Brown Bag Wine Night was designed to be a social, fun, wine tasting evening, in a teaching /learning environment – all done on a level playing field. Unlike a double blind tasting where neither the varietal nor origin is known, we usually pick a red and a white varietal. The white varietal is tasted first, and then discussed, debated, agreed upon, disagreed upon, flaws noted, and favorites picked. And then red wines tasted, where more of same goes on. Invitees to this early evening tasting include an array of educated wine connoisseurs, tasting room staff, wine makers, bloggers, a few young adults eager to learn and the ones you may know- the twitter wine fanatics.
I meet Jarrod & Ali Boyle, owners of Alexandria Nicole Cellars (ANC), at a Winemaker’s Dinner that I prepared about 6 years ago in Gig Harbor, hosted by Hope Moore. This was the start of a great friendship and the quick story of how I came to reside in Prosser.
This Spanish rice dish that not everyone understands originated in Valencia with rabbit, chicken, snails and beans. Paella is the namesake for the dish and also the name of the round flat pan with two handles used to prepare and serve the paella in. Although the protein changes from recipe to recipe, the rice and the most important signature ingredient – saffron – remain the same. Saffron is sourced from the saffron crocus flower which grows primarily in Spain. It’s hand harvested (only 3 per flower) and is the most expensive spice used in today’s culinary world starting at about $2K per pound and up depending on the grade.
The Make the DASH Count Foundation was started by Hope Moore, a close friend of mine… The goal of the Dash project is to assist at-risk youth while at the same time, aid in the development of the next generation of philanthropic leaders. The Make the DASH Count Foundation was started when Hope partnered with some of Washington’s premier winemakers and vineyards to produce small lots of world-class wines. The wines were bottled under the Make the DASH Count label, with all profits going to the Make the Dash Count Foundation.
