O’ Fidelitas [July 2020]

Hey y’all!! Still here in Woodinville, at our third and final stop of the day… O Fidelitas. Isn’t it crazy how you can have almost perfect memory recall about some things, places, persons, or experiences no matter how long ago they were? While other times you are racking your brain to remember anything at all!? Writing this wine blog has been so much fun for me. Looking back at places I’ve been, doing a little research to add to what I remember, and even learning new things I didn’t have a clue about. Well, O’ Fidelitas falls into that "racking my brain" category.

Looking back at my then Facebook post, I said “Third stop.. the charm!! 100% Cabernet with grapes blended from four different growers.. WOW.” So, I can only assume that I enjoyed the wines I was tasting. I usually have some kind of recall once I look back at my FB page or photos, but the ones I posted look nothing like the tasting room pictured on the website, and they do not mention moving. The only thing I can figure out is that they remodeled, expanded, or even moved to a different building. So, let’s just go ahead with that theory. Haha!!

What I do remember [mostly from my photo] was that Shawn and I sat out on the little patio, at the very table pictured below. I believe I went inside to ask for a tasting, but I do not remember at all what the inside looked. I did not take any photos either, but I feel like it was really busy and there were too many people to sit inside. I’m pretty sure someone brought my tastings outside to me, and that table where we were sitting was not very comfortable. It was also nearing the end of the day and Shawn was ready to hit the road so I didn't linger.

It was pretty interesting to do some research though, because I didn’t really know anything about this winery. Charlie Hoppes, owner and winemaker for O’ Fidelitas, grew up in Washington wine country. His parents incorporated wine drinking as part of the dinnertime, so he was interested in wine at an early age. After college Charlie was a flight test engineer for Boeing, but he couldn't let go of his love for wine. He states that "I quit my job to become a winemaker before it was cool to quit your job and become a winemaker." Haha!!

Ok, let’s talk about the winery name. I am always so curious and interested in how they come up with the name!! Sometimes it’s obvious, like the last name of the owner, but O’ Fidelitas!? First off, the O’ is a commonly used in Latin to call attention to what follows. [like in English we would say “O my” before saying something] Up the family tree there was a man with the name Daniel Fidelis O’Neal. The name “Fidelis” has been handed down for four generations and Charlie thought it would be a great name for the winery.

However, there was a grocery store chain that owned the trademark and Charlie ended up changing the name a little to something similar, that sounded kind of the same... “Fidelitas.” In Latin Fidelitas means faithful, loyal, and true. As a family run, multigenerational winery, Charlie thought this meaning fit right in with their vibe. “Faithful to Bordeaux grape varietals, loyal to modern craft winemaking, and true to Red Mountain.” Red Mountain is the home of O' Fidelitas vineyard and today it sits on a 12 acre Estate. Afterall, Charlie states that they are farmers at heart!!

I could only find two photos for this wine tasting. [I know, very unlike me!! Haha] Usually I have so many it’s difficult for me to narrow it down. I almost feel like I’m cheating you guys a little…

No worries, next week Wine with Wixy will be a little closer to home at Arbor Crest Winery and there will be no shortage of photos to regale you with!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!