Last week as I was putting the finishing touches on another of my amazing articles an important piece of news was breaking in the local wine industry. Whitman Cellars of Walla Walla was taken over by the Bank of Whitman. The locks were changed, and the employees were sent home.
This broke my heart. In the past 10 years they have provided me with many fantastic bottles which I will never forget. Their Merlot was a regular favorite at my table, and a couple of years ago I bought up as much of their Narcissa as I could afford.
Now it’s all gone. Even my dear friend Sara Nelson, the super talented graphic artist who designed their label, has removed the bottle shots from her website.
From all that I read, and all I know of the situation, the bank tried everything possible to keep the popular winery from reaching this place. I know the owners, and know that they also were trying their hardest to reach a resolution up to the 11th hour.
This news follows a few recent closures that are just as devastating to our region. Last week the news was that another of my favorite wineries in the Prosser region was also closing its doors. Olsen winery, famed for its rare Trocken Ice Wine, and maker of many great wines announced that they were closing their tasting room.
Just when you think the news is bad enough, another famous winery in Walla Walla also closed its doors recently. Yellow Hawk Cellars, makers of one of the best Sangioveses that I’ve ever tasted called it quits.
It isn’t that these wineries were bad business people. No. Actually, they were good business people. It wasn’t that they made crappy wine. Actually, their wines scored high enough to bring the averages of our region up. They were pacesetters and artisans in their craft who have nothing to be ashamed of.
So, what happened? In my opinion, 2008 happened. In 2008 we were all more than happy to drink a $30 bottle of wine. It wasn’t seen as unreasonable to offer wines at $50 to $100 in a restaurant and have people shell it out.
Since those fateful days in fall of 2008 when the stock market fell, so did the people who were willing to buy those wines. What has been left is a market of new wine drinkers, who honestly don’t have an appreciation or desire to drink wines in that price bracket.
Recently I walked through a very established, high-end wine shop in Eastern Washington. This is a place that I would regularly find engraved Magnums of Cabernet Sauvignon in the $500 bottle range, and entire flights of Leonetti. Now their shelves were full of bottles under $10.
As a professional photographer I’ve seen this same phenomenon in my industry and I can fully relate to the Whitmans, the Olsens, and the Yellow Hawks. People won’t spend the money they used to on well crafted art. I’ve had several of my esteemed mentors close their doors in recent months because the phone stopped ringing two years ago.
So…What does this mean to you? Unfortunately you won’t be able to drink great local wines anymore if you don’t support the fine winemakers of our region. Personally, I’m going to drink good wines and hope you do too. On the other hand, Boones Farm tastes pretty good ice cold.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Whitman Cellars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whitman Cellars. Show all posts
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wonderful Tasting Turkey Wines!
It’s not what you think. I’m really not going to pitch you on drinking wine made out of turkey. I would never suggest you drink a wine made with turkey flavoring. There are sodas that are flavored that way, but I wouldn’t drink them either. However, it is time to round up wines for the big turkey dinner again, and I’m all jazzed up about the opportunities!
Thanksgiving dinner is probably one of the toughest meals of the year to buy wine for. Usually served as somewhat of a potluck, you never know exactly what is going to be served until the meal shows up on the table. That is exactly why I always suggest that you buy several wines for the event.
First, you should include a sparkling wine. I just learned that one of my local favorites is being discontinued and won’t be available long. Domaine St. Michelle’s Frizzante is a slightly sweet sparkler that has won several awards in the last few years. Get it while you can.
You really can’t have Thanksgiving without a bunch of white wines. I prefer to host with Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Viognier or Rousanne, and a good old oaky Chardonnay. Pinot Grigio has citrus and mineral qualities that break down fats well. If you are serving creamy foods such as green bean casserole, you’ll love the way this wine pairs with it. I’ll be serving one of my favorites made by Casey McClellan at Seven Hills.
Good Rieslings are spicy, fruity, and also have a level of minerality to them. I tend to like ones with low residual sugar, and prefer them bone dry if I can find one. Pacific Rim winery makes a wonderful Riesling that hits the spot.
As for Viognier, I would suggest Alexandria Nichole Cellars. Lots of fresh fruits including pineapple, melon, and a faint hint of banana coax out the flavors of a nicely prepared butterball, and pair with mom’s stuffing.
I prefer a good, old fashioned Chardonnay for Thanksgiving. I serve one of those major oak bombs that you usually run from, but the vanilla and buttery flavors compliment so well with the comfort foods of the day. I suggest a good Napa Chardonnay, or if you want to go local I suggest Columbia Crest Grand Estates.
If you are like me, you’re into having smoked turkey, duck, or venison on the table. For smoked foods you really need to step out with some fun reds. I highly suggest a Rose’, a Pinot Noir, Malbec, and a good Cabernet Sauvignon to keep the Bordeaux drinkers happy.
The Rose’ that we’ll be drinking this year is from San Juan Island Vintners. I’ve reviewed this before so I won’t bore you, but this dry Rose’ is great with everything on the table.
Eyrie Pinot Noir is my hands down choice for Thanksgiving. Its bright raspberry notes turn to a earthy finish are great with duck or smoked meats. As for the Malbec, I love them dark and spicy, with huge flavors of blueberry pie. For that I suggest Saviah, Terra Blanca, and Gascon depending on where you want the wine to be from.
The choices for Cabernet Sauvignon run deep in my house. I’m just going to put my hand over my eyes and grab something off the rack. But, if you have to make a special trip, I would suggest picking up one of the local artisan winemakers such as Fidelitas or Whitman Cellars.
Enjoy!
Thanksgiving dinner is probably one of the toughest meals of the year to buy wine for. Usually served as somewhat of a potluck, you never know exactly what is going to be served until the meal shows up on the table. That is exactly why I always suggest that you buy several wines for the event.
First, you should include a sparkling wine. I just learned that one of my local favorites is being discontinued and won’t be available long. Domaine St. Michelle’s Frizzante is a slightly sweet sparkler that has won several awards in the last few years. Get it while you can.
You really can’t have Thanksgiving without a bunch of white wines. I prefer to host with Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Viognier or Rousanne, and a good old oaky Chardonnay. Pinot Grigio has citrus and mineral qualities that break down fats well. If you are serving creamy foods such as green bean casserole, you’ll love the way this wine pairs with it. I’ll be serving one of my favorites made by Casey McClellan at Seven Hills.
Good Rieslings are spicy, fruity, and also have a level of minerality to them. I tend to like ones with low residual sugar, and prefer them bone dry if I can find one. Pacific Rim winery makes a wonderful Riesling that hits the spot.
As for Viognier, I would suggest Alexandria Nichole Cellars. Lots of fresh fruits including pineapple, melon, and a faint hint of banana coax out the flavors of a nicely prepared butterball, and pair with mom’s stuffing.
I prefer a good, old fashioned Chardonnay for Thanksgiving. I serve one of those major oak bombs that you usually run from, but the vanilla and buttery flavors compliment so well with the comfort foods of the day. I suggest a good Napa Chardonnay, or if you want to go local I suggest Columbia Crest Grand Estates.
If you are like me, you’re into having smoked turkey, duck, or venison on the table. For smoked foods you really need to step out with some fun reds. I highly suggest a Rose’, a Pinot Noir, Malbec, and a good Cabernet Sauvignon to keep the Bordeaux drinkers happy.
The Rose’ that we’ll be drinking this year is from San Juan Island Vintners. I’ve reviewed this before so I won’t bore you, but this dry Rose’ is great with everything on the table.
Eyrie Pinot Noir is my hands down choice for Thanksgiving. Its bright raspberry notes turn to a earthy finish are great with duck or smoked meats. As for the Malbec, I love them dark and spicy, with huge flavors of blueberry pie. For that I suggest Saviah, Terra Blanca, and Gascon depending on where you want the wine to be from.
The choices for Cabernet Sauvignon run deep in my house. I’m just going to put my hand over my eyes and grab something off the rack. But, if you have to make a special trip, I would suggest picking up one of the local artisan winemakers such as Fidelitas or Whitman Cellars.
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)