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CAPITOL HILL RED
01.07.11


  

Capitol Hill winemaking history: Friday, January 7, 2011 marks the release of Capitol Hill Red, a wine named and produced for Capitol Hill's diverse community. Capitol Hill Red is a blend of popular red grape varieties and made from 100% Washington State fruit from the Yakima Valley.

The Wine: In short, Capitol Hill Red is a wine that embodies the "come as you are" nature of Capitol Hill - the wine has distinct character, is full-bodied and just a little funky around the edges. It's formal enough to be enjoyed with fine food, and familiar enough to be paired with cold pizza.

Like the neighborhood itself, Capitol Hill Red is a unique blend of grape varieties, each with its own strong and readily noticeable qualities. Together the blend is fruity and bold, with cherry, plum, and cola notes that lead to a slightly spicy finish. There's good acidity and structure in the wine which can stand up to most foods, including spicy food.

Capitol Hill Red is still very young in the bottle, and while drinkable now, it is also sturdy enough for aging.

Label Design: The label was designed by Frida Clements, an independent graphic artist who also works for the Seattle Theater Group, and has designed a number of rock posters for the Paramount Theater. Frida showed her work at Flatstock, which is where she was discovered for the Capitol Hill Red project. More of Frida's work can be seen at drawntotheleft.com.

Pairing Suggestions: One of the reasons this blend was chosen was for its versatility. Capitol Hill Red was tested with a great number of different foods, and gets along with just about anything. It is excellent with grilled items, superb with pizza, and goes very well with pasta (white sauce is better). It also pairs well with blue-veined cheeses, camembert, and parmesan. The flavors of Indian food (as long as it is not too spicy) bring out particular qualities of the fruit and add a slightly smoky character to the finish. For a real treat try Capitol Hill Red with grilled sausage or steak topped with Spanish Valdeon or Roquefort.

Initial Release Tasting: Capitol Hill Red will first be offered for tasting to the public on Friday, January 7, from 6-8pm at Vino Verité. Please stop by for a taste. Only 25 cases were made for this initial release. The wine is currently available at Vino Verite on Capitol Hill. The release price is $12.


Vino Verité: More wine, less attitude!