rian men's Spring/Summer 2009 Line Debut

Congratulations Rian and Julie Berry for the fantastic launch party at Corio in New York City. Click here to see a short clip with all the excitement.

10 Years & Favorite Martinis.

icon Grill celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year... actually, this month they celebrated their 10th year!

Chef Nick Musser's "aroused Americana" has kept Seattle-ites hungry for more... not a small feat considering the ever-changing food scene. But there is something different about icon that keeps us coming back. Chef Nick's genuine, charismatic charm... Those fried macaroni and cheese bites... All that glass art... Likely, its something different for everyone.

Stop by right now to make your contribution to their legacy... throughout the month of September, amateur mixologists have the opportunity to enter in icon Grill's martini contest. One customer submitted martini from icon Grill (and sister-restaurant, Zephyr Grill & Bar in Kent) will be added to the menu. Winners will also be treated to a martini dinner later this fall.

Stop by and enter. Your favorite drink might soon become truly iconic.

Seattle Wine Awards

Congratulations Tsillan Cellars, Olsen Estates and Northwest Cellars for their multiple wins at the Seattle Wine Awards! The awards tasting event was at the Ranier Club this year and featured some of the state's top wineries pouring incredible wines. It was a beautiful sunny day and was a delicious way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more information about the Seattle Wine Awards, visit www.seattlewineawards.com.

That's what I call educational.

With so many wines on the market, many young wine lovers can be easily confused. How is a newly enchanted oenophile to know if a wine has a subtle nose, or if it suffers from an awkward structure?

Substance is the result of a collaboration between hip, young wine entrepreneurs Jason Huntley, Jamie Brown and Greg Harrington, MS. They came together to create an educational label that would be distinctively Washington State and varietally correct.

The accompanying website is insanely addictive--mirroring the periodic table of elements (just as the wines' labels do). www.winesofsubstance.com

I recommend a highly disciplined approach to this particular field of study. If only college chem had been this much fun.

So many wine events, so little time . . .

Next week, the Culinary & Wine Showcase returns to Bellevue to unite local restaurants with wine- and food-lovers. Now in its second year, the calendar of events has really expanded, with something happening every day from Monday, May 26 through Sunday, June 1.

Highlights include a wine tasting featuring the 2008 Seattle Magazine Washington Wine Award winners paired with bites from Bellevue Collection restaurants, with Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein in attendance.

And, during the week local restaurants such as 0/8 Seafood Grill and Maggiano's Little Italy will be hosting wine dinners featuring Washington wineries.

New this year is the 'Bite & Flight Passport' - an amazing deal, it costs just $25 and lets the passport holder try bites of food paired with tastes of wine at seven local Bellevue restaurants!

Between these events and the Washington Wine Highway, I think I'll have had my fill of wine (if that's possible) by Memorial Day!

Yakima Valley Wine Country Visit

My first trip to Yakima Valley wine country was amazing. Not only did I get the opportunity to sample several incredible wines, I also was able to see first hand all the beautiful acres of vineyards of Olsen Estates Winery. It was such an educational trip. I learned about the vines, the terroir and the whole winemaking and bottling process.

For more information about Olsen Estates winery click here.

Gewurtzha-what?

One of my favorite parts of this job is learning about wine. At our quarterly staff meeting last week, we did a blind tasting. The challenge? To identify the varietal. (As a bonus, one of the wines was flawed and two were different vintages from the same winery. But I am not that good - yet!)

It was an incredibly interesting tasting for several reasons. The varietal was Gewurtzaminer, a type of wine that I haven't had a lot of before. Every time we do this, I am surprised by how much range of flavor a single varietal can produce. In this case, we had everything from acidic fruits to melons to honey to caramel.

We also learned about bottle shock. Unbelievable to think that two bottles of the same wine could taste so different just because one had just been traumatized by the bottling process! It had no flavor and tasted almost like water.

Very educational and also fun. If you don't get to drink at work like I do, I would definitely recommend trying this with friends at a party!