A rare weekend off for Mitch means I cook something nicer and we open a bottle of wine. For me the weekends are special, for one I am off and I try to cram as much in as I can in two days and if Mitch is off, it usually means I get to plan a play day, hiking or sightseeing. Today we did our running around so tomorrow will be our play day. This afternoon Mitch assembled the chairs we bought for the living room during an excursion at Ikea, while I started dinner. Tonight it was strip steaks and for the wine I went with a Washington Red Blend.

The wine, Red Theory Winemakers Red Blend, vintage 2013, was from Columbia Valley, Washington. The wine was a lighter red color in the glass, more like a summer wine and not the big heavy reds, Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel. My first smell was alcohol, then I could smell a soft fruit aroma. The surprise came with the first taste. The wine tasted like a blend of Merlot and Pinot Noir, dry but there was the dark plum fruit taste of the Pinot Noir. I could also taste wood and tobacco. There was a jammy blackberry finish. The wine was soft but had a bite at the end. The wine was also budget friendly at under $15 a bottle.

The wine went very nicely with the salad and steak. For the vegetable I roasted Brussel sprouts in the oven for me and steamed some for Mitch. Picky pants prefers plain old steamed Brussel sprouts, go figure.

I have to say that Washington wines are a different animal from the wines I’ve been drinking, mainly California, Italy and France. Washington wines are intriguing and I am making a conscious effort to buy more varieties and brands I haven’t tried before. One thing I’ve found out is that a lot of Washington wineries or vineyards don’t have websites that describe and promote their wines like California wineries and vineyards. Or least I haven’t had much luck in my search.

Maybe I should learn web design then travel throughout Washington wine country and set up websites for the wineries. Talk about wine heaven.