WIne Club Insider back on this foggy Thursday in the Northwest.

I’m currently training for Adventure Racing and a marathon or two, and got out for an hour’s mountain bike ride and an 18 mile run yesterday, catching a nice break between snowfalls… I’m thinking of adding the Napa Valley marathon back into my schedule this year, as it’s the only real marathon I know where you can do the run and try a bunch of excellent wines along the way! What more can you ask for? Imagine reaching mile 16 or so, and then popping oer to the side of the road for a taste of a crisp Viognier or Riesling to help you through that last few miles… ah… now that’s a marathon!

The date for this year is March 1st , and you can find more info at www.napavalleymarathon.org

Speaking of Rieslings… even though it’s the heart of winter here, my thoughts occasionally drift to summer, and today is one of those days. One of my best friends is currently living in Australia, and just got engaged to a beautiful Australian girl. He asked me to be his Best Man next November in the middle of Australian summer. Ah, the things you do for your friends… terrible job, really. What has this got to do with Rieslings, you ask? Well, he is a big, tough, guy (actually a former Navy SEAL) but was a wimp when it came to wine or indulging of any sort… when we met, he thought an Amaretto Sour was high octane. Being a good friend, I was forced to broaden his horizons, especially when it came to wine, and while he developed a much broader palate, his favorites were still the light and crisp whites, especially Riesling, so, here we are.

German Rhine Rieslings are often considered the most famous variety, but the varietal is making huge gains in Alsace, Austria, Canada and the US, and is a very good “cold weather” varietal.

Now, many folks think that, like other “light” whites, it should be consumed while young, but Riesling, due to the high sugar and acidity, ages marvelously, and there are several examples of Rieslings aged decades that drink marvelously, with no signs of fading! I personally have a few bottles of 1975 and 76 German Rieslings that are absolutely awesome - among my top twenty wines, I would say. They are honey golden, crisp and rich, and seem to be getting better.

Riesling is one of the best wines for showing of the “terroir” - the character of the vineyard/region/soil from which they originate, and due to their propensity for attracting “Noble Rot,” they also make some of the best sweet wines in the world, including the best trockenbeerenausleses and German Eisweins.

Riesling is now considered one of the top three white wines, in terms of importance, along with Sauv Blanc and Chard.

One of our favorites comes from - yes, I’m serious - Idaho! Yes, Idaho! Ste. Chapelle winery from the Snake River region makes outstanding wines, but maybe none better than their Riesling. Check them out at www.stechapelle.com, and check out Riesling with a new, fresh eye!

Cheers,

Wine Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back yet again!

With the dinner party and hosting season just over, I finally had the entire day to work on putting Christmas away today… 10 hours later, we’re back to at least a semblance of normality!

I’m always a bit sad on “Put Away Day,” as the holidays are truly my favorite time of year… We have a 12 foot tree, big toy soldiers by the door, twinklie lights all over… plus, it means that friends, family and guests will be around, and we’ll get to experience some great wine together!

My wife and I have our little traditions; we watch “Love Actually” while setting up, and usually, “High Fidelity” on Put Away Day, but she was at our other business today, so instead I got a chance to listen to a bunch of new CDs I received: the new Willie Nelson-Wynton Marsalis “Two men with the Blues” is awesome!

I’m hoping to get to another of our wine club wineries this weekend: Caterina Cellars in Spokane - www.caterinawinery.com - is located just north of the river in the old Broadview Dairy building, and has been making wine since 1993. Monica Meglasson is the winemaker, and is doing a great job.

They make Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Viognier and Riesling, in a boutique style, and have a wide range of wines, from the very affordable “Artistic Affordable Blends,” all the way up to the (still affordable) single vineyard beauties from some of the Columbia Valley’s best vineyards, including DeBrul, Willard Family, and other Columbia AVAs.

One of their highlight vintages was 1999, where their Merlots and Cabs truly shone. I have had close to a case of each, and it just gets better with age! they are both amazing wines! Luckily, this weekend, they are having a Library tasting of the 1999s, complete with chocolate, cheese, music and a great sale.

One this we love is that they have tapas, food, panini and live music every weekend, and the winery is really quaint… one of our favorites. They have a nice wine club as well, with quarterly offerings of white, red or mixed, and we haven’t been disappointed yet.

Look them up on line, or, if you’re in the northwest, try to stop in this weekend… you won’t regret it!

Wine Club Insider out!

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WCI here, and I’d like to take a small diversion today and talk about some great wines I was able to try this weekend.

I was lucky enough to have some of my dearest friends come into town over the weekend, and so, if I was going to make dinner, I might as well fill the table, so I invited Don Townshend, winemaker, salesman and chief cook and bottle washer for the acclaimed Townshend Cellars in Spokane, Washington, and we had ourselves a party! www.townshendcellar.com is their website, and is worth checking out.

Don is one of the most talented winemakers I’ve met–almost the A.D.D of winemakers, as he makes almost 30 different wines. He’s one of the few winemakers I’ve done a dinner for where I can do an entire 8 - 10 course dinner using only their wines, as he makes everything from a sparkling Huckleberry Brut to several different ports and dessert wines, and everything in-between.

Don and his guest Cathy arrived right on time, and, as is his wont, Don brought a few bottles of some of his best wines to share with us, combined with a couple from my cellar, and let me tell you, folks, what an amazing evening of wines it was!

We started with one of our special champagne cocktails, accompanied by a plate of hummus, crackers and couple of great cheeses; in particular, a two year old, aged cheddar and a lovely smoked Gouda, and then, corkscrew in hand, Don started opening…

First up was his brand new release, entitled “DRG,” for Down River Grill, the restaurant Don crafted the wine for. They are actually having the release party this week, so we got a bit of an early taste. It was quite nice, with tons of fruit, and was a great way to start the evening.

Next up was a salad, with fresh Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, Craisins, fresh sliced pears and a raspberry vinaigrette. We diverged from the list to serve a crisp Riesling, but then, it was time for Big reds!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the tales of a great evening, and about their fun wine club, too!

Until then,

Cheers!

WCI

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