Fidelitas Wines

Who's Ready for Club Release?

It’s our first club release of the year and we can’t wait to share this perfect duo with you. We hope that you will be able to visit Team Fidelitas this weekend, February 24th-26th. Both locations will have special treats to go along with our featured flight! 

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Red Mountain

Saturday, February 25th 11-4pm

RSVP: chelsea@fidelitaswines.com

Woodinville

February 24th 3-7pm Members only

February 25th + 26th 11-5pm Members only

RSVP: amy@fidelitaswines.com

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Club Members will be receiving the new 2014 Optu Red Mountain + 2014 Red Mountain Merlot, both will be poured this weekend. Want to up your club shipment? Don’t worry, we will be featuring some other great fan favorites! 

Not a member yet? Join now to get in on this years first release from Red Mountain!

 

A Perfect Romantic Meal

Valentine’s Day was yesterday and I was amazed at how many couples were out and about tasting wine.  It was fun to see people taking time off work to spend it with each other.  One of the perks of working in a tasting room is the ability to meet people, get to know them and recommend amazing wines to help them to remember their tasting. It’s even more fun when you are able to recommend recipes to help make their special day even more so.

This month we are featuring our 2013 The Canyons Red Wine.  It’s a delicious blend of mostly Cabernet with some Malbec, sourced completely from The Canyons vineyard on the northwest slope of Red Mountain. It’s wonderful by itself but paired with something spicy, it really shines.

 

Try it with the Paella from Tyler Florence and it’s a match made in heaven.

 

For dessert, chocolate is always a classic choice. It can be tricky pairing chocolate with wine so make sure you choose a dark chocolate - sweet chocolate taken with red wine will turn bitter and sour! For more on the science behind this, check this blog post from Palate Press out.

Choose a Flourless Chocolate Torte (recipe below) or some simple artisan chocolates for the perfect finale.  Both are rich and delicious and are a wonderful way to end to your romantic meal.

 

Amy’s Chocolate Almond Torte

1 ¾ sticks butter

7 oz blanched toasted almonds

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

4 large eggs, seperated

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (added to egg whites)

Preheat oven to 300F. 

Melt butter and let cool.  Grind almonds and chocolate together in food processor. Slowly add the butter to chocolate mixture. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg/sugar mixture.  Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they reach stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate almond mixture. Pour into 8 inch spring form pan.

Bake for 50 minutes, cool on rack.  Dust with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

 

Touring of the Cooperage

This last month I had the pleasure of touring the Seguin Moreau Cooperage in Napa. First, to be able to do this is beyond amazing, so thank you to Fidelitas and Seguin Moreau for your generosity and allowing me to take a million photos.

Barrels are an essential tool to the winemaking process. The largest take away was that the entire barrel is used during the build, that everything from the left behind scraps are used to start the fires for toasting, this is to help maintain consistency.

At Fidelitas we are purchasing mostly French Oak and American Oak and using a medium-medium plus toasting. This is always dependent on Charlie’s preference and the expression of the wine. 

The winemaker will order barrels to their specification and these guys handle the rest. If you notice the gentleman in the above photo he is hammering down the toasting hoops and rotating each barrel around the fire to ensure the proper toasting is achieved. We had the pleasure of smelling inside the barrels right after they had been removed from the fires. The most intoxicating aromas of fresh baked bread! 

Then, after the barrels have slightly cooled they are then laid and start making their way to have the toasting hoops removed and replaced with galvanized steel hoops.

Then, the tops are laser cut to fit each barrel. Doesn’t it look like a giant stack of toasty, cookies? 

Since French Oak is so delicate reeds are then woven in between the slats to prevent leaking. Then, the barrels move into the final stages, everything is then tightened, sanded, stamped and sealed. 

As we begin to release our first club wines of the year we can’t help but cherish the tools that go into crafting each glass of wine. 

Ready for Football

I know there are some devastated Seahawks fans that will be reading this but no matter who is playing in the Super Bowl, it’s always a great time! I thought it might be fun to share some wine friendly appetizers that I am sure most people will enjoy.

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Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Capers

Pairing: 2015 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White

Hot Smoked Gouda Bacon Dip

Pairing: 2013 Ciel du Cheval Merlot

Taco Cups

Pairing: NEW 2014 Red Mountain Malbec

French Onion Sliders

Pairing: 2013 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

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Who will you be rooting for? My husband finally has his time to shine since his home team, the Falcons will be playing! We wish you a fun and happy Superbowl Sunday!

Please note that both tasting rooms will be closed on Sunday, February 5th.