Northwest Cellars featured in Food & Wine Magazine

December 2009, p. 166 - Wine for Parties & Gifts (read article online)

Q: For the holidays, I'd like to buy some bottles of wine with a professional label. Are there any decent ones available?

A: A number of wineries produce personalized labels. Washington state's Northwest Cellars (northwestcellars.com) makes a wide range of good wines thatcan be labeled with your own artwork ($85, plus cost per bottle of the wine from $14 to $32).

Sommelier Journal | December 2009, p. 44-45

Sommelier’s Choice

For Sommelier Journal's year-end selection of the best of 2009, we wanted to avoid adding to the omnipresent listings of "wines of the year" and "gold medals." Instead, we thought our readers would be more interested in seeing meaningful recommendations from their colleagues. I asked a number of our editors and writers and other top professionals from around the world to submit their most memorable wines of 2009, along with personal tasting notes. Each was limited to one selection; the only criteria were that the wine had to be currently available in the United States and not commercially represented by the selector. Interestingly, no two people picked the same wine.

So here is our Sommelier’s Choice, organized by category and region. I think it would make quite a wine list for any restaurant.

David Vogels, CWP
Editor

Northwest Cellars Intrigue, Columbia Valley, Washington 2006 $28

With 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 18% Pinot Noir, and 9% Carménère, this is an “intriguing” cuvée, indeed! On the nose, it shows classic Cabernet aromas plus a bit of smoke from the Syrah. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine offers sweet fruit and ample acidity. The Pinot contributes to the aromatics and makes the wine glide over the tongue. It’s a well-balanced food wine that goes with everything from swordfish to ribs to spicy lamb kebobs.

Marlene Rossman
Wine Columnist, Chef Magazine
Instructor, Wine Certificate Program
University of California-Irvine

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Tasting Room Magazine | Winter 2009

Wine, the Perfect Gift

by Jill Perillo Clark

'Tis the season of giving and we've found a few holiday gift ideas that go beyond the bottle

Get Personal

Gift giving is all about the personal touches, and nothing hits this note more than a bottle of quality wine with a personalized label, complete with your own photos and text. No longer reserved for corporate events and businesses, designing and printing your own custom wine label can be easy and affordable.

Northwest Cellars (www.northwestcellars.com) can take your artwork, pictures or even just an idea and turn it into a professionally designed label for as little as an $85 minimum fee. Your label can then be applied to a single bottle or multiple cases of their wines, even their acclaimed Columbia Valley Intrigue, a smooth red blend.

If you plan on stashing away a few commemorative bottles, be 2sure to order extras to drink now, because Northwest Cellars wines are too tasty to be tucked away in a trinket closet. As owner Bob Delf advises, "Go ahead and drink the wine now, because thebottle will look just as good when empty, too."

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Food & Wine Magazine | December 2009, p. 166

Wine for Parties & Gifts

Q: For the holidays, I'd like to buy some bottles of wine with a professional label. Are there any decent ones available?

A: A number of wineries produce personalized labels. Washington state's Northwest Cellars (northwestcellars.com) makes a wide range of good wines thatcan be labeled with your own artwork ($85, plus cost per bottle of the wine from $14 to $32).

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Seattle Metropolitan | November 28, 2009

The Boozy Gift Guide Part I: Washington Wines

Posted by: Jessica Voelker

Category Friends and family ($30-$100)
Best for Relatives with a sense of humor; wine collectors.

I was just reading the December issue of Food & Wine; the magazine calls out Kirkland-based Northwest Cellars as a good option for custom-labelled bottles.

I couldn’t agree more and urge you, even if you’re not in the market for individualized vinos, to go meet winemaker Bob Delf at the tiny tasting room. It’s $5 to taste all five of his wines, which are all pretty good, especially when you consider the price. Here’s my gift idea: procure the silliest, drunkiest photos of your nearest and dearest and have Delf stick them on a few bottles of merlot. Stuff into stockings and watch hilarity ensue. It should go without saying that this only works for loved ones who can laugh at themselves. To put a finer point on it: Do not use as passive aggressive strategy against surly in-laws.

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Chef Magazine | September/October 2009

Recipe: Grilled Asian Shrimp Skewers with Pears

Paired with Northwest Cellars 2008 Adagio

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InStyleWeddings.com | Feb 20 2009

Wine and Design

by Randy Miller - Editorial Assistant

You’ve selected your wedding venue, china pattern, and honeymoon spot, but there’s still a significant decision awaiting you: your monogram. Don’t underestimate this task, because customization is key to a memorable affair. If you’re still searching for the perfect design, head over to Marry Monograms (marrymonograms.com) where there are more than 200 options to choose from, whether your taste is casual or sophisticated.

And then, once you’ve decided on a design, there’s so much to put your stamp on from stationery to tote bags. Oh, and now wine!

Tag your favorite wines from Northwest Cellars (northwestcellars.com) with a personalized label. Pouring a glass of 2004 Merlot is much more novel when the bottle reads “Rachel and Ben: August 14, 2010.” Pair a stippled monogram with a bottle of Northwest Cellars’ 2006 Chardonnay and you can’t go wrong!

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RentonReporter.com | Sep 24 2008

'Renton Red' grows in popularity

by Emily Garland - Renton Reporter Reporter

Greenfresh Market co-owner and wine steward David L. Allen was looking for a local, signature wine for under $10. He came up with a blend called "Greenfresh Market Renton Red."

It doesn't get more local than that.

The wine is a 2005 Merlot from Northwest Cellars, a Woodinville outfit that puts wines from the Pacific Northwest's top winemakers in bottles with labels custom-made for private clients.
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Seattle Magazine | September 2008

Sweet Charity

Washington wine helps raise awareness-and funds-for some of the Northwest's favorite causes

by Shannon Borg

At many charitable auctions and benefit events throughout the fall, wine is a featured guest. Trips to wine country, wine dinners, and rare and collectible wines will be auctioned off to benefit Seattle's arts organizations at the 18th Annual PONCHO International Wine Auction next month. The Auction of Washington Wine, held each August, has raised more than $19 million since 1988 to benefit the uncompensated care fund at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and the Washington Wine Education Foundation. ...

Other philanthropic organizations, such as the Alzheimer's Foundation and the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, work with Northwest Cellars, a company that creates private-label wines for everything from fundraising events to weddings and birthdays. Wine options vary from vintage to vintage, but offer nearly anyone the chance to blend their love of wine with the causes they love.
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May, 2008

Thursday, April 3, 2008

The Front Burner | November, 2007

Custom Label Wine

Lure customers, secure profits now... and into the new year

Can serving a custom label wine boost your restaurant's profits? Some of the top restaurants across the state say the marketing benefits are priceless.

"In the long run it makes a profit," says Sandra Wright, Mackay Restaurants' director of sales and marketing. "But it's really about lifetime loyalty of the customer, which you can't put a price on."

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The Peninsula Gateway | Wednesday, August 1, 2007

QFC Stores add Gig Harbor Flavor to Top-Of-the-Line Northwest Wine

Deal with Kirkland business puts sunset view on bottle

Christmas gifts should be a little easier for Gig Harbor residents this year.

This June, with the help of the city of Gig Harbor, both area QFC stores unveiled their specialty Maritime Merlot and Maritime Chardonnay-Viognier wines, complete with a sunset view of the harbor on its label.

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NWSource | Friday, February 23, 2007

Wine inspired by swine

Local cellar releases "Rachel Red" in honor of Pike Place pig

May we interest you in a glass of "Pignot" Noir? In honor of the Pike Place Market Centennial – and the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, which names 2007 the Year of the Pig (or boar, to be historically correct) – Northwest Cellars just released "Rachel Red," a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (51 percent), Merlot (25 percent) and Cabernet Franc (24 percent).

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Wine Press Northwest | Winter 2006/2007

10 great things to do in Northwest wine country

2. Design Your Own Wine Label

Bob Delf of Kirkland, Wash., continues to expand his unique negociant project called Northwest Cellars, which allows customers to create labels that he affixes to bottles holding his growing line of wines. His current releases, which retail from $13 to $24 per bottle, include a white blend from the Walla Walla Valley, a red blend that includes Red Mountain fruit, a Yakima Valley Merlot and two sparklers from the Willamette Valley. Delf's clients include hotels restaurants, businesses for use as promotional or corporate gifts, and anyone who wants to add a personal touch. Minimum order is 12 bottles. For more information, visit northwestcellars.com or call 866-421-WINE.

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HeraldNet | Thursday, October 17, 2006

The Perfect Blend

Buying Wine for its label - for a cause

The Arts Council of Snohomish County might have come up with the perfect blend.

Take original art. Wrap it around a tasty bottle of wine. Sell it, and people will feel good, drinking the wine and helping a worthy cause.

The council, along with Artspace Inc. and Northwest Cellars, is selling five custom wine blends to help raise money to build a new visual arts center in downtown Everett.

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KOMO TV | Thursday, October 5, 2006

Northwest Cellars on KOMO News

Help Build Artspace with Northwest Cellars Wines

Northwest Cellars owner Bob Delf was interviewed on KOMO TV News about labels done for the Arts Council of Snohomish County. A portion of the sales of these wines goes to support the Viusal Arts Center project, Artspace, scheduled for completion in 2009. You can purchase the wines at Wicked Cellars, Dirty Martini, Il Bistro Vino, Everett Yacht Club, and Blulwater Bistro, as well as through Northwest Cellars. Click here to order.

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Passions | Friday, April 28, 2006

Sound loop

Executive appreciates theater crowd applause

When Robert Delf was a 24-year-old computer programmer, he got an offer that could have changed his life: to play piano for Gloria Kaye, a then-well-known Canadian singer who was about to embark on a North American tour. It was 1973...

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Profitable Promotions | January 2006

Merchandising to Build Relationships

The staff at Waterfront Seafood Grill in Seattle knows their repeat customers. With nearly 25 percent of the revenue generated from private dining events, Waterfront Manager Chris Sparkman got together with Northwest Cellars to send an appreciative gift during the holidays to all of the concierge groups and private dining booking agents who repeatedly send business to the ...

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Paul Gregutt

Wine Advisor | Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Think outside the bottle for a wine-lover's gift

Northwest Cellars designs custom labels, to order, for your special event or company function. You have a choice of red, white or sparking, with whatever photo, illustration, or logo your wish, nicely designed and custom printed. There is a ...

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Dee Hitch

Lifestyle | Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Say cheese, wine this festive season

Here is a clever gift idea for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, charity events or corporate get-togethers. Northwest Cellars blends wines and adds personalized labels. I met Bob Delf, owner of Northwest Cellars, at a wine event (where else?) and immediately ordered two ...

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Patti Payne

BEHIND THE SCENES | February 11-17, 2005

LABEL ME

At a recent open hyouse for wedding vendors at A Perfect Celebration in Bellevue, folks gathered around the two owners of Northwest Cellars, wine distributors with custom labels.

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HOT DISH | November 3-9, 2004

Custom Clusters

How many people have dreamed about seeeing their own name (or face) on a bottle of wine? Robert Delf and Gregory McDonald are hoping that a great many people have. That's why they founded Northwest Cellars; to let wine fans who want to commmemorate a wedding ...

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2004-10-20 | by Lori Varosh, Journal Reporter

Design your own wine labels

New house? New baby? New business? Want to celebrate a champion racehorse, a theatrical opening or a cherished customer? Whatever the occasion, you can now annouce it with wine.

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Spring / Summer | 2005 Issue

Private Wine Label

Whatever your wedding theme, you can complement it by uncorking bottles with custom wine labels from Northwest Cellars (218 Main St., Kirkland; 866-421-9463; northwestcellars.com).

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