SOUP CONTEST WINNERS!

Soups Galore!

We have hosted a soup contest at our Fall Barrel Tasting Weekend event for years. Each year event attendees take on the great responsibility of tasting and voting on their favorite soups. 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! This year we made soup contest history! Not only did we have a record number of folks submitting soups for judging, but we had our first ever tie! Read below to learn a little more about our newest soup savants.

FRIDAY

Julia Figgins
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Julia Figgins created a crowd pleasing Buffalo Chicken Chili with all the fixins’. The fan favorite was to pair her spicy chili with our 2020 Malbec, because the fruity flavors in our wine played nice with the spice in the chili.Unfortunately, we aren’t able to share a recipe for this soup because Julia “shoots from the hip” and makes it up as she goes. 
Sarah Heasley
Polska Kielbasa Soup
Sarah Heasley created a spicy Polska Kielbasa Soup that really got our taste buds buzzing! If you make this delicious dish, we recommend pairing it with the 2020 Henry’s Red, because the smoky flavors in the wine brought out the smoky flavors in the soup.For a printable copy: Polska Kielbasa Sausage Soup

SATURDAY

Cherie Holsclaw
Seafood Chowder
Cherie created a Seafood Chowder that simply blew away the competition!This creamy dish of comfort paired nicely with the 2022 Albariño, the crisp citrus of the wine is a good juxtaposition to the creamy richness of the chowder.  Mmm mmm good!Cherie is also an intuitive chef and does not cook from a recipe. But she did share a few notes about how she creates her soup. Seafood Chowder

We want to take a moment to say a great big thank you to all the contestants who participated in our soup contest. THANK YOU! 

Other soup submissions recipes available to download here:
Tortellini Soup – Lisa LaBarbera
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup – Billie Farley

 

2020 Sangiovese takes Platinum!

Sip Magazine has hosted their 12th annual Best of Northwest wine competition. They place an open call for submissions put out to wineries of all sizes across the Pacific Northwest with an impressive 665 wines sent in this year. These submissions underwent blind tastings, meticulously evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges comprised of sommeliers, wine buyers, journalists and industry professionals. The top four medalists (platinum, double gold, gold, and silver) and Judges’ picks were selected for each respective wine category.Bottle of Sangiovese wine with glasses behind

We’re proud to announce that Williamson Vineyards 2020 Sangiovese received the highest award for a Sangiovese this year. Full article can be found here: Sip Magazine BEST OF THE NORTHWEST WINE AWARDS

Salt Lake Magazine visits Southwestern Idaho

Salt Lake Magazine visited here on the Sunnyslope and looked into the Sunnyslope Wine Trail and the AgVenture Trail. They had great things to say about Southwest Idaho and you can find their article as a PDF here – Follow-The-Trail-MagazineArticle

Cabernet Combo Pack

This gift pack includes a 2018, 2019, and 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon. This vertical collection is a rare opportunity to try these delicious and diverse vintages.

2018 Cabernet – This wine is a clear and bright brick red in the glass. Aromas of intense dark red fruit, violet, cherry amaretto, sweet hay and earthy minerality greet the nose. The bright cherries in the beginning segue into a preserved cherry and earthy mid-palate with hint of oak on the finish. Tannins and acid are bright but balanced.

2019 Cabernet – A delicate blend of cherry, red plum with hints of cedar help make this wine delicious with your favorite foods. A rich brick red in color, this wine contains aromas of  lightly toasted oak, red cherry, currant and a slight minerality. The tannins are medium firm with a balanced astringency. The flavors are a delicate blend of cherry, red plum with hints of cedar and a black tea, cherry pit finish.

2020 Cabernet – This vintage of Cab is one of our favorite food chameleons, it goes with almost everything! This wine was meant to be shared with friends! Light aromas of cherries, violets, and stone will reframe the way you think about Cabernet. This medium-bodied red wine is approachable with flavors of black currant and cherry which finish with refreshing acid and are set against a backdrop of bramble and caramel. 

General Public = $112 (15% Savings)
Wine Club = $105 (20% Savings)

This promotion runs from July 5 – 30. Pricing does not include taxes, shipping or handling.
No other discounts apply.

 

Introducing…. Grüner Veltliner!

Introducing our Newest Varietal!
We planted Grüner Veltliner, a grape native to Austria, in 2018. The Grüner filled a empty pocket in our vineyard left from the loss of Cabernet Sauvignon acreage after the dreadful “snowmageddon” of 2017. This section of the vineyard has a natural under gound spring, so we opted for a white wine because it can tolerate the extra water. The decision to go with this rare variety was made easier by excited interest from area winemakers. 

2022 Grüner Veltliner – releasing May 10th   
This wine is our newest addition to our portfolio and it is simply unrivaled! Grüner Veltliner, native to Austria, is a great alternative to your traditional dry, white wines. This exotic white wine delivers a clean, soft mouth feel and luscious flavors of tart apple, citrus, and hints of clover.
Wine Club Only

Food Pairing: This is the food wine you didn’t know you needed until now. It pairs with the unpairable! Try this wine with cruciferous veggies like kale, artichoke, or asparagus. Better yet, serve it at brunch with foods like sausage frittata or ricotta cheese quiche. Best served chilled.

Winner of the Open That Bottle Contest

Begun in 1998, Open That Bottle Night is a call to open that special bottle with friends and share the experience, instead of letting it continue to sit in the cellar. We’ve decided to get into the spirit by holding a drawing from participants who submitted pictures of their Williamson wines and a short description as to why they decided to Open That Bottle. We received some lovely entries and we put the names into a wine spittoon and drew out the winner,
…Lisa Shaffer!

Lisa wins the wine-rrific gift basket, valued at $140.

Congratulation Lisa! Thank you for this fabulous picture, you can pick up your gift basket prize at the tasting room at your convenience.
Lisa had this to say about her favorite bottle: “We love this bottle of Last Drop and opened it because it is unique and we know they won’t be able to ever make it again the same. Terry and I really enjoyed it and it pairs well with lasagna!  It rates best in a Williamson glass.”

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We were blown away by everyone who entered the contest. Many of the entries truly touched our hearts. We would like to gift a bottle of our delicious 2020 Dry Rosé to our honorable mentions seen below. Cheers!


Richard & Trudy Jackson
Stacy Irwin

Renee & Steve VanAtter
Margie & David Wilkins


Multi-colored background with the words, Staff Member Spotlight

Saying Goodbye to Steve

Our wine club members and regulars might recognize this dapper fellow. Steve Steidel has been a fixture in our tasting room and the friendly face behind our local deliveries for 5 years.
February 23rd marked his last day with Williamson Orchards and Vineyards and we are all going to miss him. While no one will be able to tell “dad jokes” quite like Steve, we wish him all the best on this next chapter of life.
Steve has big plans to travel more and play a lot more golf in his retirement. One of his bucket list items was to work at a golf course in retirement. So if you see this funny fellow out on the greens be sure to give him a “cheers” from us.

Emerging American Wine Regions and climate challenges – VinePair

A freelance writer named Shana Clark spoke with Beverly, Patrick, and Mike about what grows well in the Snake River Valley AVA. She then wrote an article for VinePair, an online wine magazine. Her article touched on how terroir can affect the grapes grown in a particular region. She spoke with several wine makers in the Snake River Valley AVA and winemakers in Arizona about the challenges of climate and grape varieties.  You can read the full article here: For Emerging American Wine Regions, Can Trends Trump Terroir?

 

 

Lilly White 3-Pack Promo

The Williamson family owes a lot to Lillian Williamson Gammon.
If she hadn’t braved leaving her home in Virginia to trek across country and settle along the sunny slopes of Idaho, our family farm would not exist. Lilly was the original homesteader, she worked hard and carved a place for our family. She was a shining example to the women who followed her, she showed us that you could persevere through hard times and still let your happiness and sense of fun shine through in every smile.

To celebrate Women’s History Month we want to share a little bit of Lilly’s spirit.
The Lilly White label is our way to honor our ancestor who came before us. The 2021 vintage is a blend of 60% Viognier, 30% Riesling, and 10% Albariño which result in aromas of citrus & rose petals, grapefruit and lemon. Bright flavors of orange, light apricot, mild nectarine, orange peel, with a pineapple finish make this delightful wine feel refreshing no matter the season. This wine has a soft and lush mouth feel with balanced acids and lingers with an intriguing minerality.

This March we encourage you to toast the women in your history with a glass of Lilly White!

3 – Pack Promo – Lilly White

General Public – $49 (15% savings)
Wine Club – $46 (20% savings)

Plus appropriate taxes
This promo runs March 8 – 26th. No other discounts apply. 

Mom’s Weekend at Williamson’s- Vendors Wanted

May 13 & 14
12 – 5pm

We are looking for local artists, makers, and crafters who would like to set up a booth during our Mom’s Weekend at Williamson’s event. Due to limited space and to ensure diversity in wares, this is a juried craft show. All arts and crafts sold at the Mom’s Weekend at Williamson’s must be an individual’s creative effort and sold by the artist or a representative thereof. Preference will be given to vendors who can attend both days.

More information can be found on our vendor application, which can be found here: Vendor Application 2023 – Mother’s Day online form   Please email us at wine@willorch.com if you want more information or have questions.