Maryhill Wine Tasting

I went wine tasking for the first time last night! A little treat for working for six nights. 

Side note before I talk about wine tasting… I think it is so important to celebrate little things like getting done with a stretch of work. It makes the little things seem bigger, and it’s really fun to celebrate things! So why not do it more often?

Anyway… wine tasting.

I’ve been extremely nervous to do this for a long time due to the fact that I don’t particularly love red wine. I’m a “cheap pink wine because it tastes like juice with a kick” kinda girl.

However, I have dreams of going to Spain and Italy one day, so I think I’d better start!

So I decided to try Maryhill Winery. They have a tasting room location right down the road in Spokane, WA. It’s cute. It’s classy. It’s lower profile on a Wednesday night for newbies like me. It was perfect.

Here’s how it works:

You start by going up to the wine bar and asking for their “flight.” Newbie me thought only beer tasting had flights. I was very wrong.

The flights are in a specific order. They start you off with a lighter white wine, then ease you into the sweeter reds, followed by darker reds, and ending the experience with a lighter white or rose. I received a piece of paper with the list of wines, and a small description of flavors that was to be expected with each wine.

Going up to get each taste of wine, I learned about the different areas of the tongue to focus the taste on.

For example, some of the more sour/bitter wines, it is helpful to push the wine to the sides of your mouth when drinking it because you’ll taste the initial sweetness at the tip of your tongue, then skip some of the bitterness that would normally come as the wine hits the back of your tongue. I also learned that with Merlot’s, it is best to pair them with a steak. This is because they intentionally dry out your mouth to reset your pallate. Because what is the best bite of a steak? The first bite— so they attempt to recreate that first bite after each sip of wine.

I knew that wine tasting was an art, but I had no idea that this much thought went into each and every wine!

To get into my thoughts on the wine…..

I loved the initial white wines (and I’ll be honest, I remember absolutely none of their names, and I apologize). The first was sweeter and smooth. The second was slightly more sour, but still smooth and light.

Into the reds I went blindly. I was surprised, but I liked two of the four reds that I tried!

The dry, bitter ones (like the Merlot) I did not care for as much, but I would be interested to try them with the food that they are meant to be paired with.

The two that I did like were sweeter with a slightly bitter kick at the end. They didn’t dry your mouth out, so they were more pleasant to drink by themselves.

The final wine was a rose. This one was my favorite, naturally. Sweet, light, and the perfect way to end the night.

Now, let me paint you a picture…

You’re sitting on a patio, the sun is setting on a warm, but not hot day, the patio chairs are soft and comfortable, you have a couple sips of wine in your hand, people watching as they bike/run/walk past on the sidewalk, a slight breeze.

Sounds magical, doesn’t it?

That was my night.

It was the PERFECT way to celebrate six nights at work: relax, sip some wine, have a slice of pizza, watch the sunset.

It’s the little things.

If you’re in Spokane, head to Maryhill Winery to try their wine flight! Or find a local winery near you to explore.

Some tips for this adventure:

• Ask questions if you have them! People that are into wine love to talk and educate those who aren’t yet. Even if you know wine well, ask about the specific winery or wines that you’re tasting.

• Be open minded. It’s ok to not love every wine that you try, but still give it a chance. They say, at least three sips to determine if you like it or not.

• Relax into the atmosphere. Being in a new place and trying a new thing can be stressful, but be mindful of your stress and try to dial it down and enjoy the place you’re in and the things you’re doing. You’ll be able to remember it more like that.

Good luck, and cheers (literally)!

Rach