WAugust Wine…
UVA FUREM,
Adding an Old Town Tacoma tasting room to the sites, along with the Maple Valley tasting room and winery… UVA FUREM is growing in the South Sound.
As far as peacekeepers go, the staff at UVA FUREM has run the gauntlet!
Opening in 2020, Jens (the winemaster) and his family were about to face more trying times. Thankfully, the resilience Jens developed in military, humanitarian, and peacekeeping missions that led him to crises in countries like Kosovo and Bosnia, as well as missions in the United States, such as hurricane relief in Louisiana, had prepared him well for the upcoming struggles.
UVA FUREM, in 2020, was the only disabled veteran-owned winery registered in the world and won Best Established Business at IMPACT Pitch 2022.
Knowing that, let’s look into the wines…
If you’ve been around us much, you know that we like red wine. And when it comes to red wines, Zeek looks for that whiskey feel with a red wine taste. Well, at UVA FUREM, I can always scratch that itch. The names of these wines are set in military slang, phonetic alphabet lingo, or other nods to the military influence, which adds a little fun to every tasting.
Let’s start with our most recent purchase, Papa Delta.
This red blend is spectacular! A 50/50 blend of Petit Verdot and Malbec, this wine stands up to anything you pair it with. It may even overtake some lighter foods, so I would suggest hearty BBQ, fatty meats, and for me personally, a good charred and peppered broccoli. This is a great wine to sit and enjoy by itself as well. Bold right out of the gate, a slight warming, and substantial tannins to give the dry, flavorful bite of a powerful glass of wine! There’s a lot going on with every mouthful of Papa Delt. The “nick name” on this one is Ready for Anything… and it truly is!
Among the other favorites,
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF) Syrah. 100% Syrah from Rattlesnake Hills. If that isn’t enough to make you want to try this phenomenal wine, it’s aged in bourbon barrels. The flair of whiskey flavor, a bit of oaky tang, and a texture that almost makes you want to chew this wine will have you asking… “What’s That Flavor?”, or maybe saying “Wow! That’s Fantastic.” or your friends who aren’t drinking it may look at the expression of obvious ecstasy and ask…”Why The Face?” or if in need of a calendar, save the bottle and scratch the label at the start of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday… and then go buy another for next week. Just do WTF you want, and do it with this wine in your glass.
If you look for slightly less intensity, but still want full flavor, I suggest MOAB. Another red blend, mixing Cab Sauv, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. This provides a rich, long-lasting flavor. The blend brings out the essence of each, all in one glass… so it’s a great one to have with friends and discuss what each tastes. But you should make sure you have an extra stashed for when they leave, because they probably won’t leave any in the bottle… if they’re good wine friends.
UVA FUREM has several other great reds, and fantastic whites as well. Some of the wines are connected to causes and non-profits, with a portion of proceeds going to support those, so be sure you ask about that when you’re in the tasting room.
So, bottoms up… and cheers to the men and women who serve. This is a winery you can be proud to support!
