Tag Archives: fruit wines

Divine Blackberry Wine for the Summer Solstice

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Good morning, and an official hello to summer! ‘Tis the summer solstice and as we embrace this magical, mythical time of year, it only makes sense to sidle up to a glass of wine that uses summer’s quintessential fruit: blackberries. So allow me to introduce you to Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine. I’ve been sitting on this particular wine recommendation for probably over a decade, and I still find this wine to be utterly delicious, delightful, and a pure embodiment of the spirit of summer, which I am welcoming with outstretched arms (if you could see me now!)! 🙂

This is sweet enough to be considered a dessert wine but complex enough to enjoy with savory food. Pasek Cellars recommends drinking it with salmon, wild game, or barbecued chicken. I have tried it alongside salmon and I find it’s a better pairing than commonly prescribed Pinot Noir. Nothing screams “Pacific Northwest summer” more than salmon and blackberries. It’s one of, or perhaps even the best, blackberry wine I have ever had. I truly don’t think you will be disappointed.

Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine
100% Oregon Blackberry Wine
11% ABV
$12.99/bottle on Pasek Cellars website
(I have also found it for slightly less at Cost Plus World Market)

Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine

Good on its own, good as dessert, good with savory food. Yes, I’m for real!

  • Crafted from Oregon blackberries, the wine is semi-opaque and medium ruby in color
  • Aromas of blackberry, cream, and bramble waft from the glass
  • While the wine is quite sweet, it also has a nice, subtle tartness to balance the sweetness
  • Full body with a medium finish
  • Fun fact: it takes 1.3 lbs. of blackberries to yield one whole bottle!

It isn’t often you find a wine that can be a dessert wine, a savory food partner, and a scrumptious “drinks well on its own” wine. Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine is a rare “triple threat” that you need to add to your cellar stat!

Have you tried this wine? Or is there another blackberry wine you adore? Comment!

Cheers to summer! ☀️

PS: Word to the wise… Pasek Cellars Cranberry Wine is the magical winter equivalent to the summery blackberry wine. Stay tuned in the coming months, but it’s never too early to stock up on a good wine like this to go with holiday fare like turkey and ham. 😉

Give ‘Em the Old Razzle Dazzle: Razzamatazz Dazzles Your Taste Buds

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Here in Washington, we are in the throes of beautiful summer weather. I imagine many of you are planning or already taking some vacations. We had planned a trip to Oregon this week which was going to include some wine tastings, but that had to be postponed due to me being diagnosed with pneumonia. Groan and groan. I am hoping to be able to make the trip sometime later once I recover.

In the mean time, you’re probably on the prowl for refreshing wines that enhance your summer moments. Let’s take a look at a breathtakingly gorgeous travel destination that also fits the bill for wine tasting, and one winery’s irresistible “summer” wine with a jazzy name.

I love the musical Chicago. It’s my all-time favorite. I’ve danced a fair amount of the choreography, saw it once live at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, and five times at the movie theater. One of my email addresses even includes the phrase, “all that jazz.” Me, obsessed? Nah. 😉

“Give ’em the old razzle dazzle” is the resounding battle cry of shyster courtroom attorney Billy Flynn, flanked by sequined and feathered showgirls. But Billy’s brand of razzle-dazzle is used to sidetrack one’s vision with a false optical illusion.

This wine, however, tastes as good as it looks; pure razzle dazzle for your taste buds! No deceptive trickery here.

Razzamatazz is a dessert wine concocted by Icicle Ridge Winery in Peshastin, WA, which is right next to Washington’s favorite Bavarian village, Leavenworth. Peshastin is in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and is home to numerous orchards and farms, and the fruit grown in these parts is sensational. Leavenworth is home to many wonderful wineries (including an additional Icicle Ridge Winery tasting room in the heart of the town), but venture just a few minutes outside town and you can enjoy world-class views as you sip the wines at IRW’s log cabin tasting room. This is one of the most beautiful and scenic places I have ever tasted wine – add it to your wine tasting bucket list! Learn more about Icicle Ridge Winery here.

Icicle Ridge Winery Log Cabin Tasting Room, Peshastin, WA

Wish I was there right now! Icicle Ridge Winery Log Cabin Tasting Room, Peshastin, WA

Few dessert wines taste as truly refreshing with authentic raspberry flavors as Razzamatazz. Fresh raspberry juice is blended with Riesling for the ultimate Washington summer wine.

This is a well-orchestrated wine that is sweet, thirst-quenching, zippy, and delicious. In the glass, this perfectly balanced wine does everything you need it to do… the sweetness from the excellent Riesling is complemented and balanced by the juice of fresh, lush, tart raspberries. A glass of this just for dessert would be incredible.

The only trouble with IRW’s dessert wines is they go down super easy so be prepared and buy at least a couple bottles. But I can’t think of a better summer treat that shows off our beautiful WA vinicultural accomplishments than this wine. This wine also pairs exceptionally well with Fourth of July fireworks displays.

Razzle Dazzle ’em! 🙂