Washington Wine Month

Hello Wine Lovers,

March is “Washington Wine Month” and there are plenty of great wines and fun events planned for March.  A good website to learn more about Washington wines is www.washingtonwine.org.  This site offers information on major wine producing regions, wineries, educational information, events and ways to connect with folks in the industry. Here are events planned for March: http://www.washingtonwine.org/events/?date=2015-03.

Wine in Washington got its start in Fort Vancouver in 1825.  Since then, Washington has grown to become the second largest premium wine producer in the United States.  The state is host to a wide variety of soil and climate types that growers and wine makers weave into a plethora of excellent red and wine wines.  Creation of the Washington State Wine Commission in 1987 and growth in available educational resources have improved marketing of, quality and consistency of the state’s wines.

Here are a few facts about Washington wine.

• In 1981 there were 19 wineries, in 2004 there were 300 wineries and by 2014 there were more than 850 wineries. There are more than 350 wine grape growers.

• There are 13 recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVA) and 8 of those have been recognized in the last 10 years.
  • Yakima Valley – 1983                     Walla Walla Valley – 1984
  • Columbia Valley 1984                     Puget Sound – 1995
  • Red Mountain – 2001                      Columbia Gorge – 2004
  • Horse Heaven Hills – 2005             Wahluke Slope – 2006
  • Rattlesnake Hills – 2006                 Snipes Mountain – 2009
  • Lake Chelan – 2009                        Naches Heights – 2011
  • Ancients Lakes of Columbia Valley – 2012

• The leading red and white varietals are:
  • Riesling                                         Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Chardonnay                                  Merlot
  • Pinot Gris                                      Syrah
  • Sauvignon Blanc                          Cabernet Franc
  • Gewurztraminer                           Malbec
  • Viognier                                        Pinot Noir
  • Semillon                                       Sangiovese
  • Chenin Blanc                               Lemberger

• Wine production is approximately 12.5 million cases with the record harvest in 2013 of 210,000 tons.

• Winery revenues are roughly $1 billion providing for 27,455 full time equivalent wine related jobs in the state.

With all this great wine and a month of events, be sure to taste some Washington wines.  A few of our favorite wineries are; Abeja, Grantwood, Northstar, Saviah, Gorman, Bookwalter, Mark Ryan, Gamache, Owen Roe, and Ramseyer.

Enjoy!

Mike

Other resources:

• http://www.winesnw.com/
• http://wawgg.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_wine

Does Red Soil Make Red Wine?

Hello Wine Lovers,

Valentine’s Day is upon us and with red as the theme it seems only fitting to go red in this Discovery Story. Red soil does not color wine red. Red wine is made by allowing the juice to ferment with the skins of red grapes. Differing red grapes and variations in soak time imparts levels of color and tannin into the wine. These are part of the recipe wine makers use to produce the wines we enjoy.

There is a deeper dimension to the question posed in the title that goes to terroir; the French word meaning “a sense of place”. Terroir describes the overall wine making process inclusive of climate, soil, slope, exposure, etc., that produces the unique characteristics of a wine that identifies it with a specific area of the world.

Since we are going red, lets talk red wines grown in red soil.

The vines of Coonawarra are grown in a rich soil called “Terra Rosa”. Terra Rosa is bright red brick in color, drains well, is high in aeolian clay content and rests upon a soft limestone base. These unique soil characteristics add their own special sense of place to the wines produced from this area.

Coonawarra, the Aboriginal word for honeysuckle, is located in South Australia’s Limestone Coast in a small area just north of Penola. The climate is “cool” as this location is relatively close to the ocean which provides a maritime influence to the area. The region itself is cigar shaped roughly 9 miles (15 km) in length and anywhere from 650 feet to a mile wide (200m – 1.5km) and is raised above swampy ground on either side. A long cool growing season and the rich soil combination produces some of Australia’s finest wines.

The original vines planted in the 1890s were shiraz. In the early 1950’s Samuel Wynn bought Riddoch cellars and began transformation of the Australian wine industry. Today, more than 20 wineries in the Coonawarra are open for consumer visits and produce a range of wines including cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot, chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc (cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, pinot noir, semillon and viogner are also grown here).

Coonawarra is recognized for cabernet sauvignon which is the predominate fruit produced in this region. Coonawarra cabs are known for being rich in plum and blackcurrant fruit flavors. The Coonawarra cab’s assessed in the table below for this Discovery Story show the red and black fruit flavors reminiscent of wines from this area.

For more information about wines from this region, check out www.coonawarra.org. This site provides a nice overview of the area, the wineries, events and travel tips if you are able to visit the area.   If you are not able to visit, we are fortunate to have wines from this area available for our drinking pleasure.

Mike

Assessment

	2012 Jim BarryThe Cover Drive Cab Sav	2011 YalumbaThe Cigar Cab Sav	2010 YalumbaMenzies Cab Sav
Appearance (color)	Clear, purple with ruby rim	Clear, purple with ruby rim	Clear, deep purple with ruby rim
Nose	Clean aroma offering dark red fruit, minerality, spice and berries	Clean with mild fruit aroma with a slight dusty note	Clean with mild red fruit aroma and a dusty note.
Taste	Medium tannins, mild fruit flavors, slight lingering finish	Medium tannins, mild red fruit, medium high acidity with dusty note.	Medium high tannin, high acidity with subtle red fruit and pleasant finish
Conclusion	Great pizza or Tuesday night wine	Would pair well with roast meat and vegetables	Drinkable now and will lay-down for several more years.
Discovery WinesPrice	$18.00	$22.00	$50.00

References:

http://www.coonawarra.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonawarra_wine_region

Wines of the World, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2004