The Christening of the "Working Girl" Wooden Rowing Boat

I was very proud and honored to be asked by the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association if they could name one of their rowing boats "Working Girl".

This was not a hard decision to make! "Of course", I said, and tell me more...

• 70% of the rowers are women
• Rowing is a lifelong, low impact form of exercise
• Rowing can be year round, on the water or off using an ergometer (rowing machine)
• More scholarships are available each year to women rowers
• Rowing machines are in schools (elementary to high school). Electronics on the machines allow kids to race and connect with other kids around the world.

This is just what Olympic Cellars and the Working Girls support. So, tell me about the boat (I was really hooked after hearing this story.)

• The wooden rowing shell was built for Washington State University (my husband's alma mater)
• Named the "City of Naches"
• Built in 1947 by George Pocock (In 1936 , the UW-eight won Olympic gold in Berlin in a Pocock shell). He also supported and was very active in high school rowing programs.
• By 1999 'she' belonged to the Everett Rowing Association and was surplus to their needs
• We refer to the Working Girls (wines that is) just like a boat is referred to as "she or her"
• The Everett Association was about to sell her to a NW restaurant chain to be converted to a SALAD BAR (no way)
• The Orcas Island Rowing Association saved and refurbished her
• Olympic Peninsula "Y" Rowing Association purchased her in 2009 when the rowing program began
• The crew of the Working Girl in an intergenerational team of 8 women and 2 men

Would you be interested in Sponsoring the crew of the 'Working Girl' in their first race... 2010 Victoria Classic Rowing Regatta?

Yes and Can I Do T-Shirts!!!

Ralph and I will be cheering the crew this Saturday, September 4 in Victoria!

The video was taken on August 27 when we Christened the "Working Girl".

Cheers, Kathy

Benoit's Final Goodbye Email

Dear Friends/Customers/Wine Drinkers,

Friday will be my last day at Olympic Cellars after almost 6 years with the Working Girls. I was in Pasco and came to help during crush 2004 then stayed for a few more years.

We did a lot in 6 years and I’m proud to leave the winery in the shape it is today. Olympic Cellars has now all equipment and structure to compete with the best winery of the state. We bought a new press, a new destemmer, some new pumps, new barrels, a new forklift. We are getting grapes from the best vineyard of the state and have a good reputation for the quality of our wines, from the working girls wines to our fancy Cabernet Sauvignon from Paul Champoux Vineyard.

I had 6 great years here but it is time for me to move on and go back to my home land. As you know I am going back to school to graduate for the National Diploma of Oenology, a two years program. That was my intention 14 years ago when I started my degree in viticulture and oenology. I wanted to get this degree, but after 3 years, I got a good job offer in Bordeaux and was probably just impatient to work (and get a paycheck).

Today I have the opportunity to go back to school with a scholarship from the French Government (Thank you my socialist country…) and I thought it was a good time to go back home, finish this degree and start something new in 2 years (don’t ask me what, I have no idea).

We have 3 great vintages in bottles and one in barrels and I am sure Virginie will do a really good job with this new coming vintage. As my family-in-law live on the Peninsula, I will come back here probably at least one time a year and will follow the evolution of the wines we have today, some of them can be cellared for several years and it will be great to follow them aging.

Thanks all of you for drinking my wines, for your support and have all a great end of summer.

Benoit
Olympic Cellars Winemaker

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Hot August Nights - Did I Jinx the Weather?

#@!*&?# I can't say what I'm thinking.

The Weather is a Changing... Hot August Nights! Now who coined that phase....?

Did I jinx the whole weather pattern on the Peninsula?

Last week a sundress... this Saturday night, well pull out your fleece.

But, who cares. We're from the Northwest. We have layers of clothes in our trunks. A little cold, a little rain... we're tough!!!!

Rain or Shine the concert goes on. Haywire is a local favorite. The concert benefits the Girls Scholarship Fund of the Jet Set Soroptimist organization. We can't let them down.

So pack your clothes and we'll cuddle close under the patio if necessary....

I send the Wine Gods an offering and you a personal msg via YouTube.

Enjoy, Kathy

AUTOGRAPHED Bottles of Winemaker's Best

Yesterday marked the first day of the winemaker handoff from Benoit to Virginie. Sitting there taking notes, listening to both of them discuss our wines and the upcoming harvest I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering… thinking about the early days when Benoit joined the winery.

Many of you probably don’t know but Benoit almost didn’t live through his second day at the winery. The old bladder press blew up and the heavy stainless steel lid flew like a missile through the air and almost… “I can’t say it”… thank the lord all he has now is a faint battle scar.

So many memories… when you’re only a team of 4, there is not a phase of the winery operation we don’t share in some way.

Harvest was Benoit’s favorite time in the life cycle of wine. I think he just liked to clap his hands and tell us to get to work and start shoveling. Long hours, rain and cold, he took our wines from grapes to bottle.

I just looked at the calendar… 13 more days.

Been meaning to send this email but it sort of makes it final and I’m truly a “Scarlet O’Hara”, tomorrow-tomorrow.

Two of our best wines are bottled under Benoit’s Winemaker Reserve Label, the 2008 La Galopine and our 30thanniversary wine, Neuharth’s Legacy, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon blend. As of today, this label is officially retired with the departure of Benoit. I’ve asked him to sign bottles but don’t know how many he will get done given the long list he and Virginie have made for the next two weeks.

During an interview Benoit said the best wine he had made at Olympic Cellars was the Neuharth Legacy. I agree. Also, he loves Ciel du Cheval grapes in the Red Mountain appellation and was very happy to get our Roussanne and Viognier for La Galopine. This first 2008 release won an immediate Gold Medal.

If you would like signed bottles please come into the winery or place your order. If it’s too hot to ship, then we’ll pack it and keep it in the cellar waiting for cooler weather.

Another wine that Benoit created is My Sweet Syrah which many of you love. When I first asked him to make a really good red that was slightly sweet, he just looked at me and said in a very thick French accent, “Kathee, don’t you know red wine is dry”. To his credit a week later, he came back with the Syrah/Late Harvest Riesling blend idea and as you would say… the rest is history. We’ve had other wineries copy this wine style and even come to Olympic Cellars to taste My Sweet Syrah. I’m very proud of this wine… well I’m very proud of every one of our wines!

As a thank you to Benoit and his skill in winemaking innovation, My Sweet Syrah will be featured at $16… 20% off the retail price for 13 more days. Again, if you want a signed bottle this can only happen in August.

Many thanks. A personal email is still coming from Benoit. It’s on his list.

Adjusting slowly, Kathy
Olympic Cellars Winery

P.S. In August case discounts are 15%, 6 bottles are 10% unless you’re ordering My Sweet Syrah at its special August price.

Facebook is becoming the place to keep up with the happenings at the winery

Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs Supports Charity

White wines beat out red wines at the Star Anna concert.

I finally got to welcome everyone to the Hot, Hotter, Hottest August Night Summer Concert ever.

As you may already know, Olympic Cellar's concert series benefits a different non-profit organization each Saturday night. We presented Jack Slowriver, director of Family Planning of Clallam County, a "$1721 wad of money". Through your generous donations and Star Anna's donation of 25% of her CD sales uninsured women on the Peninsula have access to health care. Thank you!

The band was heading out on to do 13 performances on a 14 day California concert tour ending with a recording session at the Pearl Jam studio. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready will be a special guest at Star Anna's Spaceland show in LA Wednesday 8/18!

Follow the band on Star Anna's Facebook

Great videos from Saturday night. I'm not quite a flip video "don't shake" expert yet. Ralph, my husband, took the video that is "not" jumping around. Both have great music.

Cheers, Kathy

Vinturi Aerator - As Essential as a Corkscrew

As a winery owner you would think I would use the newest and coolest wine gadgets. Guess I just see so many that I'm a bit jaded. I still use my 30 year old wing tip corkscrew... it's simple & works every time.

At the winery we sell the Vinturi Aerator. I noticed we could hardly keep them in stock. So this weekend I used it for our 2007 Neuharth Legacy Cabernet Sauvignon released for our 30th anniversary in 2009. We knew it was too soon to release but we wanted our best to commemorate this anniversary.

This Cab is a gorgeous, complex wine with tannins that I think still need softening with additional aging. The tannins were masking the fruit. When we pour this wine in the tasting room, we open it the night before to let it breathe.

Well, it was our first concert of the season and the Working Girls wanted the Cab... after all, we worked hard and deserved our best bottle of wine. No time for breathing. So we opened the Neuharth Cab... tasted it first then used the Vinturi.

I'm now a believer in technology I don't understand. Immediate Gratification! The wine poured through the Vinturi was Night and Day Difference. The nose was noticeably more aromatic, the tannins had softened and the fruit came through in luscious elegant layers.

Bottom line, I now have one in my house. It is as essential as a corkscrew.

Enjoy the Wine Geek video I found on YouTube about this same product. (It mentions a $50 price tag. At the winery it is $40.) And, I would have no problem taking the Venturi to a restaurant.

Cheers,

Kathy
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100 Starfish and Counting…

It’s mid-summer crazy, busy at the winery… and late Monday night I looked at my calendar (I can barely keep one day ahead of myself) and realized I had a 24 hour “open” window of time.

Was it real, did I forget something?

No, I’m free!!!!

Quickly processing the possibilities of what I could accomplish and check off my list...laundry,weed the vineyard, vacuum the cellar, clean out the refrigerator. No, No and Hell No.

So what does a Working Girl do… Google It!!

In less than an hour I found a rental in Clallam Bay available for one night only, got Harley a grooming/overnight boarding (didn’t know if we would be places that are not paw friendly), emptied the refrigerator into a cooler, and we’re the heck out of Dodge… a.k.a. Sequim, WA.

The sun is shining and Ralph and I are headed West!

First Stop… the grocery store. I forgot two of the basic food groups, Coffee and Wine. Can you believe I forgot WINE? I did remember the corkscrew. More on the wine later.

First stop, Toga’s Soup House for lunch in Port Angeles. Dungeness Crab Sandwich for me and Salmon for Ralph. And, a Huge piece of coconut pineapple cake for later. Outside patio seating… I’m really getting in the Road Trip mood.

Second stop, Salt Creek… to just sit on the beach and soak in the sun.

Then, off to Allen’s Beach Hideaway!!!! The beach is unbelievable at low tide… tide pools as far as you can see. I got so excited because the beach had perfect white rocks which I collect. I stopped at 24 to commenorate my 24 hour get-away.

I had nick-named the beach the “White Rock Beach” until this morning when I started counting starfish in the tide pools. I counted ten, then I set the goal at 30, then I was going for the decade birthday number and when I passed 100, Geez Louise do we live in paradise or what. Pink, salmon, brown, purple and Sequim purple (deep lavender) colored starfish.

24 hour Get Away. Grab It When You Can. No Fuss, No Muss, Little Planning. Just Enjoy.

Back home now and geared up for tomorrow… I’m finishing off the bottle of wine as I write. It’s Goose Ridge 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. I drank this wine first at Wildfire Grill. This is a great wine; the fruit literally jumps out of the bottle. Makes me think there is some additional varietals in the wine because of the flavors and nose… in Washington you can blend up to 25% of other wines and still label it as a Merlot or Cab, etc. I think there is Syrah and maybe Cab Franc, but Benoit would know immediately.

I’m so use to drinking our wines which are 100% of the varietal grape on the label. Benoit is a “purist”; I think that comes from his French winemaking background. He told me that when he drinks a Cab, he wants it to be a Cab. If he makes a blend then you know it.

This weekend, I’m going to do taste our 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and “another bottle” of Goose Ridge side by side. A little education on my part. I don’t know if I can be objective because we are so loving our 2006 Cab Sauvignon… it has aged to a deep, rich, velvety wine with great flavors and a long finish. Just a perfect Cab.

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Cheers, Kathy