Fidelitas Wines

Giving Thanks

This week, I polled my team to see what they were thankful for.  In return, I received several heartfelt, sincere, and slightly interesting responses.  But best of all, Charlie’s response:

“Thankful to have her home,” he texted last night.  His oldest daughter, Emily, is home for 30 days from her Peace Corp commitment in Tanzania.

“I'm thankful for a warm, loving home, a healthy body, an amazing husband, and a job I love.  I'm also thankful for wine, chocolate, yoga, and bubble baths to bring me back to a happy place when I forget how much I have to be grateful for.” – Erin, Red Mountain Tasting Room Lead

“I am thankful for finding such a fantastic job working with fantastic people when I moved back to Washington :) I am thankful for being able to spend Thanksgiving filling my belly with delicious wine and great food made by my wonderful family. And also having the cutest dog ever to snuggle with when I need it!” – Skye, Woodinville Tasting Room Lead

“Well first of all I'd like to announce how happy I am that I've lasted over a year in Seattle (same goes for our new Woodinville Tasting Room)! I've moved into a cozy new place and learned some pretty essential Seattle things... such as where to find molten chocolate cake at midnight and where to pop in for a taste of bubbles. On that note, I am thankful that my job takes me back home to Eastern Washington about once a month. I get to double dip my family time and working on Red Mountain. I should also admit that I'm thankful that this time of year it's socially acceptable to add Bailey's to your coffee.” – Michelle, Wine Club Concierge

“I am thankful for my supportive family and boyfriend. I am also thankful to be working in the area I call home, my Fidelitas family, great friends, and even better wine!” – Chelsea, Red Mountain Tasting Room

And me?  I’m thankful for so much this year.  A supportive and loving husband who keeps me centered, a healthy, energetic toddler who reminds me I can’t control everything, a warm house, and an extended network of family and friends with whom I get to celebrate this holiday a total of FOUR times!  And of course, a wonderful, fun, job that introduces me to so many interesting people and provides me with a few fun wines to throw on the table.

 

Cheers to you and your families!

Jess

Friendsgiving

I have really started to enjoy the holidays more in recent years.  I still refuse to do the crazy mall dash, but do love the time I get to spend with friends and family.  It’s always a ton of food (which I love) and wine (again…obviously, which I love) and warm cozy houses.

I just kicked off the season with a Friendsgiving at our house.  Everyone brought an appetizer to share and I pulled out a few of my favorite wines for a spread.  Matching wine with appetizers can be tricky.  You need something with enough body to stand up to the bolder, richer, items, but definitely very light or no tannins.  For the most part, appetizers are based around veggies (which have tannins themselves), or cheese (many of which can be metallic tasting with the wrong pairing), and are not our intense main course items like the steak with love with Fidelitas Cabernet.

My choices for wine were the recent release of 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White wine, and a couple of library reds, 2010 Columbia Valley Malbec and 2009 Columbia Valley Merlot (which sadly does not exist any more, but 4040 would be a nice replacement!).

Our Friendsgiving spread included flatbread with pears, blue cheese, and caramelized onions, a crudité platter with endive, Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, and white bean hummus, sausage stuffed mushrooms, baked brie en croute with apples, hot spinach dip, and an amazing chocolate pumpkin bread.  We wore stretchy pants and ate (almost) every last bite.

So, in a year where the holidays seem to be coming early and faster than ever (Target had trees before Halloween and Santa showed up at the mall a week ago), I wish you a wonderful season that is filled with wine, food, friends, and family.

Harvest Party!

Wow!  It’s November!  It seems like just a few short weeks ago we had just started harvest, and it’s only been a few days since our Harvest Party!  How is it already November?! 

I’m going to blame my faulty time perception on the fact that my husband and I finally went on our honeymoon the beginning of October (over two years late!).  So, in my world, a good portion of the fall season has been focused around chartering a gorgeous Nordic Tug Boat, researching, and then traveling around the San Juan Islands and exploring.  I hope you forgive me for my maritime/honeymoon distractedness.

                Anyways!  October was such a great month on Red Mountain as well!  This year’s Harvest Party was a great success….I might even use the word, ‘perfect’!!  October can always be a tricky month weather-wise, and in the past few years it’s been cold and blustery.  We were blessed with a gorgeous, sunny day.  The only hint of wind was the perfect vehicle to spread the savory smells of Eric and Alfonso’s infamous tacos throughout most of the Red Mountain area.  Delicious! 

                We were also fortunate enough to have Jess and Charlie for the Party, both pouring a few upcoming fall releases….and a few wine club members were lucky enough to catch Charlie pour a brand new 2012 Ciel du Cheval Red Blend that will be released later in 2015! 

                It was such an exciting day, filled with great wine, food, and conversation.  We enjoyed ourselves so much, we only managed to take a few photos throughout the day!   Here are a few my favorites.   Enjoy!

Freshly Harvested Estate Vineyard.

Perfect, sunny day for the 2014 Harvest Party!

Special tasting room for our Magna Release.

Ok, one honeymoon photo, just because.  This is me and our chartered tug right after we completed our check-in and were ready to leave Bellingham on our week-long adventure.  Such a fun, relaxing trip!

If you have photos of the Harvest Party, or any of our other events or tastings, and would like to share them with us, please do!!   Feel free to email your photos and stories to myself at erin@fidelitaswines.com, or wine@fidelitaswines.com.