Socially Distant Scavenger Hunt

WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!

While you are stuck at home and potentially doing a bit of spring cleaning why not play a little game with us? Every spring Sue (Mike & Bev’s mom) and Eileen (Patrick’s mom) would work together to concoct elaborate scavenger hunts for their kids. These scavenger hunts would encompass their houses, outbuildings, orchards, vineyards and would take all day long to complete. (Not a bad way to keep the kids from getting underfoot if you ask us.)

The Williamson family is challenging you to search your home and property for 15 wine related items*. Take a picture of these items and submit them to us via email, Facebook or Instagram. The first person to submit all 15 items by April 30th wins a gift basket valued at $50! But there are still more chances to win, if you find and submit 5 or more items by April 30th your name will be entered to win a coupon for 50% off of one item.

Social Media Scavenger Hunt Items:
1.    Williamson Vineyards wine label
2.    Williamson logo gear (i.e glass, corkscrew, shirt, hat, tumbler, etc.)
3.    Williamson cork
4.    Williamson marketing material (i.e. business card, brochure, ad, etc.)
5.    Wine Book
6.    Wine themed movie
7.    Wine stopper
8.    Wineglass charm (Something that identifies your glass from another.)
9.    Sunnyslope Wine Trail Map (Or comparable wine region map.)
10.    Wine Gag Gift
11.    Wine themed apparel
12.    Wine rack/storage
13.    Your most unique or unusual wine tool
14.    Your favorite wine vessel (It doesn’t have to be a wine glass.)
15.    The bottle you’ve been holding onto the longest (We would love to hear why this bottle is special to you.)

*We are looking for 15 seperate items that fit these descriptions. Duplicates will not be accepted. This is a family company so remember to keep your submissions classy folks. 😉 

 

Our Grand Prize Winner of the gift basket is Dario Bell!

We’re also announcing the winners of our drawing for a 50% off one-item coupon. We loved these submissions and decided to list the reasons these folks all won! We will be contacting our winners individually via email with their coupon to be used in our tasting room. Congratulations to all our winners!

Megan Lepire – OLDEST BOTTLE OF WILLIAMSON WINE (2006 Riesling)

Eljse Taggart – MOST ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPANT

Cass Cook – MOST WILLIAMSON WINE IN PHOTO

Verna Weiss – CUTEST WINE BOTTLE COZY

Carol Schroeder – CLASSIEST REFERENCE TO INADMISSIBLE WINE STOPPER

Ted & Nancy Walker – MOST AWESOME WINE DRINKING VESSELS

Virtual Happy Hour – April 16

We’ve got wine cocktails! Check out the video hosted by Teresa Shively and then get the party started (albeit a responsible, socially distant party) using the recipes we’ve put into a PDF for your use – Wine Spritzer and other wine cocktails.

Posted by Williamson Orchard and Vineyard on Thursday, April 16, 2020

Virtual Happy Hour – April 9th

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



	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Idaho Wine Industry Dealing With Covid-19

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	
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.


See the full story here

	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Virtual Happy Hour – April 3rd

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	
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






 

	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Virtual Happy Hour – March 26th

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	
Click here to view.



	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Covid-19 Changes – What to expect at Williamson’s

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	
From our family to yours


Dear 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


Curbside Pick Up


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.


Wine Club


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!


Local Delivery


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.

	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Cultivar Kindness

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	
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


    

  • Any Canned Goods
    • 

  • Especially items that would work in a sack lunch (i.e. granola bars, fruit cups, etc.)
    • 



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. )


    

  • Hair brushes (The shelter goes through these very fast!)
    • 

  • Hotel sample shampoo, conditioner, body wash and bar soap
    • 

  • Tooth brushes and paste (Please no mouth wash with alcohol.)
    • 


	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
New Pre-pruner in Action

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	


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.

	

				

	

	






			
				






	

			

		 






	
	


	


		


			

			


				

				
Roast Lamb and Vegetables

				
 

			
			



			


				

					 				


			



			
		


		
		
		
	
	





	

	
	





	






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.


Ingredients

Serves 4 – 5




    

  • 2 1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb roast
    • 

  • 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
    • 

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
    • 

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 

  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
    • 

  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • 

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 

  • 12 small white potatoes halved
    • 

  • 1 red onion cut into wedges
    • 

  • 1 pound items from olive bar – black & green olives, cherry peppers, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, etc.
    • 

  • 1 pound tomatoes on the vine or grape or cherry tomatoes
    • 

  • 1 lemon thinly sliced
    • 

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 





Instructions




    

  1. 

    Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
    

    2. 

  2. 

    Arrange potatoes, red onion, olive bar items, tomatoes and sliced lemon on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine.
    

    3. 

  3. 

    Combine ½ teaspoon salt, with Dijon mustard, rosemary, oregano, onion powder and black pepper. Rub this mixture over the lamb roast.
    

    4. 

  4. 

    Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F to 130°F for medium rare, 60 – 75 minutes, or 130°F to 135°F for medium, 75-90 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
    

    5. 



Enjoy!