When All Else Fails – Large Wineries That Make Good Every Time

The other day for lunch I headed to a busy little bistro in my neighborhood, but with my busy schedule and looming deadlines I decided to go to McDonalds for the first time in months. Looking across the street at Starbucks, I realized that I don’t frequent places like this often.

Actually, with the great options that we have in our area, I usually prefer to eat and get my coffee at local establishments. Being in an artistic business myself, I guess I have an affinity towards buying from other artisans. What chain food burger could compare to sitting down to a perfectly made sandwich at Farmer’s Kitchen in Hermiston? What single-tall latte from a coffee chain could ever compare to a handcrafted crema from Great Pacific in Pendleton? Of course, the answer is none.

However, even though I do tend to be a bit of a “foodie”, (a term I hate), I still have complete appreciation for the chain establishments as well. When you consider it, the one thing you are pretty much guaranteed is that a double tall caramel macchiato from the Starbucks in Pendleton tastes exactly like the one on Waikiki Beach. I know this because I’ve tried it. You can’t just go into any coffee shop in Indianapolis and expect the same thing you get at Great Pacific.

What I’m talking about here is the power of replication. Whereas you might be into artisan things, you can’t always find exactly what you want just anywhere. I have been all over, and when it comes to wine selection I have been horribly disappointed by the local options at times.

That is when you can fall back on the big wineries to perform. They are widely distributed everywhere wine is sold. Honestly, they aren’t ever going to Score 100 points from Robert Parker, but you can rely on them to always taste reasonably good in any setting.

Sterling Vintners Label - Located in Calistoga in the Napa Valley, Sterling Vineyards offers a full compliment of vintages from Riesling to Syrah in it’s Vintner’s label. Priced between the 10 to 15 dollar range, the wines are quite drinkable. Probably my favorite Sterling vintage to grab is their Chardonnay. Gently oaked, with a nice balance of fruit and butter on the palate and nose.

Columbia Crest Twin Vines Label – Of course, our own local option right here in our own back yard. The Twin Vines label is Columbia Crest’s least expensive, however it is ever consistently drinkable. My favorite Twin Vines grabs are their Sauvignon Blanc, and their Merlot-Cabernet blend. The Mer-Cab is very jammy and filled with warm fruit and baking spices. Surprisingly good year after year, and for under 10 dollars per bottle it is a must have for serving to large groups.

Clos Du Bois – A few months ago I did a complete write up on this winery, but I think it definitely deserves mention here. Their Merlot is spot on every time regardless of vintage year.

Gallo Sonoma Label - Last, I must mention a winery that turns up a lot of people’s noses, but they consistently produce delicious wine year after year. My favorite label of this brand is their Cabernet Sauvignon. A rich nose and flavors of dark plums, leather, and pepper. You can pair this with a steak or burger in any pinch. At under $15 per bottle it is guaranteed good.

Enjoy!

Find The Perfect Wine For Your Mom

While I was sprinting through the gift shop looking for gifts for my mom and wife this week, I realized that it was indeed Mother’s Day again. This year, I thought I would celebrate our mothers with a review of some of my favorite womanly wines. The list of woman oriented wines extends forever, although I thought that it would be fun to list some that match the motherly women in my life.

First, I thought I would start off with a wonderful story of a woman who passed away at the ripe age of 100. Standing at 4’8”, Mary was passionate, loving, caring, strong, and loved Lawrence Welk.

Her memory has gone on to create one of the strongest red blends in the entire Northwest. Her winemaker grandson, Charlie Hoppes, honors Mary with every bottle of M100 Red Blend. The wine is a beautiful blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 12% Syrah, and 7% Malbec. The M100 wine opens with nice raspberry and strawberry jam flavors. The finish is a nice balance of cocoa, spice, and velvety tannins.

Another motherly personality that I’ve been touched by in my life reminds me of Kiona Winery’s Vivacious Vicky labels. Vivacious Vicky is named after Vicky Williams, wife of winemaker Scott Williams. Her vivacious personality in spite of 25 years of long hours, endless dinner guests, and fruit flies that are ever present in the wine business, makes this label remind me of several women in my life.

There are four Vivacious Vicky labels. A White, Red, Rose’, and their Nice Legs Merlot. The Red, White, and Rose are very approachable in both price and flavor. The Merlot is a premium vintage, with a mouthful of rich berries, vanilla, and baking spices.

Next, to a wine that has created both positive and negative vibes for me over the past few years. Charles Smith of K Wines developed Kung Fu Girl Riesling about 3 years ago. The current vintage of this wine is good for the price, with approximately 1.5% residual sugar, it is a semi-dry done in the Mosel style. A little bubbly in the glass when you swirl it, it tastes of young peaches and spice. The reason why I choose this wine for this column is simply for the label. It’s caption that says “Girls Kick Ass” really speaks to so many powerful women in my life.

Next, I just have to bring up Mad Housewife Wines. These wines I know have broken some sales records down at Dave’s Chevron in Pendleton. The labels are just plain funny, with a 50’s style lady on the front who looks completely “June Cleaver” gone mad. This reminds me of many of the mothers in my life. Things may be completely bonkers around them, but as long as there is a glass of wine with dinner everything works out.

Last, I need to bring up a wine that I know offended my wife when I walked in the door with it. But, I know these wines are catching on like wildfire. Bitch wines out of Australia, come with a pretty, pink label with hearts and daggers on it.

Bitch originally offered just Grenache, which was full of berries, and buttery tannins. Now they are offering a Bitch Bubbly, which is a Grenache Rose’ Sparkling. This wine hits the tongue with a burst of ripe strawberries, lingering citrus flavors, and tight bubbles. For the price, this is good stuff. I’ll let you guess who this reminds me of!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Cleansing The Palate For Extended Wine Enjoyment

I know that I’m not exactly “normal” when it comes to my wine drinking. For that matter, I’m not too normal on anything. However, I do know that when I have to drink or taste a substantial amount of wine over a long period of time, I get pretty ripped up. No!! I’m not talking about getting drunk. I’m talking about when your mouth gets so sore from the astringency of the wine that you just can’t take another sip.

A recent wine experience got me to thinking about this. I took some friends around the region tasting. I was the Designated Driver, so rather than drinking anything I was destined to spit all day.

While not getting any alcohol, I could taste things that I hadn’t had in a while, and participate to some level with the rest of the group. Just as expected, after not too many winery stops my mouth was on fire! Too many heavily oaked barrels and unripe vintages had me not even wanting to look at another glass.

This got me to thinking about palate cleansing. What is the best method for cleansing the palate so the astringency in my favorite wines doesn’t make my mouth so sore?

I did some research. What I found was that the French have been cleansing their palates for centuries, often as a mid-course in a meal. Usually the cleanser is a citrusy sorbet, parsely, or some other item that neutralizes the flavors and cleanses the mouth.

Further, I looked into research that has been done specifically on cleansing and wine. I found that the most commonly used are crackers, cheeses, vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers, and water. Most research indicates that water is the best for removing astringents from the palate.

My friend Laura Miller is somewhat of a water expert. She owns a company called Ion Ways, which distributes special water filtration machines. These machines are used mostly for taking the acidity out of water and balancing the Ph for health reasons. My brother-in-law, and many other people I know believe in the healing waters of these machines. Her website is www.aih2o.com.

I scored a bottle of water from Laura then went home to do full-on research. I grabbed a bottle of pretty astringent cab/syrah blend that I don’t recommend, a bottle of Dasani water, Laura’s ionized water, citrus sorbet, ginger beer, carrot sticks, and the ever popular plain oyster crackers.

I took a swig of the wine, and fully macerated it in my mouth. My mouth felt adequately full of sandpaper. I followed that with the crackers, which moderately cleansed my palate. I repeated with the wine, and followed with the sorbet. Still pretty good, but not completely taken care of. This process was repeated over and again with each of the products.

Overall, my findings were that water was probably the most effective. I’m convinced that the Ionized water did the trick the best for me. But, when I did this experiment with my wife she felt that the crackers were the best method. The nice thing is that both the crackers and the water were portable. The sorbet melts in your pocket.

On another note. In all my research I found yet another company that has a water product that is specifically bottled for this purpose called SanTasti. I ordered some samples for further research. You can try it yourself by going to www.santasti.com .

Enjoy!

Barrel Tasting Weekends Are A Great Sign Of Spring

Ahhhhh…we’ve survived the winter. It really wasn’t bad this year, but as I grow older I appreciate winter less and less. There is something to be said about seeing those first daffodils and tulips of the year, followed by the fragrant lilac bushes in my yard exploding with blooms. Other than flowers in bloom, I also get excited this time of year because I know that Spring Release is coming soon.

As a wine-interested person, there are two times each year that the industry goes all abuzz. Spring Release is one of those times. The other comes at harvest during something we call “crush”.

Personally, I think that Spring Release is the best. All of the wines that my friends have been working on for months or years gets bottled and made available for people like you and me to drink. Not only that, but many of those winemaking friends have the time to spend with you explaining what they did to make their drinkable art so good.

I’ve gotten the skinny from a few of my winemaker friends over the past few days, and this year’s releases look to be the most exciting we’ve had in years. This is partially due to the great growing seasons the past few years, mixed with the down economy making vintners really dig deep to make great wines at economical prices. I guarantee that our local winemakers are going to make it very difficult not to buy local this year.

Here are some of the travels I will be making over the next few days to experience Spring Release this year. I hope to see you out there!

This weekend, April 23 through 25, is Spring Barrel Tasting weekend for the Yakima Valley, Prosser, Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, and the Tri-Cities. Starting in Yakima, I suggest going online to www.wineyakimavalley.org to figure out the best route through the valley for you and your friends this weekend. There will be 50 different wineries participating in this year’s release. You can call for more information at (509) 965-5201.

The Rattlesnake Hills winemakers roll out the red carpet every year on this weekend. Many wineries of the Rattlesnake region, just over the river from Boardman, are usually open for appointment only. This is one of the few weekends that the public is invited to come for food, entertainment, art, and wines at many of these vintners facilities. Go to www.rattlesnakehills.com for more information.

The Tri-Cities and Red Mountain wineries also open their doors this weekend for special events. I’ve spoken with several this week who have plans to release very special wines including some very affordable, high quality labels, as well as new varietals never seen before in this region. I’m incredibly excited about what I’m hearing from winemakers in this region. For more information on events going on in the Tri-Cities I suggest going to www.visittricities.com .

Last, but certainly not least, April 30th through May 2nd is Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla. There will be close to 75 wineries participating in next week’s release festival, with many providing special wines just for this weekend event. If you haven’t been to a Walla Walla Spring Release then you haven’t been to a wine party. Food, drinking, dancing, and all out fun awaits you. Go to www.wallawallawine.com for more information.

Please remember to have a designated driver of some type, eat regularly, drink plenty of water, and enjoy!

Barossa Valley Versus Red Mountain…Which Shiraz Stacks Up?

Frequently I’m asked about the difference between Shiraz and Syrah. When I’m asked, I always ask the questioner which one they prefer. They usually can’t really say, but most have a suspicion that the Shiraz is better. The surprise comes when I tell them that they are the same grape, just under a different name.

Actually, Syrah and Shiraz are a branch of the Rhone Noble Varietal Hermitage, who’s name is protected by the French wine growing region by that name. Syrah and Shiraz, although different in name, are by and large, the same grape variety regardless of the region they are from.

However, after several years of pondering, I decided to compare two relatively famous Syrah/Shiraz regions of the world. One local, the other not so local, to see what differences really exist between them.

Locally, I decided on a 2005 Terra Blanca Red Mountain Syrah. The other wine that I chose was a 2005 Cameron Hughes lot 39, from the famed Barossa Valley of South Australia.

Red Mountain, located just outside of Benton City, Washington sits between 500 and 1500 feet above sea level. The Barossa Valley is almost exactly the same altitude range. According to Google Earth they are 13,015 miles away from each other. Also, According to Google, the best way to make this trip is to Kayak from Seattle to Hawaii, to Japan, and then to Australia. Traveling by these means would require 54 days and apparently some good sunscreen.

Both wines were relatively the same price, falling in the just above $10 range. (I wanted this price range because I wanted everyone to be able to replicate my study without going broke.) You can certainly use wines that are much higher in price and quality than what I chose. Some of the most famous vineyards from the Red Mountain Region are Klipsun, and Ceil du Cheval. Penfolds makes a Barossa Valley vineyard that has scored well into the upper 90’s several times over the past decade.

There were differences in the bottles. Terra Blanca uses a Rhone bottle with a real cork, and the Hughes is a Bordeaux bottle with a screw top. The Hughes is 14.5% alcohol and the Terra Blanca is 13.5%.

Upon opening the Terra Blanca, I noticed the familiar smells of dark berries and vanilla. It poured into the glass a dark inky purple. Flavors of dark berry jam layer on the tongue, and finish long and smooth, with fruit and tannin carefully balanced. There is definitely a nice lingering flavor of anise.

The Cameron Hughes poured out of the bottle possibly inkier and darker than the Terra Blanca did. Basically closer to black than purple. Even the bubbles created by pouring were inky. The nose was more veggie, like a bowl of fresh green beans and sliced eggplant. The flavors of fruit were dark, ripe plums.

My decision after virtually traveling over 26,000 miles, and tasting wines from both skilled winemakers on each side of the world, was that both were quite delicious for their own qualities. The Terra Blanca definitely was more berry in its profile, with the Hughes showing more veggie qualities. Both will taste great on their own, or with food.

Personally, I would suggest the Hughes with a Porterhouse, and finish of the night with dark chocolate, gorgonzola, and the Terra Blanca.

Enjoy!

Quality Not Always Easy To Guess by Price

So, I’ve been on a rampage lately. I’ve been working hard for all of you to understand this whole price verses quality thing. By working hard, I mean drinking a lot.

What prompted me to do this was a recent opening of a new grocery store near my neighborhood. Well, actually it’s in the bad part of town a little too close to my neighborhood. This grocery specializes in “cheap”. Not exactly poor quality by any means, however, nonetheless, “cheap”.

I have written other scathing articles over the past few months concerning the proprietary wines from 7 – 11, WalMart, Safeway, and Rite Aid. Don’t even get me started on “Two-Buck (actually now Three-Buck) Chuck” at Trader Joes.

On the other hand, I’m just like everyone else out there. I love a good bargain! If I can find a good wine that won’t drain my bank account I’m all for it.

So, I picked up a few bottles of wine from this store. Excitedly, I cooled them all to the respected temperatures and got out the glass and the opener. In the name of scientific research of course.

The first was a 2007 Sylvester Sauvignon Blanc, a winery out of Paso Robles, California. I pulled the cork and was greeted with the expected nose and flavors that come from a 3 year old white white. The wine was pretty good but far from outstanding. Not bad for $2.99. Served with a killer Ceviche, I didn’t mind it at all.

Next, I poured the 2007 Rose’ from Sylvester. The nose was quite nice, with lots of bright fruit. The flavors were…It tasted like last year’s Easter egg shells. Not saying that’s bad if you’re into that sort of thing. Once again $2.99.

My third bottle was a 2003 Waterbrook Primarius Syrah. I figured I was in for a real treat! I love Waterbrook. Their Melange is one of the best under $10 blends on the market. For $2.99 I was tempted to buy a case. Good thing I didn’t. That wine was really “hot” from having too much alcohol in the balance. Dang near tore my head off!

Last, I bought up and purchased a bottle of Vinos Magali 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. Right away, I noticed the year and knew I needed to breathe this one. At first I was a little scared. The wine was very ruby in appearance and smelled musty. But, as it opened up in my glass it turned out to be a fantastic buy! Dark and rich, with a nice balance of tannin and fruit. Some oxidation, but really not bad for a 2000 production wine. For $5.99 I felt like I hit the jackpot!

Still looking for a few good buys I drove down the highway to Gooseridge winery. They are offering a limited supply of Riesling for $60 a case. This semi dry is rockin’ good for $5 a bottle. Light hints of petrol open up to spiciness, lots of bright fruit, and a nice acidic finish. Awesome with food or by itself.

So, I guess the moral of the story is you can find many good wines for under $10. You just have to look, and know what you’re looking for. Buy a bottle, and if you don’t like it then pour it down the sink. If you love it, go back and buy the whole lot!

Enjoy!

WWJD? (What Would Jesus Drink?)

Rather than have an article this week on what to pair with your deviled eggs, I’ve decided to ponder briefly on what ancient wines tasted like, and what kind of wine Jesus would have considered good wine.

Just a few months ago while traveling to Hawaii to photograph some clients I purchased a book by one of my favorite authors, Ann Rice. Ann is an amazing “period” writer. This means that she does extensive research prior to writing any book, and is very accurate in her detailed descriptions of scenes. In one scene she details a relative of Jesus paying off Roman soldiers with what they consider to be really good wine that was sweet.

Knowing the research that Mrs. Rice does in her writings led me to do more research myself on “What Would Jesus drink?”. After all, I know that Jesus was a pretty serious amateur sommelier and enologist. He spoke on the subject many times, and his first public miracle was making a pretty big batch of the “best” stuff.

So, what would Jesus drink? History shows that there were both red and white wild varietals growing in Macedonia and Rome back around 1 A.D.. Vines were trained around trees to keep them off of the ground, and slaves would have to climb up in the trees to prune the vines and harvest.

There are several writings by Cato during this period on winemaking, including how much you could work a slave in the vineyard, and how to best store wine after fermentation. He mistakenly suggested keeping ample headroom in the jars, which would have caused oxidation, turning the wine into vinegar quickly.

Unlike Cato, Jesus suggested that winemakers use new wineskins to make new wine, rather than old ones. The wineskin would have been swollen, with no air touching the wine. This would have produced a much higher quality product.

So, what was considered “Good” wine? Well, I can say that most of my friends would be very disappointed with the wine choices of yester year. Wine that people in Jesus’ time considered good was sweet. They didn’t have the ability to age wines well in many cases, so wines were often consumed within the next year after the vintage. There was a very high bounty though in Rome and Greece on older vintages. Surrentines were famous for being stored as much as 25 years.

Along with being sweet, most of the wines produced in that age were combined with spices or herbs. Lavender, resin, and other flavorings were often used producing a mulled or Vermouth flavored wine. Jesus may have enjoyed a wine that was some type of mixture between today’s version of Riesling and a decent Madiera.

With all that said, I propose that while you’re eating your lamb chops and smashed red potatoes you propose a toast to the ancient winemakers with a glass of sweet white wine this Easter. Once that glass of “good” wine is gone, you can go back to drinking the lesser stuff, like a really nice Zinfandel or Cabernet!

Happy Easter!