Parents this video is for you! Here are some fun science experiments you can do with your kids using wine related items you have around the house. Maybe have a glass of wine while the kids are learning can make distance learning more enjoyable.
Williamson Vineyards Virtual Happy Hour
Posted by Williamson Orchard and Vineyard on Thursday, April 9, 2020
A couple of the many things that farmers know about are patience and planning. With wine; grapes have to grow, be tended, harvested and then made into the finished product before there is any retail transaction. If farming was to stop, many of us would feel effects very quickly. The Idaho Press 
interviewed Mike Williamson and other wine industry leaders to get an idea of what effects the Covid-19 virus was having on both the wine growing and retail side of wine industry.
Check out this silly virtual wine tasting of our 2018 Syrah, hosted by Beverly Williamson.
Williamson Vineyards Virtual Happy Hour
Virtual Wine Tasting – 2018 Syrah
Posted by Williamson Orchards & Vineyards on April 3rd, 2020
Click here to view.
From our family to yoursDear Friends and Followers,
I don’t know about you but I could do with a glass of wine right about now!
This has been a trying few days, to say the least. Our family has been farming here in Idaho for generations and I can’t recall a time quite like this before. So I would like to start by saying from my family to yours, I hope you are staying safe, healthy and finding some mental well-being in all of this craziness.
Undoubtedly, you have heard about Covid-19 and have probably have an inbox full of emails like this, explaining how everyone is adapting. Mike, Patrick and myself have given extensive thought to how we can help do our part to stop the spread of this virus while still keeping our company viable. After some very tough deliberation we have decided to limit risk to our staff and clientele by suspending wine tasting for the foreseeable future. That being said the tasting room will remain open for bottle sales and wine club pick-up effective March 19th.
We are offering curbside pick up in an effort to limit contact while providing as much personal service to our customers as we can. In addition, we will begin implementing customer conveniences like online ordering & local delivery very soon.
We will be utilizing minimal staffing during our hours of operation, in another effort to practice social distancing until circumstances change. While we have always tried to maintain a clean establishment, we have already enhanced our cleaning and sterilizing procedures to protect staff and guests from potential spread of the virus.
Finally, I want to say thank you to all our supporters! Thank you for sticking with us and supporting us during this trying time. Remember that with every bottle you purchase you are supporting 14 Williamson family members, 10 amazing tasting room and office staff and 15 of the hardest working field crew. So, I speak for all of us at Williamson Orchards & Vineyards when I say a very heartfelt thank you to our wine club members and all our followers out there.
From my family to yours, thank you and be well!
Sincerely,
Beverly Williamson
Williamson Orchards & Vineyards
Owner & Director of Sales
We are encouraging our guests to call ahead and arrange for curb-side service. You can reach us by phone – 208.459.7333, message us or via Facebook where will take your order and arrange a pick up time. When you arrive on site we ask that you call the tasting room (208.459.7333) to let staff know that you are outside and ready to receive your bottles of wine (or as I like to call them, little vessels of sanity). If you are already in our point of sale system we can process your order through your account or we can accept payment upon arrival. Just a bit of advice – credit cards require the least amount of contact but we can always accept cash.
We want to remind our members that we don’t have to let Covid-19 keep us from enjoying what makes us happy. In fact, our members can look forward to our next wine club release on April 3, 2020! We’ve planned a little something extra in your April release – Mixed and Red members will receive the newly released 2018 Syrah and it’s delicious!
Starting in April we will be offering free local delivery to wine club members in response to our unprecedented circumstances. This includes delivery of the April (and past) wine club release as well as any additional wine purchases. Our delivery range includes Boise, Garden City, Star, Eagle, Meridian, Middleton, Caldwell, Nampa, Kuna, Homedale and Marsing. If you are outside of these towns, get ahold of us (208.459.7333 or message) and we’ll see what we can do. Please keep in mind that someone over 21 years of age must receive the wine.
As our valley grows so does the need for kindness!
After seeing reports in the news on how many of the local homeless shelters and food banks are really hurting right now, the Williamson family and staff decided to collect non-perishable food and personal-care items in lieu of tasting fees during the month of March.
We are calling this promotion “Cultivar Kindness” because we want to encourage people to “grow” kindness in our community. In fact, we specifically chose the Valley Women & Children Shelter, a ministry of the Boise Rescue Mission, because it’s located right here in Canyon County! Valley Shelter is the only emergency shelter for women and children in the Nampa and Western Treasure Valley area. With 66 available beds, their shelter for homeless women and children offers a safe, clean place to sleep, in addition to clothing, meals, and case management.
Guests visiting Williamson Vineyard’s tasting room during the month of March can enjoy one free wine sample* for every non-perishable food or personal-care item they bring in!
*Free samples will be capped at 5 per person.
So come out to the tasting room and sip on delicious wine for a great cause. Just don’t forget to bring your donation!
What can I bring in as a donation?
Non-Perishable Food
Personal-Care/Hygiene Items
(The shelter accepts products for females and males, as some of the young men that come in with their mother need products too. )
We were excited to test out our new toy! This pre-pruner equipment really saves on labor costs by reducing the amount of hand pruning that must be done. We typically spend the majority of early winter through early spring pruning overgrown vines but with this machine we can cut that time in half. This leaves us with more time for other projects this winter.
What better way to warm hearts and home this winter than with this simple and delicious sheet pan meal. If you haven’t noticed, cooking a meal completely on one sheet pan is the new trend. We say, anything that means less dishes to wash is alright in our books. Since this cooks in the oven, it’ll warm your kitchen and fill your house with delectable fragrance. Save this meal for a cold and blustery day and you’ll be delighted with the result. Our 2016 Petite Sirah has all the right bright fruit and mouthwatering pepper to be the perfect foil against the fat in the lamb and the umami flavors in the olives and tomatoes.
The Idaho Statesman’s Nicole Foy wrote an article about the 2019 season in Idaho’s wine region. During her reporting, she interviewed Mike Williamson and one thing that he relayed was that wine from grapes harvested before the freeze will have stronger fresh-fruit flavors, with a bit more acidity and brighter tones. The grapes harvested after the freeze likely will produce wine with mature fruit flavors and “jammy” notes. We will be tasting the white wines in a few months, in April or May. We won’t get to those red wines for a year or two at this point in time. Follow this link to the full story with The Idaho Statesman.
Now that the holidays are fully upon us, we thought we would come up with a recipe that was quick, tasty, filling but light, and can be doubled to feed a crowd. We know the ingredient list seems a bit long, but all those spices really add a superb depth to this chili, in fact, we don’t think you’ll miss the meat. The really delicious thing about this chili is the variety of wine you can pair it with. If you add a little extra spice, this will pair beautifully with our off-dry Lilly White. If you like a more mild chili, our Malbec will knock it out of the park. Of course, one can never go wrong with our fruity Cabernet either.
Vegetarian Chili
(1) 15oz can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed (if you like a chunkier chili, use 2 cans here)
(1) 15oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
(1) 15oz can Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp (or a bit less) cayenne pepper
A couple splashes of soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp regular paprika
Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, diced tomatoes, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), tortilla chips
Chop the garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Rinse and thoroughly drain all the beans. Heat a large saucepan, sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil. Once the veggies have sauteed for about 5 minutes, add the seasonings – chili powder through paprika and sauté for another 5 minutes, adding oil if necessary. Add everything else into the pot (tomatoes, beans, broth, etc.). Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Once the chili has cooked to your liking, you can serve it with any of the toppings listed above, served on the side. This chili will develop more flavor in the fridge overnight, so it’s the perfect “make ahead” meal. Serves 6.
Enjoy!