Rio Jean Photography - Taste Washington {Take 2}

I have been looking forward to attending Taste Washington since last year!  Last year was amazing and now that I know I'll be gaining at least 5 lbs, I started to plan ahead diet wise, and shed like 15 lbs, yep!

Taste Washington is EPIC if you are a wine lover or a foodie, you HAVE to attend this event.  And I did warn you, you will gain at least 5 lbs from all of the great food and wine!

In case you missed my blog about Taste Washington last year, I've included images from that post below. If those pictures of food and wine don't make you want to attend, then here is more incentive, let me tell you who on my favorite list of people will be there.

I am super excited to be seeing James St. Clair again of Silver Lake, read my post about my visit with him, he is the rock star of Silver Lake.

The Hightowers, Tim and Kelly, will be pouring it up, they are a very fun couple and have great wine.  Take some time to chat with them, you won't be sorry!

The beautiful Shae of Frichette winery, go and talk to her about her edutainment, once you meet her, you will be a fan forever!

Keith and ReNae, of Terra Blanca, beautiful people and a gorgeous winery.  Keith is a mastermind when it comes to business, geology, and wine.  Talk to them about rabbit heads, the first person to email me the correct story about rabbits heads will receive a bottle of wine from my personal stash.  If you know me, my wine is verrryyyy precious to me, just picture me as Gollum hunched over his precious...that's me...except I'm not a scary creature.
**You must live around the Seattle area OR if you live in Eastern Washington, be somewhere near the Tri-cities so we can meet and I can give you the wine. I CAN'T ship the wine ***

 Tapteil Winery, whose name I spelled wrong for the longest time!  Jane and Larry will hopefully be there pouring their wine, check out the labels! Jane does amazing art work!  I'd be surprised to see Argus there, keep an eye out for a dread locked tail ;)

SO!! Reason enough to attend, right?!  I'll be there on Sunday!

Here is the official description from Visit Seattle:

SEATTLE – Visit Seattle and Washington State Wine invite wine lovers to mark their calendars; Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event, will take place March 26-29, 2015, at various venues throughout Seattle. Now in its 18th year, Taste Washington promises a full weekend of activities, from an exciting new celebration targeting the under-40 wine lover to the signature Grand Tasting, which features hundreds of Washington State wineries, food from top Pacific Northwest restaurants, chef demonstrations and more.

The weekend begins Thursday, March 26, with the Red & White Party, an elegant, upscale evening with Washington State’s celebrated wineries pouring special selections from large-format bottles. The fun continues with The New Vintage, an upbeat event aimed at the next generation of wine lovers with a backdrop of music, dancing and tasty bites. The weekend culminates March 28 and 29, with two days of educational seminars led by top wine writers and sommeliers and the Grand Tasting at CenturyLink Field Event Center.

Details on winery participation, featured chefs, seminar topics, hotel packages and tickets will be available soon at www.tastewashington.org. Taste Washington is produced by Visit Seattle in partnership with Washington State Wine.

About Taste Washington:
Taste Washington is the largest single-region wine and food event in the United States, featuring more than 225 Washington State wineries and more than 70 Pacific Northwest restaurants. The 2015 Taste Washington welcoming sponsor is Alaska Airlines; the premier sponsors are Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card and Muckleshoot Casino; and the event feature is Stella Artois. Taste Washington attracts more than 5,000 wine and food enthusiasts to the Seattle area. The Washington State Wine Commission launched Taste Washington in 1998 and is now produced by Visit Seattle. For more information, visit www.tastewashington.org.

Rio Jean Photography - Benton City, WA {Frichette Winery}

Frichette Winery (http://frichettewinery.com/)I have met a lot of winery owners and I would have to say Shae is on my list of favorite owners!  The Frichettes are so down to earth and I immediately felt at ease when I met with Shae and her family.  

One of the aspects I love about this winery is the cozy and inviting atmosphere. When I first walked in, I immediate felt a sense of inviting warmth and a feeling of being among family.  I honestly can say this is the only winery that has given me that feeling.  Shae is like a long lost friend who I hadn't seen in years, we literally could have spent the afternoon catching up and sipping on wine.

Greg and Shae had amazing jobs in California, Shae was a trainer for Black and Decker and was able to jet set all around the world for that position and Greg still works in IT/Marketing.  How cool is this couple, right?  Talk about an awesome combination of skills! On a trip back home to Pasco, the Frichettes decided to visit Red Mountain on a whim.  And of course, they fell in love and decided it was time for a change!

Frichette Winery had its first crush of Merlot in 2011 and opened its tasting room doors in September of 2013.  The first year, the winery produced 650 cases and in 2013, the winery produced around 1,000 cases. The Frichettes hope to be producing about 2,500 cases a year so they can remain a small production winery.

  

 Three words that sum up Frichette winery are fantastic wine, edutainment, and family atmosphere.  All three of these descriptors are definitely seen in the tasting room and in the Frichette brand. 

I really enjoyed all of the Frichette wines, Greg is mentoring under Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas and Greg hopes to take over the wine making process in about two years.  I don’t know about you, but I am excited to try the wines when Greg starts making them! 

If I lived in the area, I would be at most of the edutainment events the winery puts on!  This sounds like a blast, for a girl’s night out or even a date night with your spouse! What is it, you are probably asking, right?  Shae is brilliant!  She wanted to incorporate education into the winery events but also wanted it to be fun (See her training skills coming into play here?) so why not edutainment?  People can come to an event, have a blast, and also learn something new.

This winery has nailed its branding and marketing (now here comes Greg’s skills!) I love the website AND the blog.  I have visited numerous winery websites, and the one thing that really makes Frichette’s website stand out in my mind, is the blog and the use of video.  Video has been the next “shinny object” for a while and I really like how the Frichettes are incorporating it into the website.  The videos provide visitors a chance to hear and see Shae, which is way more powerful than just reading something.  I have to say, after watching the videos, I felt more at ease with visiting the winery and I could tell that Shae is a very approachable person.

The branding and labels are timeless and beautiful.  If you notice the labels, there is an "F" for Frichette and if you flip the bottle upside down, it turns into a "J" which is for the Frichette’s son Jayden.  I had a chance to meet Jayden and let me tell you, he has a head of curls to die for!  You will no doubt have the opportunity to meet this sweet little man when you visit the tasting room as he has his very own space in the tasting room.

Jayden's area

Frichette Winery is truly a family legacy and a destination winery with fantastic views of Red Mountain. So….have I enticed you enough to give Frichette Winery a try?  I promise you will not be disappointed.

Cheers! 
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Prosser, WA {Milbrandt Vineyards}

An impromptu visit to Milbrandt Vineyards (http://www.milbrandtvineyards.com/index.cfm?method=homepage.showpage).

This tasting room reminds me of tasting rooms in California, I think it's the overall look of the place, the curved arches and the tall bell tower. It definitely screams, "come visit during the warmer months!"  Not that you can't go during the colder months, but it has a cute little sitting area and I heard that during the summer months, there are bands that play at the other wineries and it's like a big block wine party.  Doesn't that sound nice, to sit in the summer air, with your glass of wine, listening to the sound of music in the distance?  I don't know about you, but I am definitely going to bring my husband down for a date night!  

Milbrandt's tasting room has been open for 7 years and it seems like a lot of the staff have been with Milbrandt since it's opening. Which is pretty cool, as I see it as an indication that Milbrandt Winery is a good company to work for.  Milbrandt is family owned and like a lot of other wineries in the area, the family started out as farmers.  The Milbrandts actually started growing wine grapes and sold them to other places that needed grapes.  It wasn't until 1997 that the Milbrandts decided to enter into the wine making industry.  The first bottling took place in 2005 and the tasting room was opened in 2008.

Milbrandt produces about 60,000 cases a year and is in 40 states. There are three labels(Milbrandt has some gorgeous labels and I love their branding!) that Milbrandt has, the Traditions line which features the blowing tree, the Estate line which is sourced primarily from Milbrandt estate vineyards and is produced in limited quantities. The Vineyard Series wines and Estate wines are 100% Milbrandt estate grown fruit and these wines are produced in limited quantities and are exclusively available online or at Milbrandt Vineyards Tasting Room in Prosser, WA.

I didn't see this in the tasting room but I saw the Sentinel series on the website and it is Milbrandt's exclusive and very limited wine sourced from one of their best vineyard sites, Northridge Vineyard. The vines are planted in the ancient Caliche soils above the glacial flood line and produce some of the nicest grapes on the Wahluke Slope.

Unfortunately this winery does not have a winery dog as they have a commercial kitchen in the tasting room, so they aren't able to have animals there.  But it's a win for you because you are able to have some food while you enjoy your wine!  I heard through the tasting room manager that Butch Milbrandt is a huge foodie, so he will cook some delicious meals in the kitchen.  AND I also heard wine club members are invited out to Butch's house in Mattawa where he will also cook for the members!  Doesn't that single perk make you want to join?  

Milbrandt has 2500 acres of estate grapes, the vineyards are located in one of the new AVA's, Ancient Lakes, at the Evergreen Vineyard and the Wahluke Slope. The Ancient Lakes sounds like a sought after place for growing as I *think* there are 5 wineries who own a vineyard there.

Anyways, if you are ever in Prosser, stop in and check out Milbrandt.  All of Milbrandt's epic wines can only be purchased at the winery or online. I have to say I purchased a bottle at the store and it was not a good representation of Milbrandt wines.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I was having a really good time in this tasting room and was busy getting my chat box going . . . . so that means you really have to stop by and see this place for yourself!

Cheers!
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Prosser, WA {Airfield Estates}

Airfield Estates (http://www.airfieldwines.com/) has a very interesting history.  I will tell you briefly about it but definitely check out the website as it will have way more information.  The current owners are a brother and sister team, Marcus and Lori, and their family has been in the Yakima area as farmers for years!  In 1968 the family started to grow wine grapes and ever since then, the family has been into wine. 

Airfield started producing around 7,000 cases of wine and now they are producing 35,000 cases. Airfield has 28 different varietals (with a few clones) that span over 900 acres.  The vineyards are located in Rattlesnake Mountain and the production facility is located in Sunnyside. 

Airfield is known for their Chardonnay, Sauvingnon Blanc, Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot. Airfield has their wines sold in 30 states and 5 foreign countries.

I had the chance to speak with Brad (see picture below) who is the national sales manager, he would like to focus more on Merlot as he thinks it is the next big wine for Washington.  I have spoken to some wine makers who would agree and think that Merlot is up and coming in Washington.  (Don't listen to Sideways by the way, Merlot is an AWESOME grape)

One of the things you will notice about Airfield Estate wines is that they don't use corks, they use screw caps! (Hogue definitely had some vision!)  I have to say, I love the screw caps!  You may think that wines that have screw caps on them aren't as good because there isn't a cork.  If so, you couldn't be further from the truth.  Do you know why the trend is moving towards screw caps? Well, it definitely isn't cheaper if that is what you are thinking.  Having a screw cap allows for consistency.  You don't ever have to worry about a wine being corked, there are no variations, and when you want to keep your bottle that is only half gone, you can rest easy that you screwed the cap on tight enough to preserve it.

The bottles and the labels are certainly beautiful!  I love the look and feel of the product and here is another winery who has done a fantastic job with branding.  You can definitely feel and see what the brand is when walk into their tasting room. Unfortunately I have no idea of what the wine tastes like as I wasn't offered a tasting...go figure right?

Airfield does have two winery dogs, they weren't present during my visit, but I hear Jax, a Black Russian Terrier, and Bella, a mix of it all, frequent the tasting room!  If you are there and see them, snap a picture and send it to me! 

I am very interested to try their wines, if you do visit, please let me know how your visit went and what you thought about their wines!

Cheers,
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Benton City, WA {Terra Blanca}

Can I sing praises to Terra Blanca, yet again?  YES!  I have to admit, it was a love, love love, HATE, now back in love relationship with Terra Blanca,(http://www.terrablanca.com/). What does that say about me and Terra Blanca? Well ... I admit I am hard core when it comes to customer service and rarely am I forgiving and rarely do I give a business a second chance.   That said, the only reason I gave Terra Blanca a second chance was because, well two reasons, I swallowed my stubbornness and realized that sometimes employees have bad days and the other reason?  Keith actually responded to my complaint and extended an offer for me to come visit so he could rectify the situation.

Um . . .that was a first for a winery.  And what does that tell you about Terra Blanca? Terra Blanca is the first winery to invite me back to make amends after a bad experience.  That gesture should tell you that Terra Blanca really does care about their customers and are serious about making sure everyone has a wonderful experience at their winery. How many businesses can you say that about?  Keith, ReNae, and Jordan were beyond amazing during my visit. So I am happy to say Terra Blanca has made it off the B List and will forever and always be in my good graces!

I have been visiting Terra Blanca for years! I remember visiting them when their current tasting room was being built, and before then, I remember when the tasting room was in the house. Terra Blanca has certainly come a long way.

 Keith and ReNae Pilgrim are the owners of Terra Blanca and let me tell you, their story of how they began the winery sounded intense!  It all started in 1992, when Keith eagle eyed the piece of land that would become Terra Blanca.  Keith and ReNae had only been married a short time when their vision started to come to fruition.  Both still had full time jobs and were commuting from Redmond to Benton City on a weekly basis. 


At first, the Pilgrims decided that they would take everything slow when it came to developing the land (famous last words!)  But things were so easy!  They were able to find a well weeks ahead of schedule, so they decided to plant some grapes and build some caves! (Terra Blanca has the first barrel caves for aging wine in Washington State)

Terra Blanca had its first crush in 1993 and in 1997, they had their first bottling of Merlot.  The tasting room opened in 1998 and the new tasting room/production facilities opened in 2006.

Terra Blanca started out producing  around 1900 cases and are now producing 35,000 cases.  Production is still increasing but Terra Blanca will most likely not produce more that 60,000 cases a year. (that is an insane amount of wine!)  But realistically, Terra Blanca sees most of the growth happening in the changing of their products.

I had the chance to see the beast of a machine that bottles the wine and I'm not kidding, it is a beast!  If you have read the post about Tucannon Cellars, you would have seen towards the end that they use a mobile bottler.  Since Terra Blanca produces way more wine, they have their own bottling and labeling machine. I'd be interested in seeing the whole bottling process.  Did you know Keith has a mad scientist lab?  I saw it and I need to see what kind of scientific stuff goes on there actually I'm not going to lie, I want to do some experiments (and of course help out with the bottling of the wine)... *cough* *cough* *nudge* *nudge Keith! *

 

So how did the Pilgrims decide on the name Terra Blanca?  Terra Blanca is Latin for “white earth”. The soil found on Terra Blanca's estate vineyard has high levels of calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up limestone and chalk. Soils all around the world that are rich in calcium carbonate are commonly found in the best wine grape growing regions. Since Keith has a background in geology,  he knew that growing grapes in calcium carbonate-rich soil would yield a remarkable fruit.  Terra Blanca's tagline is “White Earth. Blue Skies. Red Mountain”, as those are three of the key factors that makes Terra Blanca wine what it is.

If you buy a super sized bottle....guess what you receive with it!?  Keith's autograph!!!

You know me and winery dogs, guess which winery had a beautiful weimaraner named Kasey?  Terra Blanca!  Every time I visited the winery, I ALWAYS asked to see Kasey but I never had a chance to and I was hoping to finally meet him during my visit, but instead I received sad news that Kasey passed away two years ago. (ggaaaaahhh!)  Rest in peace Kasey, it sounds like you were loved very much in this life.


A couple things to look for when visiting Terra Blanca, a guest house, which Keith and ReNae used to live in, that is on the property.  I am assuming customers would be able to rent it for a day or two during their stay at Red Mountain? Chef Seminars will be coming back along with the wine experience which I am looking forward to attending someday!  

If you happen to do the reserve tasting, check out the chandelier that is hanging in that room!   Did you know that when you order a chandelier, it does not come assembled? You have to put it together, piece by piece....don't buy one...ever! Anyways, that chandelier is gorgeous!

Terra Blanca is also the perfect place to host your next event or wedding, they have the space and it's EPIC!  So, have I convinced you to go see Terra Blanca?  I hope so!  Go and grab yourself a bottle of their wine if you aren't able to make it to the winery.  If you happen to find yourself at the winery, check out the cave!!  The Pilgrims have definitely won me back as a customer and they certainly will win you over too!

Cheers,
Melanie