sean brendan

Last week I was fortunate to volunteer with the Washington WIne Ambassadors at the Auction of Washington Wines Picnic with the Winemakers.  This was my first event as a volunteer wine pourer, and I found it interesting, hot, and worth my time (beyond the great cause).

Having attended the picnic before as a guest, it was fun to be on the other side of the table, pouring wines for the guests, chatting about what they liked best and what they thought of each wine.  At my table, the overwhelming favorite was the Milbrandt Pinot Gris, a perfect patio pounder. 

The biggest buzz from the auction was centered around two wineries from Walla Walla - Va Piano Vineyards and Gramercy Cellars. Both Justin Wylie and Greg Harrington are clearly making world class wines and elevating the status of Washington on the worlds wine map.  I’ve enjoyed the Bruno Blend from Va Piano, and look forward to trying the Temranillo and Syrah’s from Gramercy in the near term.

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Another partnership from Mark Ryan and Chris Gorman?  Could the guys that brought us The Ghost of 413 deliver another reasonably priced wine that offers surprising value and an interesting wine experience?  Yep.

They need to work on their website and SEO, as I couldn’t find anything online for Cru Selections or Elle Project or Elle 2006 that wasn’t a review.  But, these guys do know how to make delicious wines, and that is what really matters.

According to the Seattle Times Paul Gregutt, "It generally requires the economics of scale to offer solidly made Washington syrah priced in the $12 to $15 sweet spot, which is why so very few boutiques even try….created by Chris Gorman and Mark Ryan McNeilly, for their friend Guy Harris, who has just launched a boutique-focused distributorship named Cru Selections."

We really enjoyed this wine; a Syrah and Viognier blend that you just don’t see very often from Washington wine makers.  It was light and balanced and a great summer grilling wine that paired well with both flatiron steaks and shrimps right off the grill. Check out Nick Benz’ take on what the best wines are for summer grilling.

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What an incredible summer for worldwide sporting events. From the Euro Cup to the French Open and Wimbledon to the Tour De France…. I’ve been able to turn on the tube everyday and watch interesting international sporting action.

And, the Olympics are right around the corner.

It’s been enough to make a Seattlite forget about the Mariners and the team formerly known as the Sonics.

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What a great tournament. Luckily, for me, as basketball in the Seattle of Seattle completely turns me off the the NBA, we have great international soccer to keep me intrigued.   The Euro 08 finals are set,  Germany vs Spain in a classic soccer power match-up. 

I think Germany out plays the Spaniards with the support of an amazing crowd in Vienna. Tune in Sunday at 11:45 PT.

Keep up on the action with the ever entertaining Deadspin guys.

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I don’t go to concerts or live events very often, but every time I find myself interested in going to one, I am repelled by the ever growing (in)convenience charge that ticketmaster is tacking onto every sale. 

For a $35 concert ticket… $9.95 convenience charge.  Are you kidding?!  30% is outrageous and I’ll just wander over to a boxoffice.

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