Can I call Wine.Woot to the stand in my divorce proceedings? When my wife sees that I have done it again, I am in big trouble.

Whew....

Me thinks I am dodging a bullet this week! I pulled for 2 last week so I figure maybe taking the week off wouldnt be a bad thing. Unless of course, I decide to gift someone. Bah!

In pursuit of the black "better than everybody else square"....

Happy Monday!

The conctractors are coming to gut our only bathroom tomorrow and also re configure our bedroom closet. Got any wine recommendations for that.... aside from LOTS?

cassini24 wrote:Can I call Wine.Woot to the stand in my divorce proceedings? When my wife sees that I have done it again, I am in big trouble.

For all of you anxious about wife or husband acceptance factor... just "allow" a spa spree or best buy spree or home depot spree to offset your wooting....

lauratchi wrote:
For all of you anxious about wife or husband acceptance factor... just "allow" a spa spree or best buy spree or home depot spree to offset your wooting....

My current winning tactic is to encourage my wife to rediscover red wine after her prolonged abstinence and that way it becomes the gift that keeps on giving

I went in for 2 on these, just hearing what people said about the other offerings by Reininger was enough to convince me.

The last Reininger collection was fabulous - the Cab Sav and Merlot were delicious (and still available at Seattle-area Costcos, btw), and the Syrah is waiting for a special night.

But let me tell you about Reininger's Helix label a bit.

Those familiar with the Walla Walla area know 2004 was one of the most devastating years in recent memory - nearly every winery lost their entire crop to early freeze, including Reininger. Chuck and family made a brilliant business move and started the Helix label that year, drawing from non-estate WA state grapes to make good wines, without the risk of losing another crop should Walla Walla ever get hit again. Even though Walla Walla was hit hard in 2004, nearby Yakima vineyards made it through OK - it was a really tough year for those southeast WA state wineries.

The upside to the major crop loss was many of the wineries that *did* make it through are producing their best wines ever. And while Reininger lost most (if not all) of their crop, based on what I've been reading, that means they had time to focus on their Helix label that year.

Given a few years on the rack, this should be one of their best wines ever, Reininger or Helix. My recommendation: buy two woots, drink one quartet over the next year, then let the other sit until 2009. With the reputation the Helix label is gathering is this state, you'll be glad you bought now.

Now some resources:

Seattle times talked about the 2002 Pomatia, giving some background on the label.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/277193_winepick12.html

Seattle Wine Blog noted the 2003 Merlot was a red medal winner at the Northwest Wine Festival.
http://seattlewineblogger.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-northwest-wine-festival-winners_23.html

And as you know if you've visited the site, the 2003 Merlot was one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 10 wines for 2006.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/03/CM06REDS.DTL

Nimimi wrote:After spending two days at the three-day "Red Wine and Chocolate" event in the Yakima/Prosser area, my wine-buying dollars are simply tapped out (one winery was/is selling all reds at $10/bottle; $100/case with retail being from $25-$51/bottle!).

Which winery is that as I live in the area. Thanks

kagayaki1 wrote:My recommendation: buy two woots, drink one quartet over the next year, then let the other sit until 2009. With the reputation the Helix label is gathering is this state, you'll be glad you bought now.

You must be from the winery!

millsp wrote:Yet again I'm in for 3! Woot your killing me.

If you should suddenly suffer from buyers remorse, I'll buy one bottle of each from you. I really can't do the whole thing and I live nearby (north Broward, near Boca).

This looks very interesting, but I will wait to hear from the winery regarding the wine's ageability. I don't know much about Washington Merlots or Cab Blends, so I look forward to being educated this week!

PG

After waiting until last Saturday to pull the trigger on the Kunde, I am in on this already.

Good thing my daily drinker selection was getting low on reds...

In for one. I'd buy more, but I'm going shoe shopping next weekend When will we get some great whites on wine.woot? And I don't mean those over-oaked chardonnays. btw, loved the comments about the red wine and chocolate soiree east of the mountains. Put me down for next year!

bkbliesner wrote:

Which winery is that as I live in the area. Thanks

Seth Ryan . . . and it's still going on through today.

Nimimi wrote:


Seth Ryan . . . and it's still going on through today.

Thank You, I think I will go pick up a few probably cases and overflow my wine cellar. O Well

trulaches wrote:

Hey, I have to hide from the hubby, what's a good place????? Not the golf club bag, maybe the kids room? LOL!!!!! YIKES! GOT TO LOVE WINE!

lauratchi wrote:

For all of you anxious about wife or husband acceptance factor... just "allow" a spa spree or best buy spree or home depot spree to offset your wooting....

My wife acceptance factor is at an all time high right now. I just "allowed" her to take a trip to Vegas with some of her friends, and didn't complain when she told me how much $$$ she lost. I suppose I will have to take advantage of that.

It also helps that she usually likes the wine I buy.

Looks good. I missed out on last week, so I'm in.

Ahhh. it seems that wine.woot is the end of me. everytime i swear no more.

ChampagneHo wrote:
You must be from the winery!

Nope, just a wine enthusiast living in the Seattle area. But I don't work for or advocate solely for Reininger, that's for sure (you can even ask Chuck when he jumps on here, and you know he will soon). I'm just a fan of their wines, and many others.

I'm in for two - my red wine supply is dwindling with these cold winter nights...

trulaches wrote:

Hey, I have to hide from the hubby, what's a good place????? Not the golf club bag, maybe the kids room? LOL!!!!! YIKES! GOT TO LOVE WINE!

in my stomach

Totally down for at least 1!

::sigh::
I'm in for one. I was really hoping for something I wouldn't be at all interested in, as I live in an apartment and have VERY limited wine storage space, and I haven't even received my last order yet (which is also why I only got 1 instead of 2 or 3 as I would have liked). Therefore, I would LOVE to see some white wines offered for the next couple of weeks

Gah! I managed to not pull the trigger on the Kunde, after popping for two of the Ty Caton and one of the G Sake. I was wondering if I might actually go two weeks without a wine.woot.

But it's a Washington winery ... and a well-respected Washington winery ... and it's red wine ... AND it's a LAUNCH!
(And if I'm in, I'm gonna have to be in for at least two ...)

Oh, well, I guess it beats meth.woot ...

cassini24 wrote:Can I call Wine.Woot to the stand in my divorce proceedings? When my wife sees that I have done it again, I am in big trouble.

Egh, just think of the other fish in the sea who love wine and love to WOOT

Not to take any steam out of the woot, but I did discover that that Seth Ryan 10/100 sale mentioned above is available off their website as well (www.sethryan.com). I have no affiliation with them, have never even tasted it, but the prices are pretty compelling.

After stocking the wine fridge I figured I am in for one knowing that I can always get more since this winery is close by to me. Unlike many of the Cali wines.

cassini24 wrote:Can I call Wine.Woot to the stand in my divorce proceedings? When my wife sees that I have done it again, I am in big trouble.

At least I don't have that to worry about ... if not for my wife, I'd probably still be drinking Riunite.

I'm in for two.
Easier just to get it over with early, instead of playing mind games with myself all week.

The only thing that's saving me at the moment is my utter fury with UPS. My Armida is lost in space apparently, I called today and supposedly it was in their system as requested to be re-delivered on MARCH 19th! It was supposed to be today as it's my day off. And what's odd is, the tracking info changed at 4pm to show that "customer requested hold for future delivery date". Which is why I called to check. So I think the driver just decided his day was done. Nothing like wasting a day off sitting around waiting for yet another UPS no-show.

Oh, and on my very first wine.woot, they told me that it was impossible to process two delivery request changes for one package, you were limited to one. Well, looks like they can break that rule when it suits them.

I really, really hate UPS, I wish there was a better alternative.

White, woot, white, I need some white to round out my red to white ratio! However I did woot two of these guys!!

UPS service is masterful *compared* to that provided by the clowns at FedEx Ground.
(On the other hand, FedEx Air trumps UPS.)

Back to wine....

Did the freeze of 04 not negatively impact the rest of the grape crop in the Valley?
(I am not familiar with the local climate.)

Where do these wines stand in the heirarchy of quality of Reininger's offerings overall? I have the impression they are not as expensive as other offerings when purchased directly from the winery. Does that reflect on relative quality?

foobarski wrote:Easier just to get it over with early, instead of playing mind games with myself all week.

That bouncing pope's hat makes me jump every time I cruse by wine.woot.

I'm trying to be strong!

trulaches wrote:

Hey, I have to hide from the hubby, what's a good place????? Not the golf club bag, maybe the kids room? LOL!!!!! YIKES! GOT TO LOVE WINE!

OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN..........This has become an addiction!! HELP, anyone want to start wootwine anonymous??? Hi my name is Trudie, and I am a wooter.
:0)

trulaches wrote:


OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN..........This has become an addiction!! HELP, anyone want to start wootwine anonymous??? Hi my name is Trudie, and I am a wooter.
:0)

HI TRUDIE!

imapseudonym wrote:Not to take any steam out of the woot, but I did discover that that Seth Ryan 10/100 sale mentioned above is available off their website as well (www.sethryan.com). I have no affiliation with them, have never even tasted it, but the prices are pretty compelling.

anyone have any idea how much shipping sets you back with this winery (seth ryan). i agree - a ridiculoulsy good deal!

This is my first woot! looking forward to trying!

Hey Wooters! Yes, the Gang at Reininger is very excited about the Helix Wine Woot offer, and I for one love reading all of your comments. It seems a few of you know as much about Reininger and Helix wines as I do! Impressive. ;)

I believe Chuck has taken his adventurous soul up (and down…) a ski slope today, but will more than likely be answering everyone’s questions this evening or tomorrow.

I would like to offer that both of these wines are extremely drinkable right now! I think they would cellar nicely, but why??? They are delightful and fresh and I think Chuck would even tell you – don’t wait! Drink them now! And on a side note – I prefer the 2004 Helix Merlot over the 2003. It’s a huge Washington Merlot, and it doesn’t stop. I love it.

And to quickly address the question about Helix vs. Reininger wines - The Helix Columbia Valley Wines are at a lower price point than the Reininger Walla Walla Valley Wines for a couple reasons, but quality isn’t one of them. One reason is the Columbia Valley fruit, albeit quite delicious, isn’t as expensive as the smaller lot, harder to find, higher demand Walla Walla Valley fruit. The Helix wines are not on oak as long as the Reininger Wines, and are literally Chuck's "But I'm thirsty TODAY" wines.

Chuck – what say you?

smartheart wrote:Did the freeze of 04 not negatively impact the rest of the grape crop in the Valley? (I am not familiar with the local climate.)

The freeze most adversely affected Walla Walla, but not to the same degree in the Yakima Valley. Sitting directly in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains affords Yakima a little more protection when it comes to deep freezes and early snow - they get snow, sure, but flurries and freezes early in the year are less common and less severe than in Walla Walla. It's a little complicated, as is all WA state climatology, but it's easiest just to know Walla Walla was harder hit than Yakima in 2004.

ReiningerWineClub wrote:And to quickly address the question about Helix vs. Reininger wines - The Helix Columbia Valley Wines are at a lower price point than the Reininger Walla Walla Valley Wines for a couple reasons, but quality isn’t one of them. One reason is the Columbia Valley fruit, albeit quite delicious, isn’t as expensive as the smaller lot, harder to find, higher demand Walla Walla Valley fruit. The Helix wines are not on oak as long as the Reininger Wines, and are literally Chuck's "But I'm thirsty TODAY" wines.

Thanks for joining the conversation Reininger Club - I can't wait for Chuck to come down and comment - his comments are extremely insightful, and I'm sure he can shed more light on the grapes in the Helix wines. Based on my experience, he's downright forthcoming about it. But as you mentioned, we're getting some amazing snow right now in the mountains (2-3 feet tonight); I would be up there skiing away too if I could!

This is an excellent wine, BTW. I tried it at the winery this past fall.

stevemi wrote:This is an excellent wine, BTW. I tried it at the winery this past fall.

Which one did you try - the Merlot or the Pomatia?