Washington Wine Restaurant Awards - March 26, 2010

Held March 26, the 2010 Washington Wine Restaurant Awards celebrated restaurants who have shown a dedication and commitment to the Washington wine industry!

Waterfront Seafood Grill and Sip. at the wine bar & restaurant both won Washington Wine Awards of Distinction, while Wines of Substance and Olsen Estates poured their award-winning wines at the event.

First we talk to Chris Sparkman (General Manager of Waterfront Seafood Grill) and Karen Lawler (Director of Marketing for Sip. at the wine bar & restaurant) about why their restaurant's wine lists are unique and what wine events they have coming up! Then, we chat with Christa Hilt from Wines of Substance and Robert Johnson from Olsen Estates about what make their wines unique and what winery events we can look forward to!

Olsen Estates Winery Sponsors November Food Drive; Prizes Awarded
Donations to Benefit Prosser’s Jubilee Ministry Food Bank

PROSSER, Wash.—(November 16, 2009)— During these trying economic times, it is even more important to give back. Olsen Estates Winery is kicking off the season of giving with a food drive to support the local community in a partnership with Prosser’s Jubilee Ministry Food Bank.

Throughout the month of November, customers and visitors to the winery are invited to donate non-perishable foods to help those in need. Each person who contributes at least two items may enter their name in a raffle for one of three great prizes from Olsen Estates.

“Back in the 1950’s my grandparents owned the Whitstran Store,” said Olsen Estates Winery Manager Martin Olsen. “They would extend credit to locals when they couldn’t make ends meet. Over the decades we‘ve continued the family’s commitment to the community by working with Jubilee Ministry and other local charities.”

Prizes are:

• First prize: Olsen Estates Merlot and Riesling – packaged in a custom wood box and shipped directly to the winner in time for holiday entertaining.
  
• Second prize: A $25 gift certificate from Olsen Estates that may be used for any item available in the tasting room or online at www.olsenestates.com.
  
• Third prize: A Reserve Tasting for two at the Olsen Estates Winery tasting room.

*The fine print: The contest is open to those 21 and older. Wine ships to Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Washington D.C. Adult signature is required to receive wine.


Olsen Estates Winery Olsen Estates Winery is located at 500 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Wash., in the Yakima Valley AVA. Known in the valley as longtime grape growers, the Olsen family unveiled their first vintage in 2006, made from only the best grapes from their 800-acre vineyards. Olsen Estates’ focus is on 100-percent-varietal and Rhône-style blends, crafted by winemaker Kyle Johnson. Tasting room hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the summer. The winery and surrounding grounds are also available for private events. For more information, call (509) 786-7007 or visit www.olsenestates.com.

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Media Contact: Andrea Courtney
Randall PR / (206) 624-5757

Olsen Family Celebretes 100 Years in Yakima Valley With Centennial Party

OLSEN FAMILY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS IN YAKIMA VALLEY WITH CENTENNIAL PARTY

New Heritage Series; Wine Honors Family Legacy

Labor Day Weekend Sunday, September 6, 4 to 7 p.m

Prosser, Wash.—(August 27, 2009)— Traveling oenophiles visiting wine country this Labor Day weekend are invited to Olsen Estates Winery on Sunday, September 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. for its Centennial Celebration event. The highlight of the party will be the inaugural release of their Heritage Series wine. Produced from their finest grapes and cultivated from the their best vineyards, Olsen Estates has created this proprietary wine to commemorate the Olsen Family’s 100-year legacy in Washington’s Yakima Valley.

WHO: Olsen Estates Winery

WHAT: Olsen Estates Centennial Party
· Live Music
· Appetizers
· Complimentary Wine Tastings

WHERE: Olsen Estate
500 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Wash

WHEN: Labor Day Weekend
Sunday, September 6
4 to 7 p.m.

PRICE: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

About Olsen Estates Winery

Olsen Estates Winery is located at 500 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Wash., in the Yakima Valley AVA. Known in the valley as longtime grape growers, the Olsen family unveiled their first vintage in 2006 made from only the best grapes from its 800-acre vineyards. Olsen Estates’ focus is on 100 percent varietal and Rhône style blends, crafted by winemaker Kyle Johnson. Tasting room hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the summer. The winery and surrounding grounds are also available for private events. For more information, call (509) 786-7007 or visit www.olsenestates.com.

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Media Contact: Andrea Courtney
Randall PR / (206) 624-5757

Olsen Estates Winery Introducing Two New Northwest Rarities

Olsen Estates Winery Introducing Two New Northwest Rarities
Botrytis Dessert Wine “Golden Berry Select” and a 100-percent Petit Verdot

PROSSER, Wash.—(August 12, 2009)—As the family behind Olsen Estates Winery continues to celebrate its centennial year in the Yakima Valley, they are adding two very rare and very distinctive wines to their repertoire: the 2007 Golden Berry Select ($75) and the 2007 Petit Verdot ($37).

Available September 8 and only in the Olsen Estates Tasting Room, the 2007 Golden Berry Select Botrytis Riesling is one of only a handful of its kind in the state of Washington.

This special, fascinating dessert wine is made in the German Trockenbeerenauslese style, a term meaning “selected harvest of dried berries.” What makes this wine unique is that the grapes, from which the wine is made, have contracted the fungus Botrytis cinerea, also known as “noble rot.” The fungus occurs naturally and only in certain rare and unpredictable conditions, determined by Mother Nature. It removes moisture from the grapes, causing them to shrivel, or “raisin,” thereby concentrating fruit acids, minerals and sugars.

2007 Golden Berry Select Botrytis Riesling ($75)
Aromas of honey, apricot, spice, citrus and floral notes follow through the palate,
finishing soft and tremendously long.
Fermentation: 85 days
Total production: 14 cases
Bottle Size: 375 ml.

“Conditions have to be perfect in the vineyards for “good” botrytis to grow, if we have too much moisture we end up with grey rot, which is completely unusable” said winemaker Kyle Johnson. “When our vineyard manager noticed it was happening, we were ecstatic at the chance to make something so extraordinary.”

Olsen’s second rarity is the 2007 Petit Verdot, released July 4 and available online and at the tasting room. While petit verdot is normally used as a blending grape, winemaker Kyle Johnson decided to bottle the wine as a single varietal after noticing its balanced and unusually soft tannins.

2007 Petit Verdot ($37)
100% barrel-aged for 16 months in 100% French oak (75% new oak)
Black cherry, tobacco and chocolate surround a core of
blackberry and cassis, with a long, luscious finish.
Total production: 200 cases
Bottle Size: 750 ml.

“This wine is very special to us as a family,” said winery manager Martin Olsen. “Not only is the varietal on its own unusual, but the grapes were grown in a vineyard on our family’s newly dedicated Olsen Hill and released in our family’s centennial year in the Yakima Valley.”

Olsen Estates Winery Olsen Estates Winery is located at 500 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Wash., in the Yakima Valley AVA. Known in the valley as longtime grape growers, the Olsen family unveiled their first vintage in 2006, made from only the best grapes from their 800-acre vineyards. Olsen Estates’ focus is on 100-percent-varietal and Rhône-style blends, crafted by winemaker Kyle Johnson. Tasting room hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the summer. The winery and surrounding grounds are also available for private events. For more information, call (509) 786-7007 or visit www.olsenestates.com.

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Editors Note: Samples of the Olsen Estates 2007 Petit Verdot are available by request. Due to the limited quantity of the 2007 Golden Berry Select, sample tastings are only available through the winery manager at the Olsen Estates tasting room.

Media Contact: Andrea Courtney

Randall PR / (206) 624-5757

Olsen Estates Winery Welcomes Robert Johnson as New Sales Manager

Olsen Estates Winery Welcomes Robert Johnson as New Sales Manager

Seattle-Based Johnson Brings Expertise and Enthusiasm to Award-Winning Winery

PROSSER, Wash.—(August 10, 2009)— Olsen Estates Winery is welcoming top wine professional, Robert Johnson as its new sales manager.

With over a dozen years of experience in both restaurant management and wine distribution combined with his specialized wine training, Johnson is a valuable addition to the Olsen team.

“Robert is a genuine triple threat,” says Martin Olsen, winery owner and manager. “He is passionate and knowledgeable about wine but also knows the ins and outs of the industry with all the experience he has under his belt. We’re absolutely thrilled to have him.”

Johnson, a Seattle native, discovered his love of the wine industry on a personal wine trip to Napa Valley in the fall of 1995. “What really got me was the customer service. I was taken care of at each winery,” Johnson said. “I loved that the wine industry was so friendly and from then on I just saw it as a place I could work in.”

Johnson shortly thereafter met the corporate trainer for G. Raden & Sons, while managing the Keg restaurants. A small distributor at the time, Renton-based G. Raden quickly recruited him after seeing his potential and passion for wine.

For the next 13 years, Johnson held various positions and helped grow G. Raden into one of the largest beer and wine distributors in the nation. The company eventually became Young’s Columbia.

His experience is complemented by his wine training, which includes his Level One Sommelier certification and a Certified Specialist of Wine.

Now, Johnson is using his connections and breadth of experience to promote, market and expand sales of Olsen Estates wines in Seattle and throughout the state.

The timing couldn’t be better. The Olsen Family is celebrating their centennial year of farming in the Yakima Valley: Festivities will continue with a series of events through September, culminating with the release of their first Heritage Series wine, a 2007 Syrah made from their finest 100% estate-grown grapes.

Olsen Estates Winery Olsen Estates Winery is located at 500 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Wash., in the Yakima Valley AVA. Known in the valley as longtime grape growers, the Olsen family unveiled their first vintage in 2006 made from only the best grapes from its 800-acre vineyards. Olsen Estates’ focus is on 100 percent varietal and Rhône style blends, crafted by winemaker Kyle Johnson. Tasting room hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday during the summer. The winery and surrounding grounds are also available for private events. For more information, call (509) 786-7007 or visit http://www.olsenestates.com.

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Media Contact: Andrea Courtney

Randall PR / (206) 624-5757