Serendipity from Red Sky Winery

Serendipity. Have you ever wondered about the etymology of the word Serendipity? Perhaps or perhaps not. If you have, allow me to do the leg work for you. The definition of the word: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

But what if I were to tell you that we are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity? A word that he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of." This word has a romantic history, wouldn’t you agree?

Tonight I have good reason to think about the origin of the word Serendipity because it’s the name of the wine that I’ve been enjoying tonight. It’s the name of a wonderful Bordeaux blend that Red Sky Winery in Woodinville, Washington not only makes, but makes so well that after one taste, I joined their wine club so I could have lots of this delicious red wine at my disposal. Here’s where the Serendipitous part comes in. I’d seen Red Sky out in the warehouse district in Woodinville but had never stopped in. Then my China friend came into town and we went wine tasting one Saturday last winter in Woodinville. He told me that I really needed to taste the wines at Red Sky and that he was a member of their wine club. Well, I took his advice and after tasting all of their wines, I joined their wine club as well. There was a release party going on that day so I was lucky enough to meet the wine maker, Carol Parsons, who is not only a nice lady, and very cool, but she also has an amazing talent for turning grapes into some of the best wine I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking.

The 2005 Red Sky Winery Serendipity is perfect if you’re into red blends. The ’05 Serendipity is a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. It’s a reserve Bordeaux style red wine that was aged in 100% new oak and blended first from Red Sky’s finest barrels to provide structure to this amazing wine. The bouquet consists of raspberries, toasted almonds, cassis, and exotic spices. The taste exhibits subtle blackberries with hints of toast, minerals, licorice, and the underlying structure of fruit carries the fruit on the palate that lingers for a very long time. This wine can be enjoyed on its own, or to compliment cedar planked salmon (Seattleites take note), pork or cumin and coriander rubbed lamb, or beef with carmelized onions and goat or triple crème cheeses. This wine won a gold metal award at the 09' Seattle Wine Awards. The alcohol is 14.5%, and there were only 168 cases made. Serendipity retails for $40.00 a bottle.

So back to the definition of Serendipity and the point to this story – I consider it serendipitous that I discovered this delicious wine because of a friend who lives in China, who I bumped into accidently last year at a winery in Woodinville while wine tasting with my daughter. And that friend introduced me to Red Sky Winery, a very desirable discovery by accident. The rest of the story I can chalk up to serendipity.