You Can’t Go Wrong With Ste. Michelle Estates

A few weeks ago I attended an open house and trade tasting event in Pendleton. The winery doing the tasting was the team from Columbia Crest, just across the river in Patterson. As I was walking over to the table, the thoughts running through my mind were akin to “blah blah blah…all we ever drink is Columbia Crest around here.”

But, as I tasted through the wines I was reminded that there is nothing blah about Columbia Crest, It’s parent Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, or any of the other sister wineries in the Ste. Michelle family. Actually, the winery is one you just can’t go wrong with.

Did you know that Ste. Michelle offers eleven popular wine labels that are all processed within miles of you? The company also partners with four very prestigious California brands, and twelve European brands. Each of those brands offers several different blends and varietals worthy of mention, and many of them have received near perfect scores in wine competitions and magazines all over the world.

The other night I tasted six different wines, and found each of them to be satisfactory in the least. But, one thing that stood out to me was that the wines were capable of meeting completely different tastes and budgets equally as well.

The first of the wines was Columbia Crest’s new baby, their 2010 Moscato. I loved the nose on this wine, full of lychee and white roses. The sugars were a little high, but balanced incredibly well with the acidity and alcohol to make this a great wine for spicy foods. I desperately wanted to drink this with some Ceviche. This wine isn’t in chain stores yet, so you’ll need to pick it up at your favorite wine shop in the area.

Next, I enjoyed two different Chardonnays from Columbia Crest. The Horse Heaven Hills, and the Indian Wells 2008 vintages. Both were great in their own right, but very much different from each other. The “Tripple H” as I like to call it, was a very drinkable mixture of apple, pear, and minerality both on the nose and the palate. The finish of light vanilla cream was nice.

Conversely, the Indian Wells was filled with pineapple and other tropical fruit flavors. The structure of this wine had so many layers to it, that it was clearly a wine to be served with seafood in creamy, rich sauces.

Next we tasted the 2008 Horse Heaven Hills, and 2008 Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignons. Once again these wines were so strong, yet different in their own rights that I was honestly taken back a little. The Horse Heaven is once again a very, very drinkable wine. It has flavors of cherry, chocolate, anise, and spices. On the other hand, the Indian Wells is a very ripe and jammy wine with dark fruit and vanilla from the nose to the back palate.

Last, I tasted Erath 2008 Estate Pinot Noir. I’m a big Pinot fan, and Erath is one of my favorites. Red Plums and Orange zest mix with chocolate and vanilla in this wine to make a wonderful light wine worth drinking regardless of the time or place.

I really do suggest that you explore Ste. Michelle Wine Estates various brands. It truly is an adventure.

Enjoy!

How About A Glass Of Salmon Safe Wine?

I was standing in a winery tasting room the other day and I looked down at a pamphlet on “Salmon Safe” wines. My immediate reaction was that this was a joke. First, I thought what salmon is going to drink wine? Then I thought about the fact that pairing Salmon with some wines can be unsafe for your palate.

What I didn’t think about was that vineyards, and winemaking can be hard on salmon habitat. I’m a bit of a throwback from the ‘70s when we used to throw our chemical waste into the rivers because it would wash into the sea eventually. Nobody even thought that it would affect the fish.

So, armed with a little pamphlet, I went on line and started doing some research. Of course the concept of salmon safe vineyard management came right out of Oregon and has spread throughout the western United States. The first vineyards to be deemed salmon safe were in the Willamette valley of western Oregon.

Founded by the Pacific Rivers Council, Salmon Safe is now an official 501 (c) 3 organization based in Portland. Their mission is to transform land management practices so that salmon can thrive in these Pacific Coast watersheds. The organization has grown and paired up with several other like minded organizations throughout the United States and Canada.

Let’s just say I’m a vineyard owner and I want to make my little piece of paradise Salmon Safe. What would I do? The answer appears to actually be quite easy. There are several organizations who are offering support in becoming Salmon Safe. In Oregon and Washington the organization to reach out to is called LIVE, or Low Impact Viticulture and Enology. Their website address is www.liveinc.org .

The next question I have as a consumer is how do I know if I’m drinking a Salmon Safe wine? The best way to find out is by going to www.salmonsafe.org and finding out for yourself.

Several of my favorite vintners from the Willamette Valley to Walla Walla, and everywhere in between are becoming Salmon Safe. Some are almost completely Salmon Safe because of their vineyard management practices, and many are on their way. Over 200 vintners from the region currently participate in the program.

A great example of a winery that produces almost exclusively Salmon Safe Wines is L’Ecole in Walla Walla. All of their estate vintages are listed with this designation. On the other hand, wineries such as Chateau Ste. Michelle have a harder time due to the number of wines they produce. Currently Ste. Michelle offers only their Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge labels with the designation.

My opinion on this whole concept remains pretty simple. I’m not much of an environmentalist. I’m not very good at recycling and I don’t see myself ever driving a Toyota Prius. However, if I know that I’m pulling the cork on a bottle of wine that didn’t impact the salmon habitat I figure that will be one more salmon I get to eat later.

For those who are environmentalists in this region I still wouldn’t admit it openly. However, if you can help make a really good bottle of wine that saves the habitat I’m all for it.

Enjoy!

Restaurants Serving Grocery Store Wines A Poor Choice

The other night I met with some old friends in downtown Pendleton at a local establishment known for fine dining. I was looking forward to a few bites of grilled beef and a good glass of dark red wine to wash it down. Unfortunately I was both shocked and mortified that all that the place had on their glass pour list was the same stuff I could have bought at WalMart. The worst part was that the price for a glass was the same as I could have gotten an entire bottle for at the store!

I have a strict rule about writing this column. It comes from my old friend Thumper in Disney’s Bambi. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” With that in mind, I’m not going to rail on about my snobbish wine tastes and the lack of good selection in Eastern Oregon.

Quite to the contrary, I am impressed with some of the skills used by a few restaurant owners in the region. I just wish that everyone could come up to speed. My “ask” today is that you, the consumer, be aware of what is available out there and demand it. Don’t let some bozo restaurant owner bully you into drinking Barefoot Merlot for $6 per glass.

The first thing that you need to know is that there are many, many wines out there that are reasonably priced specifically for the purposes of restaurant sales. These wines are marketed as such, and aren’t even allocated for sales in stores. Many don’t even have a scan bar on the back label so they can’t be sold at the register.

These restaurant wines are a little harder to acquire, and many are locally produced. Unlike wines that are allocated for the major chain stores, their marketing efforts and dollars don’t go into big ads in magazines. They are focused on producing really great wines at the best prices for “on-premise” accounts.

Examples of these types of wines abound. As I mentioned, many are locally produced, such as many of the wines produced by Precept Wine Brands out of Walla Walla. These are amazing wines, made by renowned area winemakers for the sole purpose of producing wines that are affordable and attractive to the restaurant market.

A few of my recent favorites are the Gordon Brothers Kamiak Labels, Ste Michelle’s Antinori Family labels, and Terra Blanca’s new arch label wines. All of these are very reasonably priced for restaurant sale, and absolutely fantastic. What’s more, I’m not going to refuse to buy a glass when I know I can’t get the bottle at the same price at a local store.

I know what you’re thinking now…”But, what if all I want is a glass of White Zinfandel?” My answer is that there are still options out there, literally sitting in a warehouse ready for delivery to your favorite restaurant. All you need to do is tell your waitperson that you don’t appreciate them selling you Sutter Home for the same price that you could buy it at Safeway. Ask for something different next time, and expect it.

Enjoy!