Don't laugh I promise we tried - but we just kept finding ourselves opening more Washington or Spanish wine these days. :) Regardless we will drink 30 bottles from California. In the interim - humor me as I share my other finds - mostly from Washington. We tried our hand this weekend at making cheese - mozzarella - best beginner cheese and it was so beautiful! Perfect for pizza night. To celebrate our cheese success we tried a couple yummy bottles from different regions of Washington - and of course started the evening off with a bit of the bubbly. Here are our finds:
Malibran Valdobbiadene Prosecco - Try saying that ten times in a row! Perfectly light and crisp - just perfect with fruit like Asian pears and a hunk of aged Gouda. Stopped by Vervc Wine Bar (great wine bar BTW if you are in the mood to check out our favorite spot in the CC) in Columbia City on my way home because my normal wine source was completely Prosecco free on Saturday. The owner poured me a taste of this gem and I was sold upon the first sip.
Alexandria Nicole Cellars Crawford Hills Viognier - Repeat of the Estate bottle - just one of my favorite Washington whites for sure. Better when it isn't super cold - gets a little too fruit forward for me and can have a little of that banana thing happening which I enjoy but I know others are just not into. Maybe not the best pair with what we were eating - but one of my favorites from Washington so had to share with our pals that came over. Besides viognier seems appropriate for cheese making. Right?
We also tried a Beaujolais Nouveau that our fellow cheese makers brought - Pinot Noir - from Chelan area - it was seriously a glass full of fruit punch - I really enjoyed it ice cold. Nice light wine that would be good with salmon or a heavier fish. We recycled the bottle so I can't find the name - but I will find out for those that are curious.
Since it was the longest Monday ever in recorded history!! Curt and I also celebrated the end of the day with a little Washington wine - if an excuse is needed for Monday wine night - we needed a little white wine to help with dinner - seared sea scallops and a lemon herb risotto (if you are curious about the recipe we made something similar to this omitting the last addition of butter and adding in a tablespoon of chives, 1/8 cup each of sauteed zucchini, roasted tomatoes, and wild mushrooms). Turned out pretty well - though I think we might have rushed the last cup or so of broth so the texture of the risotto wasn't quite perfect. Regardless the wine was fantastic! Cats escaped with a scallop - really I'm convinced those two will eat anything as long as butter is involved. My husband claims our cats eat better than most people - he could be right - those sweet faces are hard to stay mad at for long.
Wine tonight - more Alexandria Nicole Cellars - Shepherd's Mark!! Creamy and beautiful white Rhone blend - has my favorites Marsanne, Roussane, Viognier. Just delicious for a nice fall day - slight twinge of oak but just absolutely delicious. If you can get your hands on it - I think this is one of those that is best when it is pretty cold and then just slightly warms in the glass.
Signing off for now - I promise I'll get back to California wine again this weekend.
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