Naked Winery's Tease Riesling Featured in "PDX Magazine" as the April 2009 Wine of the Month
A light and not-too-sweet wine for all seasons, Tease is especially tantalizing as the weather starts to warm up. Stainless steel-fermented in very cool temperatures, this semi-sweet wine has a light floral aroma and tastes like summer with elements of apricot, melon, pineapple, honey and lemon. Textured and slightly off-dry, the wine is well balanced by its mouth-watering acidity.
Naked Winery owners David and Jody Barringer met co-owner Dave Michalec almost by accident (he was their real estate agent) and soon after, in 2005, founded the coyly named winery. Immediately, the wine world began to tingle. Sure, the wines were salacious and saucy with labels that assured you the liquid within was a "sure thing...[with] sweet perfumes of candied melons and Brazilian spices...[to] moisten your palate, not to mention your khakis." But more intriguing than the tongue-in-(ahem)cheek allure of the titles and labels is the fact that Naked wines are actually quite good.
Their Columbia Gorge locale certainly plays a role in their success. With growing numbers of oenophiles traipsing out their way to check out and the Columbia River Gorge Wine Country and the Fruit Loop (a 35-mile loop through orchards and vineyards), Naked Winery is getting a lot of well-deserved attention. Using grapes that grow in the hot and dry region of the Applegate Valley in Oregon and the Columbia Valley in Washington as well as those grown in the cool marine climate of the Willamette and Illinois Valley, Michalec and the Barringers have created a number of complex wines. It's hard to pick a favorite, especially with titles such as Dominatrix (Pinot Noir), Foreplay (Chardonnay) and Penetration (Cabernet Sauvignon). But this month, we like Tease; not only because it makes us giggle, but also because of its light, crisp finish.
If you would like to sample any of Naked Winery's varietals, go to nakedwinery.com for more information or visit them in their tasting room in downtown Hood River at 102 2nd Street.
The latest about happenings for our Washington Wines
We are pleased to announce our newest line of premium wines from The Orgasmic Wine Company. Just bottled and soon to be released are our Barbera, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage. These wines will leave you saying "Oh!"
Naked Winery opens a new tasting room in Yakima Washington
We are pleased to now be located in downtown Yakima pouring with 3 other wineries, the new Taste of Washington! tasting room. We had the grand opening in March to much enthusiam. We look forward to getting you Naked in Yakima!
Naked Winery and Cascade Cliffs Featured in "The Oregonian" as the Contemporary Gorge and Classic Gorge Wineries Respectively
If you have an affinity for creative wine labels and a taste for the audacious, get Naked. A collaboration between the Barringer and Michalec families, Naked Winery aims to entertain, provocatively. Taste Vixen syrah, Diva Sangiovese or Dominatrix Pinot Noir (the rest of the titles are too risque to print) at the new tasting room, opening this month in downtown Hood River. And, yes, despite the sassy labels, the wines are decent.
Perched on the banks of the Columbia River and framed by dramatic 400-foot-tall basalt cliffs, Cascade Cliffs Vineyard and Winery inspires. Washington Winemaker Bob Lorkowski produces estate-grown Washington wines from nebbiolo, barbera, petite syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel. Tasting-room tidbits: The petroglyph gracing each label comes from stone carvings found onsite; the Goat Head Red honors an angora goat that once roamed nearby cliffs.
Check back often for the latest in Oregon Winery News and Washington Winery News from Naked Winery.
Enjoy!
Naked Winery
