Oh Seattle, sometimes you make it SO easy to leave. The overcast, gloomy weather… the hoards of annoying crowds downtown for Seafair… nope. I journeyed over the Cascades to visit the middle of our great state this weekend. Wenatchee & Chelan = Sunshine, wine, good people; it was a no-brainer!
In Wenatchee I, of course, indulged in my two favorite things:
1. Eating/drinking mass quantities of delicious food/wine
2. Exploring via fun, outdoorsy fitnessy things
Of course my number one priority was wine, wine, and more wine. Saturday morning we made the drive out to Chelan; the boys were going to golf Bear Mountain, and Steph and I needed to get our tasting on. We visited five wineries: Chelan Estate, Nefarious, Lake Chelan Winery, Benson, and Tsillan Cellars. I had been to CE and Nefarious on previous tasting trips, and I can confidently say that Nefarious is my very favorite to visit! Inspired wine, awesome staff, and a breathtaking setting. I could say the same things about Benson, which comes in a close second in my rankings.
This trip I bought a bottle of 2009 Syrah Defiance Vineyard from Nefarious, which they descibe as a pleasure seeker’s wine… It is chewy, layered, and just plain hedonistic. Well, I am nothing if not a pleasure seeker! Tragically (and unsurprisingly), I forgot this bottle back in Shaunna’s kitchen, so that will be a treat for next time.
I also picked up a bottle of Chelan Estate’s 2007 Merlot Rose, nice and dry, what I would describe as a “summer sipper” or “porch wine” if I were writing a stereotypical wine newsletter. And sip we did, three of us split this bad boy out by Shaunna’s pool the next night as a pre-BBQ treat. That didn’t last long.
Now, on the opposite end of the culinary spectrum, allow me to present you with large platters of greasy Mexican food. Continue reading
