Last week I was scrolling through our Instagram feed and saw that Sparkman Cellars was offering take home tasting flights and I had to get one! When I arrived at the drive through pick up counter, I scored a quick peek (outside only, of course) of the new Sparkman space at Hollywood Station (the former Red Hook Brewery). Saying that Carrie and I are excited about this grand opening is a huge understatement! It’s going to be amazing.
You all know by now that Carrie and I are not wine reviewers, but we do always try to offer our honest opinions, as well as our personal preferences. One of the things we have traditionally agreed on is our dislike of Chardonnay. I have enjoyed several Washington State grown Chardonnays, but I rarely purchase any for home consumption. Usually I only prefer them if they are stainless-steel aged.
This year I have been working on trying new types of wine and to expand my palette. I have been working at this in hyper-speed ever since the stay-home, stay-healthy order began, and our wine collection has grown exponentially. Can’t lie, the consumption is also up. I am on a mission to give Woodinville Chardonnay another chance! The 2018 Lumière from Sparkman Cellars, is aged in 38% new French oak, so it defers from my norm but I found it refreshing. I enjoyed the lemony and peach notes.
A super huge plus from this take home wine flight? These incredible tasting notes! How fun they were, pairing the individual wines with so many pairing suggestions. We loved this.
This Old Porch Rose is always good, and so versatile, I have paired it with almost everything. I think we enjoyed the 2018 vintage with cake at our huge National Rose Day party last Spring. This 2019 version is a blend of 35% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Riesling, 15% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I had a hard time sharing this one.
I loved being able to relax at home in my sweats and enjoy a full wine tasting. It is such a fun idea that we have seen from Sparkman Cellars and also Love That Red Winery. Here, I was enjoying the 2017 Wonderland Grenache, the next tasting in the lineup.
This one is a blend of 86% Grenache and 14% Syrah. I enjoyed it and would love to follow the tasting note pairing recommendation and serve it again with summer barbeque.
Little did the team at Sparkman know… but Pulp Fiction is one of our favorite movies. When I saw the they were suggesting this movie was a perfect pairing with their Ruckus Syrah, I couldn’t resist cueing it up! What a fun, Friday night date it was.
Sparkman is offering their 2018 Holler Cabernet Sauvignon in a special 6-pack that also contains their top-rated 2013 Holler Cab. With this deal, you get one bottle of the 2013, two bottles of the 2017 and three bottles of the 2018 Holler. Applies to the first 50 orders, so if you are interested, I wouldn’t wait. This 2017 version that we tasted in the flight would pair perfectly with a grilled steak and baked potato. I’d decant before drinking.
I loved traditional port like this one, made from 50% Touriga Nacional and 50% Souzao grapes from Uplands Estate. I drank this one by myself. Haha. Oops.
I would highly recommend trying this take home wine flight. It is a great way to support our favorite Woodinville Wineries at this unprecedented time. While we really do miss dining out in all of our favorite Woodinville restaurants, and we can’t wait to visit our friends at Woodinville tasting rooms, we feel happy to do our part by purchasing take home meals and wines. Plus, it’s fun to try new things!
Cheers,
~Jen
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