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.

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

2019 Vintages Could Have “Intense” Flavors

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.

Vegetarian Chili

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!

America’s Next Great Wine Region

Nickolaus Hines is the Food & Drink editor at Matador Network. He stopped by earlier this year while he was exploring Idaho wine and wine regions. He spoke with us and several of our winery neighbors and wrote a thoughtful and glowing report on how Idaho is a growing region for delicious wines and great wine grapes. Find his full article here.

5th Annual Soup Contest

Don’t wait to enter, we are  limited to 10 submissions.

This fun and delicious contest will be held the weekend after Thanksgiving; November 29, 30. The contest started as a friendly competition between Williamson family and staff and has grown over the years to encompass submissions from our followers. We are looking for up to 10 soup entries. Soup enthusiasts will pick one of the two days where they will prepare and share their unique and tasty soup. Over 2 days, guests will sample and choose their favorite. On each day of the contest, the soup with the most votes will be awarded a bottle of Williamson’s wine.

Please note: all soups must be delivered to our tasting room by 11am of your preferred date. We ask that you provide your own crock pot to keep your soup warm throughout the day. We will provide all ladles, cups and spoons. You can pick up your crock pot between 5pm and 6pm that same day or during business hours the following days. The soup with the highest votes for that day will win a bottle of wine!

For more details, please look at the soup competition online form. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received.

Application form can be found here- Soup Competition Form.

Send completed application: Email to wine@willorch.com or mail to Williamson Orchards & Vineyards, 14807 Sunnyslope Rd., Caldwell, ID 83607

Another Williamson comes to Idaho

Henry C. Williamson, brother to Lillian Williamson Gammon, was a very down to earth fellow who led a diverse, well traveled life. All of his varied experiences prior to settling down in Idaho taught him to persevere and gave him a skill set that came in very handy on the farm.

In his youth, Henry served with the Coast Artillery along the east coast until 1907. In 1912 he traveled to California to work for the South San Joaquin Irrigation District as a concrete and tunnel inspector. He then returned to Idaho in 1913 to work as a “teamster” for the Boise Project, driving a 20-horse team that pulled a grading shovel during the construction of Arrowrock Dam. He would go on to work with Idaho’s developing irrigation networks by designing and building canal systems for Wilder Irrigation District that are still in use today. You can see a picture of a spillway that he designed. In 1914, Henry headed south of the border and worked on the construction of the Panama Canal. Henry enlisted in 1915 and went with the 116th Cavalry (see photo above) to the Mexican border when Pancho Villa was making forays in the U.S. Then in 1917 or 1918 his regiment was deployed to Europe during WWI. We have included a photo of his artillery regiment and their big gun that Henry refers to as “Big Bertha” on the back of the photograph.

 

After the great war Henry returned to Idaho to be near his sister. His love for the great outdoors led him north into the West Mountain range where he purchased ground in New Meadows. He found work hauling materials south to Caldwell for a lumber company. Henry made a little extra money on the side by raising foxes for their furs; as it was fashionable in the 1930’s to sport fur coats. His modest side business grew to the point where in 1935 he raised as many as 300 foxes! You can also see a very young Jack A. Williamson, our grandfather, holding a fox kit under Henry’s careful supervision. Grandpa Jack loved his Uncle Henry and would later move from Virginia to live in Idaho full time to work with Henry on the family farm.

There Was Time For Relaxation

It wasn’t “all work and no play” on the homestead. Lillian and her husband, George, had a wonderful circle of friends consisting of early Sunnyslope settlers. Neighbors were always willing to lend a hand if you needed it, and were always happy to come together for a good meal!

We hope you enjoy this picture of an impromptu picnic from the past. Lillian is pictured in the middle with a giant slice of watermelon! Also pictured are her neighbors; Mr. & Mrs. Caldwell and their two girls, plus Mrs. Barnes and her little one. The photograph was sent to Lillian’s mother with a note written on the back asking her to “Look at this and send it back. We wanted to show you the size of the melon we grew. She took the picture when I had a big mouth full! So look and laugh and send it back. I am afraid you wouldn’t burn the picture if I asked.”

We are so glad Lillian’s mother never burned the photo. Sorry Lilly! While no one wants to be caught with a mouth full, we love seeing these tough pioneers enjoying a little time of leisure. Not to mention the size of the watermelon, no one grows them that big anymore!!
Don’t forget to join us for our own Pink Picnic coming up on July 17th!

July Promotion

Alzheimer Awareness

Like so many today, the Williamson family has experienced the difficulty of caring for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Our family feels strongly about helping those with this horrendous disease and their families. Help us help Alzheimer’s Association in their mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

For the month of July, when you purchase a wine tasting, we will offer an additional wine sample with a donation of $1 or more to the Alzheimer’s Association. 100% of your donation goes to Alzheimer Association.