It’s almost time for Wine Yakima Valley’s annual Red Wine & Chocolate event! Spend the weekend indulging in rich chocolates, red wines and activities throughout the valley. Over 40 wineries in Yakima, Prosser, Zillah and Red Mountain will be offering decadent treats as you make your way from winery to winery.

Purchasing a Premier Pass is the most economical way to tour the valley. Your pass will waive tasting fees, provide special discounts, access to reserve tastings, special tours and more! Premier Passes can be purchased at the following locations on Saturday, February 18:

• Airfield Estates Winery
• Cote Bonneville Winery
• GooseRidge Estate Winery
• Kana Winery
• Tanjuli Winery
• Treveri Cellars
• Yakima Valley Visitor Center off I-82 (available beginning Feb 13.)

Participate in our Sip & Click Twitter photo contest over the weekend and be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to Ummelina Spa, an estate tour at Terra Blanca, winemaker for a day at Two Mountain Winery, and a Wilridge Vineyard tour and a Cowiche Canyon hike or mountain bike. Simply snap a pic of your Red Wine & Chocolate experience, tweet it with your location and the hashtag #YakimaWine and you will be eligible to win. All you have to do is Sip and Click!

Planning your trip is simple with the new mobile wine tour app. It’s easy to use and FREE!

Helpful red wine and chocolate tasting tips from our wineries to give you a head start:

Let it melt – Taste the chocolate and allow it to melt on your tongue just prior to sipping wine.

Tannins don’t mix – Avoid wines and chocolates that are overly tannic in nature, which compete with each other and result in a muddled and flat combination.

Salted combinations – Buttery or sweet whites pair exceptionally well with salted milk chocolate.

Savory and smooth – Wines with savory notes, such as smoke, wood or meaty qualities, are outstanding when paired with chocolate with a smooth texture and similar savory notes, such as leather, cheese or smoke.

Bold similarities – Bold, full-bodied wines pair very well with chocolates that are hearty and rustic in texture with a similarly pronounced flavor.

Two of a kind – Wines or chocolate with similarly distinct notes, such as black pepper, can be mutually enhanced when paired together.

Beginners luck – The easiest method for a successful pairing is to select chocolates that contain berries, dried fruit or nuts.

Chandler Reach Winery is excited to kick off 2012 with new wines! We’re expanding our wine lineup and preparing to offer new releases this year. Along with new events, Chandler Reach promises to keep our guests returning for more.

Back by popular demand, our rosé, Monte Dolce, will be released in late April. This bright, off-dry Sangiovese rosé shows crisp flavors of strawberry with a hint of sweetness. Chenin Blanc joins our lineup this year, as well as, a new “mystery blend” of white varieties crafted by our winemaker/owner, Len Parris. Both will be offered in limited quantities.

Often sold-out, “Italian Night at the Villa” will return this spring and will be offered monthly through the fall. Cooking demonstrations with wine pairings and weekend winery tours are new additions to our events calendar. Please check our website for the most up to date information.

Join us this month as we open our tasting room Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

We hope to see you soon!

We are in the middle of winter and our 2007 Dark Star (Rhone-style red blend of Syrah and Grenache) has been a great seller for customers looking for a red that is winter food friendly, to pair with hearty stews and soups, roasted meats (perfect with a glazed or spice rubbed pork roast), and rich pasta dishes.

In January, our production winery is mainly dedicated to finishing up malo-lactic fermentation in barrel, fining our Riesling in tank, and racking our reds from barrel to tank and then back into barrel. We are tucking our 2011 vintage into our humidity-temperature controlled barrel storage room. We have around 4,300 gallons of wine where we keep varietal, clone and harvest date separate, so we can create individual wine blending trials. This allows us to make the best blending choices for our individual proprietary red blends, decide what makes the cut and the rest goes into our everyday value Workingman’s Red blend.

Stay warm and thirsty all you wine friends!  -Dr. Palmer Wright (Owner and Cellar Rat)

In 1992 we planted DuBrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, Washington’s oldest appellation.  Our experienced team and spectacular site consistently produce grapes with unique flavors and structure.  Meticulously cared for, DuBrul Vineyard was named “Vineyard of the Year” by Seattle Magazine in 2007 and again in 2009.

Côte Bonneville was founded in 2001 to create wines that best express our spectacular site each vintage year.  By combining traditional winemaking techniques with cutting-edge science, we craft estate-grown grapes into world-class wines.

This year, we are excited about a new fresh presentation of Riesling to compliment our portfolio of Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay, Rosé, and Syrah.

Visit us in our Seattle tasting room, located at 4130 1^st Ave S, inside Urban Enoteca, or by appointment at the winery.  For more information, please see our website, or sign up for our mailing list.

- Hugh, Kathy, and Kerry Shiels of DuBrul Vineyard

Flint Nelson, Winemaker      Dirk Brink, Assistant Winemaker

Kestrel Vintners produces a range of varietals and blends. “I make wine for birthdays, anniversaries and Mondays” says Winemaker Flint Nelson. For nine harvests Kestrel has allocated the last of the Cabernet Franc from Olsen Estates; Olsen Vineyard is one of the most renowned sites in Yakima Valley, according to Nelson. Kestrel sources two-and-a-half acres of Cabernet Franc from the bluffs of Corral Creek and Nelson says, “we will never give up our allocation. It is the best source of Kestrel Cab Franc I have ever known”.

Furthermore, Cab Franc is a finicky grape, the ripening tends to be uneven, demonstrating green bell pepper flavors but not their grapes. Small berries and even ripening are the secret to Kestrel’s Cabernet Franc. “Great wine starts in the vineyard,” says Nelson. To try Kestrel Cabernet Franc, among other flagship wines of Kestrel’s Reserve Series, come by Kestrel’s Estate Winery in Prosser. Call 509.786.CORK or visit www.kestrelwines.com

Wine Yakima Valley has an exciting year of wine filled fun just for you, starting with our annual Red Wine & Chocolate event! Join us February 18-19 for a decadent weekend of bold red wines and rich chocolate for the perfect indulgence.

Grab your special someone or a group of friends and make a weekend of it with accommodations and dining throughout the valley!

As the oldest wine growing region in Washington state, wineries from Yakima, Zillah, Prosser and Red Mountain will be offering a weekend of divine decadence with the Premier Pass for $30, the only way to experience the depth of the Yakima Valley during Red Wine & Chocolate weekend. Enjoy wines from premier and boutique wineries as well as gourmet chocolates, hors d’oeuvres and special weekend experiences.

Pass holders will receive access to exclusive pairings, library tastings and tours not available to the public. The pairings continue as the wines featured are available to take home for discounts for Premier Pass holders. The $30 Red Wine & Chocolate Premier Passes can be purchased in advance by February 10, or for $35 at wineries during the event weekend. We’ll be posting specific winery events and pairings for Red Wine & Chocolate weekend so check back on our website soon.

Leaning on the experts, Yakima Valley wineries recommend the following pairing techniques:

• Let it melt – Taste the chocolate and allow it to melt on your tongue just prior to sipping wine.
• Tannins don’t mix – Avoid wines and chocolates that are overly tannic in nature, which compete with each other and result in a muddled and flat combination.
• Salted combinations – Buttery or sweet whites pair exceptionally well with salted milk chocolate.
• Savory and smooth – Wines with savory notes, such as smoke, wood or meaty qualities, are outstanding when paired with chocolate with a smooth texture and similar savory notes, such as leather, cheese or smoke.
• Bold similarities – Bold, full-bodied wines pair very well with chocolates that are hearty and rustic in texture with a similarly pronounced flavor.
• Two of a kind – Wines or chocolate with similarly distinct notes, such as black pepper, can be mutually enhanced when paired together.
• Beginners luck – The easiest method for a successful pairing is to select chocolates that contain berries, dried fruit or nuts.

To whet your palate further, take a look at our 2012 event schedule and plan your year in advance!

Spring Barrel Tasting
April 27-29, 2012

Spring Barrel tasting is your chance to get a jump on tasting and purchasing some of the best wines in wine country. A visit to the Valley on this weekend will allow you to sample yet-unfinished wines from the barrel.

Catch The Crush
October 13-14, 2012

Join Yakima Valley wineries to celebrate harvest at our Catch the Crush event. Each winery offers its own celebratory events, including grape stomps, wine tours, free-run juice, food and wine pairings, case discounts and more!

Check in weekly for the latest updates from our winemakers and growers as they share everything from wine events and new releases to case specials, limited releases, insider tips, what they’re drinking now and more.

Each week will feature a different grower or winemaker from the Yakima Valley. Discover wines you’ll want to stock your cellar with before they appear on critic lists everywhere and stay tuned for news on your favorite wineries and what they have coming up next!

We want to hear from you, too! Tell us what you want to read about in our blog, ask questions that our winemakers and grape growers can answer, or find out about our event getaways.

For more throughout the year, subscribe to our RSS feed and get our posts delivered to your inbox to stay on top of the coming year filled with exciting events, wine getaways, new vintages and great wine! We’ll also be posting links on our Facebook and Twitter pages – follow us there, too!

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