Plane Ol’ Wine Tasting

This past saturday our friends Kelly and Lisa were gracious enough to invite us along to a wine tasting. It showcased local Washington wineries such as Brian Carter Cellars, DeLille Cellars, Gifford Hirlinger, Edmonds Winery and O Wines to name just a few. Most of the wine tasted was quite good, with the Cab from Gifford Hirlinger a true standout from my perspective. Strong, robust and “chewy” as the oenophiles would say, all I know is it tasted damn good. The Tuttorosso from Brian Carter was also outstanding. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, it had the flavor of a dark chocolate covered blackberry. Killer wine. All it all, it proved again what top notch wineries we have in this state.

While the wine was nice, and the company fantastic, what truly stood out for me was the location. The tasting was held in a hanger at Paine field that houses the Flying Heritage Collection . The FHC is a collection of historic planes ranging from a Curtiss JN-4D Jenny from 1918 to the scary Messerschmitt 163B Komet, the German rocket plane from 1944. My favorite plane there, however, was the Grumman F6F Hellcat. It did my ol’ Navy heart good to see it. Wings folded, just like she was below decks, ready to be raised to the flight deck to take off into combat. Almost made me want to break out into a chorus of “Anchors Aweigh.” With only a few exceptions, all of the aircraft in the collection are in flyable condition, and are flown throughout the year to keep them operational. Well worth the trip. Planes and Wine. What a combo. I bet you just realized I didn’t misspell the title, no?

After the tasting, and purchasing a few bottles for later, the 4 of us headed out to dinner at Kafe Neo, an outstanding Greek/Mediterranean restaurant in Mill Creek. There are 2 other locations as well, one in Edmonds and one in Marysville. I will review the restaurant in a separate post.

Great friends, great day, great wine and great food. Happy happy joy joy indeed.

Gregor