Fidelitas Wines

My Favorite Ways to Share Fidelitas

1. The Gift Pack - You had me at hello, gift packs! I've already made so many decisions trying to perfect my gifts this year I just can't do it anymore. Thank you for already being assembled for me AND gift wrapped. With all of the effort I'm saving, I suppose I can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine instead of battling traffic on the way to the mall for the 3rd time this week.

2. The Gift Membership - This my friends, is the gift that keeps on giving...literally! Show your brother in Michigan that you're thinking of him all year with a membership to the Fidelitas Wine Club. We'll send them club releases four times throughout the year with access to Fidelitas' best releases, club only events, and complimentary tastings at both tasting rooms all year long. I must say, I also highly recommend this gift for your best friend who always ends up opening your favorite bottle of Fidelitas when they come to your house for dinner. Take my word for it, they will love you forever.

3. The Co-worker Gift - I owe this idea to some of our brilliant and ever so busy professionals in the club. We all have those people we work with everyday that listen to our rants about the 100 emails that are blowing up the system or those that get us coffee when we're on a 14 day stretch in the office. Without them, we would all have a case of the Monday's everyday, which is simply unacceptable. Give us their name and office address and you're done! We'll send them a bottle with a special note from you. *Hosting an office party? Think Columbia Valley Cabernet Splits as party favors!

4. The Drink Now/Save For Later - Seriously, you can give this to anyone and everyone and it's thoughtful and simply put... great. Here's how it goes: buy one bottle you don't feel guilty for opening up on a Tuesday night after work such as the 2012 4040 Red Wine (retail $32) or 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White ($32) for the Drink Now portion. Then to Save for Later, give them something with a touch more elegance that can stand some time in the cellar such as the 2010 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (retail $65). You have given them something they can enjoy right away (for us instant gratification people) and something that they can open at a special occasion (say Christmas next year?!).

5. The Experience - Have you been dying to introduce your friends Fidelitas? Do you need more ideas for family time? How about a date with a special someone? Introduce them to Fidelitas with a tasting experience at either one of our tasting rooms. This includes a flight of five Fidelitas wines paired with cheeses for $30 for 2 people. This gift is an experience they will always remember!

Sunset in the Estate Vineyard

Every month I am lucky enough to spend a few days on Red Mountain and every time I'm there it's amazing how the vines transform. This time while I was wasting time waiting for rock blasting on the pass to get over, I spent the last few minutes of sunlight in our Estate Vineyard capturing some of the beauty of October on Red Mountain. It's crazy to think by the time I'm there next month, most of the shades of green will be long gone.

 

Table to Farm

This past weekend we got together with Chef Matt Dillon (of the Capital Hill favorite, Sitka & Spruce) and Sno-Valley Tilth to create the ultimate Table to Farm dinner at the beautiful Oxbow Farm in Carnation, WA.

The wonderful folks at Oxbow adorned the long family style tables in the middle of rhubarb rows and sunflowers, with vintage linens and fresh farm flowers. My inner-hippie was in a dreamy farm heaven!

{THE FOOD/THE WINE}

charred new season's peppers with sea salt and green perilla;

smoked trout on rye cracker with raw rhubarb

- paired with 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon

tart of salted summer squash, toro blueberries, flowering coriander & boiled cider

- paired with 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White (pre-release sneak peak!)

 

braised beans with smoked beets, creme fraiche & walnut oil

- paired with 2011 Columbia Valley Malbec 

 

grilled Albacore with garlic scapes and blistered fava beans

- paired with 2011 Optu Red Mountain

 

desert: cherries and apricots with rose meringue & honey

- paired with 2013 Late Harvest Semillon 

 

All of the fresh organic produce on the menu was provided by Oxbow Farms. It was amazing to drink Red Mountain wines along side the vibrant flavors from local fair. Washington really does have it all! I must say, I am still dreaming about those smoked beets and a glass of Malbec. Luckily I was able to capture a few photos in between bites!

If you missed out on this dinner, Sno-Valley Farms will be hosting another Table to Farm dinner in August with our friends over at Desert Wind Winery. Check out their website for tickets!

A few of my favorite things (about Red Mountain)

There is so much more to the 4,040 acres that make up Red Mountain than just dirt and vineyards. I am reminded of it every time I take that turn onto Sunset Road. A promise of sunshine and a persistent breeze when you are overlooking our estate vineyard. The quiet (seriously quiet!) evenings that host vibrant Eastern Washington sunsets over Rattlesnake Mountain, and the miles of hills that make up the Horse Heaven’s that seemingly surround you. It’s a sense of community seeing the small handful of wineries coming together to share their taste of the mountain and of course, the friendships made with those visiting, whether local Washingtonians bringing their friends and family out for a weekend picnic, or those who have traveled quite a distance to experience the uniqueness of all that we have to offer from our small, but highly acclaimed AVA.  As Red Mountain continues to grow, quite literally with the new plantings already taking place, the experience grows with it and gives us something to look forward to every time you take the Benton City exit.

I was lucky enough to spend most of last week on the mountain and it was hard to convince me to leave. In the busyness of our Feast of St Fidelis party on Friday night, I snuck this shot and to me it sums up so much about what I love about our home on Red Mountain.

Red Mountain in Winter

We are getting spring fever here in Woodinville so our lovely Erin on Red Mountain sent some pictures of the estate vineyard to remind us that although the vines are bare, spring is not far off and there are blue skies ahead on our beloved mountain! Upon receiving these photos I thought to myself “what exactly do those vines do in the winter anyway?” I gave Charlie a call and his response: “they’re sleeping.” Simple enough. He then went on to explain that technically speaking in winter, grape vines are dormant, meaning “having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time,” and I’ll admit I got a little envious of those grape vines in their deep slumber. He expects pruning to start within a few weeks which means nap time is almost over for these guys!