice selection of our white wines to make a custom six pack of your favorite summer sipping wines.
Any combination of the 2020 Dry Rosé, 2020 Albariño, 2019 Viognier, 2018 Lilly White, 2019 Dry Riesling, and the 2019 Nectar gets you this special discount pricing.
General public – 15% off
Wine Club – 20% off
Visit our webstore and create your own favorite Summer Sipping Six Pack.
The Idaho Capital Sun wrote an interesting article about climate change and the apparent effects it may have on Idaho’s vineyards. They talked with a couple of Sunnyslope grape growers and an adjunct research scientist at Columbia University who studies drought and it’s effects on plants.
“As far as agriculture and climate change goes, wine is kind of the canary in the coalmine,” Benjamin Cook of Columbia University said. “It’s a perennial crop that sticks around every year, and it’s so sensitive to what’s happening with weather and the environment.”
Mike Williamson spoke to them about the importance of water conservation using drip irrigation, “We get better quality when we’re more water conscious, the fruit has better flavors, and you can get better colors,” Williamson said. “The trees and vines are both better balanced, and you get more intense flavors.”
Head on over to the fascinating article here: ‘Canary in the coalmine’: Climate change becoming big factor for Idaho winemakers
Brad Carlson of the Capital Press headed out to the Sunnyslope region to talk with grape growers about how the vineyard plantings have been increasing in acreage. Even with production steadily increasing since the 1990’s, Idaho still experiences more demand for Idaho grown grapes than supply. See what different growers had to say about the increasing quantity and quality of Idaho grapes.
Read the full article here: Way to Grow, Idaho wine industry