Spring Release in Walla Walla

Hello Wine Lovers!

Its been much to long since I’ve written a WOW (Word on Wine) story.  Life has a way of throwing things at you and before you realize it, a lot of time has gone by.  Patti and I just returned from our annual trip to Walla Walla for Spring Release and I wanted to give a shout out to all the wine makers, wineries, staff and volunteers who worked very hard to make this year’s event another tremendous success.

We started our journey visiting wineries in Prosser, then traveled to Walla Walla.  In Prosser, the kind folks at Mercer gave us a tour of their facility.  They have a well designed production, storage and tasting room facility.  On top of that, they have wonderful wines.  We favored their riesling and reserve cabernet.  Both show nice flavors and aromas and provide a lasting finish.  We also visited Gamache, Milbrant and Alexandria Nicole while in Prosser.  All worth a visit if you are in the area.

In Walla Walla, we have our favorite “must-visit” wineries, Abeja, Garrison Creek, Grantwood, Northstar, Saviah and Tamarack.  The people are friendly, the wines amazing and they often offer food and entertainment.  We also like to explore new places and found Si Lei and Henry Earl.  Given their friendly atmosphere and yummy wines, these two are going to be on our “must-visit” list.  We love the luscious, fruit forward, well balanced wines that can be found in Walla Walla.

So whether you visit during spring release or another time of year, there are plenty of wineries to visit, good restaurants and lots of friendly people.

Mike

Spring Release in Walla Walla

Hello Wine Lovers,

For several years we have traveled to Walla Walla for our annual Discovery Wine tour.  While most often this is for Spring Release, we have visited other times of the year.  Over the years we have developed a list of “must-return-to” wineries, revisited wineries and sought to always find a new winery to try.

Walla Walla is a unique American Viticulture Area (AVA) as it extends across two states, ranges in elevation from 400 to 2000 feet above sea level, has rain fall ranging from seven to 22 inches and four soil types.  (Go to http://www.wallawallawine.com for detailed information on the area.)  Winemakers use the rich diversity for varietals grown to produce some of the best wines available.  Spring Release is a chance to taste new vintages, enjoy local events and catch up with as well as make new friends.

        

Our short list of “must-return-to” wineries includes Abeja, Garrison Creek Grantwood, Northstar, and Saviah.  These wineries consistently produce beautiful wines, offer a selection of wines that pairs well with a wide variety of foods, can be drunk now or laid down and offer great hospitality.  Other favorites for regular visits include g. Cuneo, Pepperbridge, Tamarack, and Corvus.

In addition to tasting wonderful wines, the views are marvelous and sometimes you get to listen to music while you taste.

        

This year we enjoyed a special treat; a winemaker’s tour of his vineyards where we learned in visual detail about the various soil types, how the hills, sunlight, wind soil and run-off of water effects bud growth, pruning and harvesting of various varietals.

        

Be sure to put Walla Walla on your list of wine regions to visit.

Mike

Reference

Home

British Columbia Wines

Hello Wine Lovers,

Patti and I recently took a birthday trip (Happy Birthday Patti!) to Victoria, British Columbia (BC).  The weather was perfect, the sites beautiful and we made sure to discover some BC wines.

 

Leaving by ferry from Port Angeles, we first toured the Butchard Gardens and then ate the best fish and chips.  Red Fish Blue Fish is on the docks in the Inner Harbor with outdoor seating and stunning water views.  Patti picked her favorite, halibut, and I couldn’t resist the salmon.  Both were very fresh and yummy.

Over the course of our visit we ate at a number of places (okay we like good food and great wine) including; Il Terrazzo, Pagliacci’s and Stage.  The service was outstanding, the people friendly and the food marvelous.  Dinning allowed us to enjoy the cuisine and sample various BC wines including cab franc, cab sav, and merlot (yes, there were a few others).

 

We also stopped by Artisan Wine Shop.  This is a shop in downtown Victoria a few short blocks from the Empress.  The shop specializes in wines from the Okanagan; the area producing the largest percentage of BC wines.  The staff is knowledgable and they provide samples for your tasting pleasure.

               

Our overall assessment of the BC wines tasted is:  they are light to medium bodied, light to medium tannins, moderate in alcohol and fruity with a nice finish.  For the wines tasted with meals, we thought they paired well with the food served.

In the BC classification system, 100% BC grapes from designated appellations may be labeled VQA or “Vintner’s Quality Alliance”.  VQA wines must meet defined standards to carry this designation.  A second classification is “Wines of Distinction”. These too must be 100% BC wines but the standards are not as stringent as VQA wines. There is a category of wines that may be labeled “cellared in Canada” which includes imported fruit.

There are five official viticultural areas in BC.  These are the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.  Emerging areas under consideration for designation are Kootenay, Thompson/Shuswap and Lillooet. To carry a viticultural designation on the label, 95% of the fruit must come from within the designated area.

While generally thought of a cold, BC is not solely a cold climate producer. Wines from the Okanagan are produced in a mild, dry climate that has a growing reputation for high quality wines.  Red BC varietals include: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cab franc, malbec, and petit verdot.  White BC varietals include, chardonnay, pinot gris, gewürztraminer and sav blanc.

We learned there are only a couple large producers that export BC wine, so BC wines may be hard to find.  So if you happen to be in BC, there are plenty of wines to try.  A great place to explore BC wines is at the http://www.winebc.com website.

Mike

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_wine

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

New versus Old World Wines

Hello Wine Lovers,

Tonight’s tasting was an “old-world” vs “new-world” syrah competition. We tasted a 2010 Cotes Du Rhone and a 2011 Walla Walla Syrah.   There were three of us and we were challenged to compare wines that truly express the character of their AVA. The “Funk” is a Walla Walla syrah from Saviah and is Rich’s expression of a Rhone style wine which made for a tight competition.

The panel of three was split; one new world, one old world and one undecided. The first favored the richness of the new world, the second appreciated the depth of style of the old world and the third believed both have their place.

In the end, both wines are wonderful and are great representations of their terrior and both are recommended for the experience they bring to us, the wine loving public.

Salty Wine, What?

Hello Wine Lovers,

Yes, a maritime environment can add a briny or mineral flavor to wine.   The Nantais (Nantais or Pays Nantais also know as Muscadet) region of the Loire Valley in northern France is a marine environment and wines from this region can have salty notes.

The Loire traverses a 630-mile area that includes a continental climate on the eastern end all the way to a maritime climate on the western end of the Loire. If you toured the Loire from east to west you would start in the Central Vineyards, travel through the Touraine, then Anjou-Saumur and end in Nantais. The central vineyards are known for Sancerre (sauvignon blanc and pinot noir) and Pouilly-Fume’ (sauvignon blanc). Wines from the Touraine are known as Vouvray (chenin blanc), Chinon (cabernet franc) and Bourgueil (cabernet franc).   Anjou-Saumur hosts “Appellation d’Origine Controlee” or “AC” wines and main wine from Nantais is Muscadet.

Roger Voss, in his April 6, 2011 article, Decode the Wines of the Loire Valley, does a nice job of describing the region and fruit typical of wines from this region. Etty Lewensztain, in her March 28, 2011 article, The Quest for Salty Wines provides a great description of the savory element salt adds to wine offers a few wines to look for and notes that “briny accents…bring depth and complexity to a wine”.

In our own quest to discover salty wines and what they pair well with, we tasted two wines the Serve-et-Maine appellation within Nantais.   The first was a 2005 Tentation de Granite et Gabbro.  The second was a 2013 Domaine de la Tepiere sur lie.

Our assessment of the wine is shown in the table below. In general both are good wines and offer characteristics reminiscent of the Serve-et-Maine. We paired the wines with a neutral feta cheese, olive tapenade and wheat crackers.   Our pairing preference was the 2005 with the crackers and olive tapenade. While fresh and neutral in flavor and body, the feta drew from rather than contributed to a balance of flavors and textures.

Let us know about your pairing experiences and if there are areas you would like us to explore and report on.

Mike

 

Assessment

	2005 Granite	2013 Tepiere
Appearance (color)	Clear, pale gold, medium straw	Clear, light straw, pale yellow
Nose	Clean muted aroma of fruit, melon, stone	Briny, salty, yeasty, light notes of apricot and pear.
Taste	Light body, acidic finish, hint of petroleum and lemon, low-no tannin	Briny, mineral, lemon, acidic, light weight, low, no tannin
Conclusion	Good medium quality wine.	Good medium quality

References:

Roger Voss, April 6, 2011  http://www.winemag.com/Web-2011/Decoding-the-Wines-of-the-Loire-ValleyTK/

Etty Lewensztain, March 28, 2011  http://www.wineandfoodtravel.com/wine/wine-101/the-quest-for-salty-wines/

Exploring the World of Wine and Spirits, The Loire Valley, pages 73-78, Christopher Fielden, WSET Revised Edition 2009