My first experience with Pontin del Roza Winery was at the Tri-Cities Wine Festival in 1986. Winemaker Scott Pontin showcased one of his inaugural wines; an all-at-once sweet, tart and fruity chenin blanc with a flashy pink and silver label. I was hooked after just one sip.<\/p>\n
Over 25 years later, Pontin\u2019s newer label (hopefully, like many of us) carries a more mature and elegant persona, but his commitment to consistently solid and affordable Washington wines remains unchanged.<\/p>\n
Some of Pontin\u2019s family emigrated from Italy to the Yakima Valley in the 1940\u2019s. His parents have been farming the same land since 1954, and today\u2019s estate vineyards in Prosser comprise over 100 acres of 10 different varietals.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been enjoying a number of Pontin del Roza wines as of late, and here are some of my favorites:<\/p>\n
2010 Chenin Blanc <\/strong>(about $10) \u2013 Just as it did decades ago, this tasty white wine continues to impress. Pineapple and tropical fruit aromas, apple and papaya flavors, and a lengthy finish of Bartlett pear with a smack of honey highlight this insanely underpriced wine.<\/p>\n 2010 Pinot Grigio<\/strong> (about $12) \u2013 After of whiff of lychee, generous pear and granny smith apple flavors kick in. The end notes suggest a whisper of clover and alfalfa, along with the varietal\u2019s signature acidity.<\/p>\n 2010 Dolcetto<\/strong> (about $15) and 2008 Sangiovese (about $18) \u2013 Here are a couple of Old World-style reds that beg to be paired with food. The dolcetto features gentle flavors of cherry tomato and red berries, while the sangiovese shines with earthy aromatics, dried cherry flavors and brisk acidity. I\u2019d suggest serving either one with an antipasti platter of mozzarella cheese, roma tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar and thinly sliced prosciutto.<\/p>\n 2008 Merlot<\/strong> (about $18) \u2013 There\u2019s a hint of blackberry on the nose along with substantial plum and black cherry flavors. Chalky, chewy tannins also supply a nice bit of structure.<\/p>\n 2009 Vino de Tavola<\/strong> (about $13) \u2013 Despite the simple, \u201ctable wine\u201d tag, this wine explodes with cherry, blackberry, black pepper, spice and lively, textured tannins. At this pocketbook-friendly price, it could easily be your everyday red wine of choice.<\/p>\n Pontin del Roza\u2019s sleek, contemporary tasting room is located just a few minutes north of Interstate 82 in Prosser, and well worth the visit.<\/p>\n Try the Cordata Community Food Co-op for Pontin del Roza wines, or phone the winery at (509) 786-4449 to order wines and arrange for pick-up at other local grocers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My first experience with Pontin del Roza Winery was at the Tri-Cities Wine Festival in 1986. Winemaker Scott Pontin showcased one of his inaugural wines; an all-at-once sweet, tart and fruity chenin blanc with a flashy pink and silver label. I was hooked after just one sip. Over 25 years later, Pontin\u2019s newer label (hopefully, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-wines","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":829,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions\/829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}