Author Archive

2010 Brings Celebrity Chefs to SageCliffe

Friday, December 11th, 2009

john_sundstrom.jpgJason WilsonGreg AtkinsonDan Gilmore

Do you know Chefs Jason Wilson, Greg Atkinson, Dan Gilmore, and John Sundstrom?  Do you know a foodie who you’re pretty sure does?  Then we need to let you in on our all-new SageCliffe Chef’s Weekends:  coming to you four separate weekends January-March. Tickets to these weekends are available for purchase now, as we couldn’t think of a better gift to make available over the holidays.  (You may just be someone’s new best friend or rise in the spousal ranks with this gift…)Now to the nitty gritty…what are these Chef’s Weekends? Each weekend features a different celebrity chef.  What you or  your gift-receiver will experience:

Friday Evening
The weekend begins on Friday evening, with a special tasting menu prepared by Chef Ritchie and paired with Winemaker Freddy Arredondo’s Cave B wines. In the tradition of his background at the famous Herb Farm restaurant, Chef Ritchie will guide students course by course through this culinary adventure.

Saturday
On Saturday, the students get down to business, working side-by-side with the Chefs to sharpen their culinary skills in a series of hands-on workshops. Between culinary sessions, Winemaker Freddy Arredondo will lead students through a wine tasting and pairing training. Armed with their new skills, students will be tasked with crafting a signature wine blend utilizing a selection of the many varietals available in the Cave B cellar.
After an intensive day of food & wine training, students will sit down to dinner to enjoy the results of their efforts, which will be critiqued by their Chef instructors. The competition is a friendly one, but expect the kitchen to heat up as teams compete to see who has what it takes to cook with the pros!

Sunday
To wrap up the weekend, students and chefs will sit down together for a family-style farewell brunch on Sunday morning.

Weekends include 3 days, 2 nights’ accommodations at Cave B Inn and all meals.  To get the rest of the details, see pics of the Chefs (we know we always like to see who we’re cooking with) and learn about pricing, please visit our website.  These will truly be weekends that create great, adventurous lasting memories.  You’ll have story after story to tell for years to come….and you will likely be able to do so over a recreation of the meal you create at SageCliffe!   We hope you join Freddy Arredondo, Chef Ritchie and all the celebrity Chefs for these very special weekends.  See you soon!

Cave B Webstore Goes in New Directions

Friday, December 4th, 2009

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Before Christmas season launched its merry, festive face, we were working to revamp the Cave B Webstore, making it more user-friendly with different wine and gift categories, and more production information.  But knowing that product info alone is not enough; after all, we all want products we desire, right?–So we also stocked the store with a whole bevy of new offerings and great holiday deals:  First we added a Nov. 1-Dec. 31 wine shipping and handling special (free shipping on 6+ bottles sent anywhere in WA State!-see webstore for details), 10% off on all wine gift baskets, bonus gifts and discounts on SageCliffe Gift Cards, and an entire array of SageCliffe Experience Gifts. 

What exactly are Experience Gifts?  We’ve found through the years that those who visit SageCliffe often wish they could come back with a spouse, best friend, their mother, their children….they wish to share the experience of the winery, the Inn, the Spa, Tendrils and the amazing landscape, with others.  Experiences Gifts are packages we’ve put together to allow you to do just that:  you can purchase a winery a la carte activity for your loved one, like a wine blending activity, a Stump the Chump Experience, or personal barrel tasting.  Or, for the foodie in your life, there’s the opportunity to purchase admittance to this spring’s SageCliffe Chef’s Weekends (think Iron Chef-type competition and working side by side with some of the Northwest’s best chefs!) And the Experiences Gifts go on….with SageCliffe Gift Cards another way to purchase the SageCliffe Experience while letting the recipient put together their very own kind of SageCliffe visit.

 And last but most certainly not least, we have the tremendous Cave B and SageCliffe wines available, along with quality wine accessories that you will use again and again.  With full tasting notes available in the store for every wine, we’ve taken the mystery out of your wine-buying decision:  you can find just the right wine for your loved ones, your holiday celebration (Ice Wine or Blanc de Blanc, anyone?) or for your boss or coworkers. (How about the Seattle Wine Awards Gold-winning 2008 Cave B Riesling?)

 We love what we do here at Cave B, and doing what we can to make your Cave B & SageCliffe experience as easy, relaxing and enjoyable is what we’re all about.  We welcome you to visit our Cave B Webstore, click on the pages, browse at your leisure and enjoy the fruits of your search…the smiles on the faces of those who receive your Cave B gifts!  A very happy holiday to each and every one of you.  ~The Cave B Family.

Cave B 2008 Riesling & Viognier Get Noticed

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Latest reviews from Wine Press NW (Sept. 09):

08Riesling: Excellent
08Sauvignon Blanc: Excellent
08Viognier: Outstanding!!
08Gewurztraminer: Excellent
08SC 100White: Recommended

 And, do you read NW Palate? Check out the review of our Cave B 2008 Riesling & Viognier in this month’s (Sept/Oct) issue of NW Palate magazine!  http://www.nwpalate.com

Yes! A Wine Club Dinner to Write Home About

Monday, September 14th, 2009

All Cave B Wine Club Members…

October will forever more be the month when you can look forward to a Cave B event just for you…this year we kick off what will be our annual Wine Club Harvest Dinner Weekend for our growing number of Cave B Wine Club Members on Saturday, October 17.  This is a weeked of drastically reduced Cave B Inn room rates,  a paired Wine Club Dinner to top all Wine Club dinners in the intimate, rock-lined Cellar, the first-ever Film in The Cellar, multiple sophisticated and fun hands-on wine-oriented tasting activities, brunch at Tendrils, and more.  It’s a chance to meet other wine club members, spend great quality time with Winemaker Freddy Arredondo, eat a fabulous meal by our new Tendrils Chef, be awakened to some tremendous wines presented by Cave B Winery, and all in all feel pampered, refreshed, educated, and stimulated.

For all the details, please visit www.caveb.com, and click on the Wine Club Harvest Dinner Link.  Cave B Inn rooms are going fast, so make your reservations soon!  This is an event hosted by Freddy and designed especially by him for all of you…it will be a real treat.  We look forward to hosting each and every one of you.

Harvest Festival: Right Around the Corner

Monday, September 14th, 2009

steve-roberts.jpgcrushpad.jpgcooking_demo.jpgcaramel.jpgadults_stomp.jpg

It is, amazingly, almost that time of year again:  our annual Harvest Festival (sixth annual, this year) runs October 2-4 at Cave B Estate Winery.  The big day full of all Harvest Festival activities is Saturday, October 3rd.  And the best thing?  All activities on the 3rd are free.  There is a price for the BBQ and wine tasting, but, if you live within Grant, Kittitas, Chelan or Douglas counties, kids 12 and under receive their lunch for free…not a bad deal at all!

And truly the best part of the Festival is the family-friendly nature of the event…this is the Cave B event to bring your boyfriend, your mom, your best friend and your kids.  Three guest experts are lined up:  Amy Mumma, CWU’s Wine Program Director, who will give several fantastic wine seminars, Greg Atkinson, Wine and Food author and columnist extraordinaire will do three interactive cooking demos, and a Cave B favorite, Wine Trails Northwest author Steve Roberts will be on hand to sign and sell his book.  Plus, Harvest Festival will also give us a chance to introduce our new Tendrils Chef to all of you–he will turn out a fantastic BBQ, and will also head up several cooking demos throughout the day. 

And what about for the kids? –Pumpking carving and cookie decorating, tractor-driven hayrides, apple juice-making with an old-fashioned apple press, and much more.  And, for kids and grown up kids-at-heart, there’s the ever-popular Great Grape Stomping Competition–an absolute not-to-miss!

There’s a great special on Cave B Inn rooms for the weekend, as well as a bevy of wine specials at the winery, so read about it all by visiting www.caveb.com, then plan to come on out!  The weather has been nothing short of spectacular, the grapes and apples are rich and dark with color, the leaves are changing to their fiery hues, and we’re ready to give you a weekend of good, pure fun.  We look forward to seeing you!

Mark Pickerel Returns to The Cellar!

Monday, September 14th, 2009

mark_pickerel_gs_resized.jpg Three-time returnee Mark Pickerel comes to Live! at The Cellar on friday, September 25.  With his full-house crowds and tremendous back-and-forth with the audience, Mark always brings a great time along with his dynamic urban-country Americana croonings.   If you missed Mark at The Cellar before, make this three time’s a charm and get your tickets (only $12) to this performance just as soon as you can reach your phone or computer!  For more info and to buy through our webstore, visit http://www.sagecliffe.com/cellar.htm, or simply call the winery at 509-785-3500.  We guarantee you’ll be glad you did.  See you September 25!

Yoga & More Weekend at Cave B Inn Coming Soon!

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Come and join us for a fabulous Autumn retreat in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. Wine tasting, hiking, yoga (for all levels), delicious cuisine and a room with a view all in one weekend. Depending on the weather, we will have the yoga sessions poolside or in a large open room above the vineyard. Body Atelier Nicbfit is located in Seattle, Washington and we are excited to host this unique weekend. I am the founder of nicbfit and will be your guide. I have been involved in the yoga and wellness community since 1996. My beliefs for being healthy start with attitude, motivation and a strong desire to create a change in lifestyle. Setting realistic, specific and time sensitive goals is a great start. The most difficult challenge is the beginning. Once you start your path, find ways to reward yourself with the successes you have made. Surround yourself with people you trust, admire and respect. They will be there when you need them. Enjoy the journey-this is all for you. I hope you will join me for a weekend of fitness, food and new friends!

For dates and details, please visit:  http://www.cavebinn.com/experiences.htm

~Nicole Morgan 

Items Made from Cave B bottles in Tasting Room

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

zoom_greengoblets.jpggreenbottle.jpg As many of you know, we’ve partnered with The Green Glass Company–a leading artisan company using recycled glass–for the past 2.5 years.  We’ve sold used wine bottles from Cave B Estate Winery to GGC, and enjoyed watching them being made into truly beautiful goblets and glasses.

Now we’ve come full circle, and carry a beautiful line from The Green Glass Company in our winery tasting room–goblets, glasses, votive holders and more.  The best part?  Some of these items were created out of our very own Cave B wine bottles–we’ve been looking forward to this true sustainable circle being completed, and now it is.  Come to the tasting room and take a look, or see all of the items on our webstore.  Used wine bottles as collectable, high quality artisan glass items….that’s what we’re talking about.

Cuvee Says…

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

cuvee-above-the-gorge.JPG   Hi all, Cuvee here! Sorry I haven’t had time to keep my blog up to date; I’ve been one busy pup! Weddings, meetings and events, OH MY! Yes, it’s been a busy last few months with the pool open and weddings on-property. I’ve become very popular and have made plenty of new four legged friends. John Mark has his Segway up and running so of COURSE I’m chasing him down and racing alongside him. It’s warm, it’s summer, it’s concert season and it’s almost time to release our new RED WINES! Make sure to check out the website for those dates. If you’re in the area checking out a concert make sure to swing by the restaurant (Tendrils). What a better way to start off your concert day than by filling up and mentally preparing yourself to walk through a crowd of thousands!Finally, I’d like to tell every one of you who sneak me food from the kitchen: You guys rock!  And I love Chef Shauna’s ribs…Mmmmm.

Until next time!

~Cuvee, Head Dog-Guest Relations

June 2009 Cave B Wine Review by Winepress NW

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Wine Press Northwest Review: Cave B Wines June 2009

Cave B 2007 Barbera – Outstanding
Cave B 2007 Chardonnay – Excellent
Cave B 2007 Tempranillo – Excellent
Cave B 2007 Sangiovese – Excellent
Cave B 2006 Cuvee – Recommended

Winemaker Freddy Arredondo’s wines are beginning to be noticed.  Head Winemaker at Cave B for only one and a half years, Freddy now has many varietals with his wonderful stamp on them….and they’re getting out there.  We are encouraged and motivated by every review, rating and award the wines receive, and are excited to provide many more wines to you that are truly memorable.  With not-as-common varietals such as tempranillo, sangiovese and barbera as well as the more standard varietals, Cave B is happy to be a small boutique winery that nonetheless is able to offer 15+ varietals–an unusually large and diverse array.  We welcome you to taste Freddy’s latest vintages, and let us know what you think!