Generation Wine Y

There is good news concerning the future of wine consumption in the USA. There was a recent consumer study from the Wine Market Council showing that younger wine drinkers are considerably more comfortable with wine, and drink it more often, than older Baby Boomers. They are labeled "Generation Wine Y" -- could the 'Y' stand for "Youngsters?"

The study, which surveyed 1,938 respondents, divided American wine drinkers into three demographic segments: Boomers (ages 41-59 in 2006), Generation X (29-40) and Millennials (18-28). Their study showed that these three groups are drinking more wine than they were two years ago, but Millennials are increasing their rate of consumption faster than anyone else. Among Millennials, the net percent of increase was 39 percent, compared with 30 percent for Generation Xers and just 8 percent more for Boomers.

The study also shows that the Millennials are behaving, at least with wine, in a similar manner as the Boomers did in the 1970s.

It's apparent that if you are merchandising wine, you need to be wine-savvy and hip (or is it "cool", "rad", "bitchin'" or "that's hot"). The wine "youngsters" of today can spot a "wine poseur." From working tasting rooms and sitting in viticulture/enology classrooms, I've learned that the new, young wine consumer tends to be well-educated, sophisticated and well-traveled. They are inquisitive about grapes and wine production, and may ask about everything from "the bilateral cordon" to "geranium taint." They love to debate SO2 v. organics. And it isn't unusual for them to ask questions that are beyond the information printed on tasting-room hand-outs. If you are working sales in this industry, you may need more education than "Wine for Dummies 101," though if you feel you don't need much education you might never know these well-informed kids could be laughing behind your back. Many times I have felt the "Wine Youngster" knew the answer but was testing me to see if I was worthy. A few times they almost got the best of me!

If you are a wine-loving Boomer, you will be looking into the faces of your own children or maybe even grandchildren as the wine experts of tomorrow. The image of the distinguished white- haired man in the tweed jacket with the tastevin and sash around his neck is obsolete.

I love Generation Y. This new generation of wine lovers will keep me young in this industry and keep me current with new wine info. These kids will also make me reach into my old brain to find the answers to wine questions that I may not have thought of in years, and that's a good thing.

Walla Walla Wine Greetings to Philadelphia!

Keith Wallace, director of the The Wine School of Philadelphia says not only does he love Walla Walla wines, but he loves the people as well.

I am pleased to announce that Philadelphia wine lovers will be learning more about Walla Walla and Walla Walla wines as this blog, ~Through The Grape Vine~ will now be syndicated ("bloggregation") into the school's own Wine Lust - The Best of the Blogosphere."

As of last month, the state of Pennsylvania was still a bit confused on what direction the wine consumer should take when it came to ordering wine outside of their state. A federal judge ruled in November that Pennsylvania's prohibitions against out-of-state wine shipments were unconstitutional, but state regulators, wineries, carriers and consumers are in vino limbo. While they are now legally allowed to ship, they are with no rules for how to do it. In the mean time they waiting for some direction from the state legislature.

Let's keep our corkscrews crossed so the state of Pennsylvania can start enjoying Walla Walla's area wines and that it will be delivered right to their doorstep.

Patit Creek Cellars

Northwest Palate magazine (March/April 2006 issue) really liked this 2003 Merlot from Patit Creek Cellars. Congratulations!

"Attractive, herbal-oriented aromas show mint, graham, spice, and bold plum fruit. Juicy and round, with full flavors of plum and ripe black berries. Freshening acidity, firm tannins, and a toasty oak frame finish a delicious wine. Cellar for 2 to 3 years to round off the youthful edges"

Patit Creek Cellars is located in the charming town of Dayton, which is 30 miles from Walla Walla. They also have a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, which is opened during April to December.

Celebrity Spotting

Actor Kyle MacLachlan was spotted dining at popular local downtown soup and sandwich spot, Stone Soup. Kyle is known for such characters as Dr Trey McDougal of "Sex and the City" and FBI agent Dale Cooper of "Twin Peaks."

Kyle is no stranger to Walla Walla. He is a native of Yakima, WA and has been seen spotted in Walla Walla numerous times and been reported as a fan of Walla Walla wines. I remember him fondly as "Jeffrey Beaumont" in David Lynch's 1986 brilliant film noir, "Blue Velvet". Also starring in the movie was Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern.

"She wore blue velvet..."

Woodward Canyon

Last night I opened a bottle of Woodward Canyon's Red Table Wine. This is definitely a great food wine to be paired with Wednesday night spaghetti, Saturday's bar-be-que hamburgers or Sunday's pot roast. Even better, an every day great sipping wine. I enjoyed my glass while nibbling on a European dark chocolate bar.

I believe that this particular blend was Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The nose was cocoa and mint. The taste was of very dense and full of dark fruit. What I enjoyed most of all was the long burnt sugar and creamy finish. Reminded me of creme brulee.

This wine is another fine example of Walla Walla's excellent red table wines for under $20.00. The valley's wineries have been producing some of the finest non-vintage blends at excellent values.

Waitsburg In Sunset Magazine

This morning Carl Schmitt, whose family owns the first class restaurant Whitehouse-Crawford, forwarded me to the new April issue of Sunset Magazine (page 58). I was delighted to read that under the Sunset's "Travel, Things To Do In The Northwest" the town of Waitsburg was featured. The article, "Tiny, tasty Waitsburg", emphasized the delicious food coming out of the WhoopemUp Hollow Cafe and the hand tossed pizza from the Lyon's Den.

Gee - all Sunset Magazine had to do was ask me or at least stay tuned to this blog, I could have told them that.

Thanks Carl for the pointer!

The Lesson of a Horoscope and a Good Cabernet.

In 2001, the then tasting room staff at "L'Ecole No #41 was discussing the differences of the two 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon releases. All of the tasting room staff, with the exception of me, preferred the 1998 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet to the 1998 Columbia Valley Cabernet. Now, it wasn't that I didn't like the 1998 L'Ecole Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved it! But there was something about the 1998 L'Ecole Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon I preferred. It was just something different that spoke to my tastebuds.

A few months later, the Wine Spectator listed the 1998 L'Ecole Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in their "Top 100 Wines of the World" list. Yes! My tastebuds felt absolved!

Yesterday my horoscope said I should do something nice for myself. It's rare when I listen to those things. Okay - sure - this time only. Why not? So I decided to have a quiet happy hour for one and work on that French cassoulet recipe* I have been wanting to master. Turned on some light music and made a little "pu-pu plate" of water biscuits and a foil cake of shallot and chive Boursin cheese (I try to keep a box of it around - perfect for impromptu happy hours). I stood in front of the wine rack, closed my eyes and picked. Ah-ha! It was a 1998 L'Ecole Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon! I almost put it back and then remembered what my horoscope said.

I dusted off the bottle, opened it and let it sit for awhile. Cedar came through to the nose and very aromatic cooked fruit. The taste was very silky with little to no appearance of tannins. A little taste of cassis at first and after it sat for awhile, a very strong essence of cherry pie and toasty almonds really came through. This evening I will enjoy another glass or two and see if there has been any change. There's another bottle of this fine Cabernet in my collection along with a couple of the larger format bottles. Those bottles will defininitely not be opened for a few more years. It will be interesting to look back and see how much the wine has aged.

There is a good chance you might be able to obtain this wine. It may be available in the L'Ecole library, which some of the wines are often for sale. If you do - give them a pointer to this post and tell them I sent you.

*About the cassoulet? It's almost perfect and the emphasis on the herbs de Provence made it happen. Tonight I will cover it with a gratin and bake it. My next batch I may add a onion confit to it. I hope it pairs well with the 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon and if it doesn't? Who cares? They will both taste delicious.

First the dog and now the wine cellar - D_I_V_O_R_C_E!

First there was alimony which later begat palimony. Then came the issues of pet custody and pet-alimony. Now the lastest on divorce is: who is going to get custody of the wine cellar and the wine club! Will this new legal issue be referred to as "Enolomony"(remember you read that word here first)?"

Tom Wark of Fermentation points out attorney, Jeffrey Lalloway's post about "The new divorce battleground? The wine cellar."

I am reminded of my own divorce and wine cellar. While we had far from 300 cases, there was a modest 75-100 bottles of wine depending. The wine was kept in the basement and there were a couple of special wine racks to hold the bottles. We went wine tasting about a couple of times a year looking for wine for upcoming family gatherings and holidays. Some of the bottles held special memories of wine tasting trips with friends, gifts and even a few bottles of my father's homemade wine from the 1970's.

My ex-husband is really a great guy. Towards the end of our 20 years together, he became the "great guy who made some bad life choices" and I went on to make better life choices. When we split the sheets and the wine cellar, he was very helpful in packing it all up. We agreed to split it evenly. About a month later I was unpacking my wine. That helpful little &^%$# ex-husband gave me all of the whites! There wasn't a red wine in the two and 1/2 cases of wine! At first I was a bit miffed, but I ended up laughing it off. I mean how could I not laugh? I believe in karma.

In the last ten years, since the divorce, we see each other during family events. I usually show up to family events with several bottles of wine to share and often saving one for the ex-husband to take home and enjoy. Of course, I always send him home with a red wine, too. Sure, why not?

I now work in the wine industry, so I get involved in some great wine deals from our area. At this time I am building my own collection of red wines. And it just so happens that the ex-husband's new wife? She only drinks White Zinfandel from a box. Oooohhh - - you gotta love karma!

CreekTown Cafe

Do you want to dress up for the evening, but dine on old family recipes like bread pudding or would you rather wear your jeans and dine on cherry balsamic duck breast? No matter how you dress, the freshest food and finest local wines come into the back doors of this intimate and friendly cafe to reach the tables of their guests.

Proprietors Tom Uberuaga and Bill Pancake have built a dining experience with hometown roots. Tom was formerly opening manager of the distinguished White-House Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla and Bill was chef and former owner of Jacobi's (Jacobi's was never as good after Bill sold it) at the old historic train station in Walla Walla.

Everytime I dine at CreekTown, my tastebuds remind me "Why don't I eat here more often?" Saturday was just such a day when my tastebuds spoke to me. My son Allen was in town and we met up with Jeff, one of his best friends. Jeff and co-owner Bill are cousins and when Jeff said, "Let me treat you at my cousin's restaurant", I knew exactly where he meant - CreekTown Cafe!

Some of my favorites are the bread pudding for dessert and the hummus and baked artichoke dip appetizer plate. One evening we dined on a prime rib special that included a baked (and very rich) mac and cheese and a vegetable gratin. We left feeling stuffed but happy.

Saturday I tried their special of coconut shrimp over roasted vegetables. I asked for a wine suggestion and our waitress paired it perfect - a Viognier from Rulo Winery. The floral and soft pear notes from the wine really blended nicely with the curry ginger sauce over the roasted vegetables.

CreekTown keeps a local rotating wine list so they can pour every Walla Walla wine at least a couple times a year. The cafe is small and always busy, so I definitely recommend reservations.

The Lyon's Den

Last week several friends and I took a road trip to Waitsburg, Washington. Waitsburg is a small town located in Walla Walla wine country and about a twenty minute drive from the city. It's a safe bet that this sleepy agriculture town of 1,262 will soon be a Washington State desination spot. There is movement going on in the historical Main Street buildings and it's exciting!

In August I wrote about our wonderful experience at the WhoopemUp Hollow Cafe, a mouth watering assortment of southern food located in Waitsburg, of all places! My last trip back to the WhoopemUp, I noticed a new spot in Waitsburg, The Lyon's Den and that was the destination of last week's road trip.

The ambiance of the Lyon's Den is comfortable with antler chandeliers and original brick walls. There is a lot happening in this place. Music on the weekends and we couldn't help noticing a serious crowd of women playing pool. There is a full bar featuring Walla Walla wines from Isenhower Cellars, Tamarack Cellars, Amavi, Forgeron Cellars, Three Rivers Winery, Walla Walla Vintners, and Magnificent Wine Co (K-Vintners). Last, but not least is their menu of "big city" martini's - tweaked cowboy style.

Besides friendly service, there is a casual menu available featuring freshly made artisan style pizzas and large salads. My large "pizza salad" was so filling, there wasn't any room for a piece of that delicious looking artisan crust with melted cheese. Next time I am skipping the salad (well, maybe I'll order a small one) and going right for the pizza! Right. I am going back!

Frank is Blue

A member of Wine Wenches Warriors & Exiles read my post about Lemberger and directed me to this site - ClearWeather Wines from Montana. They just happen to produce a Lemberger and also gather many of their grapes from some of the finest vineyards in Washington and Oregon. Their handcrafted small lot wines age in both French and Oregon oak barrels and are affordably priced. ClearWeather emphasizes that they do not make "cookie cutter" wines. And it appears that they do not make "cookie cutter" labels, either.

Check out "Blue Frank" and his very interesting life. It's a great story.

Blue Frank was born in a log cabin in the little town of Lemberg, Western Canada. Growing up, he had dreams of moving to Montana to be a dental floss farmer. At the age of 45, he moved out of his mother's house and started to Montana. Somehow, he lost his directions, drifted through Hanford (where he ended up blue), and arrived at the onion factory in Patterson, Washington. After living on red wine and Walla Walla Sweet Onions for three years, Blue Frank finally made his way to Montana. In Missoula, he found out that the bottom had fallen out of the dental floss business. Being broke, tired, disillusioned, and Blue, he did the only thing he could. He sold his old VW Bus and bought a guitar. In three short days, he learned to sing the blues. To this day, you can still find him, sitting at the Farmer's Market, old hat and bottle of wine in front of him, singing the blues on his old guitar.

I think Frank strikes a uncanny resemblance to Frank Zappa.

Calico

Just like the many colors and textures of the calico fabric, Calico Red, weaves together a RTW blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.

This will be the third release of Calico Red from the "Girls" at Bergevin Lane - Annette, Virginie, and Amber. Since the 2001 release, this has been one of my favorite (and consistent) RTW's from the valley and always affordable at $16.00. To describe the taste I would explain it as a luscious and juicy, like a fresh compote of strawberries, raspberries and other brambleberries. Spicy with black pepper, cocoa, and burnt sugar, but silky finish like caramel.

Calico Red is a wine I would pair with casual dining such as a bar-be-que with smokey sausages, brisket and ribs and even better for that every day sipping wine. Calico Red is a fine example of one of the many affordable and quality red table blends in the valley.

No Merlot?

Have you heard of the website No Merlot? If you haven't, check it out. This site is also for sale. Their reason for "No Merlot" is based on the movie, "Sideways." The famous Merlot scene takes us to Jack and Miles having dinner with a couple of women they picked up:

Jack: "And if they wanna drink merlot, we're drinkin’ merlot."
Miles: "No. If anybody orders merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f#%&ing merlot!"

The wine peeps at "No Merlot" feels that Mile's aversion to Merlot is well-founded. They feel that Merlot, or more specifically, American Merlot is generally bland and flabby, lacking any varietal character or structure. Phhhhttt!!! Hey boys and girls - it's obviously you haven't tried any Merlot from Washington State! Or maybe they have and that is why they are selling their "No Merlot" site?

The unfortunate thing is, as fun as the movie Sideways was, it did an injustice to current Merlot sales and might possibly harm future Pinot Noir sales. Miles waxed poetry about his favorite wine, Pinot Noir. Of course, the sales soared! Unfortunately, this also meant that the casual wine drinker was missing out on some fantastic Merlot and was probably picking up some cheap Pinot Noir (instead of the beauties from the Willamette area in Oregon) at their local grocery store and were left wondering, "What is so great about Pinot Noir?"

The irony - - while Miles was cursing Merlot, he babbled on about the virtues of Chateau Petrus, one of the world's most expensive wines, which also just happens to be made up of 95% Merlot! Chateau Petrus produces about 3,000 cases of wine in an average year. Newly released bottles are usually offered as futures for around $500-750 a bottle, and later vintages will fetch more than $1,000 a bottle.

Listening to this character Miles rant and rave about hating Merlot, I kept thinking to myself - he hasn't tasted Washington Merlots. Pomerol, where Petrus is located sits on the 45th parallel of latitude. If you follow that latitude west to North America and across the United States, you will discover that the Walla Walla Valley is just to it's north. The soils of the Walla Walla Valley are similar to those of Pomerol - deposits of gravel and clay. Washington state grape vines also get two more hours of sunlight per day than those vines in California. Those extra hours of sun intensifies color, acids and makes for perfect ripening of the fruit. Unlike the more jammier Merlots of the south state, Washington Merlots are more food friendlier. Bolder and more earthier wine due to to the soil from the region.

In January 2006 issue of Decanter, they recommended the following Walla Walla Merlots:

Leonetti Cellar 2003, Lecole #41 Seven Hills Vineyard 2003, Northstar - Walla Walla Valley 2001 (note: Northstar only produces Merlot), Pepperbridge Winery 2002, and Woodward Canyon, 2002 .

For best value, their recommendations are:

Seven Hills Vineyard, 2002 - $30, Walla Walla Vintners, 2003 - $28, Ash Hollow, 2003 - $24, Beresan Winery, 2003 - $29, Forgeron Cellars, 2002 - $27, Lowden Hills, 2002 - $24, and Stephenson Cellars, 2002 - $28.

It's important to say that the "No Merlot" also has a website No Chardonnay. Again, it is based on the movie Sideways and here is why they are not drinking any Chardonnay:

Jack: “I thought you hated chardonnay.”

Miles: "No, no, no. I just don't generally like the way they manipulate Chardonnay in California. Too much oak and secondary malolactic fermentation."

Finally - I couldn't agree more!

~March Cherry Pick~

It's a grapey month! March is "Washington Wine Month", as declared by the Washington Wine Commission. During the month, the state's wine industry will be the focal point with various events at several restaurants and wine shops through the state.

The valley's March weather has been true to the legacy of "In like a lion and out like a lamb." So, I thought this month I would choose two very different wines - a bold one like the beast and a delicate wine like a lamb.

The "lion" is the 2003 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Three Rivers Winery. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc has gone into this vintage. Champoux is one of the oldest vineyards in the Columbia Valley with the first vines planted in 1972. This is an intense wine, showcasing the true varietal character of Cabernet. Deep cherry flavors and lots of tannins, which makes this wine perfect for aging. A medium to rare grilled peppercorn steak or add a topping of broiled bleu cheese makes a great pairing and I would finish it with a rich chocolate mousse or torte. Make it simple with a meat lovers style of pizza with lots of sausage and a Hershey chocolate bar for dessert. This Cabernet has been noticed with a Silver Medal-2005 Tri-Cities Wine Festival and a Bronze Medal at the 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The "lamb" is the 2004 Riesling from Forgeron Cellars. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know - I work there. But seriously, this is a wine that is very typical of the early world class Rieslings of Washington state. It really has a great nose - with citrus and honeysuckle aromas. Definitely a bite of the orchard with apple and peach flavors. A residual sugar of 2.93, this wine is not only a great afternoon sipping wine with a cheese and fresh fruit plate, but cleanses the palette and blends perfectly with spicy phad Thai and other Asian dishes. Pair it with exotic foods like tandoori chicken or Italian polenta with lots of butter and cheese. Go for something simple like chicken pot pie or popcorn. I heard, "though the grapevine" that there isn't much of this delightful Riesling left. You want it? At the terrific price of $16.00 a bottle, get_it_now!

PS: Nina Lee - A Very Sexy Syrah

How could I forget the Nina Lee! Not only is this another example of a fine Syrah from the Walla Walla area, but even the label is sexy!

A relative of the Corkrum's Spring Valley family, Nina Lee was a vaudeville actress at one of the local theatres in the 1920's. She married into the Corkrum family and after her husband Frederick died, she continued to manage the family ranch on her own.

This is a very HUGE Syrah, unlike the woman that it was named after! Lots of cocoa and bramble berries coming through. My notes remembered it being a very earthy and spicy wine. Now that I have teased you, good luck finding it. The current vintage is sold out!

Sexy Syrah

There is a buzz going on in the wine industry and the buzzing is about the Syrahs from Walla Walla Valley. Wine retailers and others are making claims that Walla Walla is making world-class Syrahs that are complex and aromatic. As a fan of Syrah, I couldn't agree more. These Syrah's are designed for wine drinkers who are looking for a rich, dense, yet low in tannins, and very fragrant wine.

ACNielsen reports that sales of Washington's Syrah are up 41 percent from a year ago, while Walla Walla Syrahs are up a huge 269 percent. California Syrah sales were up just 19 percent. Some wine retailers feel the difference between the two states is that Washington, especially Walla Walla, Syrahs seem to have more depth and earthier.

Walla Walla winemaker, Rusty Figgins was the "grandfather" (a young one) of this special grape. In 1993, he convinced a local vineyard to plant a block of Syrah. Later, a founder of Glenn Fiona, Figgins co-fermented the Syrah with Viognier, as done in classic Côte Rôties. Since that time, Syrah's have taken off in the valley. In 1996, French winemaker Christophe Baron used Syrah as his flagship grape for his Walla Walla winery, Cayuse.

Some of my favorite valley Syrah's? Where do I start?

Cayuse is one of the finest to have hit these lips. But good luck finding it. At this point, Christophe is providing Syrah to those on his wine club list. My bottles of Cayuse are swaddled in fine cloths of velvet and linen. After that, I am torn between any Syrah that comes from the Morrison Lane Vineyards, K-Vintners (voted top 10 Syrah in America), and Forgeron Cellars. Morrison Lane Winery of course, has their estate Syrah and also contract grapes to K-Vintners for a designated vineyard Syrah. Forgeron Cellars is so aromatic with a beautiful inky color! I have referred to it as my "breakfast wine." Why breakfast? The nose is deep and earthy like fresh ground coffee with the smell of toast in the background. The taste is like a lush mouthful of fresh blueberries and smokey like bacon. Very traditional aromas and tastes.

A few harvests back, I had the opportunity to know and work with one of the assistants at Glenn Fiona. Every so often he would bring me a sample of how their Syrah was coming along after their crush. The color was gorgeous! Deep and rich in dark fruit and often I would find a hint of violets in the nose. It impressed me so much, that I still remember.

Other Syrahs from the area I would recommend is Isenhower (the "Wild Alfalfa" has very generous dark fruit and spicy), Basel Cellars (very aromatic), most definitely Rulo (excellent prices and hospitality), Fort Walla Walla (elegant and traditional with Viognier added) and most recently Zerba Cellars (big and smokey). After this is printed, I know I will remember others that I enjoyed or that are not in my notes. These in particular have really made an impression on me.

A Syrah to keep an eye on in the valley is John Duval's "Sequel" from Longshadows. John is no stranger to Syrah, being he was a winemaker for Penfold's Grange in Australia. This is a Syrah I would definitely age for awhile. That is exactly what I plan on doing with mine.

Find out how sexy Syrah can be at the fifth annual "Sexy Syrah Festival", March 21 at http://www.saltys.com/seattle/"Salty's On Alki" in Seattle, celebrating Washington state's Syrahs.

In Memory of Rodney Strong - Dancer Turned Winemaker

A farmboy raised in Washington state, he would eventually find himself on Broadway dancing in many of the great cities of the world. But even Broadway could not remove the soil that was deep in Strong's soul. That love of Washington's wild west soil eventually took him to Sonoma County to become a winemaker.

Through the years, Strong would say, "I knew I couldn't be an old dancer, but I would be an old winemaker.'' And that he did. He became one of Sonoma's best known winemakers - Rodney Strong Vineyards. Strong, along with his wife Charlotte, helped to define the wine country lifestyle - good food, fine wines and gracious living.

Strong credited his theatrical experiences in surviving the wine business. He claimed that the theater was a good preparation for rejection. His experiences in the theater and the wine business left him with a guiding philosophy. "... you are never going to please everybody, and if you try, it is the shortest route to mediocrity you will ever find,'' he said.

A wine career that lasted for four decades, Strong died Sunday, March 5 at the age of 78. A few decades short of the Washington state wine boom, I wish Rodney could have come back to the soil of his youth.

~March Cooking With Washington Wines~

While looking through my personal recipe file and those from our family cookbook, that was printed a couple of summer's ago, I had trouble deciding what would be appropriate for March. First I thought about my jambalaya recipe with chicken, delicious sausage and shrimp. It would have been appropriate for the Mardi Gras week. But Fat Tuesday was the last day in February, so I forgot that idea. Then I thought about Saint Patrick's Day coming up and there was my father's corn beef and cabbage recipe that he would prepare every March. No. I didn't want to think about a wine that would pair with cabbage. As I looked through the family cookbook I immediately thought - Italian! Why not? In honor of my charming son-inlaw, Giancarlo and my beautiful granddaughter, Izabella. So, I thought I would post one of the recipes from Gianni's father, Emilio.

Emilio is a legend in Portsmouth, NH where he and Gianni's mom, Linda dishes up delicious lunches and sells imported Italian groceries to his customers at Emilio's. You do not tell him what you want to eat. He tells you. What are the store's hours if you happen to be in Portsmouth and want to check it out? It's open when Emilio feels like it. Emilio has been featured on the PBS program Ciao Italia hosted by Mary Ann Espisito. I have watched this show when the two of them have had wars on who makes the best pizza - him or her. And now I present - -

Emilio's Angel Hair Pasta

Capellini d'Angeli d'Emilio

This recipe was from Nonni Maddaloni. A quick and tasty meal and according to Emilio, even better at 3:00 am. If you want to keep the Italian theme going, you could pair it with a Pinot Grigio from Seven Hills Winery. Or if you aren't a fan of white, then check out the red Italian varietals from Morrison Lane. If you really want to be adventurous, try the Chenin Blanc from Lecole No. #41. That bit of residual sugar will blend with and sooth the spice from the peppers.

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp of jarred capers, rinsed and minced

7 or 8 black olives, oil-cured, pitted and chopped

4 or 5 anchovy fillets in olive oil. Drained, but reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil

2 small jalapeño peppers

1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley

Fine sea salt or kosher salt to taste

1/2 pound angel hair pasta

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add garlic and saute over medium heat until it softens. Stir in the capers, olives, anchovies and reserved oil, jalapeño peppers, red pepper flakes, and half of the parsley. Continue to saute until the anchovies melt into the oil. Add salt per taste. Remove the jalapeño peppers and set aside. Keep the sauce warm. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved water to the saute pan. Over medium heat quickly stir the pasta and sauce together until it is mixed well. Pour the finished pasta mixture onto the platter over the jalapeño peppers. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the top and serve with your favorite Italian hard cheese.

Buon appetito!

Two Unsophisticated Moms

I recently discovered this blog Two Unsophisticated Mom's Guide To Wine and Beer .

Jess and Christie may be unsophisticated in their wine lingo, but are very eager to share their wine and beer tasting journeys. I love it! They are two PTA moms that are honest in their descriptions of wines and what they like to drink.

They are a great example that wine is no longer for the distinguished older man wearing the tweed jacket with the tastevin and sash draped around his neck. While the world of wine has become broader and more intricate than ever before, it is important that it appeals to more than the old stereo-type wine drinker from years gone by. To keep wine sales flourishing, we need honesty from wine consumers on what they enjoy and it needs to be appealing, with no pretension, to any potential customer. Perhaps wine marketers should consider simplicity in selling their wines and use wine descriptions like Jess and Christie's:

"Okay", "Pretty darn good", and "WOW - you've got to try this wine!"

I Finally Met The Wine Expert

I finally met the "Wine Expert," and here I thought it was just another urban legend.

The front door of the winery suddenly opened and there was this very tiny woman. She had a big smile on her face, and as she held the door open, she exclaimed, "My brother in-law is here from Sonoma. He knows a lot about wine." She continued to keep the door open, as if she was holding it open for royalty. Then, to my surprise, in plopped this large and rather massive man, and he was here to teach this “lil’ lady” (moi) a thing or two about wine. In fact, he was here to teach the whole state of Washington about wine. He proudly wore a t-shirt that was especially made for his trip to the State of Washington. It read:

Sonoma Makes Wine
Napa Makes Auto Parts
Washington Makes Apples.

Oh this was going to be fun. I couldn't contain myself, so immediately I questioned him about Washington making apples. "I thought we grew apples," I said. "Not so," said our Sonoma visitor. Washington “makes” apples. I soon learned that I was up against wine-brilliance-extraordinaire. A legend in his own mind. It was difficult, but I behaved myself. Afterall, he was my guest.

I offered the Wine Expert (WE) a taste of our various wines. He was only interested in the off-dry Reisling and seemed to enjoy it. He sampled the unique Syrah Rose’ (dry), but it was not to his liking. It was not sweet. According to the WE, Washington has a lot to learn from Sonoma because we cannot seem to make a Rose’ sweet enough. Aiiiyiiiiiyiiii! Next down the line up was our selection of reds. Oh this was going to be fun, as that particular day was a rare one, as we were offering a taste of our $45.00 proprietor’s blend. 

Nope, he wasn't interested in our reds, at all. Odd for a wine expert. Usually self-proclaimed wine experts enjoy reds and steer clear of white wines. Today's line-up was our usual varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. The WE wasn’t interested in

any of them, other than the Zinfandel. He claimed that all of the red wines in Washington State made his mouth "feel like cotton. "

The WE knew his stuff when it came to Zinfandel. Most of what he said was correct. The WE explained to me that California was the leader in Zinfandels and that Washington State was a mere babe in comparison. I agreed. As I poured the WE a sample of our Zinfandel, he commented it was red. Well yes, Zinfandels are red. He wanted to know what was wrong with this Zinfandel? Silly me. The WE asked for a Zinfandel, not a Merlot. This Zin isn’t anything like the pink color of California Zinfandels? WE mentioned that he had not seen a pink Zinfandel in any of the wineries he visited in the State of Washington. According to WE it was apparent that we had a lot to learn about Zinfandels from California. He was correct about one thing - not seeing any "pink color" Zinfandels in the State of Washington and hopefully there will never be one - - or at least like the boxed ones from California. 

In the mean time, his sister in-law beamed with pride, and the same time looked at me with pity that I didn't have the wine knowledge as her wine connoisseur brother in-law 

The WE continued to educate me about wines. He told me how he enjoyed wine made from Burgundy grapes. I asked him which Burgundy grapes? Chardonnay? Pinot Noir? Gamay? No, he informed me. "Those are not Burgundy grapes, especially Chardonnay. Chardonnay is a white grape, not Burgundy color." The WE "edumacated" me that in Sonoma there were rows and rows of Burgundy grapes. He further went on to tell me he enjoyed Chablis. I asked, "So you enjoy Chardonnay?" "Yes," he said "and the Chablis from California." Silly me. All this time I thought Chablis was a region in France known for their Chardonnay. When I told him my small seedling of knowledge about Old World Burgundy and even white Burgundy, I was quickly dismissed. Whatever “they” are teaching me in the State of Washington is wrong and I had a lot to learn from California, he informed me. 

Riiiiiight - and Gallo of California sells jugs of red plonk illegally labeled "Burgundy" and have led the grocery store wine consumer on for years that there is a grape by the name of Chablis.

It was time to bid our WE a farewell and I did it with a big smile. I bid him farewell and told him to keep up the good work spreading his knowledge of wines throughout our fair state.

That evening in bed, I woke up in a sweat remembering a snippet of my past. I remembered serving wine to a man that looked awfully familiar to me, but I could not place where I had seen him before. A pleasant, but quiet and rather distinguished-looking man who gave me the impression he didn't want to be noticed (and no, it was not the "Sonoma Wine Expert"). I poured our selection of wine and did my sales pitch explaining all of the tasting notes and food pairing ideas - - all the time I kept wondering who he was. Later, on the drive home from the tasting room, it dawned on me. It was James Laube - the real wine expert, Senior Editor of the Wine Spectator magazine! I was sure of it!

All of a sudden panic crept in. Did I blab on and on to Laube like the "Sonoma Wine Expert" did to me? Was Laube rolling his eyes at me in the back of his brain? Did I say anything stupid to the Senior Editor of the Wine Spectator? Will he write a column titled "The Walla Walla Wine Expert Hick" that blathered incessantly about something she knew nothing about? Did I pronounce "Meritage" like "heritage" or was I trying to be cool and pronounce it like I was from France with "Mari-taaaahhhhjj?" Did I say "War-shington Murr-lott?" Paranoia was surging through my body and voices were running wild through my tin-foil cap and metal teeth fillings - -"They're laughing at you in the coffee room of the Wine Spectator!"

Since then, I have been soothed by my wine peers with pats on my head, pathetic stares and glasses of wine assuring me that I am going to be okay. The difference between me and the WE? While I woke in a paranoia soaked sweat, he was probably sleeping very sound dreaming of being Superman saving the wine world in a gold lame' outfit trimmed with grapes. I wish for a cold and frosty breeze to go up his toga skirt.

PS: Before the WE left the building, he signed the mailing list. For those of you who live in the Sonoma area or in any part of California wine country, would you like his address? You need to replace him and get a new representative for your California wines.

Gotta Love Those Wine Angels

About 15 minutes ago a "Wine Angel" brought me a bottle of wine. What a nice surprise! This particular wine angel got involved with this new winery and had some bottles of their first release. I have been wondering about this particular wine and here is one sitting on my desk.

The wine is from Gifford Hirlinger, a new winery in the valley and located on the Stateline Road. The wine, appropriately named, "Stateline Red" is a 2003 vintage and a blend of 58% and 42% Merlot. When I finally open it, I will report in.

The Wine Angel also gave me some exciting news that has happened to him in regards to the Washington wine industry, but darn it - - at the moment I am not at liberty to share.

Yeah, I'm a tease.

Moonlight Becomes You

One Sunday morning we received a phone call from Felicita at Woodward Canyon. Felicita has worked at Woodward now for over 18 years. I think she has done everything at that winery from punchdowns during crush to managing the tasting room. For the time being, she has decided to go into "retirement" and only works a couple days a week. She called to invite us out to the winery that afternoon. The tasting room had finally calmed down a bit after the holiday shopping and she was eager to have us taste Woodward's line-up of fine wines.

Steve and I couldn't pass up that invite and so we headed out to visit her. Woodward Canyon is located in Lowden in the Walla Walla Valley. The tasting room is a restored 1870's charming farm house. Winemaker Rick Small established Woodward Canyon Winery in 1981. Since that time, the winery has consistently produced premium and award-winning wines. We tasted through the beautiful reds, but the most unique wine for the valley was the Riesling. A bone dry Riesling, at that.

The Riesling was produced entirely from fruit grown by the DuBrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. DuBrul is a very old and very fine vineyard located north of Sunnyside, Washington. While a dry wine, it was ripe with peach flavor, yet flinty like the rocky soil from DuBrul. A very aromatic wine that was crisp with a perfect balance of acidity. Like it's German siblings, it would cellar very well. A few bottles had to be purchased!

While we were visiting, we noticed the series of artist posters that hung prominently on the walls. The series started from 1992 when Woodward created a label from a painting for their Cabernet Sauvignon and the artist series wine and posters have continued up to their most recent vintage. The 1993 pastel "Moonlight Becomes You" by local artist Elizabeth Harris caught our eye. It was a blend of the both of us. Me - the more formal checkered tile in the background and Steve, a collector of Native American blankets, where the red background with the Native American symbols blends into the two people drinking wine.

It looks perfect in it's new black and gold wooden frame next to the fireplace and we will have a nice keepsake long after the wine is gone.

Winemaker's Gallery

Andrew from the Walla Walla Winemaker's Gallery emailed me a few weeks ago and said that they had finally found a location for their gallery. It will be at the airport, adjacent to the new incubator wineries. Excellent!

It was announced today in the area newspaper.

How's Your Italian?

Do you know the difference between the DOCG and the DOC?

The Columbia Valley and sub-appellations are showing up with more and more Italian varietals at every crush. Don't be walking into a winery blabbing how you hate Chianti while sucking down the winery's finest Sangiovese or when you are offered a Barolo to taste, don't ask for a Nebbiolo instead. And no - - Piedmonte is not a town in Georgia.

Dean and Verdie Morrison of Morrison Lane Vineyards and Winery has truly been pioneers in growing Italian varietals. I visited their vineyard and looked at the very first Nebbiolo vine that was in the valley at the time. The Nebbiolo was probably the most virile, yet scruffy vine I had ever seen, too. Dean has family roots in the Piedmonte region so it was easy to see his fascination with this vitis vinifera. Morrison Lane also produces a Sangiovese, Dolcetto, and Barbera. Interesting enough, they also produce a Cinsault, while it's of French origin, it has important Italian roots to the Walla Walla Valley.

Take the test and you just might learn that Dolcetto is not the high singing pitch of Freddy Mercury and Barry Gibb.

http://www.italianmade.com/quiz/home.cfm

Casting A Long Shadow

The other day I blogged about the Long Shadow's wine. It was just announced this morning that three miles from the city via Highway #12 on Ireland Road, Long Shadows broke ground to build a 4.2 million dollar 30,000 square foot winery to produce their premium wines.

The winery will be buried in the hillside and will include a glass-enclosed private event room, catering kitchen and 4,000-square-foot veranda. Outside, the facility will have a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains. Construction to be completed this fall. It will be a asset to the area.

Lemberger Is Not Stinky!

Lemberger is a wine that I have enjoyed for years even though it has been one of the Northwest's best kept secrets. Known as Blau Fränkisch (blue grape from France) in Europe, Lemberger hails from Germany where about 1000 acres are grown. Lemberger is also produced and bottled in Austria and Hungary.

Originally it was spelled, "Limberger" and then re-spelled “Lemberger” by a marketing group in an attempt to disassociate the grape from the stinky cheese. It has been speculated that the name and spelling had a connection to the Croatian capital of Lemberg.

The most extensive plantings of Lemberger are in Germany with over 3,000 acres. Washington state and the Finger Lakes area in New York are two of the few places in the United States where the Lemberger grape is being grown, with Washington state being the largest. I checked the WAWGG stats and Lemberger starts with the year of 1997 of 100 acres producing 500 tons and in the last crush of 2005, it came in at 500 tons with 103 acres.

The origin for Washington Lemberger begins when Drs. Eugene and Virgil Rittich brought it to British Columbia from Hungary and in 1941 it was introduced to Washington State when Dr. Walter Clore (Father of the Washington State wine industry) of WSU established it at the research station in Prosser. It also caught the interest of Julio Gallo, who spent considerable time in Washington state in the 70's, evaluating this new varietal. Apparently he preferred it to Washington’s Cabernet. The story goes that during one of Gallo's visits, Clore asked him if he’d be interested in the variety. Gallo responded with "Sure, but I want a whole trainload." As Gallo went on to explain he needed to have millions of gallons to put any of his wines on the market. There went our claim to fame - Gallo of Washington!

Producers of Lemberger wine at this time (or at least the ones that I am familar with) are Kiona, Thurston Wolfe, Covey Run, Latah Creek and most recently, while visiting the College Cellars at the Viticulture and Enology Institute at WWCC, I was delighted to see they had produced a Lemberger. Of course, I had to buy a bottle. The first new world commercial Lemberger planting was by Kiona in 1976 and in 1983 they released the first commercial vintage for 1980. Kiona produces about 3,000 cases of Lemberger each year. I often find Latah Creek and Covey Run labels of Lemberger at the supermarket and always very affordable.

So how does a Lemberger taste? First of all, it is more of a ruby red color than Merlot and Cabernet and often has an intense nose of cherry and strawberries. Always less tannic than a lot of reds, but with a nice crisp and balanced acidity. The flavors found can be brambleberry, strawberry and pomegranate with a spicy finish such as of black pepper and/or cloves. It is a very food friendly wine that I would pair with turkey, bar-be-que, lamb, and red sauces. And of course, unlike the cheese - - it ain't stinky!

Porn Wine

That's right. You read the title correctly. Porn wine. You've heard of ice wine, but never "vice wine", right? Groan. If you subscribed to the NY Times you may have read the article about porn star Savanna Samson, whose claim to porn fame is her gyrations in the X-rated "New Devil in Miss Jones." Samson (aka Natalie Oliveros) has launched a signature brand of Italian wine labeled Sogno Uno ("Dream One").

Now, you want to hear something interesting? Wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. loves it! Yes. The Robert M. Parker, wine critic gave the wine 90 points! Parker claims it is "luscious and oppulent." Yes Mr. Parker, but what about the wine?

Now, how does one go from porn star to vintner? Samson met Daniel Oliveros, a Manhattan wine merchant, at Scores. Scores is a famous strip joint where she was working as a dancer. On their first date Mr. Oliveros invited her to a wine dinner with wine friends and colleagues. That dinner began their relationship but also Samson's education about wine

On a vacation to Tuscany last year, she got the idea about making wine. Through her husband, she met Roberto Cipresso, a noted Italian winemaker and consultant. Samson asked Cipresso to experiment with blends of local grapes to achieve a wine to her taste. While tasting she dismissed Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as boring, and eventually decided on Cesanese, an ancient and little heralded grape found mostly in the Lazio region. The Italian varietal is delicate, but with a spicy taste. Often ruby red in color and made into sweeter wines. Also in the blend is Sangiovese (Chianti) and Montepulciano, the aromatic grape from the Tuscan hills. Only 490 cases of Sogno Uno was made and will retail for $38 a bottle.

Samson just returned from Italy after tasting potential blends for a white wine, which will be labled "Sogno Due." She suggested that potential customers approach her wine the way she approaches some newfangled sexual position with strangers on the set of one of her movies.

Okay, there has got to be a joke in here somewhere about cork screws, but I won't touch that one. And I know this post had nothing to do with the area's wine, but I thought it could be a lesson for any young woman in the area who is thinking about going into porn. If she succeeds or doesn't succeed in her craft, at least she still has the opportunity to become a vintner. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Long Shadows

The other day I was going through my wine "stash" and realized how fortunate I am. Fortunate for many reasons, of course. Fortunate, in that I have some "wine angels" that look after me. Wine Angels? Wine angels are benefactors that bring me wine that they think I would enjoy or curious about what my tastebuds think. All wine enthusiasts needs to have a few wine angels like that on their shoulder.

One of my angels is affiliated with the Long Shadows group. I feel truly blessed they share their personal wine from their cellar with me, since Long Shadows wine is not easy to come by. Allen Shoup, a leader in enology and viticulture in the state of Washington and former CEO with the Ste. Michelle group, formed the Long Shadows Winery. His vision for Long Shadows was to "collect" world class winemakers to create premium wines from every sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley under the Long Shadows label. And as I understand, the wines are made in the Walla Walla Valley.

In my stash, I have had two bottles of Poet's Leap Riesling. A 2003 that I shared with friends and a 2004 that I am going to cling onto for a bit. As you know, Riesling is one of the greatest wines of Germany and these particular vintages were crafted by Armin Diel, proprietor of the renowned Schlossgut Diel. The 2003 was heady with tropical fruits and flavor of apricot nectar. Even diesel was spotted in the flavor, which is often typical of aged old world fine Rieslings.

I located three bottles of Pirouette, so I opened up a bottle last night. A interesting varietal composition of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot,10% Syrah, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Made by Napa Valley legends Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, this blend had a wonderful nose of cherry, almonds, and vanilla. Blackberry, licorice flavors, well structured tannins and acidity, with a long cocoa finish. This wine will age beautifully for about 10 years.

A bottle of Chester-Kidder was shared during a family get-together. A unique blend of 47% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon,19% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Franc that was named after Shoup's grandparents. It was a very aromatic wine with concentrated dark fruit. The perfect wine to complement food. Chester-Kidder was created by Shoup and Gilles Nicault. A native of France, Nicault studied his craft in the vineyards and wineries of Cote Du Rhone, Provence and Champagne. He left France to visit Eastern Washington to see for himself if the rumors about this outstanding region was true. It must have shown truth to Nicault as he hasn't left. Formerly a winemaker for Staton Hills in Yakima, Hogue and most recent, he was winemaker at Woodward Canyon for 6 years before joining Long Shadows.

Last, but not least I discovered a bottle of Sequel. Sequel is a proprietor's name to describe their Syrah. Prestigious winemaker John Duval, who hails from Australia, is best known for his Shiraz from the Penfold's Grange label. Duval produced small lots of some of the finest Columbia Valley's sub-appellation grapes so he could claim the finest Syrah for this 2003 vintage. There is no doubt in my mind that when I decide to lift the cork from this bottle, it will make me S_W_O_O_N!

Thank you angels.

Lazy Afternoon, Old Friends & Wine Tasting

Every so often I try to get out and visit the area wineries. I enjoy visiting with winery staff (new and familar faces), comparing notes with them and of course, partaking in some good wine. Last Saturday was a lazy and relaxing day for us, so it was a perfect time to go wine tasting.

Our first stop was "Basel Cellars Estate Winery. Basel Cellars produces about 4,000 cases per year, with a focus on Bordeaux-style blends, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. If you haven't visited, I recommend it. The view of the Blue Mountains from the hill top estate is gorgeous. We met Sherry, tasting room attendant. Sherry was very friendly and eager to pour for us their showcase of fine wines. It isn't often you run into a $5 tasting fee (of course fee applies to purchase of wine) in the Walla Walla Valley, but I agree with Basel Cellars for having one. Not only is the facility a winery but also an upscale resort with beautiful grounds. The large structure is quite a sight from the nearby highway. Their tasting fee separates those who truly want to taste wine from the curious "drive-by's ." Who hasn't been a "lookie-lou" from time to time, but when you have one tasting room attendant, a large magnificent facility, resort guests who pay for privacy, the last thing you want to worry about is the public wandering around adding to maintenance, cleaning, and insurance risks. Even most museums charge admission fees, but if you are truly interested in the architecture of the estate, private tours are available by appointment.

Due to a cold and sore throat, my tastebuds have been out of business. However, there were some wines that really stood out and impressed the tastebuds that weren't on sick leave. The 2003 Basel Cellars Red Wine really made my tastebuds wake up! Like their wine notes said, "...it is much more than red wine." Winemaker, Trey Busch was inspired by one of the greatest wines - St. Emillion in Bordeaux. This blend of 56% Merlot and 44% Cabernet Franc was spicy on the nose and tasted of dark fruit and chocolate. Really an excellent wine, I thought. A wine that you could definitely put some age on it if you can keep it that long without wanting to drink it.

We were fortunate to be able to taste their 2002 Syrah. Basel Cellars was able to pull some extra cases from one of their distributors for the tasting room. This Syrah was so aromatic even I could smell it with a stuffy nose. Very heavy mocha notes with dark chocolate and blueberries to the tongue. So typical of a good Syrah and this particular Syrah was also all free run juice. Very nice.

As an example of what a close wine community this area is, while we were visiting Basel Cellars, we ran into Shannon Murdock Bergevin. Shannon and my daughter have been best friends since they were in high school. Shannon's sister-inlaw is co-owner of Bergevin Lane Winery and Shannon (now taking time off to be at home with new baby son) has been the Marketing Director at Dunham Cellars for several years and formerly with Reininger Cellars. Shannon reminded Steve and I no matter that she and Tawna live in different towns and do not see each other as much as they use to, they are still "very best friends in the whole wide world" and at the same time I was reminded by the mischief these two use to get into. Finally, they are old enough that they do not have to hide their wine drinking from me. We can drink wine together - heh.

We went about a 1/4 of a mile from the Washington/Oregon stateline and visited Marilyn at Zerba Cellars Winery. Anybody who has ever ventured over to the stateline to buy petunias, pumpkins, garden ornaments, or even a Christmas tree may have run into Marilyn Zerba. She and her husband, Cecil have been involved in local agriculture for years. Marilyn reminded me of the day she was first starting the winery and came to visit me with their new wine consultant, Mark Retz. Of course I remembered! Before we tasted the wines, Marilyn gave us a tour of their new facility and cave built into a small hillside. A log cabin made of juniper will open this spring as their tasting room and they just put in their own bottling line! At this time there isn't a lot of wineries in the area with bottling lines. Not only has Zerba Cellars grown in such a short amount of time, but their wines are excellent!

Not sure where to start with the Zerba line-up, but we were impressed with all of them. First of all, I am a huge fan of good Viognier and yet I can be very critical of a mediocre Viognier. This Viognier was far from mediocre. It was crisp with a full bodied pear flavor and what a great buy for $19. I noticed the grapes came from the Willard Vineyard in Prosser. Some excellent white wine grapes come from the Willard Vineyards (Lecole No. 41 Chenin Blanc is an example of a fine grape from Willard and Zerba will soon introduce a ice wine from Willard). We tasted both Chardonnays - a 2004 from Willard Vineyards and a 2004 from Lewis Vineyard. Both Chards priced reasonable at $15. The Willard Vineyard Chardonnay resembled more of a white-Burgundy to me being fruit forward and very little oak taste (aged in new and 2-3 year old barrels). Not being a fan of over-oaked Chardonnays, these were enjoyable Chardonnays for me.

The red wine offerings were equally as delicious and great food wines. Of course, we went home with a bottle of "Wild Thing" - an intense blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Franc. This has been a popular wine for Zerba with the cute Zebra label and also a gold medal winner at the 2005 Oregon State Fair. The 2003 Cabernet Franc was one of my favorites - really showing the typical dark fruit with green pepper flavors. A big and jammy wine. We tasted the Cabernet and the Cabernet-Merlot blend and dreamed of particular foods that would pair perfectly with each wine. The 2002 Merlot (another gold medal winner) really interested my palette. It was spicy on the nose and chewy and tarry in my mouth. Lots of plum came through - - a hearty and bold valley Merlot that I would recommend. The 2003 Walla Walla Valley Syrah was a fine example of a Rhone style wine. Deep dark earthy and coffee nose with a mouthful of dark berries. To sum it all up - - the Zerba wines are exciting!

Last but not least, on our way home we stopped by an old friend's house. Donnie was going to join us wine tasting, but ended up waiting for the plumber instead. When we arrived to see how his ordeal with the frozen pipes were coming along, he had a bottle of 2002 Patrick M. Paul Vineyards Cabernet Franc waiting for us to sample with him. I was really pleased as I had tasted this old estate vineyard wine before and it was memorable. This wine was very aromatic and spicy with a hint of chocolate and over ripe strawberries. After one taste, it didn't disappoint and was exactly how I remembered it when I first tasted it in the Patrick M. Paul wine tasting room. A fine wine to end a lazy afternoon with.

New Washington State Appellation - Rattlesnake Hills

Rattlesnake Hills will become Washington state's ninth wine grape growing region effective March 20, as per the US Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The Rattlesnake Hills is southeast of Yakima in central Washington. It stretches from Union Gap south of Yakima to north of Sunnyside, about 45 miles to the east. This approval by the bureau means that it has recognized the 68,500-acreage's distinct climate and soil features - - terroir. The silty-loam soil of this region holds moisture better than other soils in the wine growing region.

This is a good thing for the state as it shows diversity in Washington wines, but could also mean a change of labels for some wineries who use grapes from this region and if Bush's new tax proposal passes, this could mean extra costs for them.

NW Lawmakers and Wineries Ask Bush To Drop Proposed Fees On Wineries

If you are a winery with several labels of wine and if you choose to change the labels on those wines according to vintage, appellation, etc., it could prove to be an expensive proposition under new fees proposed by the Bush administration.

The fees are intended to raise an estimated $29 million to help cover regulatory functions of the federal Alcohol, Tax and Trade Bureau. Northwest lawmakers and wine industry leaders feel these proposed taxes are an unfair imposition on an industry that already pays its fair share to the federal government. Lawmakers killed the proposal last year, but it has resurfaced again in the Bush administration's budget proposal. Details of the new fees have not yet been released, but industry leaders expect they will be similar to those fees suggested last year, including up to $100 to garner approval for each label change, $200 to register changed wine formulas and $500 to apply for special permits. That is an extreme expense when you consider every year the labels change due to vintage. As it is now, wineries are required to get federal approval of their wine labels each time there is a significant change, such as the region where the grapes came from.

Washington is the nation's No. 2 producer of premium wine, behind California, with more than 400 wineries, 350 wine grape growers and 30,000 vineyard acres. This type of proposal would disproportionately impact small wineries in the region. More taxation on a small boutique and family owned wineries would be an extra burden. As it is, many "Mom & Pop" wineries operate with little income coming in and it is difficult for a new winery to pay such taxes when the first couple of years of operation they rarely have little to zero wine ready for retail. The wine industry in Washington and Oregon is rapidly growing and it is providing new economic opportunities for agriculture producers and communities. With these kind of new taxes, it's my opinion that it would discourage potential growth.

Kind Hearts and Clarets

For Valentine's Day we ordered a bottle of Basel Cellars Claret - 2002, while dining at one of my favorite local restaurants, The Homestead. We were on a Claret theme after tasting an excellent one from Robert Karl Winery in Spokane.

What is a Claret? It's a term that traditionally refers to red wine from the Bordeaux region of France, but the name has no official, legal definition and is often used as a generic term to refer to dry red wines. It derives from "clairet," the name for a certain type of light red wine that was exported from Bordeaux in the Middle Ages and became quite popular in England. The wine, because of its light color, was known as "vinum clarum," "bin clar" or "clairet." It bore little resemblance to the wines that are characteristic of Bordeaux today--but the name endures, especially for many New World wines looking for alternative names instead of "Bordeaux-style" and the licensed "Meritage" name.

The Basel Cellars Claret is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and all of these traditional Bordeaux-style varietals are from Walla Walla Valley Vineyards such as Pheasant Run, Pepper Bridge, Spofford Station and Waliser Farms. It was a fairly aromatic wine with red and black fruits - full of plum taste. Tannins were very mild and yet the sweetness from the oak really came through. It came through so much that we questioned if there may have been a tad bit of residual sugar hanging around.

It was a well rounded wine, but we felt we may have paired it with the wrong food choice. We dined on Steak Oscar, a filet topped with Oregon Dungeness crab and a Bernaise sauce. Perhaps it would pair better with lamb, duck or even a sweet tomato-basil sauce over pasta. What it did pair wonderful with was our dessert. We shared a heart shaped chocolate fudge torte with a raspberry coulee. The pluminess of the wine matched beautifully with the dark chocolate and raspberry flavors.

~Cherry Pick of the Month~

The two common questions asked by wine enthusiasts at a wine store are, "What is your best wine? What wine received a high rating?" Well, when you stock several wines with great ratings or live in wine country, those are tough questions to answer when there are so many great wines out there! But to keep the cherry picker happy, you have to be on your toes and read the same publication that he/she is reading.

President's Day is coming up and we all remember that George Washington was famous for cutting down the cherry tree (Did you know there is a little town called George in Washington State? Yes, George, Washington.) so February is a perfect month to launch my "Cherry Pick of the Month." Fruit growers in Washington state have been selling their prized cherries for more than 100 years and today 70% of US cherries come from the North West, so I decided to hand-pick cherries just for you based on ratings, personal recommendations and tasting. As George said, "I cannot tell a lie." Let the "cherry pickers" go for it!

Lecole No. 41 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee is my "Cherry Pick of the Month." Since 1993, Apogee was the first Lecole wine produced from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard. An elegant and aromatic wine that is structured, showing the perfect amount of tannins and acidity, with a long finish. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc shows earthy hints of cigar box, leather and dark fruit flavors such as black cherry and plum. A wine that one could lay down for about 7-10 years. This Bordeaux-style blend is very much like it's proprietary name - Apogee -- reaching the highest point.

And yes, that is a naked girl up there picking cherry blossoms and no, that is not me.

A Visit To Spokane - Bed, Food and Wineries!

It's a Walla Walla Wine Blogging Wednesday! Instead of Walla Walla wine blogging, I thought I might highlight on Spokane, just a few hours north.

We spent Saturday - Monday in Spokane. Even though it was a busy family weekend for us (two birthday parties, my son's new open house event, and granddaughter's Christening) we still managed to find some time to visit a couple of wineries. We had a lovely stay at one of the B&B's in the Browne's Addition in Spokane. The Browne's Addition is a lovely historical district of Spokane and located on the West side of downtown. The Odell House is a 1898 Queen Anne style three story house (on the National Historic Registry) that sits on a quiet tree-lined street and conveniently located across the street from the MAC (Museum of Arts and Culture). Our room had crystal chandeliers, natural woodwork, massive tile fireplace, stained glass windows, sitting porch, kitchen (full of breakfast goodies), private bath, two TV's, stereo and internet access. The best part was a queen-sized four poster bed with feather mattress topper, pillows and duvet. I am not sure who arranged the falling snow we woke up to on Monday morning, but we want to thank them for that special ambiance.

Saturday evening we dined at one of our favorite Italian restaurants - Commellini's. It's a long drive to the Commellini Estate in the north foothills of Spokane, but definitely worth it. The restaurant has a rich and interesting history surrounding the 1940 cabins that were used as hide-outs during the prohibition for bootlegging and gambling. Many historical celebrities visited such as Al Capone and Marilyn Monroe. What our large family have always enjoyed is the private dining rooms - The Gangster Dining Room, The Wine Dining Room and others. The food and service is always great. The mushroom soup is a family favorite, along with the lobster gnocci, and penne pasta with meatballs.

Between family events we had the opportunity to check out Robert Karl Cellars and Lone Canary Winery. Our first stop was at Robert Karl Cellars and it was a welcome surprise to see a familiar face - Rebecca, co-owner of the winery! Rebecca has been a visitor to the Walla Walla area wineries several times, along with her husband Dr. Joe Gunselman. Dr. Gunselman is a self taught winemaker and has taken classes from the Walla Walla Institute for Viticulture and Enology. Rebecca has a great smile and is a wonderful hostess.

Good for them, but bad for us, they were almost sold out of wine! However, we were able to taste their 2003 Columbia Valley Claret. Some of the best fruit that the Horse Heaven Hills has to offer went into that wine. The wine was very aromatic and tasted of chocolate covered cherries. It was a true Claret blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec. Last month the Claret won a gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Of course, we had to go home with a bottle.

Lone Canary was our next stop and we were greeted with a generous line-up of wines to sample (and reasonably priced) - 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Lone Canary Red (Cab Merlot and Syrah blend), 2003 Rosso (a super Tuscan style red blend with 78% Sangiovese), 2002 Rouge (Bordeaux style blend) and our favorite was the 2003 DuBrul Vineyard Reserve.

The 2003 DuBrul Vineyard Reserve is a blend of 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with 100% DuBrul Vineyard fruit. This wine was elegant with perfumed high notes and very characteristic of this vineyard. Umm - - we went home with two bottles!

We also spent about 45 minutes trying to find the Barrister Winery but finally gave up. However, the next trip to Spokane we will definitely spend the time to check it out.

"Devin"

Eight Walla Walla Valley winemakers have come together to create a wine called "Devin." This special wine honors Devin Derby, a winemaker at his family's Spring Valley Vineyards and Winery, who died in a car crash in late 2004. The 190-case blend of Syrah and Merlot is from the 2003 vintage and was made by Eric Dunham (Dunham Cellars), Marie-Eve Gilla (Forgeron Cellars), Ron Coleman (Tamarack Cellers), Chuck Reininger (Reininger Winery), Myles Anderson (Walla Walla Vintners), Charles Smith (K Vintners), Christophe Baron (Cayuse Vineyards) and Northstar Winery.

Proceeds from the wine will benefit Devin's wife, Mary Derby and their son, Simon. The wine will retail for $55 per bottle. To order, call 509-529-4685. The Waterfront Grill in Seattle will be putting on a special dinner, Feb. 23 to showcase this wine. The participating winemakers will be in attendance. Cost is $150. Call 206-956-9179 to reserve your seat.

Move Over Bacchus!

Move over Bacchus! The Wine Goddess is taking over.

A year ago, February I bought the book Wine for Women by Leslie Sbrocco. She was one of the speakers at Taste Washington last year and although I had won tickets, I was sorry I could not get there to hear her speak.

Wine for Women is fairly complete book teaching the reader about wine, regions and also giving ideas on pairing wines with food, which I always enjoy. However, I wish that there would have been less advertising of labels in the book. I will confess that when it comes to wine books, I am a Jancis Robinson fan.

I think since women are becoming the prominent buyers of wine, at least in the supermarket, we will be seeing more suggestions of wine pairing with food. Wine and food are a natural. They belong together. Visiting with a European woman winemaker last night, wine is considered food. It is the intricate part of the European meal, unlike here in the USA we often regard wine as the happy hour or cocktail party beverage.

Some progressive supermarkets are using shelf-talkers in their wine sections giving the customer suggestions on what wine will pair well with particular foods in their market. An example would be "Brand Walla Walla Wine pairs perfectly with the crimini mushrooms and Kobe beef in the organic section and remember dessert with a Valrhona chocolate bar from France." More and more wineries are understanding the importance of food and their wines, as they give out tried recipes that include their wine in the recipe and/or suggested wine and food pairings.

Bart O’Brien of O’Brien Family Vinyards says:

“Women buy wine to be shared, to create an emotional moment. Men often buy wine to be hoarded. They take it back to their cave and save it until another collector comes over. ... It's about scores and history -– it's a little game of one-upmanship."

From my experience, Bart speaks volumes.

Top Honors!

Congratulations to L'Ecole No. 41 winery for receiving top honors in a wine tasting sponsored by Washington CEO magazine. The winery's 2002 Apogee (a red Bordeaux Style blend) scored 92 points out of a 100. The judges were 10 of Washington State's top sommeliers.

Apogee is a Bordeaux-style blend with dark earthy flavors of tobacco, leather and rich flavors of cherry and plum. Filtered and fined at a minium. An excellent wine to give some cellar age to. About 7-10 years. Like the meaning of apogee - this wine is the highest point - the apex.

$150 Malbecs!

It seems as if Paul Hobbs of Sebastopol produces a $150 Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina. That's right, $150!!! I sure hope Walla Walla doesn't get any $150 ideas. Is Hobbs 2003 Vina Cobos Cobos Marchiori Vineyard Mendoza Malbec worth the price?

Malbec. I love Malbec. It's such a unique grape when compared to it's other Bordeaux cousins. Malbec often shows a deep bramble berry and rich plum notes. Very fruit forward, meaty and yet soft and velvety tannins. I have picked up some every-day-drinking yummy Argentinian Malbecs priced point from $2.99 to $7.99. With labor costs and land prices so low in Argentina, how can this wine be so expensive? I hope this isn't a ruse for this winery to put their wine on the map by pricing it so high. I cannot believe that this is where the Argentina Malbec market should be.

Malbec is being grown and produced in the Walla Walla Valley. Seven Hills Winery produces a Malbec wine and Pepperbridge, Minnick Hills, and Spofford Station are some of the vineyards that grows Malbec at this time. Several other wineries in the Walla Walla Valley use Malbec for blending.

Something tells me that I may never get to try the $150 Malbec unless somebody wants to share. Anybody?

~February Cooking With Washington Wines~

Valentine's Day is almost here. When I think of that day, I think of chocolate. I love eating a rich piece of chocolate with a good red wine. Some people enjoy Port with chocolate, but I am happy with a Bordeaux style blend of red. As far as I am concerned, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a Hershey bar is reason to celebrate. Lots of excellent Bordeaux style blends out in the Walla Walla Valley, especially some of the lower priced red table wines. Good value for eating with a Hershey chocolate bar. To name some of my favorite Walla Walla wine bargains, check out Waterbrook's Melange, Forgeron Cellars Anvil Red, Bergevin Lane's Calico Red and most definitely K-Vintner's House Wine.

Here is one of my favorite chocolate cookie recipes. I make the batter the night before I plan on baking. It is easier to handle if the dough is chilled.

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. cocoa powder

2 c. white sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. powdered sugar

Mix vegetable oil, cocoa and the white sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and dry ingredients (I always sift dry ingredients first because of hard sediment from baking powder and soda). Mix well. Chill several hours. Shape into teaspoon size balls, drop in powdered sugar and then drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, but do not overbake. Let cookies cool for a minute or so before removing from tray. Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen.

When I am lazy and not wanting to go the trouble of measuring ingredients for a batter, let alone roll cookies out, I always keep a couple of boxes of brownie mix around. I take brownie mix to another level and when I am done they no longer look or taste like a boxed brownie mix. One of the things I do is change the "boxiness" is instead of adding water as per intructions, I add leftover coffee or espresso from that morning. You can toss in some chocolate chips or nuts. Use semi-sweet, milk chocolate or white chocolate or toss all of them in and make it a Death By Chocolate Brownie. To make the brownies with a south of the border flair add some cinnamon or if you are bold - chopped hot green chiles!

I often make a glaze out of powdered sugar, cocoa powder and leftover coffee to top the brownies. If you really want a jet starter brownie to get you through the day, not only add the brewed espresso but toss in some finely ground coffee beans, as well. So delicious and especially tasty with Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. It's one way to guarantee the three important daily "C" food groups - -Cabernet, Chocolate and Coffee!

Top 100 Wine Blogs

~Through The Grape Vine~ made the top 100 wine blog list - - coming in at 50! FIFTY!

They read me. They really read me!

Check out AlaWine and the Top 100 Wine Blogs

Walla Walla Winners at San Francisco Competition

Good news for Walla Walla Valley Wineries! They fared pretty well at the 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition that was held last month. Over 3,000 wines were judged. Congratulations. Way to show California, when in California, that they are not the only ones that make excellent wines. In fact, the Washington state wineries did well as a whole, but here are the highlights of Walla Walla:

Gold

Dusted Valley Vintners 2004 Viognier, Columbia Valley, $20
Dusted Valley Vintners 2004 Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, 32
Three Rivers Winery 2004 White Meritage, Columbia Valley, $19
Three Rivers Winery 2003 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $19

Silver

Basel Cellars 2003 Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley, $36
Basel Cellars 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $32
Basel Cellars 2003 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $42
Canoe Ridge Vineyards 2002 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $25
Dusted Valley Vintners 2004 Cote du Columbia Rouge, Horse Heaven Hills, $32
Reininger Winery 2002 Merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $30
Three Rivers Winery 2003 Syrah, Columbia Valley, $50

Bronze

Basel Cellars 2003 Claret, Walla Walla Valley, $24
Dusted Valley Vintners 2003 Barrel Thief Red, Columbia Valley, $22
Northstar 2002 Stella Maris, Columbia Valley, $29
Reininger Winery 2003 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $32
Reininger Winery 2001 Cima, Walla Walla Valley, $45
Spring Valley Vineyard 2003 Frederick Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $40
Spring Valley Vineyard 2003 Nina Lee Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $40
Three Rivers Winery 2003 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $50