The Mosquito Fleet Winery in Belfair is hosting a weekend release party of its 2010 vintage wines Feb. 9-10.
The crew at Mosquito Fleet is intent on rolling out an enjoyable spread of chocolates and cheeses and has hired Chef Dustin Joseph of the Art House Café to create food pairings for each of their six wines. “I am thrilled to be a part of this event,” Joseph said. “I’ve tasted through their lineup and they are making some incredible wines. This will be fun!”
In addition, Mosquito Fleet contracted with Oh Chocolates of Mercer Island to create truffles using the winery’s own Port style desert wine.
“These Port truffles are absolutely delectable! It’s fun to do a little something extra special to spoil our supporters,” said Jacy Griffin, co-owner of the Belfair winery.
The winery is also bringing in a different band on each day to play for the guests. Doors will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Six wines will be available for tasting, five still wines and a desert wine that will be served in small Swiss chocolate cups. The cost is $10 per person with the winery waiving that fee with the purchase of a bottle of wine.
Mosquito Fleet Winery has operated for four years, but has only released one vintage (2009) thus far. The 2010 varietals will be their second release.
“We are certainly wanting to remain patient and not release the wines before they are ready. We want to continue maximizing wine quality and creating a good first impression for the consumer,” said winemaker and co-owner Brian Petersen.
The MFW 2009 vintage sold out in a matter of months and received tremendous accolades. The Mosquito Fleet owners believe the soon to be released 2010s are even better and the group is anticipating tremendous sales this year as well. The February release consists of only 1,000 cases of wine and some varietals are extremely limited. With the tremendous local support and many commercial accounts clamoring to get their hands on this year’s production, it could go quickly.
“We are excited about the growing demand. We believe it’s a result of prioritizing quality over quantity — a stronghold of the Mosquito Fleet Winery philosophy,” Petersen said.
