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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!

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.

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

Wine Club Insider back with you!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to go awry? Today was one of those for me; car trouble, work stuff not on sched, wife went out of town… the list goes on, but, as with most days, if you keep a positive attitude, something will happen to straighten it out and make it all worthwhile!

We were supposed to chat about Chardonnay today, but I’m going to take a small departure to share a great find!

While waiting five (5!) hours for my car to get fixed (started as “45 minutes… no probs”) I was invited by my dear friend Debbie of Idaho Wine Merchants to the grand re-opening of Pilgrims Market – www.pilgrimsmarket.com – which has expanded from their original 4000 sq ft to a beautiful 15,000 or so! They offer the best in organic, natural and healthy food, and are doing a wonderful job! They also have a top-notch wine department… and I mean top-notch!

Master Sommelier Sam Lange and his beautiful partner Sara have built up a terrific supply, and have regular tastings on Friday. With the big opening today, they invited one of the inland Northwest’s best “new” wineries to come and pour. New is only relative, since Mike and his partner Greg Lipsker – both attorneys (thus the name!) have been making wine since 2001.

Mike White of Barrister Winery – www.barristerwinery.com- brought a wonderful compliment of wines to share, and we were not disappointed! Now, to digress slightly, I was one of their first tasters after they opened, and even then, their wines – especially the Cab Franc – showed great promise. Well, promise delivered!

I tasted a Klipsum Vineyards Sauv Blanc that was crisp and refreshing, and the moved on to the reds, starting with the ’06 Dwelley vineyard Merlot (smooth, even for being so young) and then getting a chance to re-visit the Cab Franc – this time the ’06. What a wine! Elegant, powerful… everything you would hope for in a Cab Franc! The Syrah is blended with a hint of viognier, giving it a nice acidity. Their Cab is a Big Boy, let me tell you, coming from the famous Bacchus vineyard; rich, tannic, but not overbearing.

Finally, I got to sample the brand new “Rough Justice,” a Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah, Cab Franc blend that knocked my socks off! Smooth, jammy, but somehow rich… eminently drinkable, and promising to get better! (I bought 3… 2 survived the evening…:) )

I’ve mentioned Barrister once or twice before, but after this tasting, I must say that they have arrived as one of the best wineries in the northwest; lots of wines, most single vineyard, fairly priced, well-crafted, great fruit, caring vintners… turned my day right around, and I’m looking forward to doing a wine maker’s dinner with Mike and Greg so I can try some more Barrister wines!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

Fine Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Shiraz, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Bar, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Barrister Winery, blends, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Idaho Wine Merchants, Merlot, Pilgrims Market, Syrah, Wine Club

Wine Club Insider back with you.

Just got back from a triathlon club meeting… I’m aiming for a 70.3 (1/2 Ironman) in a couple of months, and was actually presenting some stuff tonight… great fun, good fitness, and it justifies the wine as a “training aide…”

It’s coincidental that we’re talking about Merlot today… I got to try the VERY nice 1999 Willard Family Merlot from Caterina Winery - www.caterinawinery.com – that I mentioned last week… it was even better than the last time I tasted it a year or so ago, and looks to have another 5 years or so until its prime… wow, what a nice wine!

Merlot is the other Grand Daddy of red wine grapes, or should I say “Grand Pere?” The other key Bordeaux grape, it is also, like Cab Sauv, an offspring of Cab Franc, and predates the Cab Sauv by a few years.

Merlot is a more medium bodied wine, and ripens earlier than Cab Sauv. It also blends very well, making it uber-popular with wine makers world wide.

The movie “Sideways,” for all its quirky charm, and heaped with blessings from the Pinot Noir industry, did many wine drinkers world wide with lead character Paul Giamatti’s irrational dislike for Merlot. One of the bits of ironic humor was in the final scene when he sits at the table in the diner to drink his treasured bottle of French Bordeaux… which ends up being a Merlot!

Yes, two of the world’s most famous, rare and expensive wines are both close to 100% Merlot…  Petrus (around $3000/bottle for futures) and Le Pin (even more than that!) are both Merlots.

Merlot is also going to be the number one red wine grape (again) by the end of 2009, it looks like, surpassing Cab Sauv.

Merlot is often used to add body and softness to the oft-harsher Cab Sauv, and is grown most everywhere Cab Sauv is, though tends to do better in the cooler areas of the AVAs where it doesn’t ripen quite so early. It is the largest varietal in France, and is becoming more and more popular world wide. In the USA, it is hugely popular in Napa, and is making greater inroads in the Pacific Northwest, where wineries such as Leonetti, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Isenhower, and yes, Caterina are making notable and praiseworthy wines.

Myself, I love it. A great Merlot is a joy to drink… softer somehow than other reds, often “fleshy,” and filled with flavors of currant and plum, two of my favorite tastes in wine.

So, put whatever prejudices you might have aside, and take up a glass of good Merlot and join the rest of the world in appreciating this grand old grape! There might even be a Merlot wine club out there somewhere… hmmm…

Back tomorrow with Cab Franc, another of my favorites!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Bordeaux, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bordeaux, Chateau Petrus, Le Pin, Merlot, Napa, Washington wine, Wine Club