Cascadian Outfitters, Woodinville, WA – get canned

Posted on July 3, 2018 by melsmosaic

Checked out Cascadian Outfitters when I was in Woodinville. Now, they do have their traditional wine (Goose Ridge), but then they have their other stuff. And what is that? Canned wine! I totally had to do that tasting. Why stick to the norm? Canned wine is becoming more common and it’s great for if you’re going tailgating, camping or doing anything else where you don’t want a heavy, fragile bottle.

Stats…according to an article on Vine Pair, numbers they had from Business Insider mentioned that canned wine jumped from generating $1.9 million in 2012, to $6.4 million in 2016.

So, back to the tasting; at Cascadian Outfitters their tagline is ‘Wine is a can? You bet! Because our adventurous drinkers like to take it along on hikes, picnics, bike rides and beach days. Cascadian outfitters is the “can-do” fit for everyday life!”

They have three wines available in cans:

2016 Rose – 13.4% ABV

Enjoy the fresh red fruit flavors of strawberry and citrus with hints of tropical mangos and pineapple. A fun and expressive palate of bright and juicy fruit with a refreshing spritz, finish with intense red fruit flavors. This Rose is crisp, bright and more expressive than the view from any summit you club! Cascadian Outfitters is committed to being your leading outdoor essential. Not matter your adventure, take it with a can.

-Perfect for summer, medium dry, so great for a rose.

2016 Chardonnay – 13.7% ABV

This Chardonnay had expressive white floral aromas with subtle notes of orange zest. On the palate it’s fresh and lively with a refreshing spritz, and bright fruit flavors of grapefruit and lemon finish with a subtle hint of spiced pears. This Chardonnay explores bright and fresh notes that hit even the highest of peaks.

-Light on the oak, so for me, not bad for a Chard.

2016 Red Blend – 13.8% ABV

Our Red Blend has rich red fruit flavors of plum and cherry mixed with toasted notes of spice and caramel. This wine places a big footprint onto your palate with savory spices and bold fruit!

-Pretty light for a red, so especially good for summer heat. Nice balanced blend.

The one problem with these wines is that you couldn’t buy them individually, it had to be by the 6 pack ($30). I was only in town for the weekend and then was flying back home. I wanted to grab a can or two to take back to my friends’ place. And, I didn’t want to check a bag to take them home with me, even though I was flying SW.

But, regardless, it was so much fun to try these out! Love seeing how this part of the wine industry is growing.

Cheers!

I’m a Vintner!

Posted on June 22, 2015 by melsmosaic

I got to check out this great Blend Your Own Bordeaux competition last week. Wasn’t sure what all this would entail other than wine and some form of mixing. This took place at American Eats Tavern, just outside of DC, and was in the company of Master Sommelier Andy Myers and Barboursville Vineyards Chief Sommelier Jason Tesauro.

The evening started off with some bubbly and intros and then the rundown on what had to be done.

(that’s the Master Somm)

We had four varietals to play with (Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and Nebbiolo) and we would taste them and play with each to determine how much of each we wanted to combine to make our own perfect blend. It was a chemistry class with all the toys we had, too.

In our instructions, we received definitions of each piece, percentages for mixing and what all we could do.

Playtime!!!!

You could not just plug the pipette with your thumb to fill it. You had to actually suck on it to get a good amount in there.

After determining your best (personal) blend based on taste and trial & error, it was bottling time. You also had to label it to the best of your ability.

The after-shock was quite a mess.

We were told when we started blending that there would be awards for the best wines. Jason from Barboursville was the main taster/judge of the wines, while Andy and the Somm from American Eats also took part. They had 15 or so wines to judge…the rough life of wine folks.

After their long-lasting time of judging they had some announcements to make. Much to my surprise, I had a podium finish!!! I brought home the bronze medal. That meant great bragging rights, my wine and a bottle of Barboursville vino. I am now a vintner. What more could I ask for?

From Cake to Castle

Posted on May 7, 2013 by melsmosaic

Weekend=great wine. I met once again with my great friends who last time hosted the epitome of wine tasting. This time it was at my place so I had to work my wine rack magic to attempt to match what they offered.

Though none of us seek out whites, sometimes you just have to go off the beaten path. To attempt to match reds, I opted for the well-known name of Cakebread and the nice varietal of Sauvignon Blanc. A refreshing way to start the evening.

After the white, we moved onto the more important stuff (RED!) with Chateau St. Jean. The most important thing to remember is not to get fancy with the name. Yes, the first one is french for castle. But, for the last word, think of denim, don’t go french, make it simple! The red we enjoyed first was the 2010 Pinot Noir…nice and smooth!

I was initially going to serve another Pinot Noir but opted instead to stick with Chateau St. Jean and one of their blends. It’s Cinq Cepages. It brings together five of their varietals for an amazing taste. Can’t do it justice in writing!

And to pair with the wine, cheese it always nice. The other day at Trader Joe’s I found a lactose intolerant’s dream — a package of 3 cheeses that we can eat — the Tapas Sampler! Non-cow milk delights. One of them did have a part of cow milk (with two others — so it had to be minimal), and at least for me, I didn’t have a problem.