Insania Winemaker Dinner
February 1, 2010 by Kevin Scurlock
In celebration of the recent release of our 2008 Insania Red and 2009 Insania White, please join Geoff Tate, legendary lead singer of Queensryche and Winemaker Holly Turner on Saturday May 8th for a very special evening at Three Rivers Winery.
Prepare to be dazzled by Chef Andrae Bopp as he creates culinary mayhem paired with the extraordinary wines of Three Rivers. Enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres at 7:00 PM, followed by an incredible four course dinner specially paired with the two new Insania releases and some of Three Rivers finest.
On this special night Geoff will be performing acoustically during the course of the evening. This masterpiece of food, wine and music is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. To be part of this extravaganza, please contact the winery at 509-526-9463.
Tickets are extremely limited and are available at $200.00 per person.
Longtime crush comes to fruit for Queensryche singer
January 24, 2010 by Kevin Scurlock
Queensryche singer Geoff Tate came to town this week for the bottling of his first white wine.
VICKI HILLHOUSE — Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
WALLA WALLA — The rock star stood out on the bottling line at Three Rivers Winery like a twist cap in a sea of corks.
Sandwiched into the Signature mobile bottling unit Wednesday, Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate stood out in his slacks, jacket and fedora among a T-shirt-clad crew for the bottling of his first Insania white wine. Serenaded by the humming of a furnace and compressor and the clanging of bottles moving along the automated line, the unit was a stage of sorts for a musician now finding his voice as a winemaker.
Tate inched along through each step of the process, personally taking the chance to load the bottles, monitor the wine pumped in and cap the corks.
The rock musician’s short trip to Walla Walla this week with his wife and manager, Susan Tate, ceremoniously capped the latest phase of his winemaking venture.
“You dream it up, harvest, blend. The bottling is the finishing of that phase,” said a goateed Tate, sporting a shaved head for yet another artistic venture: an upcoming role in his second psychological thriller.
For an oenophile like Tate, the partnership with Three Rivers makes good on a longtime crush. His tours and travels take him all over the world, where his love of wine has been cultivated from France to Italy.
“It’s a wonderful way to sample wine, and that’s what got me into it,” the 51-year-old singer/songwriter said at the end of the 200-case bottling. But the partnership has also brought newfound attention to Three Rivers, said winemaker Holly
Turner.
“I think it’s opened up a whole new fanbase for us,” Turner said during a break from bottling under the sun of a brisk morning.
Loyal listeners of Tate’s music are now getting to the age where more of them are likely to appreciate a good glass of wine, she said. His shows often open with tastings.
In the case of his latest blend — sauvignon blanc and semillon that Tate describes as a floral signal to summer — the initial pour will be at the Snoqualmie Casino next month in conjunction with a cabaret style, adults-only rock show featuring aerial acts, go-go and burlesque dancers, a contortionist and more.
Where Tate’s Insania is poured, so are other blends from Three Rivers Winery.
A new batch of consumers is learning about Walla Walla wines this way, Turner said. “They’re finding it in a different way, but it’s definitely through Geoff,” she said.
Tate is not the first celebrity to join Walla Walla’s wine industry. Actor Kyle MacLachlan has partnered with Dunham Cellars in projects. Former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe started his own Walla Walla winery a couple of years ago.
All three have Washington roots. Bledsoe, of course, grew up in Walla Walla. For Tate, the ties to the Northwest have infused a sense of pride Washington’s wine industry.
“I kind of think of myself as a spokesman for the state’s wine industry,” he said. “I’m kind of like a relentless salesman with it.”
With the local industry in a state of infancy compared to the old world wines of Europe, Washington and Walla Walla wines are just now beginning to appear on international menus, he said. Consequently, those pouring the wines are still learning about what the Northwestern U.S. has to offer.
For Tate, who got his start with Three Rivers bottling a red blend in 2008, the venture into wine making has show him a similarity between making music and wine that he never expected.
With wine, different people taste different things. With music, different people hear different things. For the consumer, it’s a matter of taste. For the winemaker/musician, it’s all about providing an experience through a unique art form.
“It all starts with inspiration,” he said. “But the success of what you do is part of the craftsmanship.”
Three Rivers Offers
December 4, 2009 by Kevin Scurlock
For a limited time Three Rivers Winery is offering a few extra holiday gifts with purchases of Geoff Tate Insania Wine made before the Christmas Holiday. When you purchase a minimum of 6 bottles, you will receive a FREE Insania T-Shirt, available in both men’s and women’s styles! With every bottle purchased, you’ll also receive an Insania Wine charm, up to a set of 4. In addition, for every order placed in the month of December, you will receive a hand-signed Thank You/Christmas card from Geoff Tate himself, thanking you for your continued support and reminding you that the wine will be on its way just as soon as it is bottled and ready to go! Have an Insania packed Holiday Season! (All offers good while supplies last.)
CLICK HERE PURCHASE & VISIT THREE RIVERS WINERY
Geoff Tate Announces Insania White
November 14, 2009 by Kevin Scurlock
TIME TO GO “INSANIA” ONCE AGAIN AS QUEENSRYCHE’S GEOFF TATE AND THREE RIVERS WINERY ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR NEW WHITE WINE BLEND FOR 2010
INITIAL WINE TASTING AND LAUNCH TO TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO QUEENSRYCHE CABARET SHOWS IN SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON IN FEBRUARY
Hot on the barrels of his sold out “Insania” red wine signature blend, Queensryche front man Geoff Tate has announced a new collaboration with Walla Walla, Washington-based Three Rivers Winery (www.threeriverswinery.com) for a white wine blend of the same name.
The new “Insania” — an artfully balanced offering that shines with honeydew melon, pear and apricot — is a classic blend of Sauvignon Blanc (78%) and Semllion (22%) that will be available early next year for an anticipated price of $25 per bottle.
The initial tasting and launch of the new blend will take place at the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington on Thursday, February 4th and Friday, February 5th, 2010 in conjunction with Queensryche’s forthcoming performances of the highly anticipated “Queensryche Cabaret.” (heralded as “The First Adults Only Rock Show!”).
Crisp and lively, the finish of the “Insania” white lends itself to an encore performance with its bright, crisp acidity, leaving you wanting more…
“Insania” (a Latin word meaning insanity, irrationality, madness) has become a labor of love for Geoff Tate, who remains deeply involved with its development and looks forward to further collaborations with Three Rivers Winery in the future.
“Wine has been an important part of my life and the creation of Insania is yet another avenue to express my creativity and give my fans something more they can enjoy,” states Geoff. “I hope to keep producing wine with Three Rivers as long as I enjoy drinking it… and that’s likely going to be for a very long time. May everyone enjoy this new white blend.”
“Insania” is certainly off to a good start as Geoff and Three Rivers red wine signature blend were prominently featured in the March 31, 2009 issue of Wine Spectator (online version available at http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Wine-Talk-Geoff-Tate_4436).
Cheers to “Insania” for years to come!
Insania (2008) taking Pre-Orders
March 26, 2009 by Kevin Scurlock
Geoff Tate of Queensryche has once again collaborated with Three Rivers Winery making a monster of a wine. His 2007 Insania has already sold out, but this year brings a new vintage that will be sure to rock your socks off.
Click here to place your 2008 Insania pre-order today.
As with last years vintage Tate and Three Rivers Winery collaborated efforts have spawned yet another red Bordeaux Blend, with Three Rivers winemaker Holly Turner. Read about his winemaking experience in this insightful article from Wine Spectator Magazine.
If you missed out on the 2007 Insania, you still have a chance to purchase a bottle. Whole Foods Markets has a limited supply remaining and will make them available for sale during two personal appearances by Geoff and Holly. See the schedule to the right for times and places.
Cheers!
Amy Locati
Three Rivers Winery
locati@threeriverswinery.com
Last Remaining Bottles
March 18, 2009 by Kevin Scurlock
Three Rivers is sold out of the first vintage of the Geoff Tate Insania. Whole Foods has the only remaining bottles and will sell them at bottle signing events with Geoff Tate and wine maker Holly Turner. The 2 stores and dates are below:
Redmond Whole Foods Market
17991 Redmond Way
Redmond, WA. 98052
425 881-2600
April 17 2-5:00P.M.
Chandler Whole Foods Market
2955 W. Ray Rd.
Chandler, Arizona. 85224
480 821-9447
May 30 12:00Noon-3:00 PM
Wine Talk: Geoff Tate
November 5, 2008 by Kevin Scurlock
Queensrÿche’s lead singer brings some rock n’ roll, and a new Bordeaux-style blend, to Washington’s Walla Walla appellation.
By: Tina Benitez
Originally Posted on WineSpectator.com
Geoff Tate, 49, lead vocalist of Queensrÿche, the heavy metal band that earned multiple gold and platinum records albums with hits like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity,” is one busy guy. More than 27 years since they first formed in Seattle, winning worldwide headbanger adulation while touring with bands like Iron Maiden, Kiss, Def Leppard and Metallica, the band continues to rock. They’re even putting the finishing touches on a new Queensrÿche album, tentatively titled Bob, which is scheduled for a spring 2009 release. In the midst of creating music, singer Tate is also taking some time to develop his passion for wine.
Like writing hit songs, Tate knows that making great wine is difficult, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying. In partnership with Holly and Andy Turner of Three Rivers Winery in Washington’s Walla Walla appellation, Tate is taking on a new role as a winemaker-in-training, and is set to release 190 cases of a Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec-based blend next February called Insania ($35). Tate took a break from recording to talk to Wine Spectator about the similarities between making wine and making music.
Wine Spectator: How did you first get into wine?
Geoff Tate: It was through traveling. When the band started touring the world [in the early 1980s], we’d partake in whatever cuisine we came across—record company dinners, lunches, different radio stations, different functions. You’re exposed to different wines, so that was my education in wine. My family really didn’t drink wine, growing up … I never had a drink of wine until I was traveling. I was about 21, 22.
WS: What were some of your early wine influences?
GT: One of the earliest Napa wines that really left an impression on me was the Joseph Phelps winery. Their Insignia is pretty intense stuff. I really liked what they did with the Cabernet Sauvignon. The first time I had their wine was sometime in the ’80s, and I just bought a lot of their stuff. In fact, I bought several cases from the late ’70s. That really turned me on to some of the Napa area wines. We travel a lot in Europe, so I get a chance to sample a lot of wines, and that’s been more of what shaped my tastes, but then discovering Napa later on was shocking to me.
WS: When did you know that you wanted to go into the winemaking business?
GT: I never actually thought about going into the business until the last two years. My wife is from Germany, and her family has a vineyard. We were visiting with them, and they invited us to work in the vineyard, and we both just loved it. It’s really hard work, but it’s really satisfying. A short while later, we met Holly Turner and her husband, Andy, in Walla Walla and started talking with them about making Insania.
WS: What do you like about the Walla Walla region?
GT: Walla Walla has a real earthiness to it. I like French wines, and … there’s this minerality, especially in the Bordeaux area, that somehow Walla Walla has. Maybe it’s the limestone and the rocks there. It’s also very fertile in the valley as well, so you can do a lot of different things to control the type of grape that you want. The intense sunshine that Washington has makes for an intense Malbec, which is one of my favorites.
WS: How involved are you in the winemaking process?
GT: Well, I get to wear a lab coat, and I get to do a lot of tasting. I’m definitely not a winemaker. I’m a disciple. I think we all have our limits to what we can and can’t observe, taste-wise, but I definitely know what I like and what I don’t like. Through our friendship with Holly and Andy, we found that we like and dislike a lot of the same things, so that helps. Like all things, making music, making wine, you make plans. You start with communication, defining what it is you want to do and then the more you talk about it, you find that you’re on a path. We were like, “Let’s make something really insane.”
WS: So is that how you got the name Insania? You wanted to make an insane wine?
GT: We just wanted something that had that spirit of rock n’ roll, that energetic feeling you get when the music is loud, when it’s pumped up—when you feel this intense kind of rush of Insania, I guess [laughs]. I like that in a wine too, when you uncork something and you don’t have any expectations. Maybe you never read about it, and the moment you have it, your mouth just explodes. That’s one of the things Insania has—it has lots of layers to it. Malbec has a lot to do with it, and it’s about 20 percent Petit Verdot. It has this intensity to it. I think with the barreling, that will mellow it down, but it’s going to have a lot of body, a lot of structure.
WS: Would you say winemaking is similar to songwriting?
GT: Yes, it’s pretty much like writing a song. You have your basic structure of a song. You know what you’re going for, but you don’t quite know how you’re going to arrive at it. You kind of mix some chords together, and that inspires a melody and before you know it, you have a song. It’s similar to wine. You blend those ingredients, and you hope that what you get on the first try is pretty incredible. Wine is very subjective, and it’s up for debate and argument and discussion. What makes the Mona Lisa such a valuable painting? If you look at it compared to other paintings, it’s not so special to look at—part of it is the story behind it, the mystery of it, that’s a very seductive thing. It adds value to something. It makes people want to have it, want to own it.
Holiday Barrel Tasting INSANIA
October 30, 2008 by Kevin Scurlock
Join Three Rivers in welcoming Geoff Tate back to the winery for a special barrel sampling of his 2007 INSANIA wine. Geoff will be hanging out in the barrel room pouring samples for $15 per person for two hours only(12:00pm to 2:00pm), on Saturday December 6th only! We will apply the tasting fee towards the purchase of any INSANIA futures which are $35 per bottle. The wine is slated to be released in February 2009 and only 190 cases will be bottled. Make the holidays even brighter with a visit to Three Rivers Winery this year!
Insania Taking Pre-Orders
October 7, 2008 by Kevin Scurlock
Created by Geoff Tate of Queensryche and Three Rivers Winemaker Holly Turner, Insania is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 15% Merlot and 5% Malbec. This wine will not be bottled and shipped until February 2009 so Insania is only available by advance purchase at this time. Production will be around 200 cases.
Now taking pre-orders at ThreeRiversWinery.com
** Photo courtesy of One Mind Creations
Downtime Not An Option
September 19, 2008 by Kevin Scurlock
Anxiously engaged: Downtime not an option for Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate
By Doug Fox of Daily Herald (Salt Lake City)
As if Geoff Tate wasn’t already busy enough. The Queensryche lead singer is in the middle of putting the finishing touches on the band’s latest studio concept record, for starters. Additionally, he’s in the process of mixing and dubbing a new solo album that will be released later next year. He’s also gearing up to shoot a role in an MTV-produced movie in October.
On top of all that, Tate and his wife are launching their own brand of wine — called “Insania.” It’s actually the wine project that led Tate to form a side band that will perform a limited number of dates on a mini-tour that kicks off tonight at the Depot in Salt Lake City.
There is a promotional barrel tasting for the wine on Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash., and Tate’s wife suggested he also do a show there.
“That sounded like a fun idea,” said Tate in a recent phone interview from his home in Seattle, “so I just called everybody that I’ve been hanging out with lately. ‘Hey, you want to get together and play some songs?’ And it kind of turned into a show.”
Tate ended up putting together an eight-piece band that includes a few familiar faces — notably Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield, vocalist Pamela Moore (who sang the role of Sister Mary in Queensryche’s “Operation: mindcrime” production), and former Third Eye Blind bassist Jason Slater. Rounding out the band are vocalist Jason Ames (an Italian pop star), keyboardist Ben Anderson, and guitarists Parker Lundgren and Joe Mulkern.
“It will be really fun,” Tate said of tonight’s Salt Lake appearance — the opening date on the four-show promo tour. “One thing that is kind of neat about this show is although I’m doing a lot of my solo material, I’m also doing a lot of Queensryche stuff. What we’re doing is, we’re doing kind of re-arrangements on some of the familiar songs, and then we’re also playing songs that Queensryche doesn’t normally play live. Kind of giving our Queensryche fans something special, you know.”
Any band that has churned out as many hits as Queensryche — which reached its commercial peak in the 1990s with songs such as “Silent Lucidity,” “Jet City Woman,” “Another Rainy Night,” “Empire” and “Anybody Listening?” — faces the same dilemma in concert. Namely, feeling locked into a certain number of songs that fans expect them to play.
“It’s more like demand that you play,” Tate said with a laugh, noting that it’s been a lot of fun working up some of the band’s deeper album cuts in rehearsals for this tour. “It’s actually very satisfying because they’re songs I’ve always wanted to perform live, but never had the chance to — and the same with Scott. This is really a treat for us as well.”
As for the stage show, Tate said fans should expect “an elegantly casual presentation,” and not the elaborate visual productions that Queensryche is known for.
“We just kind of all got together and started jamming out stuff and working on some of the songs from my upcoming album and also playing some of the solo stuff,” Tate said. “And then we said, ‘Hey, let’s throw some Queensryche stuff in there and see what that’s like.’ And it was really fun to play these different versions, you know, different people’s interpretations of the songs, which I always like. In fact, when I hear cover bands do our stuff, I love hearing that — other people’s versions of it, because it’s very difficult, apparently, from what I’ve been told, to cover Queensryche.”
After this short run of solo dates, which ends Sunday in Spokane, Wash., Tate will simply pick up one of his many other irons in the fire — completing the next Queensryche album, currently titled “Bob.”
“Bob?”
“Yeah, ‘Bob.’ It all started years ago when we recorded our first demo on a cassette tape that belonged to this guy named Bob,” Tate said. “And he’d written his name in, like, really dark pen, and he wrote it, actually, on the case that the cassette was in, so it never came off. So after that, we always put each demo in that same case, and we called it “Bob.” And it became this weird tradition that every album is called “Bob” until we actually have a title.”
