Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Speaking of Desert Wind Vineyards, our next wine selection was from their winery. The Desert Wine 2008 Ruah was poured by Amber Fries. If you are confused by Ruah as I was, then I am pleased to tell you that Ruah means wind in Hebrew. This winery is different from the others that we have encountered at the conference in that it is a destination winery. In addition to the tours, tastings and special events that we have come to expect as part of winery, Desert Wind also has dining and accomodations. Each of the four rooms is distinctly decorated in a southwestern theme. The small restaurant, Mojave by Picazo is also southwestern in theme.

Desert Wind Winery
2258 Wine Country Rd.
Prosser, WA 99350
509.786.7277

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Somewhere a duck quacked and I was poured wine.

oops. That is a little out there, but I like the thought of wine being poured with the regularity of ducks quacking. Which brings us to Duck Pond Cellars. Greg Fries, partner and one of the winemakers poured for us their 2008 Red Blend which is a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The fruit is from the Desert Wind Vineyard which is also owned by the Fries Family.

Quack. Can I have some more, please?

Duck Pond Cellars
23145 Hwy 99W
PO Box 429
Dundee, Oregon 97115
1-800-437-3213

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Ok. Bachelor’s Buttons. Still it seemed the perfect name for a wine that was being “dated”. Denise Isenhower or Isenhower Cellars talks about the wine from her small winery. Oh, and the name? It comes from the flowers growing at their winery.. You probably guessed that because you are clever.

Isenhower Cellars
3471 Pranger Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362-7307
(509) 526-7896

Also, we here at VinoVerve would like to wish our fellow ‘Verver, Kevin Neuman a happy birthday. Feel free to stop by his Facebook page and wish him well!

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Speed dating a family? That sounds a bit kinky. Particularly by my Snow White standards… speed dating a vineyard? That sounds more like me. Though perhaps, I am becoming like Mae West when she said, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”

Anywho…. next up on our speed dating agenda is the Ortman Family Vineyard’s O² Sangiovese. It is a second generation wine from the winery’s second generation wine maker. Enjoy!

Ortman Family Vineyards
1317 Park Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 237-9009

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

When in Walla Walla, I attended the Wine Bloggers’ Conference at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center and visited Whitman Cellars. Walla Walla is also home Whitman College, alma mater of Adam West and Dirk Benedict.

So, naturally, the question arose, who is this Marcus Whitman guy and what did he do to get so much in town named after him. Here is your answer. Your welcome.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

How do you balance the flavor of a wine with alcohol content? Stephen Lessard of Whitman Cellars provides insight into the choices that a winemaker considers while plying his craft.

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

When last we saw VinoVerve we were enjoying a musical interlude at Whitman Cellars in Walla Walla…. Now that lunch is over the tour of the facilities begins. Enjoy part 1.

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Getchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Well, despite our best efforts, Marguerite and I (along with Kevin and Rory) didn’t manage to score one of the coveted nominations for the American Wine Blog Awards for VinoVerve.

Having lived in Chicago for any amount of time, we have developed a Cubsian reflex that requires us to say, “There is always next year!” Which is true.

But fame, riches and recognition are not why we write VinoVerve. It is the ability to be able to share what we learn about wine with each other and whatever random readers cross our paths is more of our goal. If you like it? We hope you comment. We would love to have a conversation with you about it.

If you don’t? Well, you can tell us that too, though I can’t guarantee that we will change our opinions and how we present them.

That being said, you should definitely go and vote for your favorites. Honestly, I can’t see a bad choice in any category. Tom Wark, understanding how we Chicagoans work has created a system that is not prone to the Chicago way of voting early and often. I guess we Illinoisians have developed something of a reputation in that regard. C’est la vie ou la guerre (depending on your point of view).

In the meanwhile, we will continue to plug away. Look for a new VinoVerve to be coming soon!

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Apples of course! I am sure that the Washington Apple Growers Association wouldn’t agree, but then they are probably not hanging around here at VinoVerve either, are they?Anyway… Here is Rory taking a break from his wine trek to eat an apple and hear about how the cultivation of apples and wine grapes are similar! Save This Page

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Rory’s Walla Walla adventures continue at L’Ecole No. 41, where he learns about their harvest. Save This Page

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