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Celebrate Earth Day with the Slow Wine Guide USA

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How about a glass of wine to celebrate Earth Day? In keeping with the theme, be sure it’s from an eco-friendly producer. How do you know whether a winery uses sustainable practices? If you ask Esther Mobley, Senior Wine Critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, “The best resource I can recommend is the Slow Wine Guide.”

It was my privilege to conduct 17 interviews in Washington and Oregon for the Slow Wine Guide USA 2023. Each winery entry provides a snapshot of the people, the vineyards, and wines.

Top Slow Wine Awards

When I received my author’s copy it was a thrill to see that two of the wineries I wrote about are among recipients of Slow Wine’s top award for their dedication to greener farming practices. This includes Bethel Heights Vineyard, one of Oregon’s pioneering wineries. In Washington, Hedges Family Estate achieved this special recognition.

Celebrate Earth Day and Learn More About Slow Wine

I’ve previously written about what Slow Wine means and why it matters as well as which Washington wineries attained Slow Wine Awards last year.

The Slow Wine Guide USA 2023 is $25 a copy. Purchases made directly from the Slow Food USA Bookshop help support ongoing work. This isn’t just a terrific resource for buying wine, it’s been helpful to me when planning trips to wine country.

Find more pictures and back stories about some of the wineries on my Instagram account including my tour of the Hors Categorie Vineyard of famed Bionic Wines (aka Cayuse), where Syrah vines grow on a 65 degree slope. Their biodynamic practices previously earned them Slow Wine’s top accolades.

Discover the Pecorino grape in my write up about a master class offered during the 2020 Slow Wine Tour.

Want to hear more about Washington wine and wineries in the guide? I was interviewed by Scott Cowan for the Explore Washington State podcast. Give it a listen!

About the Author

The founder of VinoSocial.wine, Nancy coaches wineries and wine regions on social media practices and provides marketing services. A graduate of the Northwest Wine Academy and a Certified Specialist of Wine, she works with wineries, wine regions, event producers, and wine competitions. In addition to writing for the Slow Wine Guide USA, her work has been published by Explore Washington State and Washington Tasting Room Magazine. She serves as Vice President of Seattle Urban Wineries.

A Colorado Winery for The Ordinary Fellow

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Look up “Colorado wine” and Google suggests people want to know, “Is Colorado good for wine?” and, “Does Colorado have good wineries?” Up until last week, I had no idea.

Enter Colorado winery, The Ordinary Fellow. The labels on the samples I received are anything but commonplace, splashed with colorful artwork. A small peel off tab enables an outer sleeve to rotate around the bottle. With each turn of the clever wrapper, cutouts highlight different images below along with clever sayings. The innovative approach is something perfectly playful and enchanting for those who feel that stodgy wine labels can be a snooze fest. Perhaps this is one way to attract a new audience to wine?

 

While the labels may be unique and unconventional, the varietal contents are more commonplace. Bottles I received include consumer darlings Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Riesling. What may be a surprise to learn is that the Riesling and Cabernet come from the same vineyard. However, different microclimates can enable very different grapes to flourish within one vineyard. That’s not to say Colorado wine country doesn’t have distinctive qualities. By way of example, here’s a quick overview.

Fun Facts About Colorado Wine

Want to dazzle people with your knowledge of Colorado wine? Here are some talking points to share the next time you’re at a party courtesy of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board.

  • Colorado has more than 170 licensed wineries.
  • It is home to two federally designated American Viticultural Areas (AVAs): the Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks AVA.
  • These two AVAs contribute 90% of the wine grapes grown in Colorado.
  • At 4,000 to 7,000 feet in elevation, Colorado lays claim to the highest growing regions in the Northern Hemisphere (by comparison, Washington State’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA ranges from 200 to 2,000 feet).

The Ordinary Fellow Origin Story

Interestingly, Ben Parsons, the bloke behind The Ordinary Fellow, sounds anything but ordinary. The winemaker previously founded The Infinite Monkey Theorem (TIMT) winery in 2008. A 2019 Wine Spectator article announcing his resignation reports, “He kickstarted the urban winery and canned wine trends.” Sounds like Ben is intent on making wine more accessible, something the industry desperately needs. Continue reading “A Colorado Winery for The Ordinary Fellow”

A Simple Guide to Buying Wine

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Isn’t shopping for wine a bit like visiting Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? Pass through the entrance and sense feelings of wonder and awe. How could there be so many choices? The wine, like a seemingly endless river of chocolate, brings on conflicting feelings of childlike joy and overwhelm! Caution should be exercised so that a lack of self-control doesn’t lead to catastrophe.

It’s a lot to cope with, I know. In order to maintain a sense of decorum AND not overspend, it’s a good idea to have a plan and stick to your mission. To that end, here is a simple guide to buying wine.

Begin with a Show of Restraint

My wine shopping strategy begins with a modicum of restraint. I take a bag to the shop that holds 6 bottles and make a pact with myself not to purchase more wine than the bag can carry. This is good for the budget and limited storage space.

Shop with Dinner in Mind

Next, I make a mental list of what types of wines we could use with dinner. What’s on the menu? I reflect on memories of travel and celebrations around the table. Then take some time pondering about what types of value wines might be of interest – are certain regions calling me?

Continue reading “A Simple Guide to Buying Wine”

From Slow Wine to Fun Wine Itineraries in Seattle

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They’re here! If you’re curious about wineries with a sustainable focus, or interested in Seattle’s wine scene, my recent writing projects are now published.

Slow Wine Guide 2023

The secret is out! How do you find wines that are crafted with sustainable practices such as using grapes that are farmed without synthetic pesticides & herbicides? Get a copy of the Slow Wine Guide USA! The 2023 edition is now available.⁠
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I had the pleasure of interviewing 17 winemakers in Washington and Oregon for this edition, helping to grow the Pacific Northwest’s presence in this outstanding resource. It’s a true honor to spend time with these front runners as they walk me through their vines and pour their wines. ⁠

The guide may be ordered online via the Slow Food site.

Explore Seattle’s Urban Wineries in Pioneer Square and West Seattle

As a volunteer board member for Seattle Urban Wineries, I’ve been making the rounds to local tasting rooms. These day trips have inspired my latest articles on Explore Washington State.

If you think the only attraction worth visiting in Pioneer Square is the Underground Tour, think again! Three fantastic tasting rooms are within half a mile of each other. Plus, I share some insider recommendations for top places to eat, get coffee, peruse art, and shop. Get the whole run down on “Spending a Day in Pioneer Square.”

Go Wine Tasting in West Seattle

If you haven’t been to West Seattle since the bridge reopened, it’s time! Plan a day to explore three intimate tasting rooms along a one and a half mile stretch along California Avenue Southwest. Then discover some of the best eats in the neighborhood recommended by a resident winemaker.

Read the article, “Spending a Day Wine Tasting in West Seattle.”

There you have it, from slow wine to fun wine Itineraries in Seattle. For more wine travel inspiration see my itinerary for “Two Wine Soaked Days in Walla Walla,” or “How to Spend a Day in Woodinville Wine Country.”

Explore Seattle Urban Wineries During #TryJanuary

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It’s here – the fun way to make wine discoveries and break out of a Cabernet Sauvignon rut! Take the #TryJanuary challenge and explore Seattle Urban Wineries. The idea is to try new-to-you grape varieties, wines, and wineries. With over 80  varieties grown in Washington State, and a proliferation of tasting rooms in Seattle there is a lot to investigate. Make it even more entertaining and turn wine tasting into an inspired scavenger hunt of sorts. The resources below make it easy.

Disclosure: I am an associate member of Seattle Urban Wineries and a volunteer board member. My idea for the challenge was devised as a way to help wine consumers experience some fun during what can often be a dreary month. At the same time, my hope is to aid the wineries and locals employed by them in the often painfully slow month of January. I am not paid for my work on this. Thank you for all you do to help the local wine industry thrive!

Explore Alternative Varieties

Use the graphic below for inspiration to try some new-to-you varieties. By the way, these unsung heroes are typically priced less than the ever prevalent Cabernet Sauvignon. So if you discover a new wine that you want to take home, it might actually save you money!

Geeky Grape Varieties

For a closer glance at some of these selections take a look at Twenty Fun Red Washington Wine Varieties You Need to Try.

Visit Different Tasting Rooms

Continue reading “Explore Seattle Urban Wineries During #TryJanuary”