Soup Contest Winners

Soups Galore!

During our Fall Barrel Tasting Weekend which happened this last Thanksgiving weekend we held our annual soup contest. Our guests took on the responsibility of tasting and voting on their favorite soup. The judges haven spoken, and we found our Soup Savant on each day. They have graciously offered that we share their winning recipes. You can find the results and the recipes below.

FRIDAY

Friday’s competition was dominated by the talented Cheryl Bell!
Cheryl submitted Black Bean & Hominy Soup. This spicy Tex–Mex inspired dish was killer with a nice Cabernet (especially if you were lucky enough to get some of the 2020 Reserve Cabernet from the barrel). 		 Black Bean & Hominy Soup
Ingredients:
16 ounces ground chorizo
2 cans (15 oz) beef broth
2 cans (15 oz) black beans
1 can (15 oz) hominy
1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 cup shredded potato
1 cup chopped onions
1 can (4 oz) green chili peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder

Instructions:
Brown the chorizo in a large stock pot. Add the beef broth, onion, and potato. Drain and add the black beans and hominy. Add the tomatoes and green chilies. Add the chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Serves 12

 For a printable copy: Black Bean and Hominy Soup

 

SATURDAY

Saturday’s favorite soup was made by the amazing Cathy Rogers!

Cathy created a Loaded Mushroom soup that was simply to die for! This creamy dish of comfort paired nicely with the 2020 Malbec.  Mmm mmm good!		 Loaded Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
½ pound bacon, chopped
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 potatoes, cut into julienne strips
1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional
1 tbs cornstarch, optional

Instructions:
Fry bacon over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook till onions are limp. Add the next five ingredients. If using whipping cream and cornstarch, blend those together and add at same time. Bring to a boil. Simmer till carrots and potatoes are cooked, about 2 minutes. (Note: soup was not made with the whipping cream and cornstarch for this recipe contest.)

Serves 4-6

 

 

For a printable copy: Loaded Mushroom Soup

Finally, we want to send out a great big thank you to all the contestants who participated in our soup contest. We love how giving and fun our wine community is! If you didn’t get a chance to submit or sip this year we hope you remember to join us next year at our Fall Barrel Tasting Weekend!


wine glass filled with red wine next to a cheese board and the words "Recipes that love wine"

Instant Pot Osso Buco

Now that the weather has finally cooled, it’s time to warm up your home with the delicious fragrances of long cooked stews and braises. But maybe like us, you’re sometimes too busy to take the time to create these delicious meals in the usual 4 to 6 hours. One of our fabulous winery staff has a favorite recipe that they graciously shared which includes the popular kitchen tool – the instant pot. This technique can shave 3 to 5 hours off of your usual cooking time for an amazing Italian favorite, Osso Buco. We think that an hour for cooking during the week is doable, especially if we prep the vegetables and keep them in the fridge until cooking time. This dish can be paired with red or white, try Albariño, Blossom Rosé, Malbec,  or Cabernet.


Instant Pot Osso Buco

2 lbs. Osso Buco beef shanks
2 TBS olive oil
2 clove garlic, minced
½ medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 inch)
2 celery ribs, diced
½ cup white wine
14 oz can diced tomatoes and the juice from can
1 cup beef broth
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Fresh grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish if desired

  1. Preheat your Instant Pot to sauté high and add 1-2 tablespoons oil. Pat dry the shanks and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Once your instant pot is hot enough (should be about 2 mins past when it beeps) Brown your shanks 1-2 minutes on each side.
  3. Remove the shanks and set aside. Add carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. Sauté until softened slightly soft – 2-4 minutes.
  4. Add the wine, use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the lovely browned bits. Reduce until about half the wine is left – 2-3 minutes.
  5. Stir in tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper to taste. Return the browned meat and nestle into the vegetables and liquid.
  6. Set pressure to custom (high) and braise for 45 minutes. Quick release when done and serve, garnished with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and flat leaf parsley as desired. Serve with noodles, rice, or bread to soak up all the yummy juices.

Enjoy!

Hostess with the Mostest Six Pack – Promotion

The holiday season is the time for hosting. Whether you are hosting the next holiday gathering, need to bring wine to share, or simply want to give a thoughtful hostess gift – we have a deal for you!

We have crafted a line-up of wines for our Hostess with the Mostest Six Pack that will pair perfectly with classic holiday dishes! From turkey to prime rib, from stuffing to sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie to fruit cake we have a wine that will complement your dish.

Mix, match, and save on a customizable 6 pack of  the following wines: 
2020 Dry Riesling, 2021 Viognier, 2020 Dry Rosé, 2019 Sangiovese,
2020 Henry’s Red, 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon.

General Public receives 15% off retail prices
Wine Club receives 20% off retail prices

Purchases can be made in the tasting room or via our webstore.
Sale valid from November 9 thru November 26
No other discounts apply.

National Media Attention!

We had the opportunity to host a freelance travel writer this summer. Casandra Karpiak is a regular contributor to the Associated Press wire and MSN. She spent time in the Treasure Valley exploring the lodging, food, culture, and attractions. She visited restaurants and museums in Boise and came out to the Sunnyslope where she enjoyed a wine experience with Bev Williamson.

Find the entire article here: Boise is Ready to Host

Albariño Is At It Again!


Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition 2022

Great Northwest Wine conducts a one-of-a-kind wine competition each year. The 2022 judging was staged the first week of October with influential wine professionals recruited as judges, and held at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Ore. This contest contains dozens of wineries from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. With hundreds of wines submitted to this competition, we are proud to say that our 2021 Albariño brought home a gold medal. If you haven’t had an opportunity to taste this award winning wine, please check  out the information on our website here, or come out to the tasting room and purchase one to take home. 
Cheers!

Hello Fall Six Pack of Harvest Moon!

FALL INTO FALL…

with a 2019 Harvest Moon 6-pack!

Enjoy more of your favorite Harvest Moon Red with a special 6-pack of the 2019 vintage. This wine is excellent at a cook out when you have spicy foods or as the star of your favorite sangria.

Regularly priced at $33.30
Wine club will receive 20% off a 6 pack
General public will receive 15% off a 6 pack
Promotion valid Sept. 14 – 25th.
This promotion is only valid for the 2019 vintage of Harvest Moon. No other discounts apply.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Ralph & Carol Myers

Carol and Ralph have been wine club members for almost a decade. Back in the day, they had made the trip to visit the Williamson fruit stand to purchase local apricots when they spied the tasting room right next to the packing shed. According to Carol: “Of course we had to go in for a tasting. This is where our love for Williamson wines began. We both favor red wines, but on this occasion, we tasted their Viognier.  We’ve been huge fans ever since and haven’t tasted a Viognier we like better. After the tasting we decided to become wine club members.”

It’s always a treat for us to see the Myer’s come through out door! We know we’ll get to “geek out” with them over food and wine pairings. Ralph and Carol are always up to some new culinary exploration. These culinary hobbyists have experimented with everything from fermentation, beer making, sourdough bread making, to building a pizza oven in their back yard.

We’re always hungry after a hearing about their latest creations! “We often create tasty pasta dishes or crank up the wood fired oven for pizza that all go so well with the Williamson Sangiovese. It’s one of our favorites and when we buy a case, so there’s always some Sangiovese on the list.”  They’ve gone full urban farmer and enjoy, “tending to our large garden, edible landscape plantings and raising sheep and laying hens.” They raise a plethora of goodies, “fresh basil, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers and our grass-fed lamb.” 

“We always enjoy driving out to Williamson Wines to pick up our wine, have a tasting and visit with the wonderful employees and Williamson family members. We look forward to many more memorable occasions where we sit down to share good food and wonderful Williamson Wines! “

We couldn’t have said it any better! Ralph & Carol always remind us to experiment and enjoy the process of making food. Not to mention the importance of celebrating that good food with good wine! Thank you for being such loyal and lovely part of our wine club family!

Cheers!

Wine Club Member Spotlight

Williamson Vineyards is thankful for the loyal support of our wine club! This next year we are going to share a little about a few of our most supportive members. We can’t do what we do without our amazing wine club ambassadors. Cheers!

Two of our most amazing wine club ambassadors ever, are Karen Bowles and Susan Daly! This sweet set of sisters have been members of our wine club for 9-10 years! Karen and Susan host a wine gathering every year, often featuring an Idaho winery. These classy ladies don’t just throw any wine soirée! They turn it into a fun and educational gathering with different themes, where they share some of their favorite wines with their friends.

Susan told us some fun facts: ” I put the wines in groups on my dining room table to include the reds, red blends, dry whites, sweets, verticals. In the middle of the table I made a copy of the importance of the windmill that was on the back of one of your wine labels, I purchased a mini steel windmill, and a copy of the Williamson logo”, “We had 3 vertical tastings. The 2018 and 2019 Riesling. The 2018 and 2019 windmill red. I think, the 3rd vertical was the 2018 and the 2019 Malbec”

These amazing wine club members have obviously been planning this for a while, and we were honored to find out that their latest epic wine party featured all Williamson Vineyards wines!! Thank you Karen and Susan for making Williamson’s wines a part of your annual tradition.

*We would have loved a picture of them together, but one of our ladies was always taking pictures!

Wine Time Fridays Podcast

This northwest based podcast is hosted by Shelley Webb and Phil Anderson, who have been drinking wine together for over 15 years. They discuss their week over a glass of wine, giving their feedback, food pairing options and opinions.

These crazy kids magically found a bottle of wine that we have been sold out of for years! Their casual banter about our long lost rosé is light and fun. Tune in between minute 4:25 and 11:55 to get their take on a classic Williamson wine.

Wines tasted this episode:
2016 Williamson Vineyard Blossom Rosé of Sangiovese

Idaho Wine Month Episode #1 – Wine Time Fridays Podcast


one bottle red wine and one bottle white wine next to wine barrel

Idaho Wine Competition 2022

We are thrilled to have two of our favorite wines as gold medal winners at this year’s Idaho Wine Competition. If you haven’t had the opportunity to taste our Sangiovese and Albariño, what are you waiting for?

one bottle white wine and one bottle red wine against a tree backdrop

2021 Albariño won Double Gold and our 2019 Sangiovese won a Gold. Check out more detail at our webstore here: Williamson Vineyards wine shop

If you’re interested in more  information about this year’s Idaho Wine Competition, head over to their website here: Idaho Wine Competition

Available for purchase in our tasting room or via our webstore. Psst! Wine club members – remember to sign into your account to receive your special discount.