Scott McKinlay, Editor Vol. 11, Number 3 March 2014
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What's Happening in Wine Country
Greetings from Wine Country RV Park!
St Patrick's Day is Monday, March 17, 2014. Chicago might be the city's most famous St. Patrick's Day ritual, 45 pounds of eco-friendly vegetable dye are poured into the Chicago River to turn it emerald green for the occasion. Actually, at first glance, the dye appears orange on the river's surface-but don't panic. Thanks to a little leprechaun magic (or, well, science), the hue transforms and seeps in until the whole river is a bright, beautiful green.
The days are definitely warming up here in Wine Country, so now is the perfect time to Spring clean your RV and get ready to hit the road this season. For those of you that missed out on Spring Barrel Tasting last year, it's fast approaching and not too early to start making your plans. Bring your RV and come celebrate the arrival of April with Pre-Spring and Spring Barrel Tasting.
Spring Barrel Weekend Activities
Yakima Valley wine tasting from the barrel is a unique experience. Expect wines to taste different than you are used to out of the bottle. The vintages are brand new - giving tasters a sneak peek in to how they could mature. Will it be an award-winner? You be the judge at Spring Barrel celebrations this year! You have two weekends to participate: On Saturday April 19th, many wineries are open for "pre-barrel." This is an opportunity for a bit slower pace and more education from the wine-maker as crowds are smaller. The weekend of April 25-27th is Spring Barrel Weekend, where droves of people gather in the Yakima Valley for the largest wine festival in the Pacific Northwest to experience the new vintages straight from the barrel. Many wineries have local food pairings, live music and festivities.
Spring Barrel Tasting also allows tasters a sneak preview of upcoming vintages from their favorite wineries. This special weekend in the Yakima Valley features winemakers and cellar staff who are on hand to share insights and answer questions on the winemaking process. Many of the 40 participating wineries make special efforts to enhance the wine tasting experience by adding delicious cheeses, sauces, salads, and even desserts to mix along with special tasting and education. To get more information and to find out who the participating wineries are visit www.wineyakimavalley.org or call (509) 965-5201.
Nick and myself sure enjoyed visiting with everyone at the Seattle RV Show last month, and we sure look forward to seeing all of you this upcoming year.
For all of you that couldn't attend the Seattle Show, we will be at the Portland RV Show March 5th-9th at the Portland Expo Center handing out information about Wine Country RV Park and Prosser.
For all of you Snowbirds that we visited in Arizona In January, please don't forget to bring your $10.00 Wine Country RV Park Bucks when you visit us this year.
Make sure you read the winery section of this newsletter for many more upcoming events and activities.

R emember we do have an online reservation system, so if you wake up in the middle of night wondering where you could go for a quick weekend, enjoy the sunshine, play a round of golf, wine taste and then have an awesome evening around the fire pit with friends! This is the place!! You can log onto www.winecountryrvpark.com and make your reservation for up to 2 years in advance!!
Happy March and as always Safe Travels,
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CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS
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Easy Recipe by Nick
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Sweet Potato Irish Nachos
Servings: 4 * Size: 1 sweet potato w/ toppings * Calories: 227 * Fat: 9 g * Carb: 28 g * Fiber: 5 g * Protein: 9 g * Sugar: 10 g Cholesterol: 10 mg * Sodium: 189 (without salt) Ingredients: For the Potatoes:
- cooking spray
- 4 medium (about 7 oz each) sweet potatoes, skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Coarse salt and fresh-cracked pepper
For topping:
- 1/2 bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1/3 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese (I used Cabot)
- 1/2 cup Pepper Jack light cheese
- 1 medium scallion, chopped
- pickled jalapeńo slices
- 4 tbsp tomato, diced small
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantrosliced black olives, optional
- salsa, for dipping
Directions: Heat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with oil. Cut the sweet potatoes in half, then place the cut side down on a cutting board and carefully cut each half into 3 equal sized wedges. This will give you 24 wedges total. In a large bowl, combine potatoes and oil; toss well. Season with paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Place potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheets and bake in the center of the oven, uncovered for about 9 to 10 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and place fries into four small oven-safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with bell peppers, cheddar and jack cheese and return to oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Finish with scallions, jalapeńo, tomato, cilantro and black olives. Serve with salsa on the side.
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Manager's Corner |
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Hey Everyone!
March has arrived! This year is moving fast and so are the site reservations for Spring Barrel and Memorial Day Weekend. If you are planning to come to our park for either of these weekends, I suggest going online or calling our office to make your reservations so you don't miss out on all the fun and sun!
I also want to thank all of you that came by our booth at the Seattle RV Show, it was a pleasure meeting you and I hope you all come out to Prosser and stay with us! If you missed us at the Seattle RV Show and are planning to go to the Portland RV Show, come look us up at our booth. Scott and I will be there to give out information and answer questions about Wine Country RV Park and things to do while you're here. Scott and I will also be attending the Washington State Evergreen RV Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA on the dates of April 11-13, 2014.
As I stated in last month's newsletter, the wine bar is in and we are working on getting the schedule put together and working with the wineries for our special tastings here at the park in the month's to come. There will possibly be an update newsletter that will be sent out before the end of March with some of these dates, so you can plan your trip out here accordingly. So stay tuned for this information!
Safe Travels,
Nick
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Monthly Riddle Corner
The answer to last month's riddle was:
Answer: If the tide is raising water, then it is raising the ship on water, too. So water will reach still the first rung. Congratulations to Larry Imbeau
Here is this months riddle -
Riddle:
With pointed fangs I sit and wait, with piercing force I serve out fate. Grabbing bloodless victims, proclaiming my might; physically joining with a single bite.
What am I?
The riddles will be collected for 24 hours, to make it fair to our clients that don't get home from work until later in the day. One name will be drawn from those who entered within 24 hours of the newsletter. Email your answer to: Riddle@WineCountryRVPark.com with RIDDLE in the subject line and the correct answer drawn from the entries to the riddle will receive a free one night stay.
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Featured Winery:
Daven Lore Winery
Daven Lore Winery
23103 S. Davlor PR SW/P.O. Box 106 Prosser, WA 99350
(509) 786-1575
Trying to find us using your GPS? Use our neighbor's address and then just follow the signs: 152203 W. Richards Rd. Prosser, WA 99350
Come visit a special place in Washington's Wine country full of character both inside and outside the glass!
Venture off the beaten path, up into the Horse Heaven Hills off Hwy 22 in Prosser. Let us pour you a glass of award-winning Daven Lore wine as you enjoy a scenic view of the Yakima Valley. All of our Rhone and Bordeaux grapes are locally hand-picked and crafted into high-quality varietals and blends. You can also find us in the community at the Prosser and Richland Farmer's Markets May through October where we feature a refillable wine bottle exchange program. This small family-owned winery has combined the talents of soil scientist Dr. Joan Davenport and winemaker Gordon TayLor since 2005.
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On the Wine Front
Upcoming Events
Desert Wind Winery
2258 Wine Country Rd. Prosser
509-786-7277
www.desertwindwinery.com
Friday - April 18, 2014
Wine Sensory Evaluation Class: Back to Basics
5:00pm-7:pm
Learn how to describe what you are tasting when you drink wine. We'll try two white wines, two reds, and use a variety of additional sensory tools to help you learn how to pinpoint the flavors and aromas in wine. $30 per person ($27 for Wine Club) includes workshop instruction, wine and snacks. Reservations required; class size limited to 25 guests.
Friday - April 25, 2014 Friday Night Farm to Fork Dinner at Desert Wind
6:00pm- 8:00pm
Join us for our festive monthly event featuring a three-course family-style dinner highlighting the region's best produce and purveyors. Pre-dinner social begins at 6:00 p.m.; dinner at 6:30. Limited seating available; reservations required one week prior to date of dinner. $65 per person ($55 for Wine Club members) includes pre-dinner social and three-course dinner with wine pairings.
For the beer drinkers who might be coming to the area
March BrewPub Trail | Wineries Express
March 15th-17th, 2014 11:00am - 06:00pm
11am-6pm - Ride in comfort with other Beer minded folks to Breweries from Yakima to Prosser. Limited seats so make sure to make your reservations.
Contact (509) 654-9505
Columbia Crest Winery
178810 Columbia Crest Drive, Hwy 221
Patterson WA 99345
(888) 309-9463
Saturday, March 15th, @ 6:30-8:30pm
Join us for an evening of entertainment, food and wine; while helping to solve the mystery at 'Café Murder'.
Café Murder is presented by the guest services staff of Columbia Crest Winery.
Catered Dinner includes:
Appetizers
Margarita Chicken/Potatoes/Seasonal Vegetables
Vegetarian choice - Portabella Truffle Penne
Dessert
(Please specify preference when placing reservation)
Saturday, March 15th, @ 6:30 pm-8:30pm
The Reserve Club members - $55.
General Public - $65.
Seating is limited and Reservations are required.
We look forward to seeing you at "Café Murderrrrr...."
Airfield Estates 560 Merlot Drive Prosser, WA 99350 509-786-7401 RUNWAY SERIES WINE TASTING Friday, March 14th - Sunday, March 16thAirfield's popular Runway Series Wines are seldom featured on the tasting list. Don't miss this rare opportunity to try the entire line-up! RUNWAY WINES...
2012 Unoaked Chardonnay
2012 Sauvignon Blanc
2011 Riesling
2011 Syrah
2012 Merlot
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
Date:
Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, 2014
Location: Airfield Estates 1 HOUR CASE SALE!!Thursday, March 20th - Saturday, February 22ndTime: 4-5pm on Thursday & Friday, 11-Noon on Saturday Don't miss this wonderful deal! We have some excess stock on a great white wine so we will be holding a 1 hour case sale from 4-5pm on Thursday-Friday, March 20-21 and 11-Noon on Saturday, March 22nd. For more details, please join our mailing list! Location:Airfield Estates Prosser & Woodinville Tasting Rooms
MERLOT MADNESS! Friday, March 28th - Saturday, March 29thJoin in on the fun as we sample a range of Merlot and Merlot based blends!Friday-Saturday, March 28-29, 2014Location: Airfield Estates Tasting Room
Please click on websites below for updated Winery Events
Airfield Estates Alexandria Nicole Cellars Apex Cellars
Coyote Canyon Winery Desert Wind Winery
Gamache Vintners Cowan Vineyards Hogue Cellars
Kestrel Vintners Martinez & Martinez Winery Mercer Estates
Milbrandt Vineyards Thurston Wolfe Winery Willow Crest Winery
Wine O' Clock Wine Bar & Bistro Yakima River Winery
Vineheart Winery Pontin del Roza
These are just a few of the wineries we hope you will visit while you are here this coming year!!
For the beer drinkers who might be coming along too, we have something for you too!!
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