No other name evokes American wine in the way that Napa does. The consistently excellent quality of the wines coming out of the Napa Valley in California has earned the region an amazing brand. In most instances, a famous wine region is known for producing a single grape or style of wine; think Cabernet blends from Bordeaux or Pinot Noir from Willamette. While Napa certainly has cemented its reputation with Cabernet Sauvignon, the region is also known for excellent Merlot, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, amongst others. Basically anything that has Napa on the label will be able to sell for a higher price than if it was produced elsewhere. This is truly a triumph of wine making skill and excellent geographic site selection

Vineyards popped up in the Napa Valley almost as soon as settlers reached the area in the 1800’s with the first established in 1858. The wine industry in Napa moved along slowly from there, garnering a little attention here and there. Then came the double-whammy of Phylloxera and Prohibition. Phylloxera knocked out the vines and Prohibition denigrated wine production to sacramental purposes only. After Prohibition wine production picked up again and fine wine became the focus of some producers. The seminal moment came at the Judgment of Paris in 1976 when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa beat the best of Bordeaux. This led to renewed interest in Napa and California in general and began the landslide of activity that has culminated in the industry we know today.

Napa is further broken down into 15 sub AVAs, which are defined by unique microclimate and geographic differences. The geography of Napa leads to several climatic differences within the valley. The southern end of the valley abuts the San Pablo Bay, which brings cooler air in. The northern half of the valley is usually much warmer. Two of the best known are: Rutherford and St. Helena.

Rutherford lies just north of Oakville and is home to the famous Rutherford Bench a stretch of low-vigor soil composed of well-drained volcanic and maritime sediments. The star of the Rutherford Bench is Cabernet Sauvignon. This small appellation is home to some of the best producers in Napa, and some of the most famous wines in California, a sample list: Caymus, ZD, Livingston, Beaulieu, Quintessa, Frogs Leap and Cakebread.

St. Helena is home to some of the most sought after Cabernet produced in Napa. The AVA is the warmest in the entire valley and the vines are able to climb the steep valley walls and soak in the rays. The Grace Family and Colgin Herb Lamb wineries, based in St. Helena, have developed a near cult-like following for their mailing list only Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottles sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Others in the AVA are Revana, Nickel and Nickel and Chase Family; and while Cabernet is big here, excellent Zinfandel is also produced.

California Wine, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, USA Wine, Zinfandel Cabernet, California Wine, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel

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Today Washington is the second
largest producer of wine in the U.S. 
The majority of the grapes grown in the state are a product of the
Columbia Valley.  The vineyards of the Columbia
Valley AVA—American Viticultural Area—all benefit from unique set of climatic
conditions and geography.  In addition
to favorable weather, the area has been blessed with producers and a wine
consuming public that is ready to embrace high-quality wines from outside of the
established areas of California and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The origins of the fine wine
industry in Washington are unique, even by American standards.  The grapes that started this whole
enterprise were the outgrowth of a couple of guys’ home winemaking hobby.  Of course these couple of guys were a couple
of university professors that knew what they were doing.  They followed the studies of one Dr. Walter
Clore of Washington State University who researched the best varieties of
grapes to plant in the various climatic conditions of Washington.  From there the professors commercialized
their hobby and founded the company that would become Columbia Winery.

The vineyards of the Columbia
Valley, and Washington in general, lie on a broad plateau, in near desert-like
conditions.  They owe their lack of
rain—8 inches yearly—to the semi-coastal Cascade Range of mountains, which
collect the majority of the moisture and form a rain shadow that covers much of
eastern Washington State.  Though this
may seem like a disadvantage to agriculture, it’s actually a bonus for grape
growers.  With these conditions, the
vines struggle and focus their energy on fruit production.  Of course this is only successful with
sufficient irrigation—which the numerous tributaries of the Columbia
provide. 

Popularity is a fickle thing, and
grape vines are certainly not immune. 
The Columbia Valley has seen several waves of grape varieties rise and
fall in favor.  The vineyards of the
Columbia Valley are now home to a variety of grapes planted in times of
popularity, from Chardonnay in the 70’s to Merlot in the 80’s and Syrah in the
90’s and recently Cabernet Sauvignon. 
Today Merlot and Cabernet are considered the best reds and some very
good Riesling is produced in the Columbia Valley.

Within the Columbia lie several separate,
smaller AVAs: Walla Walla Valley AVA, the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, the Wahluke
Slope AVA, Lake Chelan AVA and the Yakima Valley AVA.  You’re likely to find any of these names on a label, otherwise
they can use the Columbia Valley name on the bottle.

Merlot, Red Wine, USA Wine Columbia Valley, Merlot, washington state, Washington wine

The right bank of the Gironde just doesn’t get the same respect that the other side of the river does. They classified the left bank in 1855, but then they took 99 years to get around to classifying the right bank. The wines of the right bank deserve a little more attention, and people have begun to notice. The right bank is home to several appellations that produce quality wines, mostly red, and a movement towards very small-scale production.

The right bank is known for using Merlot as the main grape in its blend; as opposed to the left bank which is very Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy. The area is home to two very important AOCs: Pomerol and St. Emilion, along with secondary AOCs: Bourge, Blaye and Fronsac amongst many others.

When the French did get to classifying the right bank, they focused their efforts on the commune of St. Emilion, and the AOC which surrounds it. After the survey was complete, they deemed 55 houses to be Grand Cru and 13 to be Premier Grand Cru—a higher classification. The two best producers were given their own category— Premiers Grands Crus Classés A. These top dogs are Ch. Ausone and Ch. Cheval Blanc. (Ch. is a shorthand for Chateau, which is a house in French and is basically a company which makes wine) St. Emilion is bordered by the Pomerol region and the Dordogne River. Here, the climate is a bit wetter and the soils less gravely, conditions which led the region to choose Merlot for its blends. The wines of St. Emilion are rich and are much less dry and austere than the wines of the left bank.

Pomerol is the AOC adjacent to St. Emilion and historically was a white wine producing area. Today though, red grapes Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate. The area is thought of as being the newcomer to fine wine production in Bordeaux. The soils in the area are quite favorable to wine production, with a gravel base and sand or clay mixed in. While Pomerol has no classification system, the two best producers are very well known: Ch. Petrus and Le Pin. These wines, in some years, sell for more money than any other wine in the world. The wines of Pomerol are generally ready to drink early, a few years after bottling and are rich and gentle, less tannic than left bank wines are almost creamy in texture.

The right bank is home to a trend of microproducers in Bordeaux. These are individuals making wine in their homes or garages from a very small amount of land. The producers are generally called garagistes and the wines “vin de garage,” because most of them operate out of their garage. The movement was a response to perceived international desire for Bordeaux wines that are ready to drink quickly. In general, the wines are red and are much fruitier and softer in style than most other Bordeaux. They can go for extreme prices, are generally made from vines with very low yields. The best is usually considered to be Valandraud.

Bordeaux, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Merlot Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pomerol, St. Emilion, Valandraud

Wine Club Insider back with you!

Well, I’m back from an out-of-town working sojourn in lovely central Oregon.

My last evening there, I competed in a little “Iron Chef meets Chopped” cooking contest against a local chef, and it was a blast!

The key ingredients were chicken, strawberries, Graham crackers, and the secret ingredient was Bok Choy (?). We could prepare as many dishes as we could, highlighting the ingredients, and using a few other things as well, so with the opening gong, the battle was on!

For my dishes, I prepared a double appetizer that was well received… I made a sauteed chicken taco, stuffed with diced bok choy, cilantro and a sour cream, yogurt and wasabi sauce with a lime wedge on top, and I made a mille feuilles of very thinly sliced chicken breast slices and super thinly sliced red potatoes, topped with a jumbo prawn and a strawberry emulsion.

For my main course, I took a piece of the chicken breast, sliced it and stuffed it with strawberry, graham cracker and a piece of Havarti cheese, and the baked it, wrapped in puff pastry.

I served it over sauteed bok choy with a mustard and white wine sauce, accompanied by diced red potatoes cooked up in the rest of the sour cream – wasabi sauce.

For dessert, I made a puff pastry crust, and coated it with Graham crackers and a butter/lemon cream. While that was cooking, I took rhubarb, lots of strawberries, raspberry liqueur and some sugar, and cooked them down to a nice coulis. I filled the pastry shell, let it chill a bit, and served it with a touch of whipped cream.

My opponent Lisa made a spinach and bok choy salad with strawberries and carmelized almonds (which were really good!)).

For her entree, she went with simple, pan seared chicken breast with a balsamic reduction, and baked bok choy in the same sauce. She served it with rice with raisins and almonds. For dessert, she made a graham cracker pie crust, and made a key lime pie topped with a couple of strawberries.

In the judging, I won the appetizer and entree unanimously, and narrowly lost the dessert, but won the overall. More importantly, we had a great time, and ate 5 terrific courses.

We also had some wine, and I’m not talking just any wine!

We started with the terrific Clos du Bois Zin, which, while not as good as the Ravenswood, was pretty special. Next, we had the Concannon Petite Syrah, which is one of our host’s favorites, and it didn’t disappoint. Then I brought out the Borra “Fusion,” a Syrah, Cab, Merlot, Zin blend from Lodi, and it was AMAZING! Everyone loved this wine… it was one of the best I’ve drank in some time, and even better under the circumstances.

For dessert, I cracked one of my treasures: a 750 of 1982 Renaissance Late Harvest Sauv Blanc. I’m not sure if I’ve had a better glass of dessert wine in a long time, Ice wine included.

I bought the last case a couple of years ago, and have been drinking them for special occasions. The wine is now the color of rich caramel, and the flavor just keeps getting better. What an awesome way to end a great evening!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Vineyards, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Borra Fusion, Clos du Bois Zinfandel, COncannon Petite Syrah, Iron Chef

Wine Club Insider back with you!

I am going to apologize in advance: We’re hosting a 1300 person event with 24 different sessions over 10 days coming up in early June, and as things get closer, I may be a bit sporadic on my postings… I will do what I can to keep current, and will promise to make up any that I miss afterwards.

This is one of the biggest events we have ever done, and it’s rapidly turning into a 25 hour/day project!

Anyway, I hope you all had a marvelous Mother’s Day! We certainly did around here. My own mom passed away very young from cancer, but my wife not only has her mom, she also has a 96 year old grandmother (Omi) and a 93 year old grandmother, both in excellent health (well, excellent for 93 and 96… I’d settle for being that healthy at that age!) so we had a full table of moms.., my wife and I are also expecting our own first child within the next couple of weeks, so she almost counted in the motherhood department this year.

Being a chef, one of the greatest joys is being able to cook for the family, especially one that enjoys good food, as ours does, so I get the pleasant task of doing the family holiday meals, of which Mother’s Day ranks right up there.

Here’s what we did to keep body and soul together for Mother’s Day; our family are big fish eaters, so I based the meal around some wonderful halibut fillets I found, and went from there.

Appetizers:   Cold smoked sockeye salmon (yes, I smoked it myself) with minced egg, herbed cream cheese and home made croutons, accompanied by a nice cheese tray with Havarti, smoked Gouda, aged cheddar and Berliner, an excellent, aged Irish white cheese.

For our first beverage I made one of our signature champagne cocktails, using Whidbey’s Loganberry Liqueur, and then pouring the champagne in so slowly that the liqueur (which is a rich, deep purple) stays on the bottom. Add a raspberry into the drink and straddle a strawberry on the rim, and you have one attractive drink that tastes good, too!

Salad:  We had a spinach salad topped with strawberries, raspberries, diced pears, candied walnuts, feta, and a hot bacon raspberry vinagreitte dressing, served with warm soft rolls. I served a delightful Argentinian wine called “Chumeia,” which is an off-dry, almost effervescent blend of Torrontes and Chenin Blanc that offset the salad very nicely.

For the main course, I seasoned the halibut with sea salt and thyme, sauteed them in olive oil, and served them up over a bit of cooked spinach in a nice three pepper sauce. We also had some pan fried new red baby potatoes and some crisp asparagus, and I topped the halibut with a sauteed giant prawn.

Our two wines were the single vineyard Ironstone “Rosato de Sangiovese,” a bone dry sangio blush that everyone loved, to some surprise. Since our family are mainly red wine drinkers, I also opened a bottle of the 2004 Isenhower “Red Paintbrush.” I ‘ve mentioned this beauty before, and likely will again, as this merlot based blend is an awesome wine, and is drinking perfectly right now.

A quick note on food and wine pairings:  The days of “white with fish, red with meat” are long gone, my friends. Experiment with all sorts of pairings, and you’ll be surprised with what you find that works well. Also, basically, it comes down to “drink what you like,” though that is NOT an excuse to not try new and different wines, even if they’re white, and you’re a “red wine drinker,” or vice versa!

For dessert, I created something new in the spring time vein, and was pleased with how it came out…

I sliced up an Angel food cake loaf, and then French-toasted the slices in egg, powdered sugar and more of the Whidbey’s liqueur. Yummm. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. I covered the slices with a bit of strawberry whipped cream, fresh strawbs, and for a touch of flavor and color, I added a splash of Rhubarb and strawberry coulis I whipped up the night before. It was, I must say, excellent. The grandparents were almost licking their plates! We served it with a bottle of Golddigger Cellars 2002 Late Harvest Sauv Blanc for the crowning touch.

Well, that was it for us. I’d love to hear what you all do for traditions, or what you did for meals to bless our moms… let me know, and I can hopefully post some of the best ones.

Until next time,

Cheers!

WIne Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews brunch, Champagne cocktails, Chumeia, Golddigger Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Isenhower Red Paintbrush, meals with families, Merlot, Mother's Day, Torrontes, Whidbey's Liqueur

Wine Club Insider back with you after a weekend on the rocks!

Yup, I’m taking a 15 week mountaineering class, and this weekend we spent two complete days setting up rappels and high angle climbs… great fun, and a fantastic lifestyle… the mountaineers group are terrific, social folks, who also don’t mind tossing back a celebratory beverage after a good day of climbing!

On the Saturday night, a few of us got together at a favorite local spot and had some bar b cue. I had a glass of the house wine, which turned out to be a not-too-bad Chilean merlot, though great company and good times can improve the taste of almost any wine.

Always on the search for new wine clubs, I came across Awesome Clubs, at www.awesomeclubs.com.

They work their wine club on a subscription basis, ranging from one month to one year, at a cost of about $38/month, though you get a 10% discount for 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Their system is also set up to make it easy to ship these memberships as gifts to friends, family and even business associates.

Awesome Clubs also provides several other options as far as clubs go, ranging from a “Steak of the month” club, to Hot Sauce, Hand bags, Cigars, stuff for the Football fan, the Golf Fanatic, Movie of the Month, Soda Pop of the Month, and one I haven’t seen before… the “Kama Sutra of the Month Club.” Yup, you read that correctly – the Kama Sutra of the Month Club.

Apparently, from the literature, once a month, they send you everything you need for a romantic evening, including “Message oils, creams, powders and other potions will entice your body, seduce your senses and jumpstart your hearts.”

A far cry from “a bottle of red and a bottle of white,” but together, they could make for a great and unforgettable evening!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out!

Cheap Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers Awesome Clubs, Merlot, Various clubs, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine of the month

Wine Club Insider back with you!

Sorry for the delay today… with the recent “chilly” spell (0 degrees this morning) we had a dish issue, and I have no internet for the morning.

We had spring last week, apparently, skipped summer and fall, and are back to winter, but at least it’s sunny! 

I want to share a little about one of my wife and my favorite wineries today. Maryhill Winery, located a little more than an hour east of Portland along the Columbia Gorge.

www.maryhillwinery.com will take you to their website.

They make some terrific wines, including 5 dry whites, 5 sweeter whites, and over a dozen reds. They have received numerous awards, including the prestigious Governor’s Award of Excellence for their 2004 Cab.

Their Cab Franc, Merlot and Malbec are also excellent, as is their Rose of Sangiovese, a rare creation that I have used several times as a great aperitif for dinners.

One of my favorites of their wines is called Serendipity, a blend of all five of the “Big Five” Bordeaux blends, highlited by 58% Cab Sauv. It’s a knock out! I have several vintages, of which the 2005 really stands out for me, despite its youth… it’s going to be a great wine for years to come.

They also have a terrific little wine club with some different options, and they guarantee several reserve bottles a year. Info is available at wineclub@maryhillwinery.com

All wine aside, Maryhill really sets itself apart for their music and entertainment.

The winery itself is beautiful, perched on the cliff over the Columbia, but as you drive up, you can’t miss the amphitheater.

Now, they might not be the only winery with live music, but I’ve never heard or seen a winery with THIS kind of music!

Some of the acts they have for their “regular” music Saturdays include Willy Nelson, ZZ Top, BB King, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Michael McDonald… the list continues!

They have special “Members Only” events for their wine club members, as well as various release weekends (Spring Release is this weekend, BTW!) and dinners… this is truly an entertaining winery!

Check out Maryhill… you’ll be impressed!

Cheers,

Wine CLub Insider out!

Fine Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bordeaux blends, Columbia Valley, Maryhill, Music

Wine Club Insider back with you.

Sitting here watching the snow come down (again!) and just about getting ready for spring… Don’t get me wrong; I love winter probably more than the next guy, as I love XC skiing, snowshoeing, running and even biking in the snow, but I’m getting itchy to do some riding up in the high hills.

Speaking of high hills, we did some snowshoeing in the mountains a week or so ago, and took a bottle of J. Lohr Paso Robles Cab up in a Nalgene bottle to celebrate the summit. I’ve got to say there’s something about having a good glass of wine out of a camp cup while eating dehydrated Shepherd’s Pie made on a Jet Boil! It was great! (Seriously!) and the new dehydrated meals are really pretty good, especially at 6000 feet in the snow!

The Wine Club – www.thewineclub.com – has one of the better online wine selections anywhere, with hundreds of offerings, including a very nice dessert wine selection. They have been one of the leading online dealers, and also have three retail shops in Santa Ana, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

They are going to be starting a Wine of the Month program in March of 2009, and I’m interested in seeing what they offer, as they have a great inventory to choose from. Keep your eye out for what could be a great opportunity!

Another one that has caught my eye recently is the Pacific Northwest Wine Club – www.pnwc.com- which specializes in wines from the – you guessed it – Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. They offer two bottles a month, and also have several tasting events throughout the region. Their newsletter, Vin Affairres, is informative, and well written. They also have gift memberships available starting at $24.99/month.

Finally, there is the “Sideways” Wine Club at www.sidewayswineclub.com. They are a direct descendant of the movie, and seem to have a great selection. Their website is entertaining and informative, but I’m going to check out their selection of Merlots before passing judgement…

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Dessert wines, Hiking, Pacific Northwest wines, Sideways, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift

Wine Club Insider back with you, with a strange one, really!

I think that everyone has likely heard of Marilyn Wines… the ones with the pictures of Marilyn Monroe on them? Marilyn Merlot? Yup. I have a couple. You?

I’ve got to tell you that they are actually really good wines from some of Napa’s best vineyards, but I always thought they were a bit quirky, I guess… let me tell you, i was quite surprised when today, I came across a wine club devoted exclusively to Marilyn Wines!

www.marilynwines.com, ran by Uvada Winery, sells five different Marilyn Wines:

And, of course, the velvet collection is their best offering.

All in all, I must say I am more impressed with their wines than I thought I was going to be.

The wines are a bit pricey, in part, I think, because of their commercial cult appeal, but for fairly top quality Napa wines, they are still pretty reasonable.

Now I’m kind of interested in seeing if there are any other quirky wine clubs out there… anyone have any others to share?

Back with you Monday!

Wine Club Insider out!

California Wine, Fine Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sparkling Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Wine Club, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews Marilyn Merlot, Napa wines, Wine Club

Wine Club Insider back.

As we get geared up for our largest event of the year this coming weekend, I wanted to take a minute and revisit a couple of new wines from a winery I talked about a couple of weeks ago; Caterina Winery – www.caterinawinery.com.

I stopped in to visit (and pick up my wine club shipment!) and to visit with Monica Meglasson, the winemaker, director, chief cook and bottle washer, who has been running the shop since 2002-ish.

As things sometimes do, we ended up chatting about wine (imagine that!) and sampling her new releases, the “VII” (Seven) series, which are a Merlot and Cab from the famed Seven Hills Vineyard in the Columbia Valley.

Seven Hills is widely getting a reputation as one of the world’s finest vineyards, on par with the best in Napa or France, and as I tasted these new gems, I was reminded again of how lucky we are to be so close to this beautiful vineyard. The VII wines were huge, fruitful and had plenty of time left in the bottle… These are going to be awesome wines in a year or so!

Monica then shared with me one of her favorite wines ever, the new “Imposter,” a 100% Sauv Blanc that was actually almost effervescent when i first tasted it. It was so good I bought some and served it for a dinner party on Saturday! Monica says if she had to drink only one bottle more, this would be the one she chose! High praise indeed.

I also picked up several bottles of the 1999 Cab, which they were featuring, and had on sale for the ridiculous low price of $15! An awesome price for a terrific, well-balanced, aged beauty.

Caterina has really impressed me with their Willard Family Vineyard wines, and now with the “VII” Seven Hills Vineyard additions, they are making some of the best wines in Washington! Check them out!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Fine Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Cabernet, Caterina Winery, Merlot, Sauv Blanc, Seven Hills Vineyard, Willard family vineyard, Wine Club