10/23/06
(Monday) - A Sinister Halloween Selection
 Now here’s a wine that goes perfectly with this month’s featured party idea - Throwing a Freaky Good Halloween Wine Party. Vampire Wines, produced by Vampire Vineyards (who else?) out of Transylvania (where else?), is definitely a must have for any Halloween party. It’s not only got the name but even the spooky label and “blood red” marketing angle and website are working hard to push the theme of the living dead. Any other time of year this may be overkill (no pun intended), but this month it becomes the perfect accompaniment to any ghoulish gathering.
With a wide selection to choose from, including merlot, cab sauv, pinot noir, pinot grigio, chard and a merlot rosé, you wont fall short on options. I can’t say as much for the flavor, because I haven’t tried them, but I’m banking on the fact that this wine might be more about the marketing (at around $7 per bottle) than the quality of the juice. But who really cares?!?! It’s fun and different and perfect for this time of year. I can’t imagine that there are going to be too many wine elitists dressing up and partying down with a bottle of wine this Halloween anyway. I definitely recommend that you try them out for yourself. And who knows, maybe they’ll actually be good. The Vampire wines are widely available in the U.S. and can be ordered online at the Vampire Store. -MP
10/03/06
(Tuesday) - A Strong Showing for Washington in Wine & Spirits
Congratulations to all the Washington wineries that finished within the top 100 Wineries of the Year in this year’s Annual Buying Guide from Wine & Spirits! Out of the 100 wineries chosen 42 were American and of those seven were from Washington. A 17% showing isn’t bad given the thousands of wineries, not only in California (which consisted of the majority), but also throughout the rest of the world. Among those included were Andrew Will, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’Ecole No. 41, Leonetti, Pepper Bridge, Whitman and Woodward Canyon.
This was the 12th time Chateau Ste. Michelle has been listed in the top 100 over the past 20 years. A pretty incredible accomplishment given that only five other wineries have faired as well, and no other Washington winery has even made the list more than five times. This top 100 finish was attributed mainly to their ’05 Columbia Valley Eroica Riesling (90 points) followed by their ’04 Columbia Valley Ethos Chardonnay (89 points) and ’03 Ethos Merlot (88 points).
Other top scoring wines included:
L’Ecole No. 41
93 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee
92 points - ’04 Walla Walla Valley Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah
91 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Seven Hills Vineyard Perigee
Leonetti
94 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points - ’04 Walla Walla Valley Merlot
90 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Reserve Red
Pepper Bridge
94 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points - ’02 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Merlot
Andrew Will
93 points - ’03 Red Mountain Klipsun Vineyard
93 points - ’02 Red Mountain Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
91 points - ’03 Yakima Valley Sheridan Vineyard
Reininger
93 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Syrah
91 points - ’02 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
90 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Cima
Whitman
94 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Narcissa
92 points - ’02 Walla Walla Valley Merlot
92 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley Syrah
Woodward Canyon
92 points - ’02 Columbia Valley Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points - ’03 Walla Walla Valley
91 points - ’03 Columbia Valley Artist Series #12 Cabernet Sauvignon
-MP
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