We did our traditional appetizers, wine and games on Friday night - this year Carrie planned out a series of Minute to Win It games for us to compete in for fabulous prizes. I did take pictures of the games but you really had to be there to truly understand the fun. We also added in something new - we did a craft project to create our unique wine embellishment of the year. Anneliese did the research and found all the supplies to make the favorite embellishment yet - cork earrings!! Misty and I are modeling them at Mellisoni. They were a hit everywhere we went - I think we need to consider Lynn's idea of making extra of whatever our embellishment is and sell it along the way next year.
Saturday morning was filled with fantastic crepes prepared by Jennifer - a definite tradition in the making! We had both savory and sweet crepes so there was something for everyone. While the crepes were being enjoyed we got our crock-pot dinners started and then Carrie did our hair since we all wanted up-do's to highlight our stylish earrings. From there we were off on our wine tour in the beautiful Fall weather.
Here is our route through the wineries along with my personal reviews. First stop was at Mellisoni, we drove there again since we planned to spend more time there than just a quick tasting. This winery has just gotten better with age, when we visited them last year they had only been open two months and they only continue to improve. We had a private tasting scheduled since they aren't open to the public yet. The tasting was held at their fantastic fire pit overlooking the lake and we had all sorts of wonderful food pairings to try their wines with. We actually called and pushed our bus out another hour we were enjoying ourselves so much. Next year our plan is to book a private tasting for Friday night and leave no reason to rush off from the wonderful wines and atmosphere at Mellisoni.
After a quick drive back to the house we packed some of Jennifer's famous snacks for the bus and were off on our tour. The bus was still a great fit for our needs as usual there are as many memories from on the bus as from the wineries.
Second stop was at Tildio Winery, which we have been to in the past but had skipped over for the past few years. It was good to stop in and catch up on their new blends and see how things had changed. We enjoyed their wines and they have some beautiful art inside the winery to go with their views outside.
Next we headed to our favorite, Hard Row To Hoe, which has been one of our consistent stops over the years. There are so many things to love about Hard Row - from the owners who are on site and actively engage with you while you're visiting, to their great wines which we bought way too much of, to our favorite wine guy Rudy who always has a smile and local tale for us. This is essentially the Disneyland of wineries - they have woven everything they create into their brand and the story that goes along with it. It's so nice to visit year after year and see the stories continue to evolve and grow. They had some fantastic new wines, the Ice Cider Dessert Wine was a personal favorite. We'll definitely have Hard Row on the list for next year.
After Hard Row we tried to go to Karma but they were closed for a private event which was a real bummer since some of the group hasn't seem their amazing wine cave but we always have next year. We next attempted to go to Nefarious which we have been to one other year but they had a sign saying they weren't taking large parties and then when we peaked in they were very full so we headed back to the bus - but first Carrie stopped to taste their grapes.
Tsillian Cellars has been a long time favorite of the group because of its beautiful setting and we remember that time we listened to the Paperboys during Crush and had a fantastic evening there. We don't always stop here since the group has mostly experienced their wines and are mainly just picking up some favorites for home rather than trying new things. It was a great stop this year because they also had a private event going on so we got to taste some great wine and see a wedding take place. Always a beautiful setting for any event!
Our final stop was at Benson Vineyards, which is always a favorite of mine. Their setting is amazing - no other winery in Chelan has the triple treat that Benson does - amazing facilities, view of the lake and my favorite part is that the vineyard is between you and the lake so you get that postcard feeling. As usual the Benson family was on site and so pleasant to visit with. I love when the people who had the dream are there living it!
When we arrived home we were ready for dinner and our chili and french chicken soup were just perfectly done. We sorted wine, ate our great dinner, and then had some more wine and spent the evening calling some of the girls who couldn't make it and singing songs recorded in their voice mails. We played some games and then decided to call it a night.
Sunday morning was our usual get up and get out of town routine. We had bran muffins and chili cheese eggs and then arranged our wine for the finale photo shoot. Unfortunately, in the lessons learned column for this year we need to write down who has what wine - don't just take pictures with one camera, especially someone who's still learning how to use their fancy pants camera. My camera wasn't focusing correctly and I thought I figured it out but instead I just ended up setting it to manual focus which in the end meant little to no focus. I have been so sad about it and have been putting off the post - the pictures looked perfect on the camera but when I got them onto my computer they were just blurry enough to be really annoying.
Not to be forgotten are Grandma and Grandpa C and the kiddos who had so much fun together during their weekend that I hardly saw any of them. Kenzie and Ben love spending time over in Chelan being with Grandma and Grandpa C. Another blurry picture which breaks my heart because this would have really been a good one - just squint a bit and it clears right up! Time for me to take the camera class I didn't make time for this summer...
For any regular blog readers who think Crush sounds like fun, don't worry you have missed out on too much to catch up, just join us next year for our fun in Chelan because just like Christmas, Crush happens every year! Coming soon will be a post where I recap all the previous years of Crush so we have a record of it and can remember how many years we've been doing this. Until next year keep #CrushingIt ladies!
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