From the Archives-Fourth Annual Triple Sip, The Triple Door, Seattle Wa. 5/30/09

Fourth Annual Triple Sip at the Triple Door, Seattle, Washington

By E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com

*This article was originally submitted for publication in the Seattle Gay News Arts and Entertainment Section after the event in 2009. Now that I have my own website, I am re-publishing articles and photos from my archives as the information about these events and venues is as valid now as it was when first written in learning about these events and venues.*

The fourth annual Triple Sip ,www.thetripledoor.com, was held at the Triple Door on May 30^th, 2009, featuring wine tastings from 44 wineries, primarily from Washington and California,with a few wineries from Oregon. Passed hor’doerves, a sit down dinner entree, passed desserts and live music rounded out the festive evening. A portion of the $200.00 ticket price was donated to the Garfield High School music department.

Wines served included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet blends, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Charbono, Syrah and Zinfandel. While tasting every single wine was a bit overwhelming, I managed trying most of them.

Generally I appreciate and enjoy both red and white wines which are complex, unique, fruity, full-bodied, rich and round. I am partial to Austrian and German wines as well as wines from other regions of the world, including South Africa. I particularly like Shiraz, Malbec, Red Zinfandel, some Cabernets, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, some Chardonnays, Voignier, icewine and some others. Though I found many of the wines being sampled to be quite biting and acidic and not to my style or taste, there were some worthy of note, especially for those who are partial to many Walla Walla and other Washington wines and who like Sonoma and Napa Valley wines from California. Most of the wineries are small and it was fun to discover new wines I had never tried before.

Particular wines that stood out for me were: Caymus Family Wineries (Calif.) “Caymus Special Selection 2006” Cabernet; Opus One Winery (Calif.) “Opus One 2005” Cabernet; Robert Foley Vineyards (Calif.) “Merlot 2006”; Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (Calif.) “SLV Cabernet Sauvignon 2005” and “Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2006”; Radio-Coteau (Calif.) “Savoy Chardonnay 2007” and Las Colinas “Syrah 2006, Boheme".