affordable wines made for romance & made from grapes grown where mustangs roamed @14handswine #wine

a taste of romance — wine from grapes grown where wild mustangs once roamed free!

Wine and romance go together. Whether you’re inviting that special someone over for the first time, or you are with someone you have known for a long time, wine is one of those things that just seems to go with love.

Washington State is one of our favorite wine growing regions. It’s a lovely place to visit with someone you love (or you’re getting to like, a lot).  Washington State’s 10 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) produce an excellent range of varietals and blends.  

Recently, The Advice Sisters wine columnist (and I) got a chance to taste two very affordable bottles of wine that are perfect for Summer entertaining and romancing.  What I really love about these wines isn’t just the price, but that they are from 14 Hands, a winery located in Prosser, Washington. The winery’s name was inspired by the Wild Horses of Washington State.  According to the winery, these wild mustangs, measuring a scant fourteen hands high would travel down from the hills every day to drink from the Columbia River and graze along the riverbank and then retreat back to the hills at night. This unique and beautiful landscape gave these unbridled horses their spirit and tenacity that now feeds 14 Hand’s vines.

What could be more romantic than  drinking a wine made from grapes that grow where wild horses once roamed!

 

 

 

 

The winery offers a wide range of  wines, but the two we’re suggesting for Summer are perfectly named for well….romancing:  Hot to Trot Red and Hot to Trot White.  At just $10.00 per bottle, we think you will be pleasantly surprised at what they can offer you.

The Hot to Trot Red blend was a nice surprise.  Made from Washington’s excellent merlot grapes, along with syrah, petit verdot and mourvedre, the wine was a sexy, deep blackened wine color, with the kind of fruity nose that one expects from Washington wines.  Cherry, currants and some plum were all present with a bit of floral – kind of a tea rose.   Raspberries, plums and (according to the winemaker’s own notes) some baking spice were noticeable.   We also  tasted a bit of  licorice on the finish.

Overall, the wine was well balanced and exactly what we would expect from a blend from Washington.  The price – at just about $10 —  was more than reasonable.   Hot to Trot red will find its way to your heart as an excellent choice for a a romantic picnic basket!

 

The Hot to Trot White (2012) is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris with a small amount of Semmilon.  While Washington is most famous for red blends, this wine w(also priced at about $10 a bottle) gives you more than the standard California Chardonnay or Pinot Gris.  It had a greenish, kind of grassy color and a citrusy nose.  The wine is light, with a crisp palate of pears and citrus and a good balance of acidity. Served cold it could be nice with Summer salads, cheese, or other light pairings. Toast your sweetheart with a glass of this, and a plate of beautiful berries.

14 Hands has more wines to choose from, but for a picnic, for those on a budget, or when you are going to buy wine for a crowd these two are the ones we really think are a a “find.” and affordable options for Summer feasting.    Hot to Trot?  We say: YES!

14 Hands is a fairly new winery, started in 2002.  It first started offering wines to the restaurant trade in 2005.  It is located at the former Snoqualmie Winery in Prosser. If you get a chance to visit the Winery in Washington, do so!  If not, a bottle of 14 Hands wine can and should be on everyone’s must-try list for This Summer.

For more information on these wines and on the winery, visit: http://www.14hands.com/

 

*review by alison blackman and john dunham