Fidelitas Wines

Spooktacular Fidelitas Pumpkins

The holidays are fast approaching and Fidelitas has gotten in the mood by decorating some themed pumpkins for Halloween. Instead of the average pumpkin carving that takes place around this time of year, we decided to sit back, pour a glass of 2011 Champoux Merlot and create a glitzed out design. Might we add that this was easier than gutting a pumpkin and is much more attractive.

Supplies Needed:

-Glass of your favorite Fidelitas Wine

-Pumpkins

-Spray Paint (Black or White)

-Glitter (Assortment of colors)

-Paint brushes

-Tacky glue

We just started by spray painting our pumpkins and then let them dry. Then, we traced our Fidelitas logo, outlined it with glue using our paint brushes and then poured glitter all over to fill in the design. Let me just say, that this was the easiest Halloween pumpkin decorating we have ever done.

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.

 

Harvest Party Itinerary

Harvest Party is just around the corner, and if this warm weather continues, it’s going to be a gorgeous day to enjoy a taco on the patio.  I’ll be driving from Seattle for the weekend with Grace and Dara (who helps us out in the Woodinville tasting room from time to time) and decided that we might as well make a weekend out of it!  Here is the itinerary:

Friday

Tasting at Gilbert Cellars: Depending on what time we get out of town, we may make a stop at this downtown Yakima tasting room…just to get the weekend started right!  Plus, I could stare at their gorgeous portrait of Gilbert Peak all day.

Early dinner at Wine O’Clock:  Because the bacon and pear pizza is amazing!!!  Dara won’t come to Red Mountain without this Prosser stop.

Saturday

Saturday Morning Yoga at the new Walter Clore Center: It’s followed by mimosas so that’s a no brainer.

Pre-party visit to our friends at Frichette:  Miss Charlie’s Merlot?  We’ve been out for a while.  Find a good one here…

Harvest Party!  This is one of my favorite events of the year.  It’s just wine and tacos on the sunny patio in the afternoon.  Low key and way fun.

Wind down at Anelare: We love our friends Kahryn and Forrest’s new tasting room (on McBee…looking back at Red Mountain).

Sunday

Brunch at Anthony’s: Bloody Mary on the patio?  In October?  Yes please!

Pumpkins and farm animals at the Country Mercantile:  Finally, an activity that will appeal to Grace.  I can’t wait to pick out our pumpkins!

First Visit to Red Mountain

I’ve been with the Fidelitas team for a few months now and have finally been able to visit Red Mountain! I made the trek over to our home for the Vineyard Stroll + Dinner event on September 13th which was a big success. We were able to tour the different vineyards on that gorgeous Saturday with Charlie, and taste the grapes that hadn’t been picked for harvest quiet yet. The scenery was amazing and the group that was there topped it off!

Once we arrived back at Fidelitas, everyone was welcomed with a lovely dinner on the patio prepared by Ethos Bakery.  The food paired perfectly with our wine and the end result was delicious.

I highly recommend that event for anyone who wasn’t able to attend this year. And for anyone who has never been to Red Mountain, you need to get out there as soon as you can. You are missing out on some of the most wonderful things Washington wine has to offer.  I wanted to bring back as much of Red Mountain here to Woodinville as I could.  My first experience there was unforgettable and I can’t wait for many more visits to come.

2014 Harvest- the Start

Harvest is officially underway! We get things going a little earlier on Red Mountain, where the heat units are higher than many other parts of the state, meaning earlier ripening.  So far, we've brough in Sauvignon Blanc from Klipsun Vineyard and Merlot from Scootenney Flats, to name a few.  This are happening quickly in the vineyards and the cellar...we'll be sure to keep you updated!

Red Mountain Staff Training

Throughout the year, the Team Fidelitas staff shares our story and the uniqueness of Red Mountain wines with our guests at our two respective tasting rooms. While most of our staff is able to individually visit our Red Mountain or Woodinville tasting rooms on a regular basis, it’s not very often that the entire Fidelitas Team is able to get together as a family.  For two days in the middle of July, our Woodinville family made the trek to the east side of the state to visit Red Mountain for our second annual Staff Retreat.

After the initial hugs and introductions, we settled in and were treated to a delicious lunch with Jim Holmes of the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Jim shared memories and future plans about Red Mountain’s romance, terrior, and bright future.  It was such a privilege to learn more about our home from such a great and knowledgeable man! 

Lunch was followed by an extensive tour of Red Mountain’s vineyards lead by Charlie, while enjoying the oppressive sun and heat of a Red Mountain afternoon. But seriously…it was so hot!  We also spent the later part of the afternoon visiting a few of our neighbors (a huge thank you to the Frichettes and Kiona for hosting us!) for a late afternoon wine tasting.

Quintessence Vineyard

Kiona Vineyard - some of the oldest vines on the Mountain

Shaw Vineyard, looking west

East end of the AVA

Our evening consisted of relaxing at the Corvus Casa, where we enjoyed their gorgeous patio and farm-style table and sipped on some of our upcoming releases, which had come to us straight off of the bottling line! We also ventured out of our Fidelitas taste buds and sampled a few bottles of Bordeaux white and red blends; while playing a very competitive game of Fidelitas trivia. 

Corvus Casa

Nothing says, ‘I’m a wine professional’ like tasting barrel samples bright and early in the morning with breakfast, which is exactly what we did on our second day of the retreat.  Inland Desert Nursery visited us to share a bit of their extensive knowledge on various cabernet sauvignon clones. Then, we sipped from a few of our 2013 cabernet barrel samples that displayed the intricacies of the Red Mountain Vineyards.

Clonal Cabernet Tasting

Afterwards, we made a visit to Anelare’s gorgeous new tasting room on McBee Road, in Benton City. We then took our retreat on the road to the newly finished, Walter Clore Center, in Prosser. However, all good things must come to an end, so we sadly parted ways with the Woodinville staff so they could begin their journey home.  I feel so incredibly lucky to work with such a generous group of people who share such a passion for Red Mountain. 

Thank you so much Charlie, Jim, Inland Nursery, Hillary, Mitch, and Jess for making our 2014 Staff Retreat so special!

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!

Heading to a Wedding? Think FAITHFUL, LOYAL, AND TRUE!

It’s wedding season!  Ben and I are preparing to attend our first (but not last!) wedding of the season this evening.  As many of you know, we got married four years ago now at the tasting room on Red Mountain (no…sadly we do not host weddings there. Charlie made an extra special exception for me!).  As my uncle pointed out in a speech, it was so fitting to have the tables filled with Fidelitas wine because the name translates to faithful, loyal, and true.  Something we definitely focus on in a marriage.

So, this evening, we’ll be bringing a set of Fidelitas wines as a gift for the bride and groom.  One of my favorite gifts is to share a bottle that will be excellent on their one year anniversary, and another for their five (or 10!) year anniversary.  Another great gift is a membership to the Wine Club.  This is especially awesome for couples who may want to take advantage of tastings and events as newlyweds.  It’s a good introduction to the wines, along with quarterly reminders of their wedding day and gifts received.

Congratulations to all who are getting married this year or celebrating any momentous occasion with loved ones!

Wine Picks for Food on the Grill

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  It involves friends, food, and in Seattle, the start of summer weather…usually.  We are fortunate enough to live near one of the many vistas around the city where you can catch a glimpse of the fireworks.  It’s become a tradition to invite friends to join us in the afternoon for a backyard barbeque (although many years that means dodging raindrops while huddling around the Weber) and then trot over to the park with sparklers for the show.

As I prepare my menu for this Friday, I am reminded that grilling and backyard picnics are so often associated with beer or funny cocktails.  But I’m a wine lover, and believe that it is an awesome pairing as well.  My top picks for barbeque festivities?

Semillon.  Especially this current vintage of 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon.  For those of you who may be in warmer areas than Seattle, this is a great warm weather cooler with bright fruit and lively acids.  However, there is also a subtle fattiness to it that rounds out the wine.   The Semillon is perfect with your potato salad and grilled chicken dishes.  It’s also a pretty perfect pairing with corn on the cob.

Malbec.  Malbec is a great barbeque wine, and I might be biased, but I swear that the Fidelitas Malbec is the BEST barbeque wine.  The tannins are in check and the plummy, spicy notes just mimic anything you pull off the grill.  I know that a few of our staff members think that the Malbec is awesome with ribs.  I personally vote for grilled sausage.  This wine is also going to be great with anything that involves grilled veggies, especially peppers and onions…maybe even an earthy quinoa black bean salad?

Cabernet Franc.  Looking for something a little bit special to share with friends this week?  Been wanting an excuse to open that sold out bottle of Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Franc?  Here you go.  Cab Franc is another great cookout wine because of those subtle tannins, peppery tones, and slightly smoky note.  This is the wine that is going to be awesome with your burgers, or honestly, just with really good potato chips.

I’ll definitely have a few bottles on the table later this week and hope you might sneak one in to the world of beer as well.  Have a fun and safe Fourth!

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.