Wine Wednesday: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling

Let me preface this post by saying: 

I L O V E wine.

When I say I love wine, I genuinely mean it. Not just drinking it, but I love learning about it too. (So much that I took a course on predominantly wine last semester and I'm currently taking a course to prepare me for taking the Certified Specialist of Wine test in April.) 

Like every other college girl, I went through the "I only like super sweet wines a.k.a. I only drink Barefoot Moscato," phase. Thankfully, I've finally grown past that phase. Don't get me wrong, Barefoot wines are great when you're on a budget! (I mean, you can't beat $9 for a 1.5L!!) And sweet wines are great when you're just starting to drink wines. But as I've gotten older, and through tasting 100+ wines last semester, along with working in catering & events for the last three years, I've finally broadened my horizons into the realm of wine.

A few things I've learned about wine since turning 21:

1. I love white wines.

2. And with that, I still hate red wines.

(As part of my 101 in 1001, which you can find here, I am working on finding one I enjoy.)

And finally,

3. I really, really, really like Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. It is by far one of my favorite wines.

(Which I'm drinking as I'm sitting here writing this...)

I stumbled upon this wine while completing a wine tasting assignment for my aforementioned course in wine last semester. I was tasked with finding a Riesling from Washington State for my group to taste. That's when I found this particular wine, and ever since that day, I've been hooked. 

Chateau Ste. Michelle is located in Woodinville, Washington, part of the Columbia Valley. According to their website, “Our Columbia Valley Riesling is a blend of Riesling from throughout Washington’s Columbia Valley. We craft it to be a refreshing, off-dry Riesling vintage after vintage. The wine delivers ripe white peach character with subtle mineral notes. This is our ‘every day Riesling’ that is a pleasure to drink and easy to match with a variety of foods.” With its flavors of peaches and pears, this wine is not too sweet, but also not too dry, making it the perfect wine for any occasion. It's a wine that pairs well with a nice fruit and cheese platter, but also goes well with a light seafood or chicken dinner. It's also a great wine for those 'Wine Wednesdays' when you're sitting around with friends casually drinking while chatting it up and watching movies.

CSM produces three difference Rieslings for you to choose from: Sweet Riesling, Dry Riesling, and Riesling. All three are excellent choices, though I personally like the dry or normal options better, as I prefer dryer wines to sweet wines.

So the next time you're in the mood for a nice bottle of wine or want to try something new, pick up a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle at your local grocery store. The price usually ranges from $9-12, depending on where you purchase it. If you try it out, let me know what you think!