Great Northwest Wine magazine Summer 2022

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3

GREAT NORTHWEST SUMMER 2022

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Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 5

Welcome to

magazine

IN THIS ISSUE SUMMER 2022 | VOL. 1, NO. 3 x

22 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 30 42 48 54 58

COVER STORY | by Allison M. Markin

World-class wines key to British Columbia agritourism

A VINE START | by Eric Degerman

Our young magazine brings renewed coverage to British Columbia THE WINE KNOWS | by Andy Perdue

The magic formula behind GSM

SWIRL, SNIFF & SIP | by Ken Robertson

Italian white grape finds home on Red Mountain

ELLEN ON WINE | by Ellen Landis

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Northwest home to 3 chapters of Les Dames d’Escoffier BEHIND THE TASTING BAR | by April Reddout

Getting comfortable with tough-to-pronounce varieties

THE WINES THAT MADE US | by Liz Moss-Woerman

Jessica Munnell’s well-traveled bottle

GEM STATE REPORT | by Jim Thomssen

Walla Walla winemaker setting up shop in Boise

CASCADIA INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION | by Eric Degerman

Idaho’s 3100 Cellars turns bubbles into best of show

RAIN SHOWER CELLARS | by Dan Radil

Military firefighter becomes winemaker

MATCH MAKER | by Eric Degerman

Local touch has Walla Walla Steak Co. sizzling

IDAHO WINE & CIDER COMPETITION | by Eric Degerman

Cinder’s Melanie Krause tops judging for third time

PINOT GRIS COMPARATIVE TASTING | by Eric Degerman

So. Oregon winemakers produce top examples

GREAT NORTHWEST

W IN E

GREAT NORTHWEST WINE l Article title

Since 1998, our team of journalists has set out to help identify award-winning wines from the Pacific Northwest and to share the stories of those behind them. We focus on those in the cellar and among the vines who work with fruit from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana. Our coverage includes those restaurateurs, merchants and ambassadors working to promote the Northwest as one of the wine world’s leading destinations. Along the way, we continue to pay homage to the historic figures responsible for our industry’s delicious past, present and future.

CEO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Degerman & CO-FOUNDER eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com PUBLISHER Jerry Hug

jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ken Robertson & COLUMNIST COLUMNISTS

Andy Perdue Ellen Landis April Reddout Liz Moss-Woerman

CONTRIBUTORS Dan Radil Allison M. Markin Jim Thomssen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Richard Duval Dan Radil Jamen Rhodes Lionel Trudel

GRAPHIC DESIGN Lisa L. Vogt Lisasdesignworks@gmail.com IN MEMORIAM Bob Woehler Gregg McConnell ADVERTISING SALES Jerry Hug Jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com (509) 947-9422 To subscribe: Subscriptions cost $50 per year for four issues per year. Mail check to the address below or subscribe securely at GreatNorthwestWine.com.

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© 2022 Great Northwest Wine A publication of Wine News Service

COVER PHOTO CedarCreek Estate Winery, one of British Columbia’s most innovative and acclaimed wineries, overlooks Lake Okanagan in Kelowna. (Photo courtesy Wines of British Columbia) PHOTOS ON LEFT Pg. 22 — View over Okanagan Lake and Naramata - Photo credit: Destination B.C., Kari Medig Pg. 42 — Sean and Kim Merrill, owners Rain Shower Cellars Pg. 30 — Cascadia Competition Pg. 48 — Walla Walla Steak Co., Railcar Dining Room

Spring 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 7

COLUMN l A Vine Start

Cover story marks our return to British Columbia T

o longtime friends in British Columbia, We’re back.

When I launched this magazine with Jerry Hug, our goals included shining more spotlights on the ERIC British Columbia wine DEGERMAN industry and sharing more of their stories.

Andy Perdue and I did that perhaps better than anyone else in the United States not long after we created Wine Press Northwest magazine in 1998 for our then employer — the Tri-City Herald.

By the spring of 2003, we knew enough to choose Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland as the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. It marked just the second year of that annual awards program. Six years later, we placed Wild Goose Vineyards in Okanagan Falls on the cover as the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver just months away.

All along, we included British Columbia wineries in that series, through the spring of 2012 when Stag’s Hollow Winery in Okanagan Falls was the British Columbia Winery of the Year and 8th Generation Vineyard in Summerland was the British Columbia Winery to Watch.

A few months later, Andy and I resigned our positions with the Tri-City Herald to launch GreatNorthwestWine.com. It also prompted a change in the direction of Wine Press as management pointed to the expense of getting magazines into Canada, the logistics surrounding international tastings and a lack of advertisers as reasons to discontinue coverage for the province’s wine industry.

Hurdles definitely remain. It’s exponentially more costly to send magazines to another country, and we must prove ourselves to potential advertisers. And even though we share grape-growing conditions, there are also governmental barriers and regulations. (Canadian wineries continue to deal with requirements created by the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.)

When things fall into place, however, the showing of British Columbia wines proves they are worthy of the effort and the attention. Until the pandemic got in the way, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery in Oliver — our 2006 British

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Columbia Winery of the Year — received more Platinum Awards than any producer in the Pacific Northwest.

This spring, as a result of the border being reopened, the 10th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition saw an influx of British Columbia wineries wanting to attract the attention of American wine tourists. And 21 of those wines earned a gold medal or better during the judging. Walter Gehringer and his grape-growing brother, Gordon, were voted to have produced both the competition’s Best Chardonnay and Best Pinot Gris.

For wine lovers living in the Columbia Valley, it’s an afternoon’s drive to reach the Okanagan Valley — the home turf of Allison M. Markin, our correspondent who wrote the cover story for this issue. And we hope wineries, restaurants, resorts and others in the British Columbia hospitality industry will reach out to us with ideas and help us share their stories that will encourage Americans to explore the many corners of the British Columbia wine industry.

Some of the West Coast’s top consumer events include the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, the Vancouver International Wine Festival and the wine-focused Cornucopia, which has matured as it turned 25 years old at Whistler last November. Cornucopia, now a two-week shoulder season event, bills itself as “the True North of food and drink festivals” and supports the BC Hospitality Foundation.

Sadly, the last time I crossed the 49th parallel was Aug. 9, 2019, to pay my respects to the late Harry McWatters and support my friend Coke Roth, who officiated at the memorial service and loved Harry as a brother. (Among Harry’s many accomplishments was founding chair of the BC Hospitality Foundation.)

Now that travel is becoming more available, we strongly urge anyone who needs a post-pandemic international wine getaway to drive, fly or sail to Victoria, the Lower Mainland, Kamloops, Kelowna or Penticton. However, there also appears to be a new avenue for some world-class wines from British Columbia to be shipped to your home.

A shopping list can be created via KascadiaWineMerchants.com. The site and service is a young endeavor by VJ Gandhi, a Canadian expat raising a family in the Silicon Valley who also is growing a portal for Okanagan Valley wines to be sold and shipped to savvy U.S. wine consumers. At this point, she’s working with nearly

a dozen of Okanagan Valley’s top producers, and she touts the ability to ship Canadian wines to nearly 30 states in the U.S. — including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Among those she’s working with — you can learn more about her via The Tall Mike Wine podcast — is Phantom Creek Estates. Their 2019 Kobau Vineyard Syrah off the Golden Mile Bench was voted Best Syrah at the 2022 Cascadia International.

It’s important to note that during the previous decade, there have been other attempts, online and in-store, to make British Columbia wines more available in the U.S. Those programs included a thoughtful 2014 campaign by Whole Foods Market in Washington state and Oregon.

To the dismay of many, the approach didn’t resonate with shoppers, despite the vision of Erez Klein, the grocer’s Pacific Northwest wine buyer for more than a decade. This spring, he was hired to oversee the wine portfolio at American Northwest Distributors.

“You can get wines from Croatia, Serbia and Corsica easier than we can get wines from our neighbor,” Klein told me in 2014.

Unfortunately, that’s still the case, although more Canadians now realize a growing number of their wines are world-class.

And, whenever my team stages a judging that includes entries from British Columbia, there is no shortage of sommeliers, retailers, winemakers and journalists wanting to sit on the panel. While I wish it were easier to present those wines to judges, the desire to taste something that’s rarely seen outside of Canada adds to the mystique. (Gehringer twice has won best of show at the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition, and Wild Goose topped The Invite in 2014.)

Make sure you download and use the ArriveCAN app prior to planning any trip, and arrange your lodging in advance. British Columbia is a charming, popular and delicious region in so many ways, and the best way to experience the wines is to visit. See and taste for yourself. I’m willing to bet a tank of petrol you won’t be disappointed. The bottles you bring back home to share with friends and family will be proof enough.

Eric Degerman is the president, CEO and co-founder of Great Northwest Wine LLC. He can be reached at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com.

COLUMN l A Vine Start

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 9

COLUMN l The Wine Knows

The Wine Knows: |Mastering the magical blend of GSM A mong Washington’s best styles of wine is GSM, shorthand for a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

All three of those grapes are traditionally grown in ANDY southern France’s PERDUE Rhône Valley, from a region known as Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is part of the greater Cotes du Rhône appellation, much as Red Mountain is a small part of the greater Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape (pronounced sha-toe newf de pop) literally means “new castle of the Pope.” Centuries ago, a series of wine-loving popes ruled from the Avignon area of France — instead of Rome — inspiring advancements in the region’s viticulture. Historically, the wine regions of Europe grew thanks to the Catholic church, thus this region became famous in the context of the Rhône Valley.

In that French region near Avignon, up to 18 grape varieties — red and white — now are permitted, and they have to be able to thrive in an arid setting where lavender and thyme will also grow. Varieties that proved successful in this appellation include Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Naturally, the predominance of these three grapes would result in a blend. The three grapes used in a GSM blend are radically different from each other, but they produce a magical elixir when combined. Grenache is a high-fruit, high-acid grape that typically makes a delicious rosé. Syrah is a full-bodied grape with a ton of flavor. And Mourvèdre is the backbone of the trio, with powerful tannins and rich, dark jamminess.

A popular New World region for GSM, unsurprisingly, is in California — specifically, Paso Robles. In the Pacific Northwest, GSM territory is in southeastern Washington, starting in 1986 when Syrah was planted at Red Willow Vineyards on the western edge of the Yakima Valley. The blend itself is delicious and typically intentionally created, although GSM also serves to absorb any overplanting of Rhône varieties.

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In 2021, Washington winemakers brought in 1,575 tons of Grenache, 20,975 tons of Syrah and 1,195 tons of Mourvèdre. The state’s total red grape harvest was 110,885 tons, according to the Washington Wine Commission.

Among those making GSM in Washington is winemaker Victor Palencia. He calls his GSM blend Casa Amarilla. The 2016 vintage was selected by The Seattle Times as its 2019 Northwest Wine of the Year. The 2019 Palencia Casa Amarilla ($36) is 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre — aged in 100% French oak — with tasting notes of chocolate, cloves, ground pepper, leather and mocha.

“

Among Washington’s best styles of wine is GSM, shorthand for a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.”

Palencia grew up amid the vines of the Yakima Valley and learned his craft at Walla Walla Community College. After years as a successful winemaker for others, he ventured out on his own and now has two locations: Bodega Palencia in West Richland near Red Mountain, and Monarcha Winery, in Kennewick’s waterfront Columbia Gardens.

Learning about Rhône varieties in his early winemaking days at Willow Crest Winery in Prosser inspired Palencia to master the GSM blend. First, he makes each wine as a standalone variety. When the blending begins, any wine that doesn’t complement the particular vintage of GSM is bottled as a separate wine.

A fun thing Palencia does in the tasting room is have customers taste all three wines separately before serving the GSM blend, so they see how the different varieties meld together. He’ll also box up three or more vintages of GSM so customers can create their own vertical tasting.

All three of the components come from vineyards in the Prosser area. GSM is a wine that traditionally pairs well with dark meats and barbecue fare. When Palencia serves it with

spicy Mexican food, the acidity and tannins tend to dissipate, leaving only the massive fruit.

He has even successfully paired it with smoked salmon, proving the blend is plenty versatile.

GSM also ages moderately well, up to a decade, thanks to the acidity in the Grenache and the tannins in the Mourvèdre. Collecting multiple bottles of GSM — either vertical (same winery, consecutive years) or horizontal (different wineries, same year) — makes for an interesting wine tasting event as each bottle tells a story of the winemaker’s blending decisions particular to that vintage’s terroir.

A number of Northwest wineries are making great GSM. Woodward Canyon Winery uses estate grapes from the Walla Walley Valley. Those who have enjoyed Rick Small’s wines over the years won’t be surprised, as he is known for his quest to craft delicious wines. He has made GSM for several years, and each vintage shows he has mastered this style to produce a wine with balance and longevity. The Walla Walla Valley Estate Mourvèdre-Grenache-Syrah ($59) is a 50%-25%-25% blend noted to pair with Mediterranean cuisine such as grilled lamb or summer vegetables.

In Great Northwest Wine’s 2021 Platinum Awards competition, nine GSMs wowed the judges. A growing number of Pacific Northwest wineries are excelling at GSM, and they include: • Zerba Cellars in Milton-Freewater, Ore., with a 2021 Platinum Award for its 2017 Cockburn Vineyard Estate GSM (its third Platinum for a GSM in the past six years).

• T2 Cellar of Seattle earned its first-ever Platinum Award this past winter with its 2018 GSM. • Cinder Wines in Idaho’s Snake River Valley offers a pink twist with its outstanding GSM Rosé Snake River Valley.

Andy Perdue is a third-generation journalist and a stroke survivor. He lives in the heart of Washington wine country with his wife, teen daughter, an energetic rescue dog and three unhappy cats.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 11

COLUMN l Swirl, Sniff & Sip

Holmes family unveils Arneis on Red Mountain A KEN ROBERTSON

bout 40 years ago, I was chatting with a then-young winemaker about why he remained in Washington state rather than returning to his native California.

“Washington is the Wild West of wine-

making,” he told me.

He stayed because he wanted to be part of a frontier spirit that was looking ahead to see what could be done here, find out what wine grapes would grow here and discover and develop the winemaking techniques required to make high-quality wines.

He and many other winemakers, grape growers and winery owners — sometimes all the same person in small operations — have achieved that. Now second and third generations of those families are gradually taking their places, adding their own ideas, innovations and skills while working to discover new grape varietals suited to the Pacific Northwest’s soils, microclimates and other variables that go into making the great wines of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

On Red Mountain at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Richard Holmes, son of Jim Holmes, long recognized as one of Washington’s premier grape growers, is working to exploit his family’s 48 years of growing grapes there, plus a gradual program to rehabilitate vines and replace some of the 35 blocks of vines.

Some additions are no surprise — more Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, for example, though in newer clones. The subtractions — Chardonnay and Riesling — are easily understandable when one considers the per-ton price compared with red wine grapes. The in-

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novations — 20.5 acres of Nebbiolo, Charbono and Counoise plus small plots of Albariño and Arneis — prove that pioneering spirit persists, even across a site where a banker might rather see more Cabernet.

The Arneis (pronounced ahr-NASE), planted in 2017 and now on mature vines, underlines that the pioneering spirit remains. Arneis is an Italian white wine grape commonly grown in the Piedmont region that was little known outside Italy until rather recently. There, it can qualify as a DOCG wine (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), the highest ranking granted.

In 1971, when I first toured Italy, Arneis was out of favor, had almost disappeared in the vineyards and was viewed as a cheap white table wine. Since rehabilitated and up to about 1,500 acres, it was popular, common in several wine shops my wife and I visited in 2016 and no longer selling at table wine prices.

In the Pacific Northwest, it’s rare, with small amounts grown in Oregon — namely by the famed Ponzi family — and some reportedly planted in Idaho from vines grown by Inland Desert Nursery of Benton City, Wash.

“We think it’s Washington’s first Arneis,” Richard Holmes said of his family’s planting, “and definitely the first on Red Mountain.”

He’s proud of its aromatics (“Don’t drink it refrigerator-cold,” he warns), its body, its Red Mountain minerality and the rather broad range of fruit it shows on the palate. He credits some of that to cold-soaking the fruit on the skins.

And he says Red Mountain may be especially suited to the grape because it shares many similarities to the Piedmont. The Red Mountain American Viticultural Area is underlain by volcanic bedrock overlain by flood-borne and wind-blown soils, much like the Piedmont. The two areas’ spring bud break times are similar, both have hot summer days and a south to southwest orientation to the late afternoon sun, followed by cool nights, plus calcium carbonate in their wind-blown soils.

Holmes noted he’s been studying the concepts of Dr. Ernst Loosen, the famed German winemaker who helped create Chateau Ste. Michelle’s highly acclaimed Eroica Riesling.

Loosen believes grape growers and winemakers must work to get their vines and thus their wines “in tune” with the terroir where the vines grow.

A big part of that is tracking the variations in calcium on Red Mountain, Holmes said, where variations in calcium density in the soil can easily differ by as much as 5% in a short distance.

That can mean a major difference in vine health as tracked by aerial imaging.

He’s proud that his dad still keeps an eye on the vineyards and reports his findings to Washington State University’s grape research program.

It’s only been in the past 10 years that a small amount of the grapes have gone into the vineyard’s winery, named Côtes de Ciel, which has its tasting room in Walla Walla, Wash. By then, Jim Holmes had spent 38 years growing grapes for other wineries, with Richard often at his side, before the launch of Côtes de Ciel in 2012 under the aegis of Holmes Family Winery. Richard doubles as the winemaker, but much prefers the title of winegrower, a bit of evidence he’s taken Dr. Loosen’s ideas to heart.

The 2021 Red Mountain Arneis offers plenty of evidence of that. It’s beautifully “in tune,” with 13.5% alcohol despite Red Mountain’s legendary warmth. It displays aromas and flavors of pear, lime, melon and stone fruit, offers nice viscosity and takes on a fleshy melon-like texture in the mouth. The finish shows its minerality and a bit of pear-skin tannin. It paired beautifully with seared, then roasted chicken thighs and diced onions topped with sauce made from simmering garlic, tarragon, dry white wine and heavy cream and served on pappardelle pasta. Pair it also with shellfish, any white fish or a warm summer evening. It’s available on CotesdeCiel.com or in the Walla Walla tasting room at 18 N. Second Ave. for $25.

Wine Word: Cépage The French never seem to run out of words to apply to wine. Cépage is, rather simply, the French term for grape variety, and on a French label you may encounter it in tandem with the grape variety.

In the U.S., I’ve seen it used on a label to tell a potential buyer that a tony red blend from Sonoma is Bordeaux-styled, as “Cinq Cépage.”

Ken Robertson, associate editor and columnist for Great Northwest Wine magazine, has been sipping Northwest wines and writing about them since 1976.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 13

COLUMN l Ellen on Wine

19th century French chef’s legacy inspires 21st century NW women in hospitality P

erhaps the hospitality world’s most important service organization dedicated to women continues to pay tribute to one of the most famous chefs France ever produced — a man born in the 19th ELLEN century.

LANDIS Les Dames d’Escoffier International, an international philanthropic organization, is named for French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), and the Pacific Northwest is home to three chapters.

Auguste Escoffier began honing his talents at age 13 and went on to an acclaimed culinary career in France. Known as “The King of Chefs,” he devoted 62 years to the industry as an accomplished chef, writer and restaurateur.

He’s also been recognized as the creator of a la carte dining.

The year following his death, a group that included some of his former students established Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York, Inc. Four decades later, Carol Brock, food editor at New York Daily News, knew women were an emerging and vital part of the culinary world, so she began her work to ensure they were recognized. Her goal was to improve the image, development and the acceptance of women in the food, wine and hospitality industries.

In 1976, Brock founded the inaugural chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier in New York City.

A trailblazer, Brock went on to inspire women through her distinguished seven-decade career before her passing in 2020 at age 96.

Membership has included luminaries such as Alice Waters, a chef, author and founder of acclaimed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif.; Lidia Bastianich, an Italian-American chef, TV host, author, restaurateur and Eataly USA partner; Diane Clement, celebrated chef, restaurateur, author, TV host, 1956 Olympian and founding member of LDEI chapter in British Columbia; and Marcella Hazan, an Italian cook and writer, whose cookbooks gained her credit for helping to introducing Italian cooking methods to the United States and United Kingdom.

And then there’s Julia Child, the famed chef, TV celebrity and author who died in 2004, but whose Foundation for Gastronomy and the

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Culinary Arts has partnered with LDEI for more than a decade.

Hospitality leaders in Seattle created the region’s first chapter in 1989, followed by British Columbia in 1992 and Portland in 2015.

The Rose City chapter also is the youngest in the average age of its 27 members. Nine have achieved success in wine-related careers, including James Beard Award-winning author Katherine Cole and Anne Hubatch, owner/winemaker at Helioterra Wines.

“We have begun doing more philanthropy in the past year since re-engaging our group post COVID,” Hubatch says. “We are raising funds to offer scholarships as well as mentorship.”

They focus on assisting area women interested in gastronomy, fine beverages or hospitality to enter these fields. They also serve as mentors to help those wishing to elevate their positions within those industries. Their site is LDeiPortland.com The British Columbia chapter features 51 women leaders. Many may recognize a familiar name among its membership — Christa-Lee McWatters, daughter of the late Harry McWatters, affectionately known as “the Grandfather of British Columbia wine.”

This chapter is among those granting scholarships, with up to 30 scholarships a year of $1,000 to $3,000 awarded to British Columbia residents, to be used in the calendar year the award is granted. Scholarships are based on merit, ability, commitment and passion of the applicant. Restaurateur/sommelier Van Doren Chan applied her scholarship toward the wine chemistry course at University of California-Davis. Alexia David, a bartender, will use her award toward the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers of British Columbia’s diploma program. Writer/editor Fiona Morrow, server Aline Kiyomi Kodama and writer/podcaster Abby Wiseman have each been awarded a scholarship to gain WSET Level 2 certification. Assistant winemaker Brianna McKeage is pursuing a certificate at UC-Davis. Hospitality manager Jennifer Tocher is studying the Wine Scholar Guild’s French Wine Scholar program, and lab technician Janice Acio is using her scholarship toward a winemaking certificate at UC-Davis. Their site is LesDames.ca.

In Washington state, the Les Dames d’Escoffier Seattle Chapter — co-founded by storied Prosser winemaker Kay Simon — raises funds

for scholarships, serves as mentors and supports community outreach programs and sustainable agriculture projects. They have buoyed scholarships for wine and culinary segments of community colleges, and several awardees have been hired in the wine industry or have taken internships.

Camille Vancile was among those. Mentored by chapter co-founder Bev Gruber, Camille earned a Les Dames scholarship to attend the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle College. Along the way, chapter member Jamie Peha hired Camille to work for Peha Promotions and then the Auction of Washington Wines. She embraced the roles of winery relations and auction manager. Sadly, Camille passed away in March of this year of metastatic breast cancer at age 43.

“She loved her position, and the wine industry loved her,” Peha says. “Her people skills were exemplary, and she is greatly missed.”

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has supported internship opportunities for professionals looking to advance their careers, from operations to winemaking and marketing, and wine is a big part of the Les Dames group locally and nationally, Peha says.

“In Washington state, wine is the No. 1 agricultural commodity and plays a huge role in hospitality, restaurants, catering, consumer-facing business and economic impact to the state,” says Peha, who encourages women to learn more at LesDamesSeattle.com.

There are 45 Les Dames d’Escoffier chapters worldwide, including Mexico, France and the United Kingdom, with a total membership of 2,400 women leaders. The organization offers a mentoring network, the opportunity to partner with the membership, assist with philanthropic efforts and has a relief fund supporting established nonprofit organizations to benefit women who have been impacted by crises. Individuals living and working in related industries for five or more years in the state where a chapter is located may apply for membership.

Involvement in this philanthropic organization is a worthy way to help boost the culinary, craft beverage and hospitality industries throughout local communities in the great Northwest and beyond. The international site is at Ldei.org.

Ellen Landis is a certified sommelier, journalist and wine judge based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

COLUMN l Ellen on Wine

Award Winning Wines

Columbia Valley & Willamette Valley

Chris James Cellars is an award-winning family owned and operated vineyard and winery that produces unique and interesting wines in Carlton, Oregon. In 2015, we produced our first lots of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

We have since expanded our wine selection to also offer hand-crafted lots of Dolcetto, Lagrein, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sparkling Wines, and more. Visit us at our estate tasting room in Carlton, Oregon, or at our 3rd Street tasting room in McMinnville, Oregon.

GNWW 2022

Estate Tasting Room

McMinnville Tasting Room

12000 NW Old Wagon Rd. | Carlton, OR. 97111 503-852-1135 Friday - Sunday 12-5pm | March - November

645 NE 3rd Street | McMinnville, OR 97128 503-474-7670 Thursday - Sunday 12-6pm Friday & Saturday 12-8pm

or by appointment

Visit our website to book an appointment (recommended)

ChrisJamesCellars.comSummer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 15

COLUMN l Behind the Tasting Bar

Step out rather than call for a Cab “L Cab.”

APRIL REDDOUT

et’s just get a bottle of

Ah yes, employing the use of the safe nickname to avoid pronunciation mishaps. It is an acceptable and reliable strategy, however, it is time to up your game.

Many wine consumers steer clear of mentioning, reading or recalling the names of and/ or drinking wines they cannot pronounce, but it is time to get brave and venture out. There are so many wines awaiting your curiosity.

It is rather common for wine drinkers to stay in the “safe zone,” tasting, ordering and buying the wines they know how to pronounce.

It’s acceptable to shorten Cabernet Sauvignon to “Cab,” and to order “a red blend” to keep it simple and easy. Most of us avoid revealing what we do not yet know. Consider me a friendly wine guide who loves to share information.

During my time at the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in the heart of the Yakima Valley, we sampled and sold wines from all corners of Washington state, and I picked up on consumer tendencies. At first, I thought people didn’t want to talk about unfamiliar wines. I was wrong. They want the discussion and the information, but they don’t want to START the conversation about a wine they cannot pronounce.

People would commonly point to a bottle and nonchalantly mumble, “Hmm, I haven’t seen this one before,” or, “That looks new?” I realized this was my chance to share new wines in a low-risk way.

Let’s explore pronouncing two white wines — Gewürztraminer and Grüner Veltliner.

Gewürztraminer is a grape that grows well in cooler regions such as Germany, France’s Alsace region and pockets in the Pacific Northwest, including the Columbia Gorge.

The official pronunciation is: guh·vur·struh·mee·ner, but if you want to sound like a pro and make it simple, just say “guh-vurtz,” then practice the full word alone in elevators or cars. Gewürztraminer produces a remarkably fragrant wine that pairs well with Thai flavors, and helps to balance/cut spicy heat. People describe it as having a lychee aroma, and if you

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haven’t experienced lychee, you can buy a can of them or you can let the tail wag this dog and become familiar with the scent of Gewürz, and then you’ll recognize lychee when you smell it. Gewürz ranges from dry to sweet and is also available as sparkling.

Grüner Veltiner is pronounced “groo·ner velt·lai·nr” and is commonly abbreviated as “Grooner.” It is a crisp wine native to Austria featuring a profile of white pepper, lime and minerals. That combination makes for easy pairings with cheeses, pasta with cream sauce or a pork chop. Call it “Grooner” and sound like a pro. Serve it with appetizers, and your guests will rave about your bougie wine offerings. (To ensure ravings, teach them the pronunciation shortcut.)

“

People would commonly point to a bottle and nonchalantly mumble, “Hmm, I haven’t seen this one before,” or, “That looks new?” I realized this was my chance to share new wines in a low-risk way.”

For reds, let’s start with Grenache. The No. 1 mistake people make is pronouncing it “ganache” — as in the chocolate confection.

It’s “Gren·osh.” It’s a grape that offers bright acidity and low tannins, which often makes for a velvety smooth wine that’s ever-so food friendly. Grenache is a dominant grape in Spain and stars in the Rhône Valley of France. An increasing number of producers in the Pacific Northwest are excelling with it, too. When I come across a good one, I stock up. Grenache is a bit tricky to grow, demanding a lot of heat and attention. Its price tag often will reflect that. I hope you will embrace Grenache.

Two red varieties that make stand-alone wines but also are found in Rhône-inspired blends with Grenache are Counoise and Mourvèdre. They can be pronounced in a variety of ways, causing confusion all around.

Counoise is officially pronounced “Coon-

wahz,” but I’ve heard pros talk of it as “Coonwah” and no one bats an eye, making it safe for you to be understood using either pronunciation. Counoise is typically blended in for its high acid/low tannin structure while adding a punch of pepper on the palate. If you find it as a single varietal, try it and ask questions. (And please alert me via email where you found it!)

Chances are that an engaged tasting room associate will eagerly answer your questions because you likely are the first person that day to ask about it. Remember, no one wants to talk about wines they cannot pronounce. You will have their full attention and probably will learn more as a result.

Mourvèdre comes with complications. The official pronunciation is “Mour·veh·druh”, but it is common to say “Moo-veh-druh”, or even “moo-ved.” The saying, “What grows together, goes together” is certainly appropriate here as Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah — all native to the Rhône — and are commonly blended into a GSM. Of the three, Mourvèdre is least likely to be bottled as a single varietal, but it is possible to find. Your homework is to find a bottle of Mourvèdre, drink and learn some of its characteristics. There will be rewards, and the experience will help you recognize the Mourvèdre contribution to a GSM blend. Added perk: You can now more confidently discuss GSMs and not have to artfully avoid any chat about the parts.

There are more tough-to-pronounce varieties, including Madeleine Angevine and Siegerrebe (both common throughout the Puget Sound American Viticultural Area), plus the many ways to pronounce Cabernet. Are you inclined to put the emphasis on the first or last syllable?

CAB-er-nay vs Caber-NAY? What about Sauvignon? Is it “Saw-vig-yon” or “Sew-vig-yon” to you? So many wines, so many fun things to learn and share.

April Reddout is a professional wine judge and hospitality consultant who was the wine program director at the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in Prosser, Wash., and then the guest services manager for Col Solare on Red Mountain. She can be reached at ReddoutWine.com.

COLUMN l Columnists Page Title

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 17

COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

Vega Sicilia Unico for Jessica Munnell J

this what I’m going to do … forever?’ And I Ridge Estate red wine production facility as an essica Munnell intended on assistant winemaker; ultimately stepping back didn’t have an answer for that.” growing flowers. from the Ste. Michelle family to start one of A degree in horticulher own with Juan Muñoz-Oca, a winemaker Enter: Australia. ture at Washington from Argentina. No longer a pearl on the string, “I needed to find something that was a better State University, a Jessica eventually launched Wautoma Springs fit, and I loved the physical aspect of being a greenhouse to follow. with Tom Merkle, her business partner and cellar hand, the hard work of the harvest,” she A future filled with second-generation grape grower. says. “The science and art of winemaking – it dirt under her fingerWautoma Springs began small with the brought it all full circle, and I never looked nails and a beautiful 2008 vintage: 200 cases of red wine made on LIZ back. It was the little taste I needed to see that, the crushpads and in the cellars of friends and MOSS-WOERMAN bouquet of blooms on ‘Yes, this is the right thing for me to do.’ ” her kitchen table, in neighbors – something quite common in an Eight months of wine work in the Outback perpetuity. industry where formidable talents tend to break brought her clarity, but free-soloing up rickety Life, in this way, did not go to plan. And out on their own — so long as they haven’t ladders and hopping from tank to tank with a now, instead of putting ranunculus in a vase, signed a non-compete. With her own wines in bucket of dry ice in the crook of her arm wasn’t she puts longleaf phlox on the bottles of her her back pocket, she spent nearly six years in the end-all be-all, so she took off to Spain; Wautoma Springs Rosé.

Prosser at Mercer Estates as head winemaker.

Barcelona in particular.

Her skill took Mercer to another level and “I have a memory of being at WSU, during “I took a Spanish class and shopped for earned the award for Washington Winery of the my bachelor’s degree — drinking Chateau Ste. shoes — literally spent all my Australian Year in 2016 from Wine Press Northwest magaMichelle Gewürztraminer, thinking I was very, dollars.” zine.

And she made Wautoma Springs wines on very fancy. Maybe now college students are Toward the end of a summer spent soaking in the side every vintage along the way. drinking wine, but then …” the wonder that is Gaudí’s playground, she set Taking on a job as a consultant allowed her She needn’t finish this sentence. Then, and an alarm for 2 a.m. and interviewed for an enolto spend a bit more time and energy on her even after, they were likely drinking Boone’s ogist position at Snoqualmie Vineyards — then family and growing Wautoma Springs – which Farm. Or MD 20/20. Or perhaps Arbor Mist led by Joy Andersen. There, Jessica was part now boasts white wines, red wines and tapas Blackberry Merlot, on ice, in a large Nalgene of an all-female winemaking staff; something in a tasting room in Prosser’s Vintners Village, bottle. that isn’t terribly common now, let alone in the where there exists a wonderful energy within Although Jessica, who grew up in the mid-2000s. the walls. You’ll likely see Rachel Mercer Columbia Valley, describes her beginnings there. She oversees the kitchen and any pairings From Snoqualmie, she moved to the Canoe in Washington wine as “pure luck,” she earned the opportunity at WSU to intern for acclaimed researcher Robert Wample, which led to her master’s project focused on grape vines. There’s a quote attributed to the late Branch Rickey, who was responsible for Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, that goes, “Luck is the residue of design.” While Jessica’s first step into the world of viticulture and enology felt like chance, her subsequent career has been choice after choice, carving a decided path through the landscape of Washington wine.

Post-grad, Jessica joined Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as a viticulturist, a job that built a foundational element to her career but felt more like a jumping off point than a landing spot.

“As a viticulturist, I really RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES loved what I was doing. I just Winemaker Jessica Munnell and veteran grower Tom Merkle own Wautoma Springs winery in Prosser. didn’t know what was next. ‘Is

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with which you indulge, and you may even see Jessica, but she might not tell you she’s the woman behind the wine. This is somewhat typical of winemakers who are generally more at home in the lab than behind the tasting bar; but retreating from the public has one distinct disadvantage. You never get to hear what your work means to the people experiencing it.

“When people say, ‘Oh, we saved this bottle, and we opened it on our anniversary’ — that kind of stuff, it’s just, wow,” Jessica says.

“Wow!” Spending time in the tasting room allows her to feel the energy that her work creates, a part of the life cycle of wine that is often left to the creator’s imagination.

“Early in my career, Juan — my husband — and I went on vacation to wine country. We went to Vega Sicilia, one of the older wineries in Spain. I mean this is the kind of winery

that you get willed your grandfather’s allocation,” Jessica says. “You don’t just get to be there — to buy there. It is steeped in tradition, over 100 years old.

“The winemaker puts us in his car and drives us around showing us different blocks of grapes — it was just the most amazing experience,” she continues. “We walked through the cellar, tasting out of tanks, tasting out of barrels. They don’t even produce a white wine, and he had us tasting a Roussanne he had made for fun – and it just cemented things for me. It stoked the passion even more… just the time he took with us, two young people from Washington.”

She wonders, “He probably thought we were from D.C.” Vega Sicilia — for those who are not hip to the Ribera del Duero scene — is often regarded as one of Spain’s premier wineries. Located in the northwest, the region typically focuses on Tinto Fino, aka Tempranillo, a celebrated grape with too many pseudonyms. Vega Sicilia itself began in 1864. Its founder, Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, planted the original Vega Sicilia vineyards with Bordeaux varietals in addition to the local varietal du jour, Tempranillo, a unique choice at the time. Much of the Vega Sicilia production remains shrouded in secrecy – and very few are allowed to peek behind the curtain.

Nonplussed by the pesky need for maintain-

ing market share (who needs it when you’re practically an institution), Vega Sicilia has gained a reputation for letting their vintages do what they will, or as they say, “a culture of patience and dedication.” If the wine wants to be in barrel for 10 years – so be it. It is the will of the grape, and the winemakers are merely stewards of the process.

There is something to be said about having patience – and knowing the right move when it presents itself.

“When I was in Spain after harvest in Australia, I bought a bottle of Vega Sicilia Unico,” Jessica recalls. “I kept it — in all the worst conditions. My hot apartment in Barcelona, my hot apartment in Prosser. I gave it to Juan as a gift, and we opened it for our wedding.

“It was perfect,” she continues. “It had traveled. It lived in my suitcase. It should have not been good. It should have been a huge disappointment, and we still would have drank it. But it wasn’t. It was perfect — and beautiful.”

Liz Moss-Woerman is the director of hospitality and direct-to-consumer manager at Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash.

She represents the third generation of her family to be a part of the Washington state wine industry.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 19

ANALYSIS l Gem State Report

Walla Walla-based Proletariat Wine Co. set to build facility near Boise

By Jim Thomssen

B

OISE, Idaho — Wineries in the Walla Walla Valley and the Columbia Valley successfully woo consumers in Idaho’s Snake River Valley, requiring a four-hour drive to the northwest.

On the other hand, it’s rare to see a vintner based in Walla Walla invest in Idaho, yet that’s exactly what Proletariat Wine Co., is doing.

Led by winemaker Sean Boyd of acclaimed Rôtie Cellars, Proletariat is best known for its keg wine program, which now spans eight states, including Texas and the Carolinas. Keg wines have long made sense for restaurants because customers get fresh wine at a value while the restaurateur achieves nicer margins.

They can provide higher-quality wine for diners while cutting down on waste, storage and figuring out how to recycle all those glass bottles.

Coming out of the pandemic, bars and restaurants seem to be consolidating their wine offerings while focusing on more casual outdoor dining options. The rising cost of bottles and supply chain issues make the economics of keg wines and by-the-glass sales even more appealing.

So, why would a company that sells 80% of its production in five-gallon aluminum containers build a tasting room more than 200 miles away from its main production facility near the Walla Walla Regional Airport?

Idaho residents make up most of the ownership.

Elizabeth Baggerly and her husband, Tracy, were enjoying life in the Treasure Valley in the early 2000s. They built a home and raised their family in Horseshoe Bend, a rural bedroom community in the hills north of Boise. Tracy achieved success as a financial planner and helped launch the Eagle Rodeo while Elizabeth worked for Hewlett-Packard on its Boise campus. Some close friends moved to Walla Walla, so the Baggerlys found themselves visiting that emerging wine region. Those trips, as well as a “vine to wine” education series at Ste. Chapelle Winery on the Sunnyslope west of Eagle, planted a seed for Elizabeth to nurture as she began to transition out of the tech sector.

Meanwhile, longtime friend Scott Burum was the manager/sommelier at a Boise hotspot — Angell’s Bar & Grill. He often lamented how having 27 various bottles of wine open

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each night at the restaurant created an immense different once a bottle is opened. They also proamount of waste because once the cork is vided the necessary equipment to the restaurant pulled, the clock is ticking on the quality of any trade at cost to help increase the uptake of the wine. keg wine concept.

Another friend, Scott Thompson, a seriRestaurants rapidly warmed up to the idea. al entrepreneur of sorts, was searching for In 2011, there were only about 70 options for something that was more fun than his existing “containerized wine” registered in Washington endeavors. Add in a chance meeting with Boyd state. Today, there are more than 1,000.

— one of the Northwest’s biggest talents with Fast forward to 2019. Proletariat was selling varieties native to the Rhône Valley in southern the equivalent of 11,000 cases of wine, most of France — and Proletariat Wine Co., went from it in the Pacific Northwest, and a by-the-bottle a dream to reality in 2011. club was born.

“A Tahoe pulled up and asked to taste Rôtie, All this led to the idea of opening a tasting which not many people knew about,” Boyd room to help increase the bottle sales and says. “EB (Elizabeth) has always had the inside spread the word about their wines. With most track on everything wine in Boise and Walla of the team living in the Snake River Valley, it Walla, so we tasted through the Rôtie lineup on a table I made out of a pallet, forklift and some type of cloth.

“When we were done tasting I said what would you like to purchase.

They said ‘Three of these, three of these and four of these’ or something like that,” Boyd continued. “I brought 10 bottles down in a case.

They laughed and said ‘We want cases, not bottles.’ So the Tahoe left as a lowrider and I thought that Boise must be lined in gold! So I became their friend as a pure gold digger!”

The focus was to “bring high-quality, otherwise expensively priced wines to wine lovers everywhere … at very reasonable prices.” With an eye toward sustainability and the environment, they concentrated on putting really good wine into refillable containers that were charged with nitrogen to reduce the oxidation that Sean Boyd, acclaimed winemaker for Walla Walla’s Rôtie Cellars, spearheads makes wine RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES Proletariat’s keg wine program. start to taste

ANALYSIS l Gem State Report made sense to find a spot near Boise.

Elizabeth searched and found a seemingly ideal site in Garden City, another Boise suburb, that would allow Proletariat Wine Co., to develop a casual neighborhood vibe with fantastic food, wine and craft beer. The group closed on the parcel along 36th Street in February 2020 — about three weeks before the pandemic shut down the world.

Now, however, Proletariat Wine Co., is poised to break ground soon and celebrate its new tasting room in mid-2023. Plans are approved, and permits are ready for a 6,500-square-foot building with a 1,700 squarefoot rooftop patio space.

“With a name like Proletariat, it sounds best if we are in the blue-collar neighborhood and rise up,” Boyd says. “It’s nice to be in an industrialized area so if you need things welded, it’s down the street. If you are sick of wine, there is a brewery down the street. If your forklift breaks down, you have bribed your neighbors to help you out.

“This, plus it’s the center of all Boise’s win-

eries so we want everyone who is out tasting wine to stop by,” Boyd added.

Boyd’s wines for Proletariat are made from several American Viticultural Areas in the Northwest, including the Walla Walla Valley, and he’s begun to buy Snake River Valley grapes. A sparkling Riesling from Skyline Vineyard near Caldwell was Proletariat’s first Idaho wine. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from Paxton Estate Vineyard — the Baggerly family’s planting in the Eagle Foothills — means estate grapes will be in the mix, too.

“No question Proletariat will be its own winery,” Boyd said. “We will need to have a kickass GSM, but besides this, it’s fun making lots of other wines and right now we are figuring out our favorites. It’s a really fun project, and I couldn’t have better partners in this beauty nor a better crew working for us.”

Moya Dolsby, executive director of the Idaho Wine Commission, welcomes the additional investment in her state, particularly by a group that includes a winemaker of Boyd’s reputation.

coming into commercial production and that there will be an additional local buyer for Idaho grapes!” she said.

Dolsby is in her 14th year as the leader of the Idaho wine industry, which has grown to more than 70 wineries. And the Gem State will soon have another Washington state brand arriving in Boise when Rocky Pond Estate Winery — owned by Capital High grad David Dufenhorst and his family — opens a satellite tasting room.

Retired banker Jim Thomssen now is known as The Idaho Wine Ambassador. The Minnesota native earned a business degree at the University of Puget Sound with the help of professor/ wine economist Mike Veseth prior to moving to the Snake River Valley in 1994.

Retired banker Jim Thomssen now is known as The Idaho Wine Ambassador. The Minnesota native earned a business degree at the University of Puget Sound with the help of professor/wine economist Mike Veseth prior to moving to the Snake River Valley in 1994.

“I’m overjoyed that another vineyard will be

The new headquarters for Proletariat Wine Co., in Garden City, Idaho, has been designed by Slichter Ugrin Architecture of Boise. (Artist rendering by Slichter | Ugrin Architecture / Courtesy of Proletariat Wine Co. Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 21

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia

British Columbia welcomes U.S. to revisit world-class wines

By Allison M. Markin If you’ve never been to any pocket of British Columbia wine country, there’s an obvious reason why this is the summer to head to the border and hop over.

The American dollar is so far in your favour that loose change might come close to buying a good bottle of B.C. vino. (On June 1, a U.S. dollar was equal to $1.27 Canadian.)

And if it’s been a while since you ventured across the 49th parallel and stocked up on your favourite aromatic white wines, you’ll be pleasantly surprised — possibly overwhelmed — by the number of new tasting rooms, farmto-table bistros and ruggedly charming inns and guest houses that have risen up, not to mention the stellar red wines now being produced and garnering recognition worldwide.

Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland 22 | greatnorthwestwine.com

“Our fellow Canadians came here during the pandemic because they couldn’t go anywhere else,” notes Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), the association responsible for marketing a vast stretch of the southern interior of British Columbia, where major draws are culinary tourism and wine-driven experiences.

When it comes to U.S. visitors, Walker-Matthews says, “We want to welcome them back to experience the depth and breadth of what we have to offer. The Indigenous history and culture, amazing food and wine and outdoor adventures they can’t find anywhere else.”

Many winery experiences have been paired for years with culinary offerings featuring ingredients sourced from neighbouring producers and growers. You will see “Buy BC” stickers and logos on everything from apples to wine bottles, neatly identifying British Columbia products.

And similar to other wine regions around the globe, pandemic shutdowns and mandated service changes caused the B.C. wine industry to pause, reflect and slow down. In a sense.

Walk into an Okanagan tasting room prepandemic at the height of tourist season and you might be four-people deep at the tasting bar, jockeying for position to get a pour in your glass, with little information provided by the hurried staff.

During the pandemic, the industry went through waves of restrictions and seemingly endless changes from British Columbia’s now well-known ProvinPHOTO BY LIONEL TRUDEL cial Health Officer

— Dr. Bonnie Henry. Some of these changes came as last-minute shocks to businesses serving alcohol; restaurants in the province had mere hours to adjust to restrictions on popular revenue drivers such as New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Winery owners and their agents definitely took it on the chin when it came to restaurant sales as liquor sales and seating capacity were reduced temporarily.

But almost without exception, when speaking to wineries in different parts of the province, the pandemic proved ultimately to be a positive game-changer.

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia There were improved sales from e-commerce, plus larger purchases. If you couldn’t come into a tasting room to sip samples, you could drive through and pick up a case or two instead of a couple of bottles.

can add on to your summer of 2022 adventures in B.C. wine, no matter what wine pocket of the province draws you in.

Once the initial closures of March 2020 eventually gave way to reservation-only, seated tastings, guests had a more relaxed and educational experience. For most British Columbia tasting rooms, this change will stay.

The most well-known wine-producing region in British Columbia, the valley is roughly 125 miles by 12 miles, with the 80-mile Okanagan Lake stretching from Penticton in the south, about an hour from the Osoyoos border crossing, north to the area around Vernon.

It’s been compared to many other wine regions, most frequently Napa, but driving through the scenery with its seemingly endless lake views and mountains pointing up to some of the most Instagram-worthy sunsets you may ever see, it’s clear — at least to most locals — that the Okanagan need not be compared to anywhere else.

Travelling from south to north, the landscape changes, as does the terroir, and small towns are just down the road from larger centres

Plan ahead, book in advance If you’re planning a visit this summer to one of the nine identifiable wine regions in British Columbia, the key word is just that: planning.

Book your travel in advance, and fill your itinerary with reservations at wineries so you don’t miss out.

Walk-ins are welcome as space and staffing allow, and there may be special events – many outdoors overlooking spectacular scenery – you

The Okanagan Valley

K Mountain overlooks Keremeos and the Similkameen Valley, a short drive from Oroville, Wash.

where wine enthusiasts can stake out a home base from which to explore.

At the southernmost tip of Okanagan Lake, Penticton is an ideal hub. You’ll often see or hear it described as one of only two cities in the world that is book-ended by lakes. At one end, there’s the beach at Okanagan Lake. At the other, Skaha Lake.

Driving south for a little less than an hour, Oliver-Osoyoos is home to dozens of wineries of varying size and history, and is generally the hottest area for grape growing and similar to some of the Columbia Valley’s warmest regions.

Osoyoos is billed as Canada’s warmest welcome. You can literally wave to boaters on Osoyoos Lake who may actually be in the U.S. One of the friendliest wineries in the area is Vin Amité Cellars, between the towns of Osoyoos and Oliver. Their mantra of “small is the new big” reflects the sentiments of the

DARREN ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY OF SIMILKAMEEN INDEPENDENT WINEGROWERS

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 23

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia owner-operators, the Coulombe family.

Multi-tasker Catherine Coloumbe is the manager, winemaker and part-owner; parents Ray and Wendy Coulombe and sister Nathalie, whose art adorns the walls, make up the rest of the ownership team.

She’s also the creator of delicious food pairings, often with supplies from a nearby gourmet shop and butcher, served in the winery’s lounge and thoughtfully paired with the wines.

If you’re lucky, Catherine’s potato chip cookies will accompany your individual charcuterie.

It’s no wonder that Roger Gillespie, director of operations at Hester Creek Estate Winery on the other side of Highway 97, himself a chef and occasional host-instructor of Hester Creek’s cooking classes, recommends a visit to Vin Amité.

“The pandemic brought to light for me and our team just how hard we have worked to build loyalty, and it cemented us as a family,” Gillespie says. “It may have kept us (physically) apart, but it brought us together. We rubbed our hands together and rolled up our sleeves.”

He delivered wine himself, including to people who had been isolating for months and were, “just happy to see us.”

Priest Creek Family Estate Winery in Kelowna 24 | greatnorthwestwine.com

Hester Creek is not just a tasting room, but also has guest villas available offering a ‘welcome home’ feeling, iPads for guest use, and of course, a welcome bottle of wine. The on-site restaurant has a fresh menu for the summer, live music is coming back to the winery’s patio, and you’ll be welcomed by a concierge when you arrive.

“The entire wine industry has had a positive reset,” adds Gillespie, who also suggests a visit to nearby Miradoro Restaurant and a stay at Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos. “We’re incredibly eager to share our story.”

A young and extravagant winery to watch in this area is the almost overwhelming Phantom Creek Estates. Rumour has it that a caviar flight may be on the menu of experiences this summer.

Okanagan Falls A smaller cluster of wineries is huddled together in Okanagan Falls – note, there are no actual falls, they were taken out years ago to make way for the highway – at the south end of Skaha Lake.

At Liquidity Wines, chef Phil Tees looks after the menu. He has created dishes for the wine-paired flights, ranging from small bites to three-course brunches and lunches. Less of a bistro, if you’ve visited in the past, it’s much more of a curated experience to elevate the wines.

Less than five minutes away, mainstay Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery has had a stellar reputation for decades thanks to its Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.

But don’t dismiss the reds, especially if you plan to grab a seat on the patio or take out barbecue from the winery’s Smoke & Oak Bistro.

A walk down the road takes you to Stag’s Hollow Winery, where there are a few unique varietals to sample – Vidal and Italian reds DolCONTRIBUTED PHOTO cetto and Teroldego,

Little Engine Wines overlooks Okanagan Lake from the Naramata Bench. among them.

A short drive north towards Penticton leads you to Blasted Church Vineyards, where a variety of different experiences are in the works for this summer. Seated, educational experiences will require reservations, while the stand-up bar will make room for walk-ins. You’ll also find Teroldego here.

Add a charcuterie box from chef John Burke to a tasting, or watch for his food pairings at the recently named The House at Blasted Church.

“Tour the Okanagan for a week, and it’s like you’re going to four different countries,” says experiences manager Lisa Baxter-Burke. “Each area of the valley is incredibly unique.”

Penticton and the Naramata Bench Penticton’s famous Downtown Community Market and the adjacent outdoor Farmers Market are back in full force this summer, operating into October on Saturday mornings across multiple city blocks. Wineries and other craft beverage producers regularly pour small samples there.

Post-market, a few blocks over is Time Winery & Kitchen, a convenient stop for a tasting or bite to eat before venturing farther afield and a continued legacy to honour the memory of its founder — the late Harry McWatters.

“The waterfront in Penticton is absolutely

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia Wines on the Naramata Bench, agrees. Little Engine recently opened a lake-view patio and offers guided 45-minute tastings overlooking Okanagan Lake. Reserve a seated wine tasting and prepare to relax for about an hour while you’re guided through Little Engine’s philosophy and portfolio.

“Enjoy the view while you sample five wines,” says French. The winery’s signature varietals have also been thoughtfully paired with several culinary options, so, “if you’re a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay fan, this is the place to be.”

JAMEN RHODES PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY OF LITTLE ENGINE WINES

beautiful, and we’re seeing an amazing resurgence in culinary experiences and hospitality,” says Time’s hospitality manager Kimberly Hundertmark. “We were able to pivot during the pandemic and cater to our local ‘staycation’ guests, and now we can’t wait to make memories for new guests.”

Time Winery will keep its curated and elevated seated tasting experiences going, allowing for a more educational tasting for enthusiastic culinarians.

The winery expanded to the District Wine Village near the base of McIntyre Bluff north of Oliver. Home to multiple smaller wineries, it’s Canada’s first wine village. Night markets take place every Wednesday until mid-September, and live concerts are scheduled in the centre plaza on select dates.

“

And why would you go to California when you can come here?”

“It’s great to see this level of cooperation, and recognize the value and importance of tourism,” Hundertmark says. “And why would you go to California when you can come here?”

Steven French, proprietor of Little Engine

Dallas Thor, proprietor of Terravista Vineyards together with her husband, Eric, also continues to embrace changes that emerged from the pandemic. Seated tastings remain, but the last two years brought other things to this Naramata Bench winery.

“It allowed us to look inward, focus on the vineyard, take care of our people and explore the innovative spirit here in Naramata,” she says.

Terravista tripled its vineyard acreages and established Mencia — a varietal being “rehabbed” in Spain — to accompany several of its other unique-to-B.C. grapes, including Albariño and Verdejo. The Thors also introduced vineyard animals to the property and now have perhaps the largest solar array on the Naramata Bench.

“We’re all still carving a path in this industry, which makes it incredibly exciting,” says Dallas.

The path to the village of Naramata ultimately leads to the 114-year-old Naramata Inn. Wine country accommodations leveled up when the Inn went through a revitalization just before the pandemic began.

Celebrity chef Ned Bell complements the spirit of sustainability in the wine industry as a champion for sustainable seafood, a tightly held belief that began at the Four Seasons in Vancouver.

If you missed a winery while winding around, Bell and the Inn also operate Eliza, a wine bar with an extensive by-the-glass wine selection showcasing local excellence in winemaking, augmented with benchmark wines from around the globe.

COVID-19 guideline As of June 1, the majority of COVID-related restrictions have been lifted throughout most of Canada. In British Columbia, there are no mask mandates or limits on gatherings, and the requirement to show proof of vaccination at non-essential businesses is no longer required by the Province of British Columbia’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

To cross the border, anyone entering Canada must download and use the Government of Canada’s ArriveCan app.

It is available to use on the web, as well as for iOS and Android devices in the AppStore or Google Play. It is available in English, French and Spanish.

The ArriveCan app is mandatory for anyone entering Canada by air, land, rail or marine vessel (including cruise ships), and you must submit your information within 72 hours of your planned arrival to Canada. You cannot submit if you are not yet within the 72-hour window of arrival.

If you are arriving via a marine vessel other than a cruise ship, check that your marine port of entry is open. You may be able to submit your information when you arrive, to accommodate for lack of Wi-Fi on the water.

The ArriveCan app collects your contact information and travel details, vaccination details, COVID test results (if required for entry) and a quarantine plan (if required).

It is easy to use, and once you have completed the steps, which takes around 10 minutes once you have all of your information handy, the app will give you a QR code or a receipt you can print.

Staff members in some hospitality businesses may be wearing masks for the comfort of guests, and plexiglass barriers may still be present in high-traffic public areas such as hotel check-in desks or retail stores.

Businesses may use their discretion regarding mask use. They are required to be worn in most health care settings, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, walk-in clinics and various health practitioners.

Resources: Government of Canada travel.gc.ca/travel-covid Government of British Columbia www2.gov. bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/travel/current

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 25

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia

British Columbia wine Fast Facts There are nine official wine regions, or geographical indications (similar to American Viticultural Areas in the United States) in British Columbia, and some have sub-regions, known as sub-GIs. Okanagan Valley, which includes the Golden Mile Bench, Naramata Bench and Okanagan Falls Similkameen Valley Fraser Valley Vancouver Island Gulf Islands Shuswap Lillooet Kootenays

F ast facts from Wine Growers British Columbia •1 ,049 vineyards, with 11,086 acres planted •8 0+ grape varieties produced • T op five whites by acreage: Pinot Gris,Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery and its resort is on the Black Sage Bench near Oliver.

• Top five reds by acreage: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah

Summerland

• There are 370 licenced wineries in the province; 284 of those are licenced grape wineries • The British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance.

The “BC VQA,” was established in 1990 to guarantee consumers they were drinking wine made from 100 percent B.C. grapes.

Not all wineries participate in the VQA program, overseen by the British Columbia Wine Authority — an independent body.

Chef Neil Taylor of CedarCreek Estate Winery 26 | greatnorthwestwine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF CEDARCREEK

Sustainability is a cornerstone at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, and the pandemic gave this innovative winery the opportunity to continue on its “green” path, while also affording the opportunity to examine its long-term business model.

“The impact to pure tourism was understandably negative, but we’re now making sure we are well-set for visitors,” says recently appointed CEO Darryl Brooker.

New visitors’ centres are being planned for Crush Pad’s properties, with 60- to 90- minute visits for guests, guided by a dedicated staff person. This will be the model moving forward, says Brooker, to give guests an immersive experience. Visits must be booked in advance.

“The Okanagan is so many things,” Brooker says. “It’s familiar, but it’s different. The West Coast is remarkable, and the Pacific Coast is simply magical for people. We’re an extension of the Pacific Northwest, and how amazing is the weather in the Okanagan, right through from spring to fall?”

On one of those amazing days, Brooker suggests a visit to Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards for a bite at the 19 Bistro, before or after a tasting of Fitzpatrick’s sparkling wines.

Speaking of bubbly, a winery to watch in

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia

PHOTO COURTESY BRITISH COLUMBIA WINE GROWERS

Summerland is Lightning Rock. The team of Jordan Kubek and Tyler Knight sharpened its skills at Okanagan Crush Pad, and are champions for this pocket in the Okanagan and holistic farming. The patriarch of this family winery, Ron Kubek, may well be the one pouring for you in the cosy tasting room.

West Kelowna – Kelowna West Kelowna and Kelowna are separated by a bridge across Okanagan Lake, and here the valley becomes more urban as you enter Kelowna proper, a city of 135,000. But you would be served well to take a side trip out to some of the wineries. Suddenly, you may find yourself in the middle of farmland.

One of British Columbia’s most iconic wineries, Mission Hill Family Estate, is a familiar image thanks to its bell tower and sweeping natural amphitheatre. Wine ambassadors guide visitors through a variety of seated tasting options exploring Mission Hill’s different portfolios.

On a clear day, if you’re looking in the correct direction across Okanagan Lake, you might be able to make out the shadow of CedarCreek Estate Winery, a scenic property elevated to prominence during the three decades of ownership by the Fitzpatrick family and now a sister property to Mission Hill. If you can’t

make it there over the summer, the winery’s exceptional restaurant — Home Block — is open year round. Locally sourced, home-style dishes paired with CedarCreek’s wines are on chef Neil Taylor’s menu. Home Block fared well during the pandemic, thanks in part to a spacious interior, and Taylor adjusted the restaurant’s business model from a large a la carte menu to a refined, more focused winepaired menu.

“COVID let us reset, and it was a dramatic improvement with a set menu with choices and wine pairings,” Taylor says. “Our focus is on good ingredients cooked simply — to highlight the wines.”

The menu changes with the ingredients available, and summer is peak seasonality for fresh produce, including local tomatoes so prized there are lineups for them if the grower takes them to farmers markets in Vancouver.

“Guests love hearing the stories about where our ingredients come from; there’s beautiful produce literally out the back door,” Taylor says.

David Paterson, general manager/winemaker at Tantalus Vineyards, recommends a visit to CedarCreek, as well as Mirabel, Spearhead and Summerhill wineries near Kelowna.

“There is a ton of value in the Okanagan compared to other regions, and a well-curated tour of the valley is as good as anywhere in the world,” he says, “and we have some of the best wine in the Pacific Northwest.”

Tantalus, like so many B.C. wineries, pivoted to sit-down tastings and longer conversations with guests, hoping to convert them to lifelong customers and repeat visitors.

“People are now coming here with a plan,” Paterson said. “The valley offers a great vacation, no matter what you’re interested in. We’re eco- and outdoor-friendly, and we’re set up for adventure.”

Darren and Jane Sawin of Priest Creek Family Estate did not know the scale of their adventure during March 2020. They were ready one day to open the doors of their new winery, only to shut down the next day when the entire province went into its first COVID lockdown.

“We were stunned for the first 24 hours,” says Jane, “then we had to figure out a way to get the word out and market ourselves, so we made a six pack, reached out to friends and family, and made a drive-through contactless farm pick-up station.”

Once folks could visit the winery, Darren relayed the experience of one family, kids in tow, who emerged after six months in their house to come visit the winery as their first outing after lockdown.

“The locals really wanted to support us,” he says.

Trip planning British Columbia promotes a ‘know before you go’ message for anyone planning to visit this beautiful and vast province. If you are driving the highways, many – especially in the interior, including the southern part of British Columbia where you will find wine country — have high mountain passes and can be subject to active weather almost any time of the year.

Visit DriveBC online at DriveBC.ca for route information.

Taking a ferry from the mainland of British Columbia, or the Lower Mainland as it’s known around Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, to Vancouver Island and the smaller nearby “wine islands” requires a trip via B.C. Ferries. Schedules and pre-booking can be found at www. bcferries.com. Passenger ferries from Washington state to the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island are operated by the Black Ball Ferry Line M.V. Coho. Information is available at CohoFerry.com; the Clipper operates from Seattle to Victoria. Check out their packages at ClipperVacations. com. Options are also available through Washington State Ferries, see WashingtonFerries.com.

Vancouver International Airport is the main air gateway to British Columbia and from there it’s a short flight to wine country hubs Kelowna, Penticton or Kamloops. You can also head to Calgary in the neighboring province of Alberta and fly into any of these three smaller airports to begin your wine tourism adventure.

The Kelowna International Airport, celebrating its 75th year in 2022, is one of the busiest in the province and is served by a number of airlines, including Alaska Air.

Resources: Destination BC — HelloBC.com Getting here and around www.hellobc.com/ plan-your-trip/getting-here-and-around/ Thompson Okanagan — ThompsonOkanagan.com Route 97— Route97.net Visit South Okanagan — VisitSouthOkanagan.com

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 27

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia Darren took on the winemaking with some help and mentoring from winemaker Jason Parkes, and this year will be paying more attention to bigger, bolder reds; red wines from the Okanagan are starting to show well on the world stage as the region cultivates premium grapes and the wine continues to evolve.

Aside from wine, Jane describes the Okanagan as “Canada’s summer wonderland, with something for everyone.”

Similkameen Valley Some might consider the Similkameen to be Canada’s Organic Capital, anchored by the villages of Keremeos and Cawston, and as adjacent to the Okanagan Valley. This rugged, windswept pocket of pioneers is about a 30-minute drive from Penticton that includes the scenic Crowsnest Highway. If you passed through the Similkameen during a road trip as a kid, this is where you pulled over to a fruit stand for cherries, apricots and peaches to relish on the way home.

“The geography is gorgeous. The cliffs are stunning. The sheer mountainside is amazing, and our wines here communicate that landscape,” says Michael Clark, managing director and winemaker at Clos du Soleil. “We’re more rural and less developed, and the atmosphere is very relaxed. We try to take that into the tasting room.”

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Clark says he believes the B.C. wine industry has come out of the pandemic stronger and better, despite the challenges, noting that his winery and others now offer more varied indoor and outdoor experiences, and the reservation system is a benefit that provides a personalised experience.

“You can have a taste on the crush pad, pick up some of the best produce you will ever see and enjoy a picnic, and wander through the vineyard,” Clark says.

Nearby at Orofino Winery, tastings moved from counter service to reservations. Winemaker/ proprietor John Weber compares this to a restaurant with dedicated attention to guests for 30-45 minutes.

“It’s so much better,” Weber says. “We can show them a little more love and build a better relationship.

“The wines are expressive of this little valley, and we’re very proud of that,” he adds. “If you want to get away from everything and de-stress, this is where to come.”

Orofino offers suites that can be booked online. Similkameen Wild Resort and Vineyard Retreat is a boutique ecological resort, the historic Grist Mill in Keremeos features camping and Klippers Organic Acres has guest suites and Row Fourteen, an excellent bistro.

“Don’t go to a (motel chain), just come here,”

Weber says. “It’s totally worth it.”

Kamloops This town offers a more urban centre, with a vibe somewhat similar to Kelowna combined with the ruggedness of the Similkameen, the wineries near Kamloops are somewhat spread out.

And the region survived the misfortune of being under three different states of emergency during 2021 – pandemic, fires and floods.

“We had to step back and not try to do everything all at once, but the pandemic shifted our focus online until we could bring back that crucial human connection and engagement that’s so crucial,” says Erik Fisher, GM of Monte Creek Winery, which has a mission-style design, sweeping interiors, a greenhouse and the Terrace Restaurant.

Monte Creek is a destination winery, with much to explore and experience. There is understandable pride regarding its dedication to regenerative agriculture, engaging consumer-minded events and a gravity-fed cellar.

“Come see a different landscape that’s breathtaking and rugged, just travel a little farther for hiking, biking, lakes and fishing,” Fisher says.

Sipping and chipping – for golfers – is par

COVER STORY l Back to British Columbia for the course in this area, which can point you toward Vernon and the wineries of Lake Country, or continue to the cool-climate wines of the Shuswap.

A bit of a jaunt outside of Kamloops, Privato Vineyard and Winery has a small tasting room, but expansive outdoor space that co-owner Debbie Woodward says conveys a sense of “zen.”

“We’re far from the wine trail, but family-run so it feels very comfortable here,” she says.

It’s a short drive from Monte Creek, and 12 miles away you can take the two-car on demand — just honk your horn for service — McLure Reaction Ferry across the North Thompson River and near the edge of the rainforest. But wine flights and pourings from their other business — Woodward Cider — are available to club members. Others can do a tasting and wander the grounds.

“If you’re looking for something a little different and the unique experiences at wineries on the Kamloops wine trail, why not come here?” says Woodward, who suggests heading to Whistler with a stop in Lillooet.

Fraser Valley If you need to make your way back to Vancouver to head back over the border, save a day to visit the wineries of the Fraser Valley.

If you missed its Penticton tasting room, Township 7 Vineyards has another option in South Langley, a little more than an hour from Vancouver and less than 10 miles from Blaine, Wash. Here, there’s an additional focus on Township 7’s Seven Stars sparkling wine program.

Winemaker Mary McDermott created her

own winery production “bubble” during the pandemic to keep her team safe as the winery paid more attention to e-commerce and online sales. When she began to elevate the sparkling wine, McDermott specifically looked to the Langley site for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

“After my first vintage here in 2015, there was a lot of work in the vineyard, and now we have a family of six sparklers,” she explains.

“These are fantastic sparkling wines to come over and try, and we’re so close to the border – both wineries are.” The Penticton winery is an hour from the border at Osoyoos.

“It’s a great experience, we have a fun vibe and people enjoy it,” McDermott says.

Vancouver Island The 14 wineries of Cowichan Valley, about a 90-minute drive from Victoria, have developed a passport program and are planning events throughout the summer, says Pamela Sanderson, tasting room manager at Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncan.

Like other wine regions across British Columbia, wineries on the Island had to adjust and pivot.

“The biggest outcome of the pandemic was having us refocus on our core business, and figure out what’s important and what’s not,” Sanderson says. “We improved the guest experience with a sit-down tasting paired with local food components, working with a local chef.

“Vancouver Island offers something fresh and new, a unique climate and unique varietals,” she adds. “If you’ve ‘been there, done that,’ then this is the place to be.”

The same could be said of any wine region or wine trail across British Columbia.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 29

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

Idaho bubblehouse

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

By Eric Degerman

R

ICHLAND, Wash. — When the 3100 Cellars 2017 Whitewater methode Champenoise won the Cascadia International Wine Competition sweepstakes by a landslide vote, it meant the judging panel had selected a wine from Idaho as best of show for the second straight year.

And for the first time in the event’s 10-year history, a bottle of bubbles burst through as the top wine of the tasting.

“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed 3100 Cellars

30 | greatnorthwestwine.com

3100 Cellars tops 10th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition

winemaker/co-owner Hailey Minder. “Holy moly! It’s amazing to know that professionals in the industry appreciate your product — and that a little winery in Idaho is making really good sparkling wine.”

Among the judges at the Cascadia International was Colorado native Tim Donahue, the longtime director of winemaking for Walla Walla Community College’s Institute for Enology and Viticulture who resigned last year to launch Horse Thief Wine Consulting in the Walla Walla Valley. He’s been an advocate for sparkling wine production in the Pacific Northwest for more than a decade.

“I think it’s great that there’s a sparkling wine house in Idaho, but then I think there should be sparkling wine houses everywhere,” Donahue said with a laugh. “For years, everyone looked at me like I had a hole in my head.

There’s so much work involved — especially if you are in a small setting where you don’t have all of the machinery — so to see someone do it so well is pretty cool.”

Hailey and her husband, Marshall, do all of the work by hand at 3100 Cellars, a 1,500-case project in the Snake River Valley that produces only sparkling wine in the style of Champagne. They learned about their best-of-show award while making the 9-hour drive back home from a Seattle fundraiser tied to celebrity chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen work in Ukraine.

edging past another Mount Hood entry — the 2019 Estate Pinot Noir that was voted as the judging’s top Pinot Noir.

Mt. Hood’s 2018 Grenache received a double gold. The winery’s two other red wines to earn gold were the 2019 Syrah and the 2017 Summit Red — a Syrah-based blend grown the year after Mt. Hood received Oregon Winery of the Year from now-defunct Wine Press Northwest magazine. Cushman’s 2021 White Pinot Noir,

Oregon winemaker Cushman wins 9 golds for Mt. Hood Perhaps the most impressive storyline running throughout the 2022 Cascadia International was the string of gold medals crafted for Mt. Hood Winery by longtime Oregon winemaker Rich Cushman.

The Columbia Gorge producer in Hood River, Ore., amassed nine gold medals for the Bickford family, a performance that included the 2018 Barbera that won Best Red Wine,

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Victor Palencia uses Spanish white to reach sweeps

of the Year.

This was the second straight year that an Albariño reached the sweepstakes portion of the Cascadia, emblematic of the interest, appeal and success surrounding the bright white grape from the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. And Evergreen Vineyard also served as the source for the Best Riesling of the 2022 Cascadia.

Six years ago, Washington winemaker Victor Palencia was awarded best of show at the 2016 Cascadia for his 2015 Albariño.

Wautoma Springs turns Syrah into best rosé of Cascadia

2021 Pinot Noir Rosé, 2021 Gewürztraminer and 2021 Riesling also earned gold medals.

A year ago at the Cascadia, wines by Cushman, who graduated from high school in Hood River, picked up seven gold medals across three brands.

This year, the graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program nearly took top honors again at the Cascadia with one of his expressions with Albariño.

Few Northwest winemakers have earned as many accolades from critics in blind judgings as Palencia, and he reached into fascinating Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley to produce the best white wine of the 2022 Cascadia International — the Palencia Wine Co. 2021 Albariño. It received a double gold medal and best of class along the way, and Palencia earned two other golds — a double gold for his 2019 Mourvèdre and gold for the 2019 Syrah under his reserve El Viñador tier. During that growing season, Wine Press Northwest announced Palencia Wine Co./Vino la Monarcha as the Pacific Northwest Winery

Washington State University grad Jessica Munnell used this spring’s Cascadia to add to her reputation as one of the Northwest’s top talents with rosé, reaching the sweepstakes with the Wautoma Springs 2021 Rosé crafted with Syrah and sold for $18.

Last year, her 2020 rosé received a Platinum Award after winning a gold at the 2021 Cascadia and double gold at the 2021 Great Northwest Invitational. And it was no surprise that her 2021 Sauvignon Blanc received a gold medal at the Cascadia. Her 2020 vintage was awarded best of class at the 2021 Cascadia.

The Richland High grad also serves as a consultant to winemaker Jim Divis at Lone Point Cellars, whose young estate program overlooking the Columbia River near Brewster, Wash., produced a 2019 Tempranillo that merited a

double gold.

Road 8 along BC’s Golden Mile leads to 11 golds A single dead-end road south of Oliver, British Columbia, produced four best-of-class awards and 11 gold medals — four of those double gold — at this year’s Cascadia. All of them were grown amid the historic “heat dome” vintage of 2021.

On the north side of Road 8 in the Golden Mile Bench Geographic Indication is Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, which burnished its reputation for producing gold medals by receiving six gold medals at the Cascadia. Each of them was for work with aromatic whites, and not one retails for more than $18 Canadian.

Since 1985, the combination of Walter, the winemaker, and his viticulturist brother, Gordon — both educated in West Germany — have remained steadfast in their business model of estate-grown, fruit-forward wines offered at consumer-minded prices. Two of their wines were in the discussion for Best White as the double gold 2021 Private Reserve Pinot Gris and gold 2021 Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay both were rated best of class.

On the south side of Road 8 is a winery with even deeper roots in the Northwest wine industry — Hester Creek Estate Winery. Its founder,

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 31

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Joe Busnardo, established a few Italian varieties across the initial 76-acre planting in 1968.

Both the 2021 Old Vine Trebbiano and 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc crafted by Okanagan Valley native Mark Hopley earned double gold, with the Pinot Blanc joining Hester Creek’s Pinot Gris-Viognier as best-of-class winners. It’s no surprise that Hopley’s 2021 Viognier went double gold, and the 2021 Sèmillon returned a gold medal.

rel-Aged Port style earned best of class and went on to claim the award for the Best Sweet Wine of the judging. There was also a double gold in the category for red blends led by Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2016 Legendary Red Wine, and his Syrah-driven 2019 Don’t Even Ask Red Wine also received a double gold.

And the Sullivans’ cellar also serves as the production facility for 3100 Cellars, with Minder slowly having transitioned from employee to client since the launch of her sparkling wine program.

The wine judged to be the best Syrah of the Cascadia also came from the Golden Mile Bench — the as-yet-unreleased Phantom Creek Estates 2019 Kobau Vineyard Syrah.

The seven-barrel lot crafted along the Black Sage Bench showcases the winemaking of Francis Hutt and famed international consultant Philippe Melka. Hutt returned to his native New Zealand in 2021. In his place is Mark Beringer, a direct descendant of Beringer Vineyards founders and a native of the Napa Valley.

Idaho’s Telaya reaches into WA for Best Cab of Cascadia Syrah from Idaho’s Snake River Valley continues to reveal itself as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most delicious wines. Last year, Telaya Wine Co., used its 2018 Syrah to capture Best of Show at the 2021 Cascadia. This spring, Earl and Carrie Sullivan’s 2019 vintage of Syrah from Sawtooth Vineyard was another next-level example, earning a double gold medal, receiving 95 points and earning a spot in the discussion for best of class.

Mike McClure continues to produce some of the Northwest’s top wines for Indian Creek Winery southwest of Boise, and five achieved gold or beyond. McClure, who apprenticed under his late father-in-law — Bill Stowe — crafted best-of-class winners in the 2021 Grüner Veltliner and 2021 Viognier. McClure’s 2020 Reserve Caliche Pinot Noir from the Snake River Valley received a double gold, as did the 2019 Star Garnet Red Wine, a bargain at $17 and featuring Malbec. And his 2020 Chardonnay received a gold medal.

Smasne nurtures 2006 Port-style into Best Sweet Yakima Valley winemaker Robert Smasne, who earned 17 Platinum Awards during the previous decade, returned to prominence at the 2022 Cascadia International with high-scoring entries in three categories.

His Smasne Cellars 2006 12 Year Bar-

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However, the most decorated entry by Telaya exemplified the Sullivans’ desire to source from premier vineyards throughout the Northwest.

As a result, their work from the 2019 vintage with Discovery Vineyard — a sought-after resource in the Horse Heaven Hills for some of Washington’s cult wineries — turned into a double gold medal, the award for Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the Cascadia and 94 points from the panel.

Idaho’s Indian Creek pulls down 5 golds

Snake River Valley winemaker Tim Harless continued his impressive run of acclaim with five gold medals from his University of Idaho-built studio in Caldwell. Vale Wine Company returned a double gold for the 2019 Syrah and a gold for the 2021 Rosé. There are also golds by Hat Ranch Winery’s flagship 2019 Hat Trick Red and 2019 Petit Verdot.

His assistant winemaker, Will Wetmore, whose Veer Wine Project is Great Northwest Wine’s 2022 Idaho Winery to Watch, picked

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

up another gold medal for sparkling wine produced in the Snake River Valley with his 2019 Maeve made with Muscat Ottonel.

it’s a remarkable effort with a late-ripening variety, and its food-friendly aspect begins with a stunningly low profile of 12.7% alcohol.

James and Caitlin Holesinsky backed up their winery’s haul of gold medals from 2021 as the Idaho Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine. They started 2022 by meriting three gold medals for Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery in southern Idaho’s Hagerman Valley — two for distinctly different styles of Chardonnay. There were double gold medals for the 2021 Gertchen Vineyard Buhljolais Rosé of Syrah and 2020 Stainless Steel Chardonnay along with a gold for its 100% Oaked Chardonnay.

In the hills above Lewiston in the historic Lewis-Clark Valley, owner/winemaker Paul Sullivan proved that his Two Bad Labs Vineyard 2020 Sèmillon hasn’t lost its stride. Last fall, that wine went double gold at the Great Northwest Invitational. At the 2022 Cascadia, it was not only double gold, but also best of class and received 96 points — making it one of the highest-scoring white wines of the judging.

No one makes more wine in Idaho than Meredith Smith, and her work at Sawtooth Estate Winery – a pet project of Precept founding partner Dan Baty – returned a pair of double gold medals with the 2021 Classic Fly Dry Riesling and 2021 Classic Fly Viognier.

Smith’s 2021 Panoramic Sauvignon Blanc for Ste. Chapelle gave her three gold medals for the Cascadia.

One of the Idaho wine industry’s pioneers — chef-turned-winemaker Steve Robertson – was behind the judging’s top expression of Cabernet Franc. The Hells Canyon Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc Reserve is the product of a bounce back vintage for the Snake River Valley, and

The maturity of the estate planting in Lewiston Orchards for Clearwater Canyon Cellars — the 2020 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — showed in the gold medal for the 2021 Umiker Vineyard Estate Rosé of Syrah.

Lake Chelan versatility showcased

by Tsillan Cellars Visionary vintner Dr. Bob Jankelson grew up on a farm in the foothills of the Cascades east of Kent, Wash., so he had a sense that the potential of Lake Chelan went beyond tree fruit. Jankelson’s investments in vineyards continue to prove him prescient as his winemakers and longtime vineyard manager Bal Flores produced four gold medals — including two best-of-class awards — all for wines grown across the estate above the south shore of the

country’s third-deepest freshwater lake.

Tsillan Cellars’s top-performing wine at this year’s Cascadia International was the 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer, a bottling that showcased the efforts of winemakers Garrett Grubbs and Nic Stevens and was voted best of class after receiving a double gold and 93 points. They also merited a gold for the 2021 Estate Riesling in the dry Riesling group. Tsillan Cellars was selected Washington Winery of the Year in 2020 by the Great Northwest Wine team, an award that longtime talent Ray Sandidge helped Jankelson achieve. Sandidge is credited on the bottle for the 2019 Estate Reserve Malbec that earned best of class as well as the gold medal-winning 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

From across the lake came another impressive showing by winemaker Oscar Castillo, who brought home three gold medals for suave reds on behalf of Lake Chelan Winery in Manson. His 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a double gold and 95 points.

Benson Vineyards Estate Winery also showed the versatility of its picturesque site above the north shore with the double gold for its 2021 Viognier and gold for the Cab-led 2018 Anthem red blend crafted by Jared McGuffin.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 33

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Ryan Patrick’s Redhead Red a golden, delicious bargain Canadian winemaker Kendall Mix produced two of the competition’s most delicious bargains on behalf of Ryan Patrick Vineyards, receiving gold medals for the 2019 Rock Island Chardonnay ($21) and the Merlot-led 2018 Redhead Red ($15). He also won a double gold medal for RPV owner Butch Milbrandt with the 2019 Red Heaven Vineyard Reserve Syrah from Red Mountain.

Airfield Estates Winery in the Yakima Valley, led by Marcus Miller — one of Jankelson’s early winemakers — garnered three gold medals, including double gold awards for the Miller family’s nicely priced 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Sangiovese Rosé.

Southern Oregon continues to impress Stephen Reustle generates more headlines for the historic Umpqua Valley via the awards for his wines in international competitions than perhaps any other Southern Oregon producer.

This spring, it was the white program at the 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year that particularly turned the heads of judges at the Cascadia.

The Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc earned a double

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gold and best of class, and the U.S. pioneer of Grüner Veltliner also received a double gold for the 2021 Estate Selection bottling with the Austrian grape. The Reustle 2021 Viognier and Sèmillon-led blend called Matrix also were awarded gold medals.

Awen Winecraft, named as the 2021 Oregon Winery to Watch by the staff at Great Northwest Wine, in part because of its strength with Rhône varieties, continued its rise in the Rogue Valley with a trio of gold medals, led by a double for its 2018 Petite Sirah and gold for Grenache Blanc.

To the north in the Willamette Valley, Vino Vasai Wines/The Potter’s Vineyard, the 2022 Oregon Winery to Watch by Great Northwest Wine, received a double gold for 2018 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir crafted in the Chehalem Mountains by winemaker/pottery artist Bill Sanchez.

WA investments pay dividends for Maine winery It makes sense for Cellardoor Winery to stage its Portland Wine Walk in Maine’s largest city, and owner Bettina Doulton — a trailblazing mutual fund manager — invests in some of the Pacific Northwest’s best grapes for wines that stand out in competitions across the country.

Her winemaker, Aaron Peet, who trained at Walla Walla Community College, turned that fruit into three gold medals at this year’s Cascadia. The Cascadia’s premier bottling of Petit Verdot came from the Miller family’s historic Airport Ranches in the Yakima Valley.

Cellardoor also earned a double gold for its 2017 Aurora, a Syrah-based blend that tapped into Shaw Vineyard on Red Mountain. And there was another gold for the 2018 Ned Said Red, which features Merlot from Boushey Vineyard, Cabernet Franc off Sagemoor Farm’s Weinbau Vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon from Shaw Vineyard fruit.

Precept winemakers account for 6 golds Seattle-based Precept Wine earned a combined six gold medals via its myriad brands throughout the Northwest, led in Washington by a pair of double gold medals for Browne Family Vineyards.

John Freeman, in his third decade as winemaker at historic Waterbrook in the Walla Walla Valley, produced the Cascadia’s Best Merlot, an effort with Andrew Browne’s estate vineyards. And the 2019 Tribute Red Blend, the Left Bank-inspired flagship wine for the Precept CEO’s brand, also earned a double gold.

Freeman’s 2020 Columbia Valley Chardonnay ranks among the competition’s best-priced

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia wines ($10.99) after winning a gold medal in the oaked category.

Horse Heaven Hills vintners shine with estate fruit Coyote Canyon Winery in Prosser continues to showcase the excellence and diversity of the Andrews family plantings in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. Its 2019 Tempranillo was voted best of class and its reserve tier H/H Estates brand 2019 Michael Andrews Red – featuring Graciano – earned a double gold and best of class. Mike Andrews’ winemaker Justin Michaud, whose Sangiovese won best of show at the Seventh Annual Cascadia, thanks to a Super Tuscan-ish boost from estate Cab, also earned a gold medal for Coyote Canyon’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mercer Estates, which used its estate plantings in the Horse Heaven Hills to help it earn the Washington Winery of the Year in 2016, received a trio of gold medals, including one from Ashley Stephens’ first vintage as head winemaker with the 2021 Small Lot Viognier.

The Washington State University product, hired for the Mercers in 2015 by Jessica Munnell, also worked alongside Jeremy Santo – now at Bookwalter – on the 2018 Robert Willis Reserve Malbec and 2018 Cavalie 7 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Second-generation Martinez & Martinez Winery, featuring some of the Horse Heaven Hills’ oldest plantings, earned best of class within a competitive field for its 2018 Dion Carlo Carménère. That wine is available next door from Coyote Canyon at the Winemakers Loft in Prosser.

Red Mountain turns golden with medal The Williams family grows the grapes for a number of the Northwest top producers, and this year’s Cascadia International proved the next generation continues to craft some of the region’s best wines from their Red Mountain vines. Judges awarded Kiona Vineyards a trio of gold medals, led by the 2018 Estate Malbec and 2020 Estate Lemberger, which both achieved double gold medals. Third-generation winemaker Tyler Williams also earned a gold medal for his 2021 Rosé of Sangiovese.

Red Mountain producer Charlie Hoppes and his winemaker, Mitch Venohr, turned the Malbec-led Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Bona Vita Red Wine into a double gold and best of class award, a tribute to the late Stacie Hamilton, who passed away unexpectedly in October.

Aquilini USA portfolio results in several top wines The remarkably diversified Aquilini family, whose holdings include ownership of the Vancouver Canucks franchise in the National

Hockey League, first made headlines in the wine world in 2013 when they purchased more than 500 acres on Red Mountain in gobsmacking fashion at a land auction.

They’ve methodically planted vineyards across most of those holdings and recently began to rack up awards for wines made from those grapes.

The 10,000 Hours 2019 Red Blend off Red Mountain and woven by Joshua Maloney, predictably featured Cabernet Sauvignon and went on to earn best of class. The Be Human 2019 Merlot earned a double gold medal Aquilini’s eponymous brand, headlined by famed Napa winemaker Philippe Melka with Maayan Koschitzky and Tyler Tennyson, earned a gold medal for its stylish 2021 Sauvignon Blanc that also serves as another example of Red Mountain’s seemingly inherent success with the white Bordeaux grape, and in most vintages, Sauvignon Blanc off Red Mountain is among the first grapes in the state to be harvested for still wine.

Melka’s deep résumé with Sauvignon Blanc in Napa served as the centerpiece of a recent Wine Enthusiast feature on the variety’s presence in California. In fact, Melka, the man behind the Long Shadows Vintners Pirouette program, produces a Sauvignon Blanc in the Napa Valley for a winery that sells it for $500 per bottle.

Liberty Lake scores hat trick with Red Mtn. fruit Self-taught winemaker Mark Lathrop of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars struck gold with three 2019 red wines from Red Mountain, including a Cabernet Franc that went double gold and received 95 points from judges. Last fall, Lathrop received a record-setting seven top awards during the 22nd annual Platinum Awards, all with bottlings from the 2018 vintage, which prompted Great Northwest Wine magazine to name Liberty Lake as its 2022 Washington Winery to Watch.

Dr. Phillip Butterfield stepped away from decades of serving as a medical research scientist – which included posts at both the University of Washington and Washington State University in Spokane – to launch Winescape Winery on the South Hill of Spokane.

He proved to be a quick study as a winemaker, thanks in part of relationships with some of the state’s top vineyards. His 2017 Merlot from Sagemoor’s historic Bacchus Vineyard in the White Bluffs AVA received a gold medal in the Cascadia after receiving a gold medal in a comparative tasting staged by Great Northwest Wine magazine earlier in 2022. His youthful Marmot Incarnate, a blend featuring Syrah, also was given a gold medal.

Barrister Winery in downtown Spokane pulled from Summit View Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley and earned a double gold for its 2018 Malbec.

Storied producers in Woodinville reap rewards DeLille Cellars in Woodinville, the reigning Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine, struck gold with two of the most-storied wines of its portfolio — the Right Bank-inspired 2019 D2 Red Wine and stately 2019 Four Flags made with Cab from four top Red Mountain sites, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun.

EFESTĒ, with tasting rooms in Woodinville and Seattle, showcased the work of winemaker Mark Fiore and some first-class vineyards. The famed Riesling site in the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley that helped elevate Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Eroica project also helped pave the way to the best-of-class award for the EFESTĒ Evergreen Riesling. Fiore also went gold with the Big Papa Cabernet Sauvignon, which pulls from historic plantings such as Bacchus, Kiona, Klipsun and Red Willow.

Another Woodinville winemaker, Brian Carter, showed a masterful touch with his Meritage-style 2016 Trentenaire ($50), a blend led remarkably by Petit Verdot that completely wowed the judging panel, earning a double gold and best-of-class acclaim.

While he might be more famous for his work in Washington with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, University of Oregon grad Mike Januik also showed a deft touch at the Cascadia International with Rhône varieties. The Novelty Hill 2019 Oxbow Red Wine emerged from the competitive GSM category with the best-of-class award, and his 2020 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Viognier — grown at the Royal Slope landmark by Ed Kelly — also received a gold medal.

One of the first products of Washington State University’s viticulture and enology program, Tyler Farnsworth, would spend more than a decade in the cellar at JM Cellars prior to launching his Laterus Winery brand as a tenant in The Vault at Maltby. Farnsworth received a pair of gold medals at the Cascadia for red blends – the Cab-led 2019 Megalith from Red Mountain stars Quintessence and Shaw vineyards, and a 2019 GSM called The Hallows that includes Syrah from Betz-owned Ancient Stones Vineyard in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.

Robert Delf’s well-timed releases at Northwest Cellars in Kirkland, Wash., led to a pair of gold medals, highlighted by his 2018 Madrigal, which received a double gold in the GSM category. Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills helped him to earn a gold with a 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon.

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TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

The winemaking team of Jared Whelchel and Brad Sherman at Michael Florentino Cellars combined for a pair of gold medals, winning for a 2014 Primitivo from the Wahluke Slope and 2020 Albariño from the Yakima Valley.

Seattle’s Nota Bene Cellars and winemaker Timothy Narby turned his relationship with Dineen Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills into one of the Cascadia’s top expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2017 bottling that received a double gold and 96 points.

A pair of golds for Washington Winery of the Year Woodinville-trained Mark Bosso, whose winemaking has helped two brands earn awards in the past three years from the editorial staff of Great Northwest Wine, bottled two wines that turned into gold medals for Westport Winery Garden Resort at the 2022 Cascadia International.

The Roberts family now contracts almost exclusively with Yakima Valley grower Joe Hattrup for its grapes, and his highly decorated Elephant Mountain Vineyard site in the Rattlesnake Hills produced a gold medal for the Westport Winery 2019 Mermaid Merlot. (The Westport campus is home to the International Mermaid Museum, which attracted 83,000

36 | greatnorthwestwine.com

visitors in 2021.) Bosso developed experience working with Rattlesnake Hills sites during his time at Orenda Winery – the 2020 Washington Winery to Watch. He’s also proven to be a quick study with Westport’s imaginative and popular nongrape program, earning a gold medal for the Peaches on the Beaches blend of Riesling and peach.

West Coast restaurateur JD Nolan collaborates with the Mercer family for Horse Heaven Hills grapes and the Hedges family for Red Mountain fruit. He scored a gold medal with each. The Schooler Nolan 2019 Malbec from the Horse Heaven Hills earned a double gold and the Schooler Nolan 2018 Red Mountain Cab garnered gold. Both are available at the Fat Olives Restaurant in Richland, Wash.

The Seal family’s Sigillo Cellars project in the Snoqualmie Valley can pour two gold medals from the Cascadia at tasting rooms on both sides of the Cascades. Their 2019 Tempranillo earned a double gold, a 96-point rating, and was pulled from the Wahluke Slope — a twohour drive from their satellite tasting room in Chelan. And look for their 2019 Malbec, a gold medal winner, at their downtown Snoqualmie headquarters.

Cascadia judges reward Maryhill’s diversity Maryhill Winery & Bistro — the 2015 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — strung gold medals across three of its portfolios as judges decorated the 2019 Zinfandel under the Classic tier, a 2020 Grüner Veltliner off Bloxom Vineyard within the Proprietor’s Reserve program and the 2019 Klipsun Vineyard Syrah from its Vineyard Series. No winery has won more in the 22-year history of the Platinum Awards, and each of those wines now qualifies for that judging this fall.

With his tasting room in downtown Richland just a stone’s throw from the Columbia River, Longship Cellars winemaker Kyle Welch can pour a pair of gold-medal winners – led by the 2019 Wise Man Cabernet Sauvignon that went double gold.

Wit Cellars, the 2017 Washington Winery to Watch, continues to bring a string of gold medals into its new tasting room in Prosser’s Vintners Village – taking over the Gamache Vintners location on Cabernet Court. And it’s easy to remember one of the top wines produced by Flint Nelson and Cat Warwick – the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Elephant Mountain Vineyard that won a gold medal. The 2019 Syrah from another Yakima Valley site –

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

historic Boushey Vineyards, co-fermented with Viognier – went double gold and pulled down 95 points from judges.

Lopez Island Vineyards winemaker Brent Charnley, the first winegrower to achieve certified organic status from Washington state officials, used his maritime planting to produce a gold medal for aromatic Siegerrebe. He earned another gold medal for the Malbec he ferries back to the Puget Sound from Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.

Walla Walla Valley winemaker Gary Kagels charted a pair of gold medals for his partners at Plumb Cellars — their 2018 GSM and 2018 Estate Sangiovese, pulled from their JK II Vineyard near Northstar and Pepper Bridge wineries.

Richard Funk of Saviah Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley entered his young 2020 The Jack Red Wine, an $18 Merlot-heavy blend that was given a double gold medal, best of class and 95 points. Last fall, the 2019 vintage of that $18 bottle earned a Platinum Award.

Bontorin’s Midas touch at Volcanic Hills leads to 4 golds The Gidda family’s Volcanic Hills Estate Winery in West Kelowna, overlooking Okanagan Lake, continues to benefit from working

with acclaimed winemaker Daniel Bontorin, whose résumé includes elevating Le Vieux Pin on the Black Sage Bench to its selection as 2008 British Columbia Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest.

Four gold medals across four classic varieties were awarded to Volcanic Hills, a showing led by a double gold medal — a rare achievement at the Cascadia by a British Columbia producer — for its 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2017 Reserve Chardonnay garnered gold in the oaked Chardonnay group; there was a gold for the 2017 Merlot and their club-only Gidda Family Estate 2021 Pinot Gris also pulled down a gold medal.

On the other side the province, Maan Farms Estate Winery in the Fraser Valley turned raspberries into a pair of gold medals, an effort highlighted by their 2020 Strawberry Raspberry Blend that returned a double gold and went on to earn best-of-class designation. Founded in 1977, the family grows its berries in Abbottsford, two miles north of the border crossing at Sumas, Wash.

Gorgeous whites turn gold for Wyse-owned Wild Goose The 2016 death of Wild Goose Vineyards founder Adolf Kruger, a historic figure in the Brit-

ish Columbia wine industry, prompted an eventual change in ownership at the Okanagan Falls producer known for its world-class white program.

Last summer, the Wyse family of Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, seeking to complement its stellar lineup of buzzworthy red wines from the Black Sage Bench, purchased Wild Goose out of receivership after a doomed purchase back in 2019 by a now-defunct Vancouver developer.

The Kruger family’s touch with a late harvest Gewürztraminer from the 2019 vintage was apparent to Cascadia judges, resulting in a gold medal. And the ownership transition during the 2021 vintage paved the way to a gold medal and 93 points for the Sauvignon Blanc grown last year.

Next door to Wild Goose is Stag’s Hollow Winery, now owned by Eric Lui. His 2021 Tragically Vidal, one of the British Columbia wine industry’s most popular white wines and a delicious legacy from the 1970s and 1980s when the region was dominated by non-vinifera plantings, earned not only a double gold medal but was voted as the Best Hybrid of the 2022 Cascadia.

Done just a touch off-dry, it’s a product of sommelier-turned-winemaker Keira LeFranc, who trained in New Zealand, and Stag Hollow’s two estate vineyards in Okanagan Falls.

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TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

‘You can’t fake’ what 3100 Cellars does in Idaho For a growing number of folks, it was not a surprise to see 3100 Cellars — named for the 3,100 miles of whitewater in the state of Idaho — rise to the top of the Cascadia.

The 2016 Whitewater was spotlighted last fall within The Seattle Times’ special section on wine, and 3100 Cellars was named the Idaho Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest magazine in 2018.

Hailey Minder – rhymes with cinder – launched the brand with the 2014 vintage. She met Marshall four years earlier when he served as her family’s river guide during a float of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. While she was born and raised in Idaho, Hailey only entered the wine industry after exploring a career as a gradeschool teacher.

Thanks to an introduction by Walla Walla winemaker Sean Boyd, she got a job working the 2011 crush at Figgins Family Wine Estates.

After that, she worked at Telaya Wine Co., near Boise, while studying viticulture and enology through Washington State University. In 2016, the Minders spent six weeks at British sparkling wine house Langham Wine Estate.

The Whitewater reflects some of that experience. It’s done in a blanc de blanc style with Chardonnay, aged 30 months on the lees.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Donahue said.

“It has a super (yeasty) characteristic, really nice

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richness — it’s spot-on. It’s got good mousse stability, which shows when the mousse sits on top.

And it was really obvious that it was traditional method. The balance was really nice. One of the biggest challenges with sparkling wine is nailing the dosage – getting your sugar/acid balance just right. And it had all of that. You could tell that it was really well-made and well-thought out.”

The fruit is from historic Bitner Vineyard on the Sunnyslope, but there are estate grapes on the horizon. Her parents bought 10 acres of land in the Eagle Foothills American Viticultural Area, where they established Finca Besada Vineyard with 4 acres of Chardonnay, 1 acre of Syrah and an acre of Malvasia Bianca.

While they recently were given approval to build a production facility on the family estate in Ada County, the Minders still face obstacles to fulfilling their dream of offering a complete wine country experience. At this point, it is unclear if they will be permitted to pour and sell their serious and stellar wines — including the Whitewater — amid their young vines in Eagle.

“You can’t fake what they are doing, and there are a lot of wineries out there that are obviously force-carbonating sparkling wine,” Donahue said. “You’ve got to do the bottle-ferment and you’ve got to lay it down, and it takes two to three years before you start to get the autolytic character, the layers and the great mousse from the yeast breakdown. It’s pretty obvious they didn’t cut any corners.”

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia Best of show / Best sparkling wine / double gold medal 3100 Cellars 2017 Whitewater, Snake River Valley $36.00 Best red wine / best of class / gold medal Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Barbera, Columbia Valley $38.00 Best white wine / best of class / double gold medal Palencia Wine Co. 2021 Albariño, Columbia Valley $22.00 Best sweet wine / best of class / gold medal Smasne Cellars 2006 12 Year Barrel-Aged Port-style, Yakima Valley $60.00 Best rosé / gold medal Wautoma Springs 2021 Rosé, Columbia Valley $18.00 Best Cabernet Sauvignon / double gold medal Telaya Wine Co. 2019 Discovery Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $45.00 Best Merlot / double gold medal Browne Family Vineyards 2019 Estate Merlot, Walla Walla Valley $60.00 Best Pinot Noir / double gold medal Mt. Hood Winery 2019 Estate Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge $38.00 Best Pinot Gris / double gold medal Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2021 Private Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley $15.99 Best of class / double gold medal Indian Creek Winery 2021 Grüner Veltliner, Snake River Valley $22.00 Two Bad Labs Vineyard/Tammany View Winery 2020 Sèmillon, Lewis-Clark Valley $20.00 Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Bona Vita Red Wine, Red Mountain $40.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, Golden Mile Bench $17.99 Maan Farms Estate Winery 2020 Strawberry Raspberry Blend Fruit Wine, Fraser Valley $20.00 Palencia Wine Co. 2019 Mourvèdre, Yakima Valley $26.00 H/H Estates 2019 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Reserve Michael Andrews Red, Horse Heaven Hills $49.00 Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Umpqua Valley $26.00 Saviah Cellars 2020 The Jack Red Wine, Columbia Valley $18.00 Stag’s Hollow Winery 2021 Tragically Vidal, Okanagan Valley $20.00 Brian Carter Cellars 2016 Trentenaire Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50.00 Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer, Lake Chelan $24.00 Best Chardonnay / gold medal Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2021 Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay, Golden Mile Bench $14.99 Best Riesling / gold medal EFESTĒ 2021 Evergreen Riesling, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $24.00 Best Tempranillo / gold medal Coyote Canyon Winery 2019 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Tempranillo, Horse Heaven Hills $33.00 Best Syrah / gold medal Phantom Creek Estates 2019 Kobau Vineyard Syrah, Golden Mile Bench $52.00 Best Cabernet Franc / gold medal Hells Canyon Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Snake River Valley $35.00 Best Malbec / gold medal Tsillan Cellars 2019 Reserve Malbec, Lake Chelan $52.00 Best Petit Verdot / gold medal Cellardoor Winery 2018 Petit Verdot, American $25.00

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 39

TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia Best Carménère / gold medal Martinez & Martinez Winery 2018 Dion Carlo Carménère, Horse Heaven Hills $42.00 Best of class / gold medal 10,000 Hours 2019 Red Blend, Red Mountain $35.00 Novelty Hill 2019 Oxbow Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Gris-Viognier, Okanagan Valley $19.99 Indian Creek Winery 2021 Viognier, Snake River Valley $17.00 Roland Wines 2018 Sangiovese, Rattlesnake Hills $36.00 Double gold medal Airfield Estates Winery 2021 Sangiovese Rosé, Yakima Valley, $18.00 Airfield Estates Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley $17.00 Awen Winecraft 2018 Petite Sirah, Rogue Valley $50.00 Barrister Winery 2018 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley $37.00 Be Human 2019 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $17.00 Benson Vineyards Estate Winery 2021 Viognier, Lake Chelan $24.00 Browne Family Vineyards 2019 Tribute Red Blend, Columbia Valley, $33.99 Cellardoor Winery 2017 Aurora Red Wine, American $32.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Viognier, Okanagan Valley, $21.99 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Old Vine Trebbiano, Golden Mile Bench, $23.99 Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery 2020 Stainless Steel Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $14.00 Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery 2021 Gertchen Vineyard Buhljolais Rosé of Syrah, Snake River Valley $14.00 Indian Creek Winery 2019 Star Garnet, Snake River Valley $17.00 Indian Creek Winery 2020 Reserve Caliche Pinot Noir, Snake River Valley $35.00 Kiona Vineyards 2018 Estate Bottled Malbec, Red Mountain, $40.00 Kiona Vineyards 2020 Estate Bottled Lemberger, Red Mountain, $18.00 Lake Chelan Winery 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $55.00 Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019 Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain $38.00 Lone Point Cellars 2019 Gran Reserva Tempranillo, Columbia Valley $38.00 Longship Cellars 2019 Wise Man Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $40.00 Mercer Estates Winery 2018 Robert Willis Reserve Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $55 Mercer Estates Winery 2021 Small Lot Viognier, Horse Heaven Hills $20.00 Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Grenache, Columbia Valley $38.00 Northwest Cellars 2018 Madrigal, Columbia Valley $28.00 Nota Bene Cellars 2017 Dineen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley $38.00 Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $31.00 Ryan Patrick Vineyards 2019 Red Heaven Vineyard Reserve Syrah, Red Mountain $40.00 Sawtooth Estate Winery 2021 Classic Fly Series Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley $28.00 Sawtooth Estate Winery 2021 Classic Fly Series Viognier, Snake River Valley $24.00 Schooler Nolan Winery 2019 Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $15.00 Sigillo Cellars 2019 Tempranillo, Wahluke Slope $38.00 Smasne Cellars 2019 Don’t Even Ask Red Wine, Columbia Valley $32.00 Smasne Cellars 2016 Legendary Red Wine, Columbia Valley Telaya Wine Co. 2019 Syrah, Snake River Valley $37.00 Vale Wine Co. 2019 Syrah, Snake River Valley $31.00 Vino Vasai Wines 2018 The Potter’s Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountain, $58.00 Volcanic Hills Estate Winery 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley $45.99 Wit Cellars 2019 Syrah, Yakima Valley $45.00

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TASTING RESULTS | Cascadia

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 41

FEATURE l Rain Shower Cellars

Military firefighter creates Rain Shower Cellars on Whidbey Island

By Dan Radil When Department of Defense firefighter Sean Merrill received a promotion in 2008 that took him and his wife, Kim, from Colorado to Whidbey Island, they couldn’t envision starting a winery in the tiny town of Coupeville just five years later.

He had picked up some experience in the wine industry while living in Napa in the early 1990s prior to transitioning into firefighting. But nearly two decades had passed, and Coupeville, with a population of about 2,000 and at least 200 miles from the nearest Eastern Washington vineyard, could hardly be considered a mecca for winemaking.

And yet, it was there that the idea for Rain Shower Cellars took root, driven by a partnership with Oak Harbor natives Craig and Kristy Anderson that started in the Anderson garage.

There’s now a dedicated production facility and the island’s newest tasting room.

Spark begins with work in Napa cellars Born in Cincinnati, Sean enlisted in the Marine Corps, which took him to California, where he met Kim in Monterey in 1995. He was in the early stages of being a firefighter at Fort Ord military base; Kim, originally from San Jose, was working as a paramedic.

A few years earlier, while Sean was living in the city of Napa (“back when Napa was cool,” he said with a smile), he worked at Beaucanon Estate and Monticello Vineyards.

“I was part of the winemaking process at Monticello, and I learned a lot from founder Jay Corley,” he recalls. “It was a great time, and I had a lot of fun, but life took Sean Merrill and his wife, Kim, recently began working with estate plantings of Burmunk me in another and Iskorka, two white varieties native to Russia.

PHOTO COURTESY OF, DAN RADIL. direction.”

After two to Washington state. He now is Whidbey Naval seasons with the California Department of Air Station district fire chief. Kim is a nurse at Forestry and Fire Protection, he knew he had Island Hospital in Anacortes. found his calling. From there, it was on to the Monterey Peninsula, and then to Colorado Rain Shower Cellars takes shape Springs from 2000 to 2008 before transferring

with Anderson family

PHOTO COURTESY OF, DAN RADIL.

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Once the Merrills settled in at their home on north Whidbey, Sean made a work connection with Craig, who is fire captain for the City of Oak Harbor. The two quickly became friends.

“Craig had no experience with wine, but he liked to drink it,” Sean laughs, “and they were also making ciders at home, so that started the discussion about winemaking.”

Kim, along with Craig’s wife Kristy, a nurse practitioner in Coupeville, initially knew little about what their husbands were working on.

“They started talking about the process, and he and Craig would scheme without Kristy and I being there,” Kim said with a grin.

“But we had to have a better plan than, ‘Hey, we want to make wine,’ ” added Sean. “We knew Mark Hulst of Skagit Cellars, who in turn knew Carl Engebreth at Tulip Valley Winery in Mount Vernon. He introduced us to Carl, who said, ‘I’ll let you make some wine here to see if you remember if you know what you’re doing.’

We stayed with them for a year and loved the hands-on work.”

FEATURE l Rain Shower Cellars to the production barn on the Andersons’ property.

Sean went back to school, earning his enology certificate from Washington State University. The two couples purchased their own equipment, converted the Andersons’ garage near Coupeville into their production facility and licensed Rain Shower Cellars in 2013.

“After a few years, we realized, we really dig this, let’s get a bigger place,” said Sean, “and Kristy agreed. She said, ‘I want my garage back,’ ” he laughed.

They built a new facility adjacent to the Andersons’ residence in 2019, referred to as the barn, “and promptly realized it wasn’t a big enough space,” said Kim. Still, the facility allows the Rain Shower partners to produce 800 to 1,000 cases a year, putting them squarely where they want to be, for now, in the boutique winery category. They also finished a cozy tasting room with outdoor seating in July 2021, just off Highway 20 near downtown Coupeville.

The partners don’t care for Madeleine Angevine or Siegerrebe, which thrive in the Puget Sound, so they selected two other cool-climate white varieties — Iskorka and Burmunk. Those grapes, native to Russia, are turned into “friends and family wine,” though the Merrills note that once they have more time to tend to the vines, the winery may do a limited release in a couple of years.

Whidbey Island emerges as destination for wine lovers Today, the quartet of owners have settled comfortably into their “second job” roles, Sean as winemaker, Kim working on “all things social media” and website-related, Kristy as the “ultimate planner” and administrative guru and Craig as cellar-rat and “the best piece of equipment you’ll ever have,” says Sean, only half-jokingly.

Being a small, family-owned winery with a wine club still in the works, and situated in a somewhat rural area, it’s Rain Shower Cellars’s appeal as a destination winery that will help drive customers.

Wine enthusiasts can explore the half-dozen or so other wineries in and around the town of Langley on the south end of the island, including Bloom’s Winery, Holmes Harbor Cellars, Spoiled Dog Winery and Whidbey Island Winery.

Visitors will also find that Coupeville, nestled along the shores of Penn Cove, is a charming town with several gift shops, galleries and restaurants. The Merrills single out the nearby Captain Whidbey Inn for excellent food and cocktails in addition to its accommodations.

For those who never dreamed they’d venture to this part of the Puget Sound in search of delicious wines, a visit to the area and its wineries should be a pleasant surprise.

Rain Shower Cellars 20 NW Birch St., Suite B Coupeville, WA 98239 (360) 747-7545 ours vary, normally open the first and third H Saturdays of each month.

RainShowerCellars.com Dan Radil is a freelance writer based in Bellingham. His site is DanTheWineGuy.com, and he is president of the Bellingham Northwest Wine Competition.

Chelan-area vines yield Rain Shower wines Since its inception, Rain Shower has purchased all of its grapes within a short drive of Chelan. Nearly everything is off Antoine Creek Vineyard, led by grower/winemaker Brock Lindsay. Dry Lake Vineyard provides Merlot and Chardonnay.

“Brock is a fantastic guy who is doing wonderful things over there,” Merrill said. “Our relationship with him is phenomenal, and we never want to leave.”

Rain Shadow is producing all Bordeaux reds for now, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The Cab Franc is also made in a rosé style, and a delicious three-varietal red blend is also available.

This spring, the winery plans to release several new wines, including a 2019 Reserve Malbec, 2018 Cabernet Franc and a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. All are from Antoine Creek, a key source for Lindsay’s winemaking portfolio in Manson at Succession Wines — Wine Press Northwest’s 2018 Washington Winery to Watch.

And just for fun, at least at this point, Rain Shadows planted its own estate grapes next

PHOTO COURTESY OF, ERIC DEGERMAN

Brock Lindsay, owner/winemaker of Succession Wines in Manson, Wash., manages Antoine Creek Vineyard along the Columbia River near Pateros, Wash.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 43

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 Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 45

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Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 47

FEATURE| Match Maker

Thiessen puts his brand on WW with Walla Walla Steak Co.

By Person Name

The Walla Walla Steak Company and Crossbuck Brewing is housed in the historic Walla Walla train depot.

Private events are staged in the refurbished rail car.

By Eric Degerman

W

ALLA WALLA, Wash. — Mount Rushmore-type figures for the Washington wine industry have called Walla Walla home for decades and made some of the Northwest most famous steak-worthy reds.

And yet, there wasn’t anything resembling Walla Walla Steak Co. in downtown Walla Walla until cattle rancher/chef/vineyard owner Dan Thiessen brought his lifelong vision to reality

48 | greatnorthwestwine.com

two blocks from the iconic Marcus Whitman Hotel in 2018.

“Why there hadn’t been a dedicated steakhouse was baffling,” Thiessen says with a chuckle. “That was a home run concept for us — a hometown, blue jean-comfort steakhouse tradition.”

At the other end of the circa 1914 train depot on Second Avenue is Crossbuck Brewing and its stylish sports bar atmosphere.

“The magic of this place is getting here and

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

then deciding if you want to go left to the taproom or right to the Steak Co,” Thiessen says.

“It doesn’t depend upon the menu choices, only what vibe you are looking for.”

Thiessen’s pursuit of fine cuisine took him straight from Asotin, (Wash.) High School — Class of ’90 — to Hyde Park, N.Y., where he graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America two years later. His work ethic originates from the cattle and wheat ranches his forefathers ran in the Lewis-Clark Valley

FEATURE| Match Maker starting in the late 19th century. Those roots and legacy inspired Thiessen to offer an authentic, vertically integrated agricultural experience in Walla Walla.

“When our guests can hear that the Thiessen Ranch Burger comes from Thiessen Ranch, who is the managing partner of the restaurant, there’s a level of authenticity that cannot be challenged,” he says.

“We’re able to show a bottle tableside that comes from Wagon Wrench Vineyard — the vineyard that my wife and I and our boys live on.

And all of our staff knows my wife and our three boys because we try to dine in the restaurant once a week.

They are seeing our boys grow up, and we know their families.”

Dan Thiessen applies his diverse skills and business acumen as the managing partner for The Walla Walla Steak Company.

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

After cooking in Switzerland for three years, Thiessen’s career in the Seattle area included serving as executive chef at the Space Needle, corporate chef of Salty’s Restaurants, a five-year run with a radio program and a teaching stint at the Art Institute of Seattle. The opportunity to become executive director of the Wine Country

Culinary Institute at Walla Walla Community College in 2011 gave him the chance to return Eastern Washington. His wife, Melissa, who grew up in Walla Walla, directed communications and marketing for the college. Much of her time now is spent heading up sales for Thiessen Beef LLC. “It’s really fun for our boys to be raised around the cattle and understand how it all works, and that was one of my dad’s final wishes,” Dan says.

“Now, the boys have their own egg business, and we’ll see how it goes. We have a lot of irons in the fire right now. I drink a lot of coffee, but I’m blessed to have great teams.”

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

Walla Walla native Rock Silva worked in famous restaurants in Seattle and Australia before returning home as executive chef.

Ownership of the restaurants includes Paul Mackay, who retired to Walla Walla after a career that launched and involved a number of the Northwest’s most revered restaurants,

Walla Walla Steak Co. 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese, Walla Walla Valley, $56 — 100 cases, 14.8% alc.

French Canadians weren’t the only wine lovers who put down roots in the Walla Walla Valley during the 19th century. Immigrants from Italy and their descendants also have played critical roles in the formation of the region’s wine industry.

The Locati family has been farming in the region for generations, and their diversification — beyond the famous sweet onions they helped establish in 1904 — included planting Mission Hills Vineyard in 2006.

Not surprisingly, favored varieties included Barbera and Sangiovese. In this case, Sangio makes up 6 of the 8 acres, and they planted the VCR 6 clone, the certified Brunello clone from Montalcino in Tuscany first planted in the U.S. at famed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain in 2002.

One of the recent wines made from this parcel includes the SMAK Wines 2019 Spring Rosé of Sangiovese, a bottle that found its way to No. 1 ranking on The Seattle Times’s Top 20 Northwest wines for Under $20. The rosé program is the brainchild of Fiona Mak, a graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Institute of Enology and Viticulture.

Connections to the college go deeper still. Those grapes were sold to Mak by Dan Thiessen, who spent six years as executive director of the Wine Country Culinary Institute at WWCC. Only recently did Thiessen rebrand the plantings as Wagon Wrench Vineyard within Thiessen Ranch, which the family has owned and operated since 2015.

“When my wife and I bought our farm and vineyard, we bought it from Mike Locati, who had Locati Cellars, and Jason Fox was the winemaker for Locati,” Thiessen said.

“Jason was also a student at the E&V program at the community college when I was executive director of the culinary program.

“Our paths have been intertwined as we’ve run in some of the same circles, and he’s an incredibly talented winemaker,” Thiessen continued. “He’s worked with that fruit for quite a while and enjoys it. And it’s been fun for us.”

Thiessen Ranch is just off Mission Road, about two miles east of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site. And the Thiessens’ choice of the vineyard name is fitting. The family cattle brand, which originated in the early 1800s, came from Germany 140 years ago and depicts a wagon wrench.

While a tiny producer near Portland — Coe Cellars — bottled a 2018 Mission Hills Sangiovese, here Thiessen uses the new name on his own bottling. Other customers for his Sangiovese include Cascade Cliffs in the Columbia Gorge, Fox’s own Lagana Cellars, Sous Sol Winery in Woodinville and Locati. At the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Locati 2012 Estate Barbera won best of class.

“Winemakers have had much success making wine from that vineyard, which has been fun for us to talk about,” Thiessen said.

Now, his approachable 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese can be found on the wine list at Walla Walla Steak Co., alongside some of the region’s most famous bottles.

Walla Walla Steak Co., 416 N. Second Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362, WWSteakCo.com, (509) 526-4100.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 49

FEATURE| Match Maker

Cast Iron Cowboy Ribeye with Marinated Spring Vegetables SERVES 4

Cowboy Ribeye Ingredients 1 24-ounce bone-in ribeye 2 tablespoons rice bran oil Method 1. Allow steak to come to room temperature prior to cooking.

2. Season generously with salt and fresh-cracked pepper.

3. In a preheated cast iron pan, begin cooking steak in a small amount of rice bran oil or any other high temperature oil. NO OLIVE OIL! 4. Continuously flip steak until an internal temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved.

5. Remove steak from pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Marinated Spring Vegetables Ingredients 2 pounds assorted spring vegetables such as green beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and asparagus ¾ cup quality olive oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar 2 ounces chopped Italian parsley and oregano Method 1. Bring a heavily salted pot of water to the boil.

2. Set a large bowl with ice water aside.

3. For the marinade, combine herbs, red wine vinegar, olive oil and garlic.

4. Blanch green vegetables such as asparagus and green beans in boiling water until bright green and tender.

Remove and shock in ice water.

5. For the tomatoes and potatoes, simply toss in olive oil and salt, then roast in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. Tomatoes should slightly pop.

6. Combine prepared vegetables with marinade and store in the refrigerator.

7. To serve vegetables, gently warm and serve over steak.

50 | greatnorthwestwine.com

including El Gaucho, 13 Coins, Metropolitan kitchen of James Beard Award-winning chef Grill, Elliott’s Oyster House and Waterfront Jason Wilson.

Seafood Grill — now AQUA by El Gaucho. In “I was born and raised in Walla Walla, but 2016, Mackay began to purchase historic buildI moved to Seattle four days after high school ings in the Walla Walla Valley, including the graduation to go to culinary school,” Silva former train depot that was home to Jacobi’s said. “Dan ran that program but left the quarter Café for three decades. before I started.”

“I’ve known Paul since 1996 when he Not long after that formal education, Silva opened up the original El Gaucho, but I didn’t worked in Australia for four years, which know he retired here, and he didn’t know I included two years with iconoclast George grew up here,” Thiessen said. “Paul and I had a Calombaris. lot of coffee together and a lot of conversations “I’ve always tried to work for the hottest about what this town was ready for and what I chef that time and learn what worked for them,” wanted to do. He kept bugging me about how Silva says. “George Calombaris was more than much longer I was going to stay at the college.” a celebrity chef — more like a Gordon Ramsay So he resigned in 2017, and they teamed up personality. And he was all over the place.” with Philip Christofides, an architect whose Thiessen and the Walla Walla Valley contindesign clients have included Starbucks and ue to benefit from Silva’s desire to come home Mackay’s operation. Their Walla Walla Steak and raise a family with his wife, Amanda.

Co., came out of the chute in the fall of 2018 and survived the pandemic with some changes “Rock has got an incredible range of abilithat have made it easier on his staff and proved ties,” Thiessen says. “He’s not afraid of looking to be popular with patrons. at a 400-cover Saturday, then turn around and do a killer seven-course meal for 12 people — “Post-COVID, we had no idea what we were and be in his element. That’s not always easy.” going to open up to, so we decided to switch to reservations,” Thiessen said. “It allowed for And the long-range plans for Silva extend a throttle to be applied to the flow of the night. We no longer had that 6:30 p.m. spike in sales that was really rough on the staff and the kitchen. And we learned that we can provide an even higher level of service to our guests if we take reservations.”

Thiessen also decided to serve only dinner and do so just five nights a week, scaling back from lunch and dinner seven days a week.

“We’re open 27 hours a week, and we did nearly as much in sales in ’21 as we did in ’19,” Thiessen said. “If we would have been open in January and February of 2021, we would have beaten 2019’s numbers.”

A key figure in the transition has been executive chef Rock Silva, whose résumé includes the now-closed RN74 — a downtown Seattle concept by acclaimed Bay Area restaurateur Michael Mina, The Cast Iron Cowboy Ribeye with marinated spring vegetables matches well work within the ever-growwith the Walla Walla Steak Co. 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese, ing empire of Ethan RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES made by Jason Fox of Lagana Cellars.

Stowell and time in the

FEATURE| Match Maker

Chocolate Crémeux Tart with Cocoa Nibs and Hazelnuts SERVES 4

Chocolate Tart Dough

The Chocolate Crémeux Tart with cocoa nibs and hazelnuts showcases the versatility of the RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES Yellowhawk sparkling Rosé. beyond Walla Walla as the Walla Walla Steak Co./Crossbuck Brewing concept has expanded to Woodinville’s tony Schoolhouse District. They will have diners who live a stone’s throw from the eateries.

Sandwiched by the District Flats condos are five wineries — Barnard Griffin, L’Ecole N° 41, Landlines, Montinore and Spanish-owned Valdemar Estates.

“I have chef friends who give me a hard time because they have Seattle restaurants, and they’ve downsized to come to Walla Walla to slow down, and here we are, starting in Walla Walla and now launching in Woodinville,” Thiessen says with a chuckle.

His mobile catering operation is called Angus Prime, and given his background, it’s easy to understand why Thiessen approaches a cut of steak that came off his ranch as a winemaker might who’s working with estate grapes and deciding when to harvest, how to ferment, how long to age the wine and how it should be enjoyed.

“When you look at beef — the cut of beef, the grade of beef and the preparation — those three differences can apply multiple factors on the same product,” Thiessen says. “And grass-finished, no-graded beef

is going to taste significantly different that corn-finished USDA Prime. And then how is it aged?”

When it comes to his wine list, there’s also a product raised on Thiessen Ranch — the Walla Walla Steak Co. 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese, which is made by Jason Fox of Lagana Cellars. In a valley famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, some diners may wonder why a bottle of Sangiovese deserves a prominent spot on the wine list at Walla Walla Steak Co. “I think Italians would challenge that and say that Sangiovese is the classic red meat preparation,” Thiessen says with a smile. “I think it depends upon where you are from. In Walla Walla, people are going to say, ‘Cab.’ That’s not to say anyone is right or wrong. My deal has always been about personal choice.”

And Silva built a dish that hits on many aspects of Thiessen’s homegrown wine — the Cast Iron Cowboy Ribeye with Marinated Spring Vegetables.

“I think it’s safe to say you can go red with beef, and with something like a Sangiovese, it always screams Italian, so you can pair it with any sort of red sauce

Ingredients 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup cocoa powder ⅔ cup powdered sugar ¼ cup cocoa nibs 3 tablespoons hazelnuts Pinch of salt ⅔ cup cold butter, cut into cubes 1 large egg Method 1. In a food processor, combine dry ingredients and mix.

2. Add butter and pulse until sandy consistency is formed.

3. Add egg and pulse until combined. Dough should not be fully formed.

4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and form a ball. Flatten the ball and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Roll the disk out and form into desired tart shell mold.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Cover the shell with foil, fill with dried beans to weigh the foil down on top of the shell and blind bake — baking the pie crust before you add the filling — for 20 minutes.

8. Remove the weighted foil and return the shell back to the oven for 10 minutes.

9. Remove shell and cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Crémeux 1 ½ cups milk chocolate 7 tablespoons of cream ¾ cup grams milk 2 egg yolks Method 1. Bring a pot of water to the boil.

2. In a metal mixing bowl whisk in milk, cream and egg yolk.

3. Cook mixture over a double boiler until mixture reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture will be thick and creamy.

4. Remove this crème anglaise from heat and stir in the chocolate to incorporate and develop your chocolate crémeux.

5. Fill the tart shells with crémeux, top with toasted nuts of choice and cocoa nibs.

6. Place in the refrigerator and allow the tarts to set for 1 hour.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 51

FEATURE| Match Maker Yellowhawk Wines nonvintage Rosé Sparkling Wine, Columbia Valley, $38, — 1,400 cases, 11.5% alc.

George-Anne Robertson’s path is that of a renaissance woman, having reinvented herself a time or two after growing up on the prairies of Saskatchewan.

She’s been a mountain biker sponsored by Cannondale and a student of fashion at Parsons — The New School of Design in Greenwich Village, wanting to be the 21st century’s Claire McCardell. She raised two children, piloted the Piper Malibu Mirage once owned by football great Joe Montana and became a fitness instructor after her divorce.

“But I didn’t want to be an old lady personal trainer, so I started studying wine on the side,” Robertson says with a chuckle.

While she couldn’t have imagined becoming the bubbles maven of Walla Walla, here she is — standing on an 84-acre stage that’s about to blow up the valley with sparkling wine on behalf of Yellowhawk Resort and restaurateur Dan Thiessen, who leads the ownership team that purchased the former Basel Cellars property in late 2020.

And five years ago, living in Sun Valley, Robertson re-imagined herself and invested in her future.

“I was researching schools for my son, and I said, ‘You should go to this wine school in Walla Walla. I think you’d really like it.’

“And he said, ‘I think YOU would really like it. That’s your thing, not mine.’ ” So in 2017, Robertson left her friends in Sun Valley and dedicated her energies to the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program. To the delight of then-instructor Tim Donahue, she took a special interest in sparkling wine production. Had it not been for the pandemic, she’d now be making bubbles for Fujisan, the company in Japan that hired her out of college.

“And then Tim called me and told me these guys wanted to do sparkling wine in Walla Walla,” she says. “I told him that I would only do it if he would be my consultant.”

Her sources include Celilo in the Columbia Gorge, Gamache in the White Bluffs, Breezy Slope in the Walla Walla Valley and the vines that surround Yellowhawk, yet the program’s growth for the traditional tirage style of sparkling wine is linked to the continued collaboration with Four Feathers Wine Services in Prosser. Early on, Robertson spent a fair bit of time on the road to the Yakima Valley, and that’s noted on the back label where it reads “Bottled by Yellowhawk, Prosser, WA.” At this point, Yellowhawk has six expressions of sparkling wine with different approaches. At the high end — at the moment — is the 2019 Sparkling Semillon ($48), the only vintage bottling and pulled from Double River Vineyard, the original name for the 1997 planting between the Walla Walla River and Yellowhawk Creek. Robertson’s lineup includes the Bubbles White, Bubbles Red, Bubbles Rosé, Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling Chardonnay.

Her Sparkling Rosé comes topped by the traditional cork and cage, and while it’s made with Malbec — not a Champenoise grape — it’s done using traditional methods and with zero dosage, making for a bright profile of strawberry and boysenberry that’s finished bone-dry.

It’s grown at Gamache, which means Robertson works with viticulturist Lacey Lybeck of Sagemoor Farms.

Earlier this year, Yellowhawk’s entry-level Bubbles Rosé received a gold medal in the forced-carbonation class at the Experience Rosé Wine Competition in Sonoma. And while that wine is available beyond the Walla Walla Valley, sale of the Sparkling Rosé is limited to the Walla Walla Steak Co. and the tasting room at Yellowhawk. Burgers, sliders and shareable plates such as Baked Wagyu Meatballs are now available at Yellowhawk on the scenic patio or in the tasting room.

Yellowhawk Resort and Sparkling House, 2901 Old Milton Highway, Walla Walla, WA 99362, YellowhawkResort.com, 52 greatnorthwestwine.com (509)| 522-0200.

Canadian by birth, cosmopolitan by nature, George-Anne Robertson is the RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES Yellowhawk winemaker. because of the wine’s acidity,” Silva says. “I added tomatoes and oregano to bring in a Mediterranean herb component, and there’s a little bit of red wine vinegar in the vegetables, which brings out the acidity of the wine and cuts through the fat in the beef.”

Thiessen’s business empire also includes Yellowhawk Resort and Sparkling House. The ownership group hired George-Anne Robertson — like Fox, a graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s enology and viticulture program — to be their winemaker.

“At Yellowhawk, everything on the menu will pair with sparkling,” said Silva, who also oversees that kitchen. “For this, I wanted to do a dessert to show how versatile sparkling wine is.”

He crafts Chocolate Crémeux Tart with Cocoa Nibs and Hazelnuts in a way that’s not creamy like a custard, but it’s not a ganache, either. The chocolate showcases the strawberry notes in the wine, while the inherent brightness of Malbec makes the bubbles dance, cleansing the palate for another spoonful of the tart and providing yet another example of why bubbles go with just about anything.

“If the tart is cold, it will bring out a bit of booziness in the wine, but once the tart is warmed up, it’s a slam dunk,” Robertson said. “And with the bubbles, oh, wow! the hazelnuts are enhanced. Good job, Rock!”

Silva and “G.A” — the chef’s nickname for Robertson — also will be centerpieces for the second annual Shindig, a consumer festival at Yellowhawk that spans the final weekend of August. Immediately, it turned into one of the biggest fundraisers for Walla Walla Valley nonprofits. Awareness of Shindig got a big boost through Steak Co.’s ties to the Revelers Club, an innovative loyalty program launched more than decade ago by the Mackay restaurant group. Its membership roll is larger than the population of some Eastern Washington counties.

“It’s a party to celebrate the valley, and it’s going to be massive,” Silva said. “Last year, we had 350 people. This year, Dan wants closer to 500 people.

“Friday is a big reception with a magnum tent this year. And Saturday is the Grand Gala — a big six-course epic meal all paired with wine, and then there’s an auction after,” Walla Walla Steak Company and Silva added. “And all of the Crossbuck Brewing, 416 N. Second Ave., proceeds go to agencies around Walla Walla, WA 99362, the valley. We raised $160,000 WWSteakCo.com, (509) 526-4100. last year in our first year!”

TASTING RESULTS | Pinot Gris

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 53

TASTING RESULTS | Idaho Wine Competition

Melanie Krause of Cinder Wines uses Syrah to win Idaho Wine Competition for third time

By Eric Degerman

C

ALDWELL, Idaho — Melanie Krause was a winemaking star on the rise at Château Ste. Michelle in Washington state when she returned to her native Idaho to make world-class Syrah in the Snake River Valley and launch Cinder Wines in 2008.

And while this week marked the third time Krause has produced the No. 1 wine at the Idaho Wine and Cider Competition, it was the first time judges selected one of her expressions of Syrah as the state’s best wine.

“It’s my favorite wine, so it’s about time,” Krause quipped.

Highpoint Cider in Victor, a community near the Wyoming border and the sunrise shadows of the Tetons, produced the tasting’s top cider — MotherTrucker, a semi-sweet entry.

Krause, raised in Boise by parents with a passion for gardening, continues to showcase the Snake River Valley’s flair with varieties native to the Rhône Valley of France. Last year, the Garden City winemaker earned spots in the sweepstakes with Viognier as the best white wine and used Cinsault to lead the rosé field.

This year, Krause also used Syrah to produce a gold-medal winning rosé that nearly reached the sweepstakes.

In 2017, a Riesling from Cinder was the judging’s No. 1 wine. The first time she won the Gem State judging was 2014 when a 2012 Malbec returned the best-of-show award for Huston Vineyards and Caldwell vintner Gregg Alger — one of Krause’s early clients.

At a production level of 1,000 cases, the Cinder 2020 Syrah from the Snake River Valley ($35) serves as the flagship red for the 10,000case brand Krause owns with her husband, Joe Schnerr. She blends fruit from two of Idaho’s most important sites — Sawtooth and Williamson — and co-ferments with a bit of Viognier in the northern Rhône style.

Acclaimed journalist/educator Deborah Parker Wong, who chronicles the wine world beyond her home in San Francisco, was among the judges who decided that the Syrah by Krause ranked as the competition’s No. 1 wine.

The global wine editor for SOMM Journal and The Tasting Panel magazines also serves as

54 | greatnorthwestwine.com

the national editor for Slow Wine Guide USA. This week afforded her with her first hands-on, extended look at the Idaho wine industry. She’s already expressed an interest in returning.

“This was a pleasant surprise,” Parker Wong said at the end of a tour of the Snake River Valley the day following the competition. “After an initial introduction a number of years ago, and then with really no follow-up other than reading the press, I was really delighted to see the wine quality and the range of style for the different varieties. Overall, I’m really excited about what’s happening here.”

In addition to Parker Wong, the panel also featured Tim Donahue, winemaker/consultant, Horse Thief Wine Solutions, Walla Walla, Wash.; Ilene Dudunake, owner, A New Vintage Wine Shop, Meridian, Idaho; Lane Hoss, vice president of operations/wine buyer, Anthony’s Restaurants, Kirkland, Wash.; Kathryn House McClaskey, director of education, Hayden Beverage Co., Boise; Ellen Landis, journalist/certified sommelier/educator, EllenOnWine.com, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Jeff Ritchey, winemaker/ owner of California-based Winerat Consulting, who now lives in the Snake River Valley.

The tasting of 164 wines and 13 ciders was staged Tuesday, May 24 at Koenig Vineyards in the Sunnyslope Wine District west of Caldwell.

This marked the 13th consecutive year of Great Northwest Wine’s collaboration with the Idaho Wine Commission on orchestrating the Idaho Wine Competition. All but one of those judgings have been conducted in the state of Idaho.

6 golds out of Harless’s Chicago Street facility in Caldwell Tim Harless came close to producing the competition’s best wine for the second straight year when his Vale Wine Company 2021 Chardonnay was selected as the judging’s top white wine. It was no coincidence that another of his wines — the Hat Ranch Winery 2021 Estate Dry Moscato — narrowly lost out to the Vale Chardonnay during the sweepstakes vote for Best White Wine. In 2015, Harless won the Idaho Wine Competition with his 2014 Estate Dry Muscat.

While he operates a tasting room alongside his 6-acre Hat Ranch vineyard on the

Sunnyslope, Harless and assistant winemaker Will Wetmore produce wines for their own brands and several clients at the University of Idaho’s incubator in downtown Caldwell along Chicago Street. Wetmore’s Veer Wine Project 2019 Vincens Red Wine from young Rock Spur Vineyards earned a gold in the Merlot category. Harless heads up the winemaking for Kerry Hill, which earned a gold for its Monarch Tempranillo.

Clyde “C.J.” Northrup, geoscience professor at Boise State University, turned a rosé made with estate Graciano — a lively Spanish red grape — into a gold medal for his young Famici Wine Co. His wines are bottled by Hat Ranch. Northrup is helping to spearhead the petition for the Sunnyslope American Viticultural Area. If successful, it would be the second sub-AVA for the Snake River Valley.

Parma Ridge serves up 2 double golds Chef-turned-winemaker Storm Hodge continues to recover from the stroke he suffered during the 2020 harvest, and the perseverance, talent and teamwork he displays were recognized by judges with three gold medals for Parma Ridge Winery & Bistro, a showing that includes a double gold and best of class for his 2019 Petit Verdot — a red Bordeaux variety that can thrive in Idaho — and a double gold for a 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer that he shares credit with Megan Hartman.

There also was a gold medal for the 2019 Syrah, pulled from the Hodge family’s 9.5 acres of vines that surround the bistro headed up by the former assistant director of Housing and Food Services at the University of Washington. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Parma Ridge, launched in 1997 by Dick Dickstein, a longtime airline pilot who retired from the wine industry in 2013. Hodge and his wife, Stephanie, took over and began its transformation in 2015.

Indian Creek returns 3 gold for McClures Second-generation producer Indian Creek Winery, southwest of Boise in Kuna, continues to prove that winemaker Mike McClure and his wife, Tammy Stowe-McClure, rank among the Northwest’s top talents with Viognier. Last year, their 2020 earned a gold medal. This year,

the Indian Creek 2021 Viognier yielded a bestof-class award.

The Indian Creek Rosé of Syrah was worthy of a gold, as was the 2019 Star Garnet Red Wine. Named for the Gem State’s top gem, it remains among the Northwest’s best and most nicely priced Bordeaux-driven reds. In this case, the $17 red is led by Malbec.

Young, small brands produce big awards In addition to Famici, a number of Idaho’s smallest and youngest brands also earned acclaim.

Dude DeWalt Cellars used Sangiovese from a tiny vineyard along Ballantyne Lane in the Eagle Foothills AVA for the judging’s top rosé.

Rolling Hills Vineyard with estate vines in the Eagle Foothills was twice awarded best of class — led by a double gold for its 2019 Tempranillo and a gold for the Malbec-driven 2018 Mascot Red Blend.

Kindred Vineyards & Winery earned a double gold medal in the Malbec category with its 2020 Papas. Owyhee Vista Vineyard east of Kuna earned a gold for its 2021 Chardonnay.

And almost exactly between Boise and Twin Falls is the recently rebranded Y Knot Winery, which also showcased the star power of Syrah when the Glenns Ferry producer’s bottling from the 2020 vintage was awarded a gold.

5 golds from Lewis-Clark Valley cellars Vintners in the historic city of Lewiston combined for five golds, including two best-of-class awards and a double gold. Clearwater Canyon Cellars, selected by Wine Press Northwest magazine as the 2020 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, used fruit from within Lewis-Clark Valley AVA for its 2019 Coco’s Reserve Selway Red Wine. Boise-born winemaker Coco Umiker also won a gold for her often-decorated Carménère program from Phinny Hill Vineyard in Washington’s famed Horse Heaven Hills.

Lindsay Creek Vineyards near the Lewiston Orchards relied on Washington fruit for its two best-of-class wines — a 2016 Merlot and 2021 Riesling. The McIntosh brothers recruited Florida winemaker Kelsie Dyell, a 2019 graduate of Washington State University’s winemaking program, for the cellar at Lindsay Creek ahead of the 2020 harvest. And the Two Bad Labs 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Walla Walla Valley brought back a gold for winemaker Paul Sullivan.

Old vine Cab stands out along Homedale Road The Roghani Vineyards 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, an expression using some of the state’s oldest vines, received a double gold medal and earned the title as Best Cabernet Sauvignon.

The site planted just below 2,700 feet elevation

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TASTING RESULTS | Idaho Wine Competition — adjacent to manicured Fraser Vineyard and along Homedale Road on the western edge of the Sunnyslope — features gnarled vines more than 40 years old that once were part of the abandoned Polo Cove development.

Last year’s Best Sweet Wine at the Idaho Wine Competition was the Roghani Vineyards 2015 Late Harvest Riesling. The wines are produced at Koenig Vineyards, and the 2018 vintage was the final crush managed by founding winemaker Greg Koenig and Martin Fujishin. Bottles are available in Eagle at Roghani’s Restaurant, which is part of Château des Fleurs gardens and the Camille Beckham skincare headquarters near the Boise River.

(Fujishin also earned a gold medal for the 2019 Petite Sirah under his eponymous brand.)

When it came to Merlot, the 2019 vintage from Huston Vineyards paved the way to a gold medal. Earlier in the week, the Alger family announced that one son — Jacob — has been promoted to production manager at the winery while his brother, Josh, will head up the viticulture. William vonMetzger, who spent more than a decade in the cellar at Walla Walla Vintners, remains involved in the winemaking for Huston and its popular Chicken Dinner brand produced in Walla Walla.

Koenig Vineyards, now led by dairyman-turned-winemaker James Nederend,

The Cinder Wines 2020 Syrah from the Snake River Valley is a blend of fruit from two of Idaho’s most important sites– Sawtooth and Williamson.

wowed Parker Wong’s panel with a 2019 Nebbiolo from nearby Lanae Ridge Vineyard that earned double gold, indicating the unanimous vote for gold among a panel.

Koenig Vineyards also received a gold for its 2021 Dry Riesling from Williamson Vineyard, a stone’s throw away from the Nederend family’s winery.

Lanae Ridge, one of the warmest sites in the region, is owned by retired Micron executive Jay Hawkins. He grew up on a Hagerman Valley farm near Buhl and recently doubled the scale of Nebbiolo at Lanae Ridge from 2 to 4 acres.

Hawkins is also replanting an aging site nearby that had belonged to the Symms family, co-founders of Ste. Chapelle — home to Idaho’s largest winery brand and the state’s oldest tasting room.

“From what I can see, the hospitality is world-class — on par with what I’ve seen in California and anywhere in the world,” Parker Wong said. “I know that seated tastings are relatively new to the region, but I think that will evolve rather quickly, and COVID has sped that along.”

Holesinsky, Williamson families grab 2 golds The skilled transition by the Williamson family toward vineyards at the expense of decades of their orchard fruit showed up in a number of gold-medal winners grown for others as well as two wines made for them with their own fruit at Koenig Vineyards by Nederend and Fujishin. And the Albariño that Fujishin urged the Williamson clan to plant led to a double gold medal for the bottling of the 2021 vintage.

(The Williamson Vineyards 2019 Albariño won best of show here in 2020.) Meanwhile, another Italian red variety — a 2019 Sangiovese — earned a gold for the Williamsons.

“The winemakers are creative in their fruit sourcing, and they know their vineyards well, which is exciting,” Parker Wong said.

The husband/wife winemaking team of chemists James and Caitlin Holesinsky used fruit from within the Hagerman Valley to earn gold medals for a fresh 2021 Stainless Steel Chardonnay and 2021 Rosé of Syrah. The Holesinsky family, named 2022 Idaho Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine, is working on a petition to the federal government, seeking the establishment of the 1,000 Springs AVA. “We’re not interested in fruit that’s not from

Melanie Krause, her husband, Joe Schnerr, and their children, Rowen and Charli, take a moment to relax at the Cinder winemaking studio and tasting room in the Boise suburb of Garden City, Idaho.

PHOTO BY TRACI DEGERMAN / GREAT NORTHWEST WINE PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDER WINES

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TASTING RESULTS | Idaho Wine Competition Idaho,” James Holesinsky says. “About 90 percent of what we produce is from the Hagerman Valley.”

Parker Wong applauded the continued exploration of terroir throughout the state by Idaho’s wine industry.

“It’s absolutely an emerging wine region,” she said. “Idaho has some constraints, but it has fewer problems than, say, Virginia, which has to deal with deer fencing and other factors.

And the lack of humidity here is a huge plus in terms of winegrowers. It means fewer inputs in the vineyard.”

Meriwether, Cedar Draw ciders golden The Idaho Cider Competition was staged alongside the wine competition, and the panel included Parker Wong, who has served as head judge for the California Cider Competition in Mendocino County.

Highpoint’s MotherTrucker showcases the production team of brothers Andrew and Alex Perez, who launched Highpoint in the spring of 2021, and fellow cidermaker Cam Hieronymus.

MotherTrucker is done in a New World style with a ferment of one month or less. Highpoint also earned a gold medal for its semi-dry, ginger-infused Session cider called Spur. They ship to 40 states via Vinoshipper.

Cedar Draw Cider near the Hagerman Valley town of Buhl received best of class and a gold medal for the Wickson Vixen Dry Cider by cidermaker/oncology nurse Emily Mason. She and her husband, John, also ship to 40 states.

Meriwether Cider Co., in Garden City, across the Boise River from downtown Boise, impressed judges with its Rosé Cider, earning a double gold medal and best-of-class award in the semi-dry category. Justin Simms’ work involving this cider involves steeping pomace of Cabernet Franc grapes from the cellar of Par Terre Winery – also in Garden City. The Leadbetter family ships to 39 states, including Missouri. After all, the Leadbetters named their brand as a tribute to a distant relative — Corps of Discovery explorer Meriwether Lewis.

“The reception and the down-to-earth welcoming nature of the vintners, the winemakers and the growers has been really lovely,” Parker Wong said. “I feel as if they are very open to more research and more tasting by experts and more introspection of what they are doing and how things are going. They are very open to feedback, which is great.”

Idaho Wine & Cider Competition Best of show/Best Syrah/double gold medal Cinder Wines 2020 Syrah, Snake River Valley $35.00 Best of show/double gold medal Highpoint Cider Cellar Series No. 001 MotherTrucker – Wild, Hazy, Juicy icy Cider, $3.59 Best white wine/Best Chardonnay/gold medal Vale Wine Co. 2021 Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $23.00 Best rosé/gold medal Dude DeWalt Cellars 2021 Rosé, Eagle Foothills $26.00 Best Cabernet Sauvignon/double gold medal Roghani Vineyards 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley $51.20 Best of class/double gold medal Hat Ranch Winery 2021 Estate Dry Moscato, Snake River Valley $21.00 Kindred Vineyards 2020 Papas Malbec, Snake River Valley $44.00 Lindsay Creek Vineyards 2021 Riesling, Washington State $17.00 Parma Ridge Winery & Bistro 2019 Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley $36.00 Rolling Hills Vineyard 2019 Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $36.00 Koenig Vineyards 2019 Lanae Ridge Vineyard Nebbiolo, Snake River Valley $32.00 Best of class/gold medal Cedar Draw Cider Wickson Vixen Cider, $14.00 Indian Creek Winery 2021 Viognier, Snake River Valley $17.00 Lindsay Creek Vineyards 2016 Merlot, Washington State $26.00 Rolling Hills Vineyard 2018 Mascot Red Blend, Walla Walla Valley/Snake River Valley $36.00 Double gold medal Meriwether Cider Co., Rosé Cider, $18.00 Parma Ridge Winery & Bistro 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer, Snake River Valley $23.00 Williamson Vineyards 2021 Albariño, Snake River Valley $27.60 Gold medal Cinder Wines 2021 Rosé of Syrah, Snake River Valley $25.00 Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2020 Carménère, Washington State $32.00 Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2019 Coco’s Reserve Selway, Lewis-Clark Valley $45.00 Famici Wine Co., 2021 Rosé of Graciano, Snake River Valley $27.00 Fujishin Family Cellars 2019 Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley $29.95 Hat Ranch Winery 2019 Malbec, Snake River Valley $32.00 Highpoint Cider Spur – Ginger Infused Session Cider, $3.49 Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2021 JH Stainless Steel Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $18.00 Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2021 Buhljolais Gertchen Vineyard Rosé of Syrah, Snake River Valley $14.00 Huston Vineyards 2019 Merlot, Snake River Valley $31.00 Indian Creek Winery 2019 Star Garnet Red Wine, Snake River Valley $17.00 Indian Creek Winery 2021 Rosé of Syrah, Snake River Valley $20.00 Kerry Hill Winery 2019 Monarch Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $35.00 Koenig Vineyards 2021 Williamson Vineyard Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley $18.00 Owyhee Vista Vineyard 2021 Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $20.00 Parma Ridge Winery & Bistro 2019 Syrah, Snake River Valley $38.00 Two Bad Labs Vineyard 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State $35.00 Veer Wine Project 2019 Vincens (Merlot), Snake River Valley $30.00 Williamson Vineyards 2019 Sangiovese, Snake River Valley $33.60 Y Knot Winery 2020 Syrah, Snake River Valley $28.00

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 57

TASTING RESULTS | Pinot Gris

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Oregon stands out throughout Pinot Gris tasting

By Eric Degerman

I

It’s no surprise that Oregon stood out in this comparative tasting of Pinot Gris, which not coincidentally showcased a number of the Northwest’s top talents.

And this winter will mark the 50th anniversary of the federal government approving the label for the first Pinot Gris produced in the country — The Eyrie Vineyards 1970 Oregon Pinot Gris by the late David Lett in the Dundee Hills.

“We planted Pinot Gris in 1965, and registered the U.S.’s first label under that variety name for vintage 1970,” Lett’s son, Jason, wrote in an email to Great Northwest Wine that proudly included the official Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) dated Jan. 4, 1973.

Another producer in the Willamette Valley who would also become famous, Dick Ponzi, planted Pinot Gris in 1978 at his historic estate vineyard that flanks the Ponzi Vineyards winery in the Chehalem Mountains. Pinot Gris still inhabits about half of those 12 picturesque acres.

“Both should rightly be considered pioneers of the variety,” Jason Lett points out.

History also views David Adelsheim, another renowned Chehalem Mountains winemaker, as a longtime champion for Pinot Gris, particular-

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ly after tasting that first effort from The Eyrie Vineyards as an early employee.

wasn’t until the 2000 vintage when Pinot Gris plantings overtook Chardonnay.

“In the fall, André Tchelistcheff — the most important winemaker ever in California, at least if you are looking at the perspective of 1973 — was in his consulting mode for Ste. Michelle,” Adelsheim told Great Northwest Wine during a 2013 interview. “He stopped by The Eyrie in 1973 and was very impressed with the Pinot Gris wine. He tasted from one of David’s stainless steel barrels and said, ‘Good Pinot Gris ought to taste like Winesap apples.’

King Estate received acclaim in 2016 as North America’s largest Demeter-certified Biodynamic vineyard. Rather than using herbicides, synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, King Estate spreads more than 1,000 tons of compost across the 460 acres of vines. A whopping 300 acres are dedicated to Pinot Gris, and estate fruit still makes up the largest portion of the King family’s flagship wine — the Willamette Valley Pinot Gris that is the most widely available gold medal wine from this tasting.

“That impressed me,” Adelsheim added.

“Here was this famous person saying he really liked this Pinot Gris, so I needled David to see if I could get some cuttings.”

Despite the early applause from Tchelistcheff, Adelsheim points out that other Oregon producers were slow to embrace this less-famous grape native to Burgundy.

“Ponzi had made a Pinot Gris in ’83, so in 1984, the three of us did a grand tasting at the Heathman Hotel of all the Pinot Gris available in Oregon at the time — all three of them,” Adelsheim recalled.

In large part to its nationwide ambassadorship

by King Estate, Pinot Gris became the No. 1 white variety in Oregon; however, it

In the most recent Oregon Winery and Vineyard Report, there were 5,460 acres of Pinot Gris planted. Chardonnay is a distant second at 2,610 acres. And during the 2019 vintage, vineyard managers on average cropped the two varieties rather similarly with Pinot Gris just a bit heavier at 3.08 tons per acre vs. Chardonnay (2.99), resulting in 15,694 tons of Pinot Gris and 6,780 tons of Chardonnay.

In Washington state, Chardonnay is the focus with 28,100 tons harvested, followed by Riesling (24,680), Sauvignon Blanc (7,700) and then Pinot Gris (7,070).

Interestingly, the top two wines in our tasting were grown within a short drive of each other

TASTING RESULTS | Pinot Gris

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in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. Inspired in part

by King Estate’s success less than an hour’s drive north, New Jersey native Stephen Reustle established two blocks of Pinot Gris across his 200-acre estate north of Roseburg. His first planting was in 2003, which marked the second of his four-year project at his initial vineyard, Romancing Rock. That first half-acre of Pinot Gris is populated by two clones first quarantined at Oregon State University and believed to be from Colmar, France — 152 and early-ripening 146. They are in a block sandwiched by his famed Grüner Veltliner and underrated Riesling plantings that look directly down a south-facing slope toward a bucolic pond.

In 2009, his final year of planting across the Prayer Rock block, he returned with another half-acre of Pinot Gris, this time devoted to 152, which UC-Davis now refers to as clone 04. Both sections of Pinot Gris are between 500 and 600 feet elevation. (Those two clones also have served as the foundation for King Estate’s Domaine program.)

“I have been experimenting — harvest time, yeast, fermentation temperatures — with Pinot Gris since 2005,” Reustle says. “I’ve always sold out, but I was not overwhelmed with the wine. In recent years, I think I hit the sweet spot, and it had more to do with yeast selection.”

Arguably the most remarkable entry was that

by Trella Vineyards, also in the Umpqua Valley.

Stephen and Susan Williams, physicians in Roseburg who own and tend their vineyard, had the confidence to submit one of their first wines — a 2016 Pinot Gris crafted by Terry Brandborg. The fact that it ranked near the top wasn’t a major surprise because the Elkton winemaker continues to build upon the recognition he’s earned from the New York Times with another aromatic Alsatian variety — Gewürztraminer.

“The Williamses do like a tad of sweetness in their gris and believe that is what their customers prefer, so that is the way we chose to finish that wine,” Brandborg said. “With the pH of 3.25 and (titratable acidity) of 7.0, the wine should have aged well, so I’m glad to hear it is still showing so well.”

Brandborg also received a gold for his 2021 Pinot Gris from the Elkton Oregon AVA where his winery and tasting room are.

The variety’s name stems refers to the shape of the cluster – pine cone in French is pinot.

And when the grapes achieve ripeness, the berries take on a bluish gray appearance, which hints at its relation to Pinot Noir. While the juice is white, the amount of contact in the cellar with those slightly tinted skins accounts for the color level in the finished wine.

Now that Americans finally have showed up to the party and embrace the salmon-colored rosés of Provence, it’s allowed those winemakers who are fans of Pinot Gris to use the variety for rosé. Their skill showed in high-scoring entries by two Walla Walla Valley producers — SMAK Wines and Long Shadows Vintners/ Nine Hats Wines with the graceful, bowling pin bottle for its Julia’s Dazzle program.

As for the bottle shapes, the top examples of Pinot Gris from Oregon come in a Burgundy format. Gård Vintners on Washington’s Royal Slope pours its into one of the tallest hock/flute bottles on the West Coast for its Grand Klasse.

The thoughtful and nicely priced SMAK rosés of Pinot Gris take the Bordeaux approach under the gameplan of owner/winemaker Fiona Mak, who developed the concept while working at Artifex in Walla Walla.

“I chose the Bordeaux bottle and everything to match in order to streamline the supply chain and bottling process,” Mak says. “Having been

in charge of bottling in my last job for three years, I have seen numerous problems with supply shortage, and the hassle they put on the bottling technicians with label and bottle changes. I want to eliminate this hassle and put the focus on the wine. It’s also a very standard packaging for rosé.”

Some believe that using Pinot Gris on the label signals “serious wine” vs. Pinot Grigio as a “simple quaffer.” While there are stylistic differences, there can be marketing behind the decision, too.

For example, in 2002, The Hogue Cellars in Washington’s Yakima Valley went from “Pinot Gris” to “Pinot Grigio” on the label in light of Italy’s success with selling in the United States.

Demand for Hogue’s Pinot Grigio took off and production nearly tripled — from 7,700 cases in 2001 to 22,000 cases from the 2004 vintage.

“I switched to the name Pinot Grigio primarily for the marketing impact,” Reustle says, “and just like Hogue, we experienced increased sales and demand. I did not change style, but I’m constantly tweaking it and, of course, vintage has its impact.

“Our style actually is more in keeping with Pinot Grigio, in particular, one you might find in the Alto Adige region with more acidity than its Pinot Gris counterparts,” Reustle added. “And I don’t use any oak — all stainless steel.”

Judges for this tasting were Eric Degerman, CEO/president of Great Northwest Wine; Ken Robertson, Great Northwest Wine columnist, Kennewick, Wash.; and Brad K. Smith, retired viticulture/enology instructor, certified sommelier and marketing consultant at CellarDoorConsultants.com in Grandview, Wash. The tasting was staged May 11 at the Clover Island Inn overlooking the Columbia River in historic downtown Kennewick.

Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 59

TASTING RESULTS | Pinot Gris Platinum Awards. There’s dusty orchard fruit, jicama and starfruit in the nose. Inside, it’s remarkably bright with dried Bartlett pear and calcareous sensations on the entry that leads out with long flavors of Bosc pear and Key lime, a combination that more than deals with the slightest bit of sweetness (0.6% residual sugar). It’s one of the most fascinating wines we’ve evaluated in recent years. Enjoy with pork, poultry and mushroom dishes. (171 cases, 14.1% alc.)

Double gold — 94 points

Flora Jane Cellars 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $22

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Double gold — 95 points

Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Pinot Grigio, Umpqua Valley $26 Of the 48 career Platinums awarded to Southern Oregon’s Stephen Reustle, 19 have been for work with white wines, but not one for Pinot Gris. Perhaps this fall will produce his first. Some of the vines for this program are nearly 20 years old, and they are thriving in this valley north of Roseburg. The beautiful nose is filled with lemon verbena, peach blossom and dusty white peach. There’s a bite of nectarine on the entry and fleshiness to the midpalate of honeydew melon and apricot jam. The appealing finish of slate and lime juice is long and complex. One judge remarked simply, “I’d like more of this, please.” Suggested pairings include roasted pork, salmon, a wedge of cheddar cheese or ahi tuna with avocado and Asian dressing. (158 cases, 12.8% alc.)

Double gold — 94 points

Trella Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris, Umpqua Valley $16

Best Buy! Terry Brandborg in Elkton, Ore., has been quietly behind a number of Southern Oregon’s top wines — including those of Trella Vineyards, selected as the 2020 Oregon Winery to Watch by Great Northwest Wine’s editorial team. Owners/physicians Stephen and Susan Williams grow the 7 acres of grapes that they hire Brandborg to vinify. He turned three wines from the 2016 vintage into Platinums in 2019.

This 2016 Pinot Gris now qualifies for the 2022

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Johnny Brose, the winemaking instructor at Chemeketa College’s Northwest Wine Studies Center in Salem, would be letting down his students if he doesn’t use this Pinot Gris, under his new personal brand, as a lesson plan.

Other winemakers could take notes, too. Brose worked a year in the cellar at King Estate before spending two vintages making wine in Washington’s Yakima Valley, and his work here with several vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley results in a tropical expression of Pinot Gris that’s more typical of Washington than Oregon in its style. Enticing aromas of passionfruit and Juicy Fruit gum transition to flavors of Rainier cherry and white pepper that are framed by a spectacular platform of lime Italian soda. Enjoy with crab cakes, halibut or oysters. (56 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Double gold — 94 points

Mt. Hood Winery 2021 Estate Pinot Gris, Columbia Gorge $26

When the Bickford family built their tasting room, they took out a few of the 80-year-old pear trees on their Century Farm. Perhaps it’s no coincidence the Pinot Gris which Rich Cushman makes for them seems loaded with Hood River Valley orchard fruit — pear, peach, apricot and apple. There also are slices of lychee, cantaloupe and nectarine that head into the layered finish of lime and pear. (364 cases, 13% alc.)

Double gold — 94 points

Pete’s Mountain Winery 2021 Stoneridge Vineyard Ceille’s Block Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $24

One of Oregon’s most heralded winemakers — Laurent Montalieu — has been behind the wines for Mike and Kris Thayer along the Mt. Hood Wine Trail since 2005. For the same period of time, the Thayers have been leasing a portion of neighboring Stoneridge Vineyard from Dr. Leigh Campbell, wife Ceille and their family. (The Campbell family’s customers of Pinot Gris, planted in 1986, also include Alexana.) It’s a classic Oregon-style Pinot Gris, redolent of fresh white peach, apricot, lemon blossom and lime. Secondary notes of carda-

mom, clove and celery add complexity before the close of sweet herbs and lime juice. Serve with a cup of cream of asparagus soup. (500 cases, 13.1% alc.)

Double gold — 94 points

SMAK Wines 2021 Summer Rosé, Columbia Valley $18 Best Buy! No one can question Fiona Mak’s touch and vision for rosé, and the sommelier-turned-winemaker — a product of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program — works with Pinot Gris from venerable Gamache Vineyard in the White Bluffs for her Summer series. It’s a charming expression of the grape, offering tropical and floral aromas alongside rosewater, tangerine and facial powder. There’s immediate deliciousness to the citrusy blend of blood orange, Key Lime and Meyer lemon as starfruit resides in the background of this rosé that brings verve to the finish. “The aromatics made me want to drink it, and I thought it had the prettiest nose of all,” remarked one panelist. (300 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Gold — 92 points

Gård Vintners 2019 Lawrence Estate Grand Klasse Reserve Pinot Gris, Royal Slope $32

Reminiscent of what could be a Northwest expression of an Alsatian “grand vin” — a bit of heresy because the term is reserved for Riesling — the Lawrence family bottles this as a Pinot Gris with some bones. It’s aromatic and rich, bringing hints of orange Creamsicle, nectarine and baking spices. There’s Mandarin orange with a lightly honeyed midpalate that finishes with complexity and brightness, gathering up apricot skin and lemon. Enjoy with cheese or Asian dishes that bring some heat.

(55 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Gold — 92 points

King Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $20

This spring, there were more than a dozen expressions of Pinot Gris — styles, vineyard-designate, block-specific — commercially available at King Estate. And the flagship wine for the King family, heck, arguably for the Oregon wine industry, was rated among the best in this comparative tasting. While the estate accounts for 51% of the bottling by Brent Stone’s team, close to a dozen other sites factored into this. Yet, it’s filled with classic notes of Pinot Gris grown in Oregon, broadcasting hints of Asian pear, starfruit and melon while joined by secondary notes of seashells and freshcut celery. There’s essentially no perceptible sweetness (0.4% residual sugar) as it’s capped by a dusting of baking spice, pear skin and lime juice. Considering the abundance of fresh seafood available, it’s no wonder Florida is a major market for King Estate. (110,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)

TASTING RESULTS | Pinot Gris — relies on Pinot Gris for her “Summer” program, so she submitted her two most recent vintages. Both merited gold. Here, its theme of starfruit and cantaloupe creates an appealing sense of fleshiness on the midpalate that’s whisked away with a racy burst of blood orange, lemon zest and minerality. She pairs this complex expression with fish tacos, Asian fare, shellfish and dishes that bring some heat. (300 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Gold — 91 points

Sidereus Vineyard & Winery 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $25

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Gold — 91 points

Chehalem Wines 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $20 This fall will signal the 30th anniversary of the first release from this brand launched by the Stoller and Peterson-Nedry families, and the 2022 vintage marks Katie Santora’s 10th anniversary making wines at Chehalem. It’s a delicious perspective, featuring dusty starfruit, ripe lemon and honeysuckle with a lick of butterscotch and a pinch of cardamom in the crisp close of Bosc pear. (2,980 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Gold — 92 points

Brandborg Vineyard and Winery 2021 Pinot Gris, Elkton Oregon $19

Best Buy! The namesake behind the 2015 Oregon Winery of the Year crafted two of the top examples of Pinot Gris in our tasting. For this one, Terry Brandborg had a short drive from his downtown Elkton winery to the two vineyards he pulled from on Sept. 15 — Anindor and Elk Valley. The nose of Meyer lemon, caramel corn and facial powder transitions to succulent flavors of fresh-cut lime, white peach and nectarine. Lingering notes of lemon pie add to the enjoyment. The Brandborgs pair it with seafood, shellfish and soft cheeses that are pungent. “This seemed to be perhaps the least manipulated wine of the day,” remarked one judge. (907 cases, 13.1% alc.)

Gold — 92 points

Chemistry Wine 2020 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $16.99

Best Buy! The Stoller Wine Group describes this young brand as a collaborative effort among the winemakers at Chehalem Winery and Stoller Family Estate, and there’s definitely synergy at play. Bill Stoller’s myriad plantings

of Pinot Gris include Corral Creek and four clones at Chehalem Estate Vineyard, so there are options available to Melissa Burr, Kate Payne Brown and Katie Santora. Their effort creates a nose of crème brûlée, Bosc pear and lime. Perhaps the hallmark of this example is the remarkable fleshy mouthfeel hinting at a blend of cantaloupe and casaba melon, followed by a bite of Royal Ann cherry and the finishing pulse of Key lime juice. (2,838 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Gold — 91 points

The plantings of the late Jim Witte live on in this bottling from A Blooming Hill Vineyard fruit by longtime Willamette Valley winemaker Jason Bull. Ruth and Skip Tarr recently took over the 20-year-old site just south of Cornelius, Ore., and have relaunched the brand as Sidereus - Latin for stellar. Their site in the Chehalem Mountains made up most of this bottling. It’s a fun and balanced Pinot Gris that opens with aromas of jackfruit, rosewater, facial powder and cotton seed. Those lead into flavors of lemon curd and honeydew melon as the barely perceptible drop of residual sugar (0.6%) is handled by a finishing squirt of lime juice. (237 cases, 13.3% alc.)

Julia’s Dazzle 2021 Rosé, Columbia Valley, $18

Best Buy! During the past decade, winemaker Gilles Nicault has methodically nudged up the production while also gradually making it more snappy. For example, the 2013 vintage of Julia’s Dazzle carried nearly 9 grams of residual sugar. This latest release has no perceptible sweetness at a scant 3 grams (0.3%).

As a result, it might be the best resemblance to those rosés from Provence that inspired Long Shadows Vintners founder Allen Shoup to launch this work with Pinot Gris. The generous nose hints at a fun mix of POG juice and tutti frutti. Inside, it’s seriously food-friendly yet still fruity. A bite of white peach and a spoon of cantaloupe provide a remarkable sense of body and complexity. A sense of seashells, a lick of peach pit and a nibble of nectarine skin ride out with a slice of quince. Suggested pairings include holiday turkey, salmon, a summer salad of arugula, beets and herbed ricotta or barbecue ribs. (6,318 cases, 13.4% alc.)

Gold — 91 points

SMAK Wines 2020 Summer Rosé, Columbia Valley $18

Best Buy! Fiona Mak’s rosé house — inspired in part by her trips to the French Riviera

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