"New" Vintage Details

I am thrilled to announce an upcoming and reoccurring new addition to this humble blog: "Vintage Details." Being the avid wine enthusiast I am, I thought it only fitting to begin learning more about the wonderful wines produced right here in Washington.  Over the course of the next few months, I will be gathering inside details, expanded information, and paring suggestions straight from the source - which, I will happily share with all of you!

Recently I had the wonderful pleasure of making contact with Judy Thoet, winemaker for Sagelands Winery.  This extensively educated California transplant was an absolute joy to speak with.

Stay tuned for my exclusive interview with one of Washington's brightest winemakers.

Cheers!

Greetings From Hong Kong!

What an amazing city...I can't think of any better way to explain it.  Simply amazing. 

The culture "shock" here transcends the food, religion, and architecture.  It is truly another world.  Where we (The West) maintain a relatively conservative view on wealth management and expenditures, here I find the total opposite.  It is truly all about the money, and how much of it one can show and spend.  The display of wealth here is unlike anything I have ever seen.  That being said, you may not be surprised to hear that women "parade" (for lack of a better word) about town displaying their finest jewels, handbags, etc...ALL the time. It is beyond peculiar for a Northwest gal, but fun to see all the same!

The auctions are going off extraordinarily well.  As a result, we can expect to see an expansion of future auctions here as China's "appetite" for the finest things (rare wine, art, etc..) seems to be insatiable. 

Today's auction features fine Chinese paintings, which will be wonderful to see.

For results on auctions over the last few days, follow this link (scroll to Hong Kong). 

That's all for now!

Cheers!

Great Fall Fixes

Fall is a wonderful time of year to kick into action and continue preventative maintenance before the rain and snow sets in.  Although each home is different, almost every home requires constant attention.  Or as Jim Sulski for Right At Home Daily worded, "a never-ending job."  In an article featured on www.repair-home.com, Sulski does well with his suggestions for an efficient and productive Fall maintenance schedule.  For a full view of Sulski's article follow this link.

Each day this week, I will feature one article or helpful piece of information for keeping your home in tip top shape this Fall.  I welcome any suggestions or tips out there - the more the merrier! 

Cheers and Happy Maintain-ing!

Speaking of Fall Travels...

Of the few Northwest magazines I read, Sunset Magazine often has fantastic and well-rounded tips and tricks for navigating and exploring our beloved region (not to mention fab seasonal recipes).


Sunset's September issue features a literal gallery of regional trip options spanning across California, The "true" Northwest, The Rockies, and The Southwest (heads-up: each region listed links to the relevant gallery).


For the purpose of this simple posting, I will reiterate two of Sunset's suggestions listed in their "10 Great Fall Trips In The Northwest" gallery.  


Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country offers visitors a lot more than a fantastic glass of wine.  Patrons have done well in their "vamping," modeling accommodations after the regions most beautiful vistas - the vineyards. 
My suggestion for your trip there?  

Saturday - September 25, 2010

• 11Amity Pinot Noir Release Party (11:00am to Sun, September 26, 6:00pm)

Sunday - September 26, 2010

• 9Wine Ride at Vista Hills Vineyard (9:00am to 12:00pm)
• 3pHarvest Celebration at Penner-Ash (3:00pm to 7:00pm)
• 4pPre-Harvest Release Tasting at Lange Estate (4:00pm to 7:00pm)

Saturday - October 02, 2010

• 12pCrush Party at Montinore (12:00pm to 1:00pm)
• 1pHarvest Tour and Seminar at Rex Hill (1:00pm to 2:30pm)

Saturday - October 09, 2010

• 12pJohan Vineyards Reserve Tasting (12:00pm to 5:00pm)
• 12pExtreme Chocolates Event at The Four Graces (12:00pm to 4:00pm)
• 1pHarvest Tour and Seminar at Rex Hill (1:00pm to 2:30pm)

Saturday - October 16, 2010

• 1pHarvest Tour and Seminar at Rex Hill (1:00pm to 2:30pm)
• 6:30pHarvest Dinner @ Youngberg Hill (6:30pm to 9:30pm)

Saturday - October 23, 2010

• 11Grand Opening Celebration at Raptor Ridge Winery (11:00am to 4:00pm)
• 1pHarvest Tour and Seminar at Rex Hill (1:00pm to 2:30pm)

Sunday - October 24, 2010

• 11Grand Opening Celebration at Raptor Ridge Winery (11:00am to 4:00pm)

Saturday - October 30, 2010

•  The Four Graces Graceful Dead Party (All Day)
• 10Experience A Day in the Vineyards at Wine Country Farm (10:00am to 3:00pm)
• 1pHarvest Tour and Seminar at Rex Hill (1:00pm to 2:30pm)

Sunday - October 31, 2010

• 10Experience A Day in the Vineyards at Wine Country Farm (10:00am to 3:00pm)

Saturday - November 20, 2010

•  Harvest Open House - R. Stuart and Co. Wine (All Day)

Friday - November 26, 2010

• 11Wine Country Thanksgiving (11:00am to 5:00pm)

Saturday - November 27, 2010

• 11Wine Country Thanksgiving (11:00am to 5:00pm)

Sunday - November 28, 2010

• 11Wine Country Thanksgiving (11:00am to 5:00pm)
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• *Calendar and images sourced from www.willamettewines.com

Washington's Fall fruit is a delectable treat we have all come to love, look forward to, and most importantly...enjoy!  There is no better way, that I can think,  to see Washington than one bite at a time.  Sunset's suggested route looks fantastic, and would serve to fill a weekend wonderfully.  For a quick link to their "hits list" click here.

Happy Fall to all, and of course, cheers!

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Fall In The Far East

I am thrilled to announce my upcoming trip to Hong Kong where we will not only be attending one of Sotheby's legendary auctions inside the famous Hong Kong Exhibition and Conference Centre, but we will also be celebrating the opening of our newest Sotheby's International Realty office in Hong Kong.

With impressive lots ranging from important art to rare wines, there is quite a bit to take in.  For your glance of these rare and exceptional pieces, here are the catalogs for the upcoming Hong Kong auctions - enjoy!

October 2, 2010 Auction

October 3, 2010 Auction

October 4, 2010 Auction Part 1

October 4, 2010 Auction Part 2

October 4, 2010 Auction Part 3

October 4, 2010 Auction Part 4

October 5, 2010 Auction

Sotheby's International Realty agents from around the globe (NYC, Florida, Singapore, New Zealand, California - to name a few) will be in attendance to these fabulously exciting events, and I am thrilled to have been offered such an outstanding opportunity. 

For those of you who have spent time in Hong Kong, I welcome any advice, recommendations, etc..

Gan Bei!

(Cheers!)

The Little Things

It is an amazing feeling when "things," little every day things, still surprise, entertain, amaze, even relieve me.  Thanks to Val that moment came this afternoon (truth be told, she's always a "sure thing" when it comes to amusement).

As I continued to relish over Val's royal appointment, I stumbled on a fabulously fresh "scene" site which details, reports on, and appeals to our more extravagant (not always costly) sides. With several categories  spanning a number of cities (Seattle coming soon!), UrbanDaddy has done well in their very couture delivery of relatively mundane topics - take highlighting Steve Martin's (Steve Martin To Go) quirky Twitter site which can be found here, as an example.




Truer words have never been spoken, it simply is "the little things." So, here's to finding more enjoyment daily!

Cheers!

Auction Results Are In

Thanks to Matt Goyer for his quick reporting, I have published results of last nights Olive 8 Auction to share with you.

Here are the results to download in [xlsx] format. Olive 8 condo auction results.  

Also penned on UrbnLivn are highlights I would love to share.  It was an exciting night, and I couldn't have re-capped it better myself!

Highlights:

• 32 solds. They originally announced they were auctioning 34 units, 28 units were on the auction day sequence. They added 2303, 2004, 2304 and 2404 at the end. They didn’t auction #1902 or #2102 (pricey 2 bedrooms).
• Cheapest unit: $297,000 for #2110 a 650 square foot west facing one bedroom. Last priced at $395,000.
• Most expensive unit: $702,000 for #2502 a 1,586 square foot north-east facing two bed, two bath + den. Lasr priced at $1,145,000.
• Average price: $415,656
• Total dollar value of units sold: $13.3 million
• Seattle Times was there taking lots of photos, bloggers weren’t allowed in.

All in all, the auction was productive and promising!