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Monterey Wine Festival

November 11th, 2009

I forgot to mention… last month I went to the Monterey Wine Festival. I try to go every year because it’s such a wonderful experience. It was hard to count, but it seemed like there were over 100 different wineries there. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but it was definitely over 50. And in addition there are several premium food vendors offering fine cheeses, seafood, and several other delicacies. It’s basically a wine and foodies dream come true! If you’re curious for next year there’s a list of all the participants on their website. There was also a chef giving free cooking lessons; including recipes such as Caramelized Pineapple Meringue Flambé, Artichoke and Chestnut Velouté with Sautéed Apples, and Tender Calamari Filled with Chorizo, Topped with Tomato Sauce and Served over Soft Polenta. I went to the event at the Hyatt. Apparently they also have a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I’m thinking about trying it next year. I’m sure it would be fine indulging on wine and cheese while you hang out with sea turtles. :)   Tickets are $99 which seems expensive, but considering its 3 hours of unlimited wine and food it’s not that bad of a deal. According to their website there are over 300 wines to taste. The events are limited to 1,500 guests and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sold out. So if you plan to attend next year buy your tickets early. This is a highly recommended experience!

Cheers,
Wine Club Insider

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“Iron Chef” and great wine!

May 24th, 2009

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 , , ,

A couple of very nice wine surprises!

May 19th, 2009

Wine Club Insider coming at you from on the road this week!

Yup… actually had to go out of town to do some work for a living… I pride myself on being one of the busiest unemployed people I know, but every once in a while, I have to do something at least mildly productive, even if just to keep my wife happy.

With that in mind, I had to make the trip to Bend, Or. to teach a small clinic. I drove down Sunday, and it was an awesome day… mid 80s (warmest day this year around here!), sunny… perfect! By the looks of it, the wine industry isn’t suffering quite as mush as the rest of us in these troubled times… people will always keep sipping their vino, I guess. It was great to see all of the new wineries dotting the Columbia River and Oregon hillsides as I made the trip. I’m planning in hitting a few of them on the way home – strictly for educational purposes, of course!

On a side note, the unsettled weather seems to be following me; the drive down was perfect, it was 86 yesterday, and today, after giving it a chance to catch up, it’s 66 and raining – in the high desert. Oh well… just seems to be my luck this spring. I did get a great run in this morning before the clouds rolled in, though, so no worries!

The folks I’m staying with in Bend are also foodie/winos, so we manage to always find something to drink, eat and chat about, even if it’s just a simple salad, watermelon and cheese like we had Sunday night, accompanied by a very pleasant surprise that I dragged out of my cellar and brought along for the ride…

We opened a 2002 A Mano Puglia, which is made from 100% Primitivo (Basically Zinfandel, or at least modern Zin’s grandfather). It was huge! Rich, full, but not over done. Yup… Zin is my current favorite red grape… it’s been working toward it for a year, and over the past 3 or 4 months, I don’t think I’ve had a bad Zin!

Last night, friends came over for lasagna, salad and bread, and brought, of all things, a Ravenswood Zin. A great coincidence! The Ravenswood was excellent, as usual, but lacked some of the fruit of the A Mano, to my mind. Still a terrific wine, though.

Tonight, I’m facing off against one of the chefs here in town in an Iron Chef-meets-Chopped contest, with pride and a good bottle on the line… I’ll let you know how it goes on Thursday!

(I think I have an edge, because I also brought the fabulous 2003 Borra “Fusion,” the Syrah-Cab Sauv-Merlot-Zin blend from from Lodi for the entree, and with my dessert, I’m serving one of the last 6 remaining bottles of Renaissance 1982 Late Harvest Sauv Blanc in a 750… it’s the color of dark caramel, and will carry the evening for me, I’m sure, no matter what I make!) Almost a shame to have to throw in work in the middle of all of it, but it keeps me in vino, laptops and mountain bikes, so it’s all good!

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting , , , , , , , , , ,

The Wine Society is pretty cool!

May 14th, 2009

Wine Club Insider back with you.

Rain, Rain, go away, come again another year…

Another day of substandard temps, buckets of rain and overcast here in the northwest. Our summers and falls are marvelous, but Spring kind of sucks until the rain ends… they give us just enough nice days so we don’t move away, but then the next wave of storms comes through, and our drought worries ease for another year!

One good thing is that it’s great for the grapes, though! Wet spring, long, hot, dry summer… maybe that’s why Columbia Valley fruit is getting such a great reputation!

In doing my normal weekly tromp around the cyber-vineyards of the Internet, I came across a new (to me, at least) site called “The Wine Society” out of England.  www.thewinesociety.com

Founded in 1874, it is reputed to be the World’s oldest wine club, and their stated goal is to introduce people to some of the world’s great wines at a fair price.

The way they work their membership is that you actually buy a share in the WIne Society for $60-ish (40 British pounds) and it is good for a lifetime, with no pressure to buy.

Even though shipping to the US isn’t an easy option, there are still plenty of other reasons to join, especially if you want a great wine education or have the option of travelling to the UK or to France at all…

Their wine list is over 800 deep, stuffed full of some of the great treasures from the US, Europe, Australia and beyond. They have a great online library, and if you live in England, they will deliver your wines with their own vans!

They also have several tastings, controlled storage for their members, and a nice futures program. They also have retail outlets in England and France if you “just have to have it today.”

I’m actually thinking about joining just for the extras, and picking up my wine when I next get there… and if I can’t bring it back with me, I guess I’ll just be forced to drink it with a nice piece of cheese and some fresh bread out in the English countryside… could be worse, I guess.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Storage, Wine Tasting, Wine Tours , , , ,

Mother’s Day was a great spring wine day!

May 12th, 2009

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.

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As summer comes, lighter wines and dessert wines will take center stage!

May 4th, 2009

Wine Club Insider back with you!

Yesterday, we took part in one of the great festival/sporting events anywhere in the USA; The Lilac Bloomsday Run, a 12 k (7.46 mile) run through the streets of Spokane with 52,000(!) of our closest friends.

In its 22rd year, Bloomsday – www.bloomsdayrun.org – is one of the largest (2nd largest, I believe, behind Bay to Breakers), best organized runs anywhere, and is a giant party that captivates an entire region for several days, including a huge fitness expo, community fitness and training classes etc.

It is also held the 1st Sunday in May, which nicely coincides with “Cinco de Mayo” festivities, which, this year, is being celebrated on the 5th of May… ;)

I have to admit that I spent Saturday evening with my friends Jose and Margarita, rather than wine, but still managed to complete the pretty challenging run in 58 minutes, which isn’t bad for an old guy!

Dessert wines, as I have mentioned, are some of my favorites, with Ice Wine – or Eiswein – topping that list (okay, maybe Port is right up there).

We’ve talked a bit about Port in an earlier article, but I wanted to chat about how Ice Wines are made, since several vintages will be coming to market soon, just in time for your summer enjoyment.

So, what do you get when you let the grapes freeze on the vine, waiting until December or even January to pick them, by hand, in the dead of night, at less than 10 degrees?

 

Ice Wine, or Eiswein in Germany, is perhaps the most difficult to make, best-crafted wine in the world, and creates wine with such character and depth that it is hard to describe until you have tried it. These are world class wonders of delight and delicacy, with world class prices, to boot. In Germany, Riesling grapes are used for Eiswein, but other varietals are used around the world, including Gewurtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and even Pinot Noir and Catawba. Canadian Ice Wines are viewed as perhaps the greatest in the world, and can easily fetch more the $90 for a 375 ml bottle! New Zealand, Austria and the US also make wonderful Ice Wines.

 

Here are just a few of your choices:

 

Inniskillin (Canada)                             Vidal and Riesling         $65 – 90/375ml (maybe the best in the world!)

Terra Blanca (Washington)                  Chenin Blanc                $50/375 ml

Bonny Doon ‘Vin Glaciere’                    Muscat                         $24

Mission Hill Reserve     (Canada)          Vidal                             $60

 

Selaks (New Zealand) and Covey Run (Washington) make excellent Ice Wines for under $30!

 

Of course, there are a whole raft of German Eisweins, including the famous Dr. Loosens, which are spectacular, if a bit pricey.

 

Some wineries freeze their own grapes, which seems to me like cheating, but there is little argument about the finished product. Dolce from Far Niente Vineyard ($80/375 ml) is a great example.

 

So, there’s a bit of a primer on “the Nectar of the Gods.” Enjoy!!

 

Cheers,

 

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Tasting , , , , , , ,

There are some great wine quotes out there!

May 1st, 2009

Wine Club Insider back!

Wow… what a week!

Besides the other events I’m doing, my wife and I are expecting our first child in June, so now we have baby classes, baby showers, baby nurseries, baby shopping… for all the parents out there, you know of what I speak, and for those still unencumbered, you just wait… what a blessing, all tied up in lots of work!

On our drive to the airport, there is a mini-storage facility – ABC Mini-storage – that brightens my day, and the days of the hundreds of drivers that breeze past on the interstate.

Now, I don’t have storage there. As a matter of fact, I’ve never even stopped in, yet I can’t wait to see what’s new…

The thing they do that’s so special – and yet so simple – is they have a billboard with a different funny/interesting/thought provoking quote on each side, and like many, I suspect, I love those quotes!

Today’s was “Why is abbreviation such a long word?”

The flip side is “Why does the word Lisp have an “S” in it?”

Simple, yes, but every week when I drive by and they’ve changed it, I’m excited, and I bet many of you love quotes as much as I do.

That said, I started thinking about wine (what a surprise!) and wondered if I could find some quotes… of course, we all know the usual suspects, but was that it?

Turns out, there are a few more…

Here are some of the ones that caught my eye:

Wine improves with age.  The older I get, the better I like it. ~ Anonymous

Wine is the most civilized thing in the world. 
~ Ernest Hemingway

Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance. 
~ Benjamin Franklin

I have lived temperately….I double the doctor’s recommendation of a glass and a half of wine each day and even treble it with a friend.
~ Thomas Jefferson
                    
I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury.  On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens. 
~ Thomas Jefferson

If your heart is warm with happiness, you’ll need a glass – if sorrow chills your heart, have two! 
~ Hannu Lehmusvuori

We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle.  But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes.  Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes, to be changed into wine;  a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. 
~ Benjamin Franklin

Wine to me is passion.  It’s family and friends.  It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit.  Wine is art.  It’s culture.  It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living. ~ Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, “Harvests of Joy”

Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.
~ Andre Simon, “Commonsense of Wine

What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?  ~ W. C. Fields

Reality is an illusion that occurs due to a lack of wine.  ~ Anonymous

Good wine is a necessity of life for me.                           ~ Thomas Jefferson

Consuming wine in moderation daily will help people to die young as late as possible.  ~ Dr Philip Norrie

Wine is the thinking person’s health drink. 
~Dr. Phillip Norrie

Hold the bottle up to the light; you will see your dreams are always at the bottom. 
~ Rob Hutchison
If a life of wine, women and song becomes too much, give up the singing. ~ Anonymous

I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles.
                        ~ A Bishop of Seville

I cook with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food.  ~ W.C. Fields

You haven’t drunk too much wine if you can still lie on the floor without holding on.  ~ Dean Martin

No one that has drunk old wine wants new; for he says, “The old is nice.”                                         ~ Luke 5:39

Making good wine is a skill. Fine wine is an art.
~ Robert Mondavi, Harvests of Joy

Ah… who knew that our favorite pastime had inspired such brilliance from the minds of mere men?
Cheers!
Wine Club Insider out.

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Awesomeclubs.com has some different options!

April 27th, 2009

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!

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Bottlenotes offers some cool wine club options, and a lot more!

April 24th, 2009

Wine Club Insider back with you!

It appears my predictions of the final demise of old man winter were a bit pre-mature, and did nothing but stir him up, as went from a nice mid 70′s on Monday-Tuesday, to the current conditions, which include a temp of 35, blustery wind, and an inch of new snow (!) on the ground. I apologize, and will keep my mouth shut from now on. Is it just me, or is anyone else looking forward to the shift into summer mode?

Have you noticed if your wine tastes change as the weather gets warmer? I continue to like reds anytime, but I do find I drink more whites and roses in the warmer weather… anyone else?

All Whining (as opposed to “wineing,” which never goes out of style!) aside, I have a nice site to recommend to you.

I was cruising the Web yesterday, and came across a new-to-me site called Bottlenotes at www.bottlenotes.com. At first I was struck by the “cleanliness” of the site… crisp, bright colors, easy to navigate, but as I puttered around, I was impressed with the wide variety of information they offered; they had everything from comprehensive tasting notes and reviews, easily navigable by price, varietal, winery etc, as well as access to their own podcasts featuring such notables as Jack Cakebread, Pete Mondavi jr., etc.

They have a nice feature called “Winecylopedia,” which is a pretty extensive collection of wine info, and they also have “The Daily Sip,” which is, as they describe it, like a cross between “Daily Candy,” and “US Weekly” for the wine industry.

Aside from all of these little perks, they also offer some really fun wine clubs, and their “hook,” so to speak, is that they will completely customize your wine club to your tastes, budget, schedule etc.

They have 9 offerings, including the Explorer’s Wine Club, which is pretty much the standard “get started for $25″ club, and they also have the obligatory Intermediate wine club (The perhaps less than originally named “Connoisseurs Club”) and a high end offering called ”Limited Addictions” (nice name!) wine club, which features pretty high end, rare products such as Gaja, Pavie etc.

From there, they start to get cool, though…

They have a seasonal wine club, which is also customizeable, so you can choose Rhone in the spring, Napa cabs in the fall, etc.

Perhaps the coolest wine clubs they offer are the smallest…

They have a “Jet Setters,” which is a  tour of the world’s wines, they have a “Dinner party in a box” club, which provides all the wines for before, during and after a dinner party (a neat idea, really!), “Pop,” a champagne and sparkling club, a Kosher club for those looking for something beyond Manischewitz (who knew?), and a new Sake club, with some premium sakes on the menu.

All in all, a pretty nice stop on the web, and I’d recommend you check them out for the extras, as well as the interesting wine clubs.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

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Petite Syrah is fast becoming a favorite wine

April 20th, 2009

Wine Club Insider back with you after a very busy weekend!

On Friday, some friends were passing through town, and stopped for the evening, forcing us to open some wine… I mean, what is a host supposed to do, right?

They were kind enough to bring a couple of bottles with them, as any good guest would, and to my surprise, they were both Petite Syrahs, a favorite of one of the guests.

The first was the 2005 Concannon Petite Syrah, which at less than $10/bottle, is an amazing value. It was also an awesome wine! For me, Petite Syrahs have always been a bit austere to me, but this was pretty soft, while still being dry enough for pleasure’s sake.

The second wine was the Bogle Petite Syrah, which was also tasty, with a nice berry finish. It was also a great value at only $12!

So far, the evening was going well, and to contribute to the festivities, I opened a bottle of 2002 Weston Cabernet Franc from Caldwell, Idaho… yes, you read that correctly, Idaho.

I love Cab Francs, as many of you know, but with its affordable price tag, this was a very pleasant surprise!

It was a robust, well crafted wine with hints of cherry and chocolate. Even though it was from Idaho, the winery uses Columbia Valley fruit, and, as is the case with several of the Columbia Valley Can Francs, this was a pretty hefty wine.

We finished the evening with a nice Gold Digger Cellars Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, which is just a gem of a wine… sweet, but not cloying, refreshing, and very much like fresh apples, to my mind. We enjoyed it with some fresh Havarti cheese, and it was the perfect end to a great evening.

The weather is turning for the better, spring has sprung (I’m getting to play golf today before going to dinner at Beverley’s in the Coeur d’ Alene Resort, which features one of the world’s finest wine lists!) and it’s time to get out with friends, enjoy some great wine and celebrate life… see you there!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

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