Excited to announce that yet another Washington Cab has received the prestigious “100″ title. What better subject to blog about on #CabarnetDay — the all-day event celebrating the Cabernet grape across all social media platforms as well as in various “in-person” locations all throughout the world — right?

For the 4th year this decade, Quilceda Creek has taken home the perfect “100″ with their 2007 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Dr. Jay Miller, of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, has given them one more trophy to display on their mantel, right next to their other 100 point score from 2005, and their back to back 2003 and 2002 vintages of the their flagship wine.  

The Cab features 3% Merlot, is aged 22 months in new French oak, and is “multi-dimensional” with notes of “sandalwood, Asian spices, violets, truffle, black currant, and blackberry” and should age “effortlessly” for 30 years, according to Dr. Miller.

Although Mutineer Magazine does not condone or support systems of rating and reviewing fine beverages, we are excited to hear that well-made wines from lesser-known regions are getting the media attention they deserve. Washington State is producing some truly amazing wines that rival the best from around the world. And Quilceda Creek is just one excellent example of what the state has to offer!

For full details about the wine you can visit the Quilceda Creek website.

Each week, wine lovers all over the Internet unite to celebrate “Wine Wednesday.” The concept is more viral than an official, sanctioned event. And it is definitely most prevalent on Twitter. The roots of the official #winewednesday hashtag trace back to the Twitter handle @TweSommelier, and has been going strong for at least a year now. Every #winewednesday, hundreds (if not thousands) of people virtually drink together, exchanging tasting notes and pairing suggestions. Some people and wineries even go as far as to organize official tastings.

As a way to contribute and support this fine beverage Internet craze, Mutineer Magazine will be spotlighting some of our favorite wine blog posts from the past week on, you guessed it, Wine Wednesday.

Here are the latest wine blog posts that caught our attention this past week: Continue Reading »

A picturesque trek down Carmel Valley Road leads you to the gates of Boekenoogen Vineyard and Winery (24 West Carmel Valley Rd), a family-owned, 2500-3500 cases per year winery. The tasting room has a rustic, cozy ambience that’s uniquely ideal for a tasting atmosphere. The counters, or bars, are discrete in their presence, but still quite inviting. I was helped by Holly Boekenoogen, owner John Boekenoogen’s daughter, and Director of Marketing. She told me about the winery’s history, how John, in 1998, converted the family ranch at the peak of the Santa Lucia Highlands into a vineyard, and opened the tasting facility in 2008. The rest, yes, is history. Continue Reading »

The Loire Valley Wine Bureau is hosting an all out Muscadet Month in the city of Seattle. Muscadet, originates from the city of Nantes in the West Coast of the Loire Valley, which has a lot in common with its sister city of Seattle. Both are coastal and known for their shellfish. It only seems fitting to bring the Loire Valley “oyster wine” over to Seattle to match with the bountiful offerings of its local oyster farms. Muscadet is an undisputed perfect pairing for oysters, and will be the feature at 18 Seattle area restaurants from September 15th to October 15th. Continue Reading »

You probably have noticed by now that we have a lot of new faces regularly posting on the Mutineer blog. We recently recruited [read: brainwashed] some young, fresh and talented fine beverage revolutionaries to “Join The Mutiny.” And instead of letting these wild kids hide behind their tiny avatars, we decided to put them in the spotlight.

Impressionable minds beware, Arianna Armstrong is more than just a wine and food vixen, she is an expert of mind manipulation and slight of hand, as evidenced by her Bachelors in Theatre and Film and super fancy Masters degree in Psychology. She is the Madam X of all things food and wine in Los Angeles, CA.

Continue Reading »

Michael’s Mina’s RN74 San Francisco

Michael Mina, American celebrity Chef of Egyptian origins, plans to bring his RN74 restaurant concept to the Seattle Area. RN74, a French themed restaurant located in San Francisco, will likely be given a slight Northwest twist, featuring local and sustainable ingredients. Michael Mina employs one of America’s most highly regarded Sommeliers, Rajat Parr, as company wine director. With such celebrated talent at the helm, you can be sure RN74 will bring both award winning food and wine to the flourishing Seattle restaurant scene in the Spring of 2011. You can follow Raj Parr tweets about wine via @RN74, as well as their newly established Seattle account @RN74Seattle.

Source: OpenSecrets.Org

There is currently a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would give states more authority to regulate alcohol, which in turn would block interstate sales of beer and wine.

“The Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010 would declare it congressional policy that states have primary authority to regulate alcohol. The legislation, filed in April, has 125 co-sponsors in the House, though no companion bill has been filed in the Senate.” — Carrie Levine, The National Law Journal.

Naturally, putting such a squeeze on the open market would limit competition, raise prices, and economically impair small vintners and brewers. Continue Reading »

Each week, wine lovers all over the Internet unite to celebrate “Wine Wednesday.” The concept is more viral than an official, sanctioned event. And it is definitely most prevalent on Twitter. The roots of the official #winewednesday hashtag trace back to the Twitter handle @TweSommelier, and has been going strong for at least a year now. Every #winewednesday, hundreds (if not thousands) of people virtually drink together, exchanging tasting notes and pairing suggestions. Some people and wineries even go as far as to organize official tastings.

As a way to contribute and support this fine beverage Internet craze, Mutineer Magazine will be spotlighting some of our favorite wine blog posts from the past week on, you guessed it, Wine Wednesday.

Here are the latest wine blog posts that caught our attention this past week: Continue Reading »