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?

 

 

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.

2023 Harvest Wrap up

grapes on grapevines with yellow leaves, backlight by sunlight

With roughly 310 tons of grapes, this was our largest grape harvest ever to date!! We experienced a compressed harvest, meaning that there was a lot of grapes to harvest and everything became ripe and ready to pick, basically at the same time. This compressed harvest was caused by a cool, wet spring that delayed bud break by 10 – 14 days. The vineyards were delayed again when we had 20 days of temperatures over 100°, causing the vines to go into “survival mode” versus expending energy to ripen.

This year also marks the latest start date to harvest on our records. Luckily, the weather held through the end of October. We didn’t feel a killing frost until end of October but this was late enough and it stayed cold enough that it helped to dehydrate the grapes and concentrate the sugars in the grape berries.

Since everything was ready to pick all at once, we ended up machine picking all our white grapes, something we have never done before. We are excited to see how this will translate into the glass. Especially the Grüner Veltliner, which will hopefully be ready to bottle by June or July of 2023. We will also be patiently waiting to see how a few red grapes will do. The 2022 vintage will be a first for our Petite Verdot and Tempranillo, but we will have to patiently wait until spring or summer of 2024 for these wines.

Cheers and Happy Sipping!

Women in Wine article with Beverly

Beverly had the opportunity to visit with Paige Comrie this summer. Paige is a wine lover with a passion to connect other wine lovers with great wines from across the world. She choses wines that range from delicious & affordable Tuesday night picks to high-end limited edition releases that are truly something to celebrate. She wants to share not just the wines with her followers but the stories of the folks that make those wines.

Find the entire article here: Women in Wine: Beverly Williamson

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!