C'mon everyone--let's get Naked...(wine that is)

Last night, I was fortunate to try a great organic Riesling from Snoqualmie Vineyards in Washington State. The 2008 Naked Riesling was fantastic with deep apricot and sweet tangerine flavors that finished with a nice touch of honey and papaya. At around $12 this bottle was a steal--especially for an organically farmed and produced wine.

Snoqualmie has been a leader in sustainable farming and vineyard management in the Columbia Valley for years. In fact, Snoqualmie was one of the first Washington wineries to make wines from USDA-certified organically grown grapes at their very own certified organic winemaking facility in Prosser, WA.

Snoqualmie has a vineyard sustainability program that is in place in each of the winery’s vineyards and currently focuses on three main areas: (1) Viticulture, (2) Pest, Soil & Plants and finally (3) Water Management. Keeping on top of all these areas allows the fine folks at the winery to focus on crafting the best wines possible with excellent grapes and little intervention or processing. I think you will agree that their wines are very nice indeed.

While all of Snoqualmie's wines are made with minimal intervention, the grapes used in the Naked wine series are farmed as "au naturel" as possible. "Naked" is made with certified organically grown grapes in a certified organic facility. The winery has been making the Naked series since 2003.

As great wines should be recognized--it seems only fair that Snoqualmie wines received seven Best Buy designations in the March 2010 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Here is what the magazine had to say about the following releases from Snoqualmie:

2008 Naked Riesling: 90 points Best Buy
2007 Columbia Valley Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Naked Merlot: 87 points Best Buy
2007 Whistlestop Red: 85 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Chardonnay: 88 Points Best Buy
2008 Naked Chardonnay: 87 points Best Buy
2008 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc: 86 points Best Buy

Snoqualmie wines are readily available at most local wine shops. If you are unable to find the Naked wines in your favorite store, don't be afraid to ask for them. I promise they'll only giggle a little. You may also order them online by clicking here. Enjoy!