Brynn writes:
As we’ve wrote about last week, we recently attended the Bainbridge Uncorked event, which was geared at highlighting seven of the wineries on the island. Mary and I attended a VIP tasting the first night of the event, which not only gave us a chance to speak with each of the winemakers, it also provided us the opportunity to taste their various wines.
We’ve selected a few of the wines we tasted and plan to highlight them in our regular “What We’re Drinking” spot over the next seven weeks. Most of the wines are available for tasting at the various tasting rooms in Winslow, and of course at the wineries when they’re open for their regular “Meet the Winemaker” weekends.
Amelia Wynn Winery, founded by Paul Bianchi and named after his twin grandchildren, will kick off our series. Bianchi is the newest winemaker to join the group. Without further ado, here’s the review:
2011 Sauvignon Blanc: This is the first year winemaker Paul Bianchi has made a Sauvignon Blanc and he did it largely because of the Winslow tasting room, Island Vintners, where his wines are poured.
Fellow Bainbridge winemakers Jim Wilford, of Fletcher Bay Winery, and Charlie Merrill, of Victor Alexander Winery, also are featured at the tasting room. Each have whites that are popular — especially during the summer — so Bianchi wanted to come up with a white to compete.
He gets his grapes for this wine from the Yakima Valley and ferments the wine in stainless steel. The end result is a wine that is not over the top on its herbal or citrus flavors. It’s a great sipper for summer with a good balance of crisp acidity and earthy notes.
Bianchi is also working on a Riesling that he hopes to release soon and a Rose of Sangiovese to be released in 2013. They each should be available at the tasting room, 450 Winslow Way East.
