14 Hands Winery Brut Sparkling Wine

14 Hands Winery Brut and 14 Hands Winery Brut Rose Columbia Valley “The Party Wines”  ~$15

This fall Mark and I had lunch with 14 Hands Winery Winemaker, Keith Kenison, in their Prosser Washington tasting room.   As our media group was being seated the hostess said, “14 Hands has started making sparkling wine.  Would you like to taste our first bottling pre-release.”  Um, why yes, yes we would.

Around the table went the bottle and its path was followed with “oohs” and “yums.”  Made in a methode champenoise style, but with Riesling, the wine was pretty and fruit forward.  We were confident it be well received when we assembled our winery friends for a blind tasting of Northwest Sparkling Wines.

With an orange creamsicle nose with touches of violets and a honeydew, confected palate, our tasting group found this wine easy to enjoy.  Probably the least dry of our line up, this makes a great party wine.

Later in the tasting session we made the rounds with the 14 Hands Winery Brut Rose.  People just like pink bubbles.  They always get a smile and someone pointed out this was a “let’s get this party started” kind of a wine.

A happy nose of cherry marzipan croissant, rhubarb strawberry tart, pink grapefruit, and of all things – circus peanuts.  Much time was spent trying to explain this retro candy to the age challenged among us.  Followed was a  debate about whether circus peanuts were a true delicacy. We decided to translate to aroma to confected orange.  This was definitely a drink and clink more than a drink and think wine – great for brunch.

If you are planning a trip to Prosser we recommend a thirsty stop at 14 Hands Winery.  It is a tribute  to the pioneering spirit of the Wild West right down to  its name. Fourteen hands was the measurement used to describe the heights of the wild horses that came down from the hills to drink from the Columbia River.  You can learn all about the history of the winery and the area from informative signage inside the tasting room.

Enjoy the 14 Hands Barnwood installment. In honor of the agricultural history of the Prosser area, the winery has gathered a collection of reclaimed wood from several barns in eastern Washington and created a beautiful display in the 14 Hands tasting room.

For more Northwest Sparkling Wine tasting notes see 6 NW Sparkling Wines for your Holiday Wish List

Samples were provided by winery and reviewed in an unbiased professional blind tasting format.