#columbiacrest

[dreamketchers]

#columbiacrest #grandestates #chardonnay #friendswithwine (at Peak One Campground, Lake Dillon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkKHp1nFJy/?igshid=17wnuywcmg9m9

[winosonabudget]

Washington chardonnay with a great price point

For our first card night of 2015, we decided to bring our newest wino on a budget chard find. While shopping at Safeway, Mark heard another customer say she thought this was a good chardonnay – so we gave it a try.  Two Vines is a Washington chardonnay from Columbia Crest.  The price point is fair for any budget - $6-8 a bottle.  It’s an easy drink with no aftertaste that some less expensive, less oaky, less buttery chardonnays can have.  This is clean and crisp and can go well with takeout Chinese, ramen noodles, or any light or spicy foods.  As one of us said, Two Vines doesn’t taste at all like Franzia but equal the price!

[tsykaoki73]

祝、嫁のアルコール解禁。 これから家飲みの日々がやって来るのであーる。#乾杯 #ColumbiaCrest #CabernetSauvignon

[juicypieces]

Tonight's #sippingpleasure Paired with Salmon, asparagus, medallions and mashed potatoes #cabernet #cabernetsauvignon #columbiacrest #horsehavenhills #2014 #wine #winelover #winetime #redwine

[zebblais]

Not a bad way to end a week. This is our team heading back to the #Emmons glacier after reaching #MountRainier's highest point, #ColumbiaCrest. We spent the week covering skills for climbing big, glaciated peaks like Rainier and Denali. The finale of the program is a climb to the top of #Washington state 🗻 #expeditionlife #pnwlove (at Mt. Rainier)

[quenchmagazine]

Ray Einberger was the head winemaker @columbiacrest when @wine_spectator selected their 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as the #1 Wine of the Year. In fact, they were the first Washington winery with a number one wine on the Top 100 Wines of the Year list. Einberger retired in 2014 - Juan Muñoz-Oca is now the head winemaker and he’s kept the quality going. #throwbackthursday #tbt #cabernetsauvignon #cabsauv #washington #columbiacrest #winery #winemaker #scenic

[foodiechats]

#Foodiechats learns about the winemaking process with sponsor @ColumbiaCrest

This year, #Foodiechats loved working with sponsor @ColumbiaCrest and their head winemaker @munozoca as they launched Crowdsourced Cabernet, which gave their customers the ability to join the process of winemaking!

Everyone from casual drinkers to wine aficionados have been able to join the process of winemaking, and determine how the grapes are tended, irrigated, harvested and blended through weekly votes.

So far, @ColumbiaCrest have voted in 15 different questions that guide the process for making Crowdsourced Cabernet. The #Foodiechats team has loved learning just how many different steps are in this process.

Over the last couple of months the temperature has been warmer than average, which means they are a little ahead of schedule. They’ve set the canopy architecture at this point, so the vines have grown as big as they’re going to grow. The fruit has formed, so they now we need to maintain the leaf/fruit ratio, and make the final decisions leading up to our harvest.

Right now, the Crowdsourced Cabernet wine has been "locked" which means that secondary fermentation has finished and the wine is now aging. The barrels will age for 16 months, and @munozoca will be tasting the wine about once every three months to make sure everything is progressing well!

We loved getting to see all of the photos and videos from the winemaking process. Check out the photo below, where the Crowdsourced Cabernet grapes going through the Rack & Return or "Delestage" process. The use of this cap management technique will oxygenate the juice during fermentation, producing a softer wine exhibiting more fruit character.

The videos posted by @ColumbiaCrest were so cool to watch! We really felt like we were a part of the winemaking process and loved having @munozoca explain everything!

Here are some of our favorite videos:

At the end of the process, approximately 1,000 cases of the Crowdsourced Cabernet 2014 vintage will be available for purchase in the U.S. and online. There are 40 barrels and 15 tons of grapes! We cannot wait to try it!

Thank you to  @ColumbiaCrest and @munozoca for being a part of the #Foodiechats community and teaching us all about Crowdsourced Cabernet and the winemaking process!

Tweet us using the hashtag #Foodiechats and let us know your favorite wine!