Southern
65
Comfort
reviews
Chill out with warm-climate wines from southern Oregon page 38
300-mile Wine Diet? PAGE 4
Bikes & Beers in Bend, Oregon PAGE 26
Locally Raised Lamb PAGE 31
Pick of the Palate: Soter Vineyards Pinot Noir PAGE 8 september / october 2011
$4.95 U.S. $4.95 Canada 0 9>
7
25274 80124
4
New Restaurants: Vancouver, Portland, Seattle PAGE 10
with Executive Chef Gavin Stephenson of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, and Bergevin Lane Vineyards onboard Oceania Cruises’ beautiful new Marina. Legends & Wonders Rome to Venice 10 Nights Itinerary Day Apr 12
Port Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Apr 13
Cannes, France
Apr 14
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Apr 15
Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno), Italy
Apr 16
Olbia/Porto Cervo (Sardinia), Italy
Apr 17
Amalfi/Positano, Italy
Apr 18
Taormina (Sicily), Italy
Apr 19
Corfu, Greece
Apr 20
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Apr 21
Venice, Italy (Overnight)
Apr 22
Venice, Italy
Join us!
Sail 10 days (April 12 -22, 2012) from Rome to Venice, and cook with Chef Gavin in the new exclusive Bon Appétit culinary center. Enjoy two private wine tastings by Bergevin Lane in La Reserve, Wine Spectator’s industry-first onboard wine-tasting center. The Marina is the most sophisticated, elegant ship with a country club casual ambiance to debut in the past 50 years.
This exclusive package includes:
Airfare from 21 major gateway cities, all transfers, one pre-night hotel stay in Rome with breakfast, 10-night cruise, gratuities, all taxes/fees and a $100 shipboard credit per cabin.
How to Book
: Call now (425-402-0373) to make your reservation as space is limited, or go to chefscruise2012.com. Price: $4929 per person, all-inclusive* deluxe verandah stateroom.
Formerly Doug Fox Travel & Cruise
WA SOT #601824183 *ALL-Inclusive of economy air from 21 major gateways, pre-night hotel in Rome including breakfast, transfers, pre-paid gratuities, gov’t taxes and fees. Also includes one culinary class with Chef Gavin, two wine tasting sessions with Annette Bergevin and Amber Lane from Bergevin Lane Vineyards and a spectacular winemakers dinner.
10 Volume 25, Number 4 | September/October 2011 | www.northwestpalate.com
38
feat u r e s
24 Blazing Bend’s Ale Trail
31
Seeing the sights and downing some pints while biking around Central Oregon’s beer town.
offerings available at Edible shop, and now also a restaurant, at Vancouver’s Granville Island
Living on the Lamb
Public Market—plus, restaurant
Lamb chops from Australia or Colorado are no longer the only option as sheep ranching in the Northwest has risen to meet local demand. Get to know a few of the area’s lamb suppliers, and even meet some at the lamb fests taking place around the region this fall—and for the truly hardcore foodie, get schooled about lamb butchery. By James Patrick Kelly & Kathleen Bauer
38 Southern Renaissance
Experience is paying off as southern Oregon, the state’s longest-growing and largest warm-climate wine region, comes into its own, thanks to new vineyards and wineries, as well as a renewed spirit of innovation that’s giving rise to top-quality wines. By Cole Danehower
reports from around Portland and Seattle.
dat e book 14 From barbecues and harvest festivals to grape stomps, winery tours, and fundraising gala dinners and auctions, the late summer culinary calendar is ripe with regional food and
depart me n ts
drink events.
Pick of the Palate 8
54
Get a taste of the expanded Canada, the larger-than-ever
By Peter Szymczak
31
r ece n t ope n ings 10
The 2009 Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Ranch, from Soter Vineyards impresses with its “great balance of acidity and gentle tannins that allows the fruit to shine.” by Cole Danehower
16 British Columbia 20 Washington 22 Oregon
Tasting Notes 44 Wine reviews and food pairing recommendations. Compiled by Cole Danehower
Northwest Passage 54 Crabbing and fishing in British Columbia with chef Jamie Kennedy. By Peter Szymczak
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On the cover: Relaxing on the deck at the Rogue Valley Wine Center, at EdenVale Winery in Medford. Photo by andrea johnson
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
3
starters
The 300-mile Wine Diet
A unique winery/art gallery showcasing the exceptional talents of owner James Frey. Trisaetum is a must see. -Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast
One of the “hottest ‘in’ wines of the area” difficult to find outside the state’s borders. -Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator
From its caves to its wine-inspired art gallery, Trisaetum elevates the grape. -Sara Schneider, Sunset Magazine
Tasting Room & Art Gallery Please visit us, Wednesday through monday, 11am - 4pm
18401 Ribbon ridge RD newberg, oregon
(503) 538-9898 trisaetum.com
4
N
hoto by cameron nagel
trisaetum
orthwesterners are rightfully proud of our regional culinary bounty. We like knowing the name of the farm where our favorite chef gets his or her heirloom tomatoes. We’re not afraid to ask the source of the lamb on a restaurant’s menu—and to choose something else if the lamb came from New Zealand (see this issue’s story on Northwest lamb starting on page 31). We’re proud to know that the lentils used in our soup were grown in Washington. And who among us ever consciously buys Atlantic salmon, even (or especially) if it was farmed locally?
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
Why then do we so meekly accept Northwest restaurant wine lists that provide only a nodding selection of local wines? At too many fine dining restaurants in Washington and Oregon you’ll see far more imported wines (including those from over the California border) than Northwest wines. There’s the famous Portland mitteleuropa restaurant that “celebrates the bounty of the Pacific Northwest” but carries exactly two Northwest wines on its bottle list. Or the Seattle restaurateur whose quartet of restaurants sport a combined total of 367 wine choices, of which 53 are Northwest (42 from just one location). Or the nationally known Rose City boutique eatery whose prix fixe menu, to my knowledge, never features local wines. One excuse is that a particular cuisine requires the wines of its region for authenticity: Italian wines for Italian cooking, French for French, and so forth. But chefs at such restaurants rely on local products all the time. They don’t import all their cooking ingredients from the home country, so why do they import all their wines? With more than 1,200 wineries in our region, there are plenty of choices for local wines made from “home country” grape varieties. As our story on southern Oregon wines on page 38 points out, such Old World varieties as Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Lagrein, Vermentino, and many others are now being ably made in our own Northwest backyard. Another defense is that of cost: local wines are too expensive, bargains come from far away. Really? It is simply not credible to claim that there are no good Northwest wines in the $20-and-under range. Need some suggestions? Call me. And in the green-enthused Northwest, doesn’t drinking a wine imported from the Yakima Valley earn better eco-karma than one from the Yarra Valley? We’re proud to sport our 100-mile dining diet, so why not boast of a 300-mile wine drinking diet? British Columbia chefs and restaurateurs have the right idea: nearly any restaurant worth its chops proudly features a strong selection of BC-made wines. The province’s wine output is roughly comparable to Oregon’s, yet nearly all of its production gets consumed within B.C. In Oregon, however, less than a third of the state’s wine production is consumed in the state. I’m not suggesting that restaurants only offer Northwest wines, or that there aren’t plenty of great restaurants with strong local lists. But I do believe that the bulk of our fine dining establishments could be doing a far better job of presenting our world-class wines to consumers. Northwesterners are wholehearted in our love of local food ingredients. Shouldn’t we be equally ardent in our desire for local wines?
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W I N E
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F O O D
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T R A D I T I O N
AWARD WINNING FOOD & WINE WEEKEND… JOIN US!
WEEKEN D hI GhlI Gh TS • Host Emcee – “Thirsty Girl”, Leslie Sbrocco • Special Guest – Carla Hall from “Top Chef” • mpulse Magnum Party – hosted by Kathy Casey from “Liquid Kitchen” • 65 Washington Wineries, 20+ Napa Wineries, 20+ Italian Wineries magazine
N O V E M B E R 11 T h & 12 T h , 2 011
t i c k e t s av a i l a b l e a t w w w . t a s t e o f t u l a l i p . c o m
360.716.1239 | www.TulalipResort.com | Room Reservations 866.716.7162 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd. | Tulalip, WA 98271 | I-5 Exit 200, 30 Minutes North of Seattle www.northwestpalate.com
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
5
A FULL-DAY HARVEST TOUR IN OREGON’S WILLAMETTE VALLEY
N O R T H W IL LAMETTE HARVEST T R A IL
GUIDED BUS TOUR Wine tastings and harvest activities at three wineries
HARVEST EXPERIENCES Explore a vineyard, crush pad and winery Promoted in partnership with
A GRAND TASTING Appetizers and tastings from dozens of wineries
A d v e r t i s i ng National & Regional Fatima Young: 206-954-0157 • fatima@nwpalate.com
Oregon Reagan Nauheim: 503-805-6405 • reagan@nwpalate.com
publisher
Cole Danehower
editor
Peter Szymczak
founder
Cameron Nagel
British Columbia & Washington Brannan Willson: 503-683-1525 • brannan@nwpalate.com
Art Director
Vanessa Duff
C o n t r i b u t I N G WRITERS Kathleen Bauer, James Patrick Kelly, Judith Lane, Shelora Sheldan C o n t r i b u t i ng P h o t o g r a p h e r s André Bartels, Kathleen Bauer, Jared Cruce, Cole Danehower, Dana Hopper-Kelly, Andrea Johnson, Judith Lane, Geoffrey Smith, Cameron Nagel, Paulette Phlipot, David Lanthan Reamer, Byron Roe, Peter Szymczak, Erin Thomas, John Valls, Don Weixl
T a s t i ng P a n e l i s t s Anita Boomer, Cole Danehower, Harry Hertscheg, Peter Szymczak i n t e r n Max Crowell Northwest Palate magazine (ISSN 0892-8363) is published bimonthly by Pacifica Publishing, Inc., 1321 SW Maplecrest Dr., Portland, OR 97219 and is available by mail subscription at the rate of $25 for one year, $50 for two years. • The Canadian subscription rate is $35cdn per year. The European air-mail subscription rate is $57usd per year. Send payment to: Northwest Palate, P.O. Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296-0860 Phone: 503-224-6039 or 1-800-398-7842. • Website: nwpalate.com • Subscriber Services: info@nwpalate.com • Letters to the Editor: editorial@nwpalate.com. • For advertising information and rate cards, phone: 1-800-398-7842. • Retail sales program available. • Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to Northwest Palate Magazine, P.O. Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296-0860. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40035723. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO EXPRESS MESSENGER INTERNATIONAL P.O. BOX 25058 LONDON BRC, ONTARIO, CANADA N6C 6A8 • © 2011 Pacifica Publishing, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner, including photocopying, without written permission.
6
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
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contributors 1.
2.
1. Native Oregonian and frequent contributor Kathleen Bauer gets to the meat of
lamb butchery (see “Nervous? No. Breakdown? Yes.� on page 36). A frequent contributor to Northwest Palate, she also writes for The Oregonian, MIX, and online at her blog, www.goodstuffnw.com.
2. James Patrick Kelly profiles Pacific Northwest ranchers who are raising lamb on greener pastures—see “Living on the Lamb� on page 31. A frequent contributor to Northwest Palate, Kelly is also the author of Moon Idaho, a recently published travel guide, and he teaches journal-
3.
ism at Boise State University. Check out his travel blog at GemStateJunket.blogspot.com.
3. Vancouver-based writer Judith Lane knows her way around Canadian food, wine, and travel. She has judged wine competitions including the B.C. Wine Awards, Cornucopia Top 25, and the Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards, as well as regional food and cocktail competitions. In this issue, she takes us around Edible Canada, the recently opened provisions store and restaurant at Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market—see page 10.
4.
5.
4. John Valls earned
his MFA in photography at SUNY New Paltz, located in the center of New York’s agricultural heartland. He photographed the Trailing of the Sheep festival for the story, “Living on the Lamb� on page 31. The Portland-based photographer actively documents the regional culinary scene for Northwest Palate, MIX, and Edible Portland.
5. David Lanthan Reamer took photos at Olympic Provisions during a lamb butchery class—see page 36. The Portland-based photographer was a professional cook at some of the city’s top restau-
6.
rants for more than a decade, but now he solely focuses on food and drink photography. His work has appeared in Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure, Details, GQ, and Portland Monthly. See his portfolio online at www.dlreamer.com.
6. Award-winning freelance photographer Andrea Johnson specializes in
the imagery of food, wine, travel, and adventure sports. In this issue, she contributed many of the photos in the story “Southern Oregon Renaissance� starting on page 38. Her work appears regularly in Northwest Palate and other publications such as National
7.
Geographic, Wine Spectator, Sunset, and VIA.
7. Born and raised in the true south, Erin Thomas
graduated with a BFA from the University of Florida. She photographed tasting rooms for the story “North meets South� on page 42. The Portland-based photographer and teacher focuses on culinary and lifestyle photography. Her work has appeared in Northwest Palate and Oregon Bride magazine. See her portfolio at www. erinthomasphotography.com.
Kg em[` egj]&&&
oc\i epno bm`\o rdi`) There is more than one hill in the Dundee Hills and we think you’ll agree that the grass is a little greener on our side. We oer worldclass wines and genuine hospitality in a stunning setting. Come for a relaxing day or escape to one of our guest houses for the weekend. Open daily from 11am-5pm !
16161 NE McDougall Road Dayton, Oregon 97114 503.864.3404 !
www.stollervineyards.com Mention this ad for a complimentary tasting.
Stoller_half page NWP Final.indd 2
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10/4/10 4:07:50 PM
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
7
pickofthe palate Every now and then a wine speaks to you, sometimes softly, sometimes seductively, sometimes boisterously. When a wine has something to say that resonates with you, it becomes a compelling experience. And so it is for me with the Soter Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Ranch.
Winegrower Tony Soter, on his Mineral Springs Ranch near Carlton, Oregon. Photo by Andrea Johnson
In the glass, complex aromatics bring sweet scents of rose blossoms and ripe red fruits to the front, with swirls of damp forested earth, brown spices, and a touch of leather adding an appealing savory note. Expansive on the palate, similar flavors of fruitsweet black cherry and raspberry emerge clearly from undertones of warm earth, herbs, and echoes of cola and cocoa dust. For me, this wine has great balance of acidity and gentle tannins that allows the fruit to shine. While the texture is velvety, it is by no means soft, and does have clear dimension on the palate. As the wine is swallowed there is a wonderfully aromatic backdraft of rose and cherry blossoms
that fills the sinuses with fragrance, and the finish lasts wonderfully. An opened bottle was, if anything, more layered after 48 hours. Before Oregon native Tony Soter came to the Willamette Valley from Napa Valley to make Pinot Noir and sparkling wine, he had built a high-profile reputation for his Etude brand, as well as the wines he made for such cult labels as Spottswoode, Viader, Dalla Valle, and NiebaumCoppola. Today his Soter Vineyards has become one of the most prestigious—and sustainability-focused— estate wineries in the Northwest. Mineral Springs Ranch is a 240acre estate on a southwest-sloping hillside of sedimentary soils between
courtesy soter vineyards
Soter Vineyards OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Ranch, Willamette Valley (1,700 cases made.) $50
8
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
380 and 440 feet of elevation overlooking the Yamhill-Carlton AVA east of Carlton, Oregon. The first 15 acres of vineyard were planted with Pinot Noir in 2002 and 2003, followed by an additional 15 acres of Pinot vines (including two acres of Chardonnay for the Soter sparkling wine program) in 2006. The first Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir was released in 2005. Though still a young site, Tony and his veteran Oregon winemaker James Cahill are already seeing signature qualities in the wine, such as notably clear blackberry and black cherry fruit, rose and freesia aromas, plus notes of forest floor. The 2009 vintage delivered excellent hang time, with a late September heat spike producing lots of fully ripe fruit. The Pinot Noirs tend to be succulent, rich with fruitiness, sometimes slightly higher in alcohol (14.0% percent, in the case of Mineral Springs), but overall with excellent balance. While the wines themselves are still quite young, you couldn’t do much better that the Soter ’09 Mineral Springs Ranch release to get a sense of the best of the vintage. And that’s really saying something. —Cole Danehower
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1,033 Certiied Organic Acres Family Owned & Independent Learn More: www.kingestate.com King Estate uses estate grown organic grapes and sustainably farmed grapes from our extended family of growers.
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est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
9
recent openings a
Post-Olympics Vancouver continues apace with a spate of new restaurant openings and world-class chefs on the move…
nco uve
r
V
Vancouver, BC
Edible Canada
ia
sh colu
i
ti
1556 Johnston St., Granville Island
mb
bri
at the Market
photo by Judith lane
Hawksworth
“We wanted to bring together the Canadian culinary community… My goal is to bring more understanding and presence to Canadian cuisine.” —Eric Pateman
A
nyone who has visited the public market at Granville Island has likely visited Edible BC, founded by forward-thinking Vancouver native Eric Pateman six years ago when the words “local,” “organic,” and “seasonal” were just a whisper. The wee shop was filled floor-to-ceiling with artisanal culinary goods from across British Columbia, like Mission Hill’s Oculus red wine-soaked cherries from the Okanagan, Moose Meadows Farm’s Boreal Amber Birch Syrup from the central part of the province’s Cariboo District, Vancouver chocolatier Thomas Haas’s famous Sparkle cookies, and many, many more. But Edible BC in the Market is no more. Happily, it hasn’t gone far, and it’s bigger than ever. Just steps away from the
prior location, Pateman has expanded his wares into a spanking new 4,000-squarefoot space and rebranded as Edible Canada at the Market, reflecting the new shop’s expansion into products from across Canada. “We wanted to bring together the Canadian culinary community and also provide an opportunity to launch a second location in Toronto in the future (as well as other possible ventures in Asia and abroad),” says Pateman. “My goal is to bring more understanding and presence to Canadian cuisine.” The store has about 50 feet more linear shelf space than the old space, and now there are products from across Canada—like SOMA Chocolate from Toronto, Minus 8 Vinegar from Niagara, and Pateman
hopes to add goods from the Maritime provinces and Quebec. He’s also treaded into restaurant territory with the shop’s adjoining, bright and airy Edible Canada Bistro. It seats 86 inside and that many more (and then some) on the outdoor patio where the views of bustling Granville Island are unbeatable. “The new bistro allows us to showcase the best of Granville Island, seasonal ingredients, passionate vendors, and most importantly how to utilize all of the unique ingredients available both at Edible and other vendors,” says Pateman. There’s also a glassedwalled demonstration kitchen, the site of the ongoing series of Market Dinners featuring guest chefs like Vikram Vij and Quang Dang preparing multi-course
The store (604-682-6675) is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hours for the bistro (604-682-6681) are Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.ediblecanada.com
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
6 Filling Hawksworth’s shoes at West (604-738-8938, www.westrestaurant.com) is incoming executive chef Quang Dang, who moves over from Diva in the Metropolitan Hotel. Dang’s replacement at Diva at the Met (604-602-
7788, www.metropolitan. com/diva/) is chef Hamid Salimian, one of the city’s foremost practitioners of molecular gastronomy. He made a name for himself representing Canada at the World Culinary Olympics and the Bocuse d’Or. “I will always be competitive. I will always be creative,” he says. “Now, I want to showcase the best products from BC producers.” 6 BC continues to rise in the beer rankings. Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn, partners at Salt Tasting Room and Judas Goat, are planning to open their third Gastown joint—Bitter (no website/ phone yet). “It’s an extension of Salt, really,” says Heather, “only it’s a beer format instead of wine.”
Welcome to the new dawn for the don of refined cuisine. Chef David Hawksworth, who rose to prominence as executive chef at Vancouver’s West Restaurant from 2000 to 2007, has been wowing crowds since opening his eponymous restaurant, Hawksworth (604-673-7000, www.
hawksworthrestaurant.com), at the opulently revamped Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The hotel’s sure-to-be-swanky underground speakeasy jazz and cocktail lounge, Prohibition, is scheduled to open this winter.
6 There are a few tears in our beers over the recent closing of Boneta (604-684-1844, www.boneta. ca), which ended service this summer—but there’s more joy than sorrow. Owners Mark Brand, chef Jeremie Bastien, and ringmaster Neil Ingram are moving to new digs right around the corner in the redeveloped Garage building. The 2.0 version of Boneta is set for a September release. 6 Another Mark Brand project is his restoration of Save-On-Meats (604-569-3568, www. saveonmeats.ca), a butchery in Gastown that dates to the 1950s. The meat shop carries on, plus a new take-out sandwich window and diner serving comfort food classics such as a daily pot pie, all-day breakfasts, and soda fountain treats.
Continued on page 13
www.northwestpalate.com
Where the South
Meets the North
We invite you to taste wines from Southern Oregon in the heart of the Willamette Valley
203 Villa Rd. Newberg, OR 97302 On the corner of 99W and Villa P: 503-538-1146 Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 11am - 6pm www.spanglervineyards.com “Big bold reds from Southern Oregon”
250 N Kutch St. Carlton, OR 97111 P: 503-852-3084 Hours: Friday-Monday 11am - 5pm Open daily 11am - 6pm in the Summer www.troonvineyard.com “Troon Vineyard is dedicated to the pursuit of “Good Times & Fine Wines.”
47
Cliff Creek Cellars Troon Vineyard
Folin Cellars Main Street
12 Miles to I-5 10 Miles to Carlton 47
240
240
Spangler Vineyards
Villa Rd.
118 West Main St. Carlton, OR 97111 P: 503-852-0184 Hours: Thursday-Sunday 12pm-5pm Saturday open until 6pm www.folincellars.com 100% Estate Grown Southern Oregon Wines
Kutch St.
258 N. Kutch St. Carlton, OR 97111 P: 503-852-0089 Hours: Thursday-Monday 12pm-5pm Friday open until 7pm www.cliffcreek.com “Every bottle tells a story...be part of the story”
To Portland 99W
99W
To 219
47
endricks Rd .
Carlton To McMinnville
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N E A b b e y R d.
H NE
99W
Newberg
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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recent openings
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hoto courtesy edible canada
Edible Canada Bistro
hoto by Judith lane
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Continued from page 10
Advertising space donated by NW Palate Magazine. Creative services donated by Leopold Ketel & Partners.
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
menus paired with wines and occasionally whisky. Whether you opt to stay and eat, or grab something to go from the take-out window, tasty choices abound. Let the fragrant cinnamon buns draw you in for breakfast or brunch. Choose from lemon ricotta stuffed waffles, duck confit hash, or a farmer’s salad made with the freshest ingredients the Granville Island Public Market has to offer. For lunch, try the seasonal seafood soup, Fanny Bay oyster sandwich, or fish and chips with duck fat roasted potatoes. The dinner menu also entices, with Pemberton Meadows steak frites and Peace Country braised lamb pasta, among other seasonal offerings. The wine list is mostly BC labels with a handful from other regions of Canada, plus three Naramata-based Nichol Vineyard’s wines on tap. Today, as evidenced by the bounty of products featured at the expanded marketplace of Edible Canada, that whisper has turned into a chorus of culinary voices across the land paying tribute to “local,” “organic,” and “seasonal” products. —Judith Lane www.northwestpalate.com
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recent openings
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Thierry 6 From the minds behind La Quercia —named “Restaurant of the Year” and “Best Casual Italian” in 2011 by Vancouver magazine—comes La Ghianda (604-566-
9559, www.laghianda. ca), offering more of the same wholesome ingredients and from-scratch cooking, but for lunch and to go from the deli case. 6 Continuing the trend of budget-minded, topquality ingredientdriven fare is Campagnolo Roma (604-569-0456,
www.campagnoloroma. com). Chef Robert
Chocolate and pastry master Thierry Busset has opened his eponymous confectionery, Thierry (604-608-
6870, www.thierry chocolates.com) on Alberni Street. From handcrafted chocolates and Parisian macarons, to the ooh-la-la liquid chocolate and seasonal menu of lunch and brunch bites— “Everything will be made on the premises and we will work in the style of the atelier, with our work space open to the retail area,” says Busset.
Belcham and wine guru Tom Doughty, the guys behind ReFuel and Campagnolo, have opened a new spot further east along Hastings Street. The cuisine of Rome is the focus, and appropriately so, since the 35-seat osteria is situated in an historic Italian neighborhood that’s becoming home to a new generation of paesanos. 6 Meanwhile over at Refuel (604-288-7905, www.refuelrestaurant.com), recently promoted chef Jane Cornborough is making her mark on the carnivore (no dilemma)-centric menu. She’s freshening and lightening up the menu with dishes like warm octopus and chicory salad and ricotta gnudi with herbs, green apple, and radish… Not to worry, diners can still tank up on the signature slow-cooked pork, crispy pork cheek terrine, and the Flintstonian bone of roasted marrow. 6 The winner this summer of Top Chef–Canada, chef Dale Mackay, recently opened ensemble (604-569-1770, www.ensemblerestaurant.com) just off Robson Street. The menu sports a few of the dishes he cooked on the show—black cod with Thai broth, and Dungeness crab with spiced melon soup. A protégé of Gordon Ramsey and Daniel Boulud, Mackay was previously the chef at Lumiére before it closed earlier in the year.
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Mercer Wine Estates Come visit our tasting room & winery September through November to witness wine in the making & our production facility in full harvest mode! Taste. Tour. Learn. tasting room open wed-sun 10am-5pm 3100 lee road, prosser wa 99350 | mercerwine.com
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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|
recent openings
Portland, OR
H and P ic ked
S
Spin-offs of successful establishments are the latest craze, both in Portland and Seattle, plus a few fresh faces join the blooming Rose City dining scene.
1908 our family has been
ince
nurturing root stock in the Okanagan
Valley. Our father planted the first
GRAPES on our home site in 1961. His curiosity became
passion
Quails’ Gates .Years later, our family produced our FIRST VINTAGE in 1989. Today we celebrate years of growing grapes. For 365 days a year; from 1 valley; 9 vineyard sites; harvesting acres; comprised of different grape VARIETALS; our focus is consistent, to be Canada’s leading producer of quality wines, namely, PINOT NOIR and Chardonnay.
50 16
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Natural Selection 6 Take in the Tiki culture at Trader Vic’s (503-467-2277, www.tradervics.com). Decorated to the hilt with tribal masks, carvings, woven grass wall coverings, and other indigenous art from the collection of original “Trader” Vic Bergeron, the restaurant and bar serves up pupu platters and umbrella drinks in the Pearl District.
Natural Selection (503-288-5883, www.
naturalselectionpdx. com) is chef Aaron Woo’s second meatfree dining zone. Showcasing grains, fruits, and vegetables, the menu offers an elegant prix fixe dinner of four courses with two choices for each course, including at least one gluten-free or vegan (or both) dish per course.
6 Newly opened Kask, the “modern saloon” annex to Grüner (503-241-7163, www.grunerpdx. com), adds about 25 seats in an adjacent space and is the place to while away the wait for a table at Grüner while nibbling on cured meats and sipping on a craft beer or cocktail.
quailsgate.com
6 If you like your cocktails dark and stormy, or with a bit of punch, check out Rum Club (www.facebook.com/RumClubPdx), the new hip hangout beside Beaker & Flask. 6 Also on the east side, St. Jack (503-3601281, www.stjackpdx.com) has been hopping since opening this past spring. The Clinton neighborhood patisserie and bouchon, styled after the cafés of Lyon, France, is “cozy” in a practically communal seating way. Settle in with one of the well-made cocktails—Baccarat, a classic, or the house original Guillotine—and go for the steak frites, or the pig’s trotters stuffed with sweetbreads when on special. 6 Division Street continues booming with two new places in the freshly constructed Reliable Building near SE 31st. First up is Sunshine Tavern (503-688-1750, www.sunshinepdx.com), owned by the folks behind North Portland’s Lincoln. The bar here has been set decidedly lower, however, with arcade games and shuffleboard to play, and a pizza-, sandwich-, and fries-focused menu.
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
Coming soon next door is Wafu (www.wafupdx. com, 503-236-0205), a showcase for the talents of chef Trent Pierce. The ambitious-sounding menu promises ramen, seafood, sake, and Japanese-style cocktails featuring intricately carved ice and garnishes influenced by the exacting art forms of sushi making and Japanese tea ceremony. 6 Chefs Kat Liebman and Zoe Hackett opened Cocotte (503-
227-2669, www.cocottepdx. com) this past spring
6 A little farther Northwest is Scott Dolich’s sophomore effort, The Bent Brick (503-688-1655, www. thebentbrick.com). The chef/owner of Park Kitchen renovated the beautiful brick building, installing a wavy bar and Jenga-like lounge area. Start with the mussels with smoky aioli, paired with one of the wellmade cocktails featuring local spirits, or choose from the deep list of Northwest wines on tap.
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as part of Portland’s mini-French revolution. The darling bistro rubs shoulders with restaurants DOC, Beast, Yakuza, and Autentica at Northeast 30th Avenue and Killingsworth Street—one of the city’s prime culinary corners.
Thomas Boyce
Restaurateur Bruce Carey (23 Hoyt, Clarklewis, Saucebox) has tuned up the front and back of house at his flagship Bluehour (503-226-3394, www. bluehouronline.com). In the kitchen, Thomas Boyce, former chef de cuisine at Spago in Beverly Hills, takes over as executive chef, with sommelier (and winemaker) Erica Landon now overseeing the wine list.
6 Pear with blue cheese, Olympic Provisions coppa and melon, brown ale with bacon chunks… No, these aren’t appetizers—they’re some of the audacious savory ice cream flavors at scoop shop Salt & Straw (206-909-0580, www.saltandstraw.com). To satisfy your sweet tooth, try the chocolate with gooey brownies or cold-brewed Stumptown coffee with cocoa nibs—and all are made with 100% local, small-farm-sourced ingredients.
Seattle, WA
Culinary icon and restaurateur Tom Douglas continues to expand Seattle’s dining scene, plus other new offerings covering Italian, Mexican, Korean, Vietnamese, and French cuisines. 6 Further spurring the development of the South Lake Union area, Tom Douglas has opened five new places in the burgeoning business district that’s also home to rapidly expanding Amazon.com. 1. The housemade soft pretzels and $6 burgers (“The meat is twice-ground, that’s the key,” says chef Brian Walczyk) draw crowds to Brave Horse Tavern (206-971-0717, www.bravehorsetavern.com) at lunchtime and after work. 2. Cuoco (206-971-0710, www.cuoco-seattle.com) is the Italian word for cook. Plates of antipasti and pasta come out of the open kitchen, while Sundays offer family-style suppers from the Big Green Egg Smoker on the patio. 3. Douglas opened Ting Momo (206-971-0720, tingmomo.com) to highlight the dumplings and noodles made by long-time kitchen staff member (and native of Tibet) chef Dekyi Thonden. Talk about authentic: try the dumplings stuffed with tender-braised (Colorado-raised) yak. 4. Dahlia Workshop (206-436-0050, www.dahliaworkshop.com) offers biscuit sandwiches for breakfast and other southern-inspired fare for lunch. 5. This same location also houses an outpost of pizza shop Serious Pie Westlake (206-436-0050, www.seriouspiewestlake.com). 6 Douglas also shored up his presence in the Pike Place Market district with the recent
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recent openings
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opening of his Seatown Seabar and Rotisserie (www. hoto by Geoffrey smith
tomdouglas.com, 206436-0390). Start off with an assortment of freshly shucked oysters, and then dig in to a potpie with flaky golden crust.
Ba Bar (206-328-2030, www.babarseattle.com) 6 All roads lead is the new, almost back to Washington all-hours Vietnamese for Michael Mina, street food venture the Egyptian-born by Eric Banh, the chef and restaucreator of Monsoon rateur. Raised in and Baguette Box. Ellensburg, he’s Noodles in broth, gone on to open resbowls of broken taurants from Calirice, roasted birds, fornia to Mexico, but kung fu Fridays, and never in Seattle— karaoke, with coffee until this past June and pastries served with the opening of from 7 a.m. till late RN74 (206-456-7474, at night. www.michaelmina.net). The name refers to Route National 74, the major thoroughfare passing through the heart of France’s Burgundy region, and the comparison couldn’t be more apt considering the restaurant sits on the corner of the bustling intersection of 4th and Pike in downtown Seattle. Wine also factors heavily into the location, with cellar access to more than 10,000 bottles, the “Last Bottle Served” train board in the back, and an ongoing series of “Behind the Bottle” winemaker dinners: Ben Smith from Washington’s Cadence Winery on September 26, and Bob Betz from Betz Family Wines in Woodinville on October 10.
Michael Mina
6 2011 saw chefs Seif Chirchi and Rachel Yang open their second restaurant, Revel (425-445-5332, www.revelseattle.com) in the Fremont district. Get your appetite going with a house-infused soju cocktail at Quoin, the bar next door, then dig into one of the boldly flavored rice or noodle bowls, with splashes of the dreamy housemade condiment sauces. 6 The owners of Bastille turned their eyes and stomachs to Mexico for the décor and menu of new restaurant Poquitos (206-4534216, www.vivapoquitos.com). The Mexican tiled surfaces and ironwork capture the spirit of the cantina, while the goat birria and tequilaspiked cocktails are muy delicioso. 6 Spinasse recently unveiled an expanded dining room and sister bar, Artusi (206-251-7673, www.artusibar.com), where chef Jason Stratton has created a menu influenced by Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook, Science in the Kitchen, or the Art of Eating Well.
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Urban contemporary dining. Delight your senses at H5O bistro & bar. In Portland, where downtown meets the river. Check out special offers at HotelFifty.com.
Perfectly Portland. 50 SW Morrison Portland, OR 877.237.6775
Elevated culinary experience. Excite your palate at Altitude. And savor The Spa. Less than an hour above Portland. Visit TheResort.com for seasonal packages.
Mt. Hood. Naturally. Just off Hwy 26 Welches, OR 877.439.6774
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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SEPTEMBER 17
Datebook editor’s picks
Jellyfish Jubilee, Newport, OR
hoto courtesy The oregon aquarium
The 4th annual fundraiser for the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Jellyfish Jubilee; A Celebration of Food and Wine, will be held Saturday, offering a summer evening at the aquarium filled with the aromas, tastes and sounds of exceptional Northwest cuisine, wines, live music and a silent auction. The all-inclusive event includes the area’s finest culinary establishments, regional wineries, and a local coffee company, offering their most tempting specialties in a feast to celebrate the bounty of the great Pacific Northwest. Area hotels are offering discounted rates to visitors who mention the event when booking. Tickets are $100 and all proceeds will benefit the Aquarium’s animal care, exhibits and education programs. Visit www.aquarium.org or call 541-867-FISH.
September 10 & 11
hoto courtesy TVancouver Chinatown Merchants Association
Tree Top Skewered Apple BBQ Championship ,
SEPTEMBER 28
Downtown Yakima, WA Northwest BBQ never had it so good! Sponsored by Tree Top to benefit the Yakima Valley Museum, this professional competition offers $35,000 in total prize money with over 30 different BBQ competitors. Located in Yakima’s historic Front Street District, you’ll enjoy cooking demonstrations, local brews and wines, farm produce, live music, and—of course—fantastic Northwest BBQ. Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Two-day passes are $15 (or $10 per day). www.skeweredapple.com. hoto by Paulette Phlipot
Chinatown Market, Victoria, BC Canada’s oldest Chinatown celebrates its history and heritage in BC’s capital city with a new night market. Held on the last Wednesday of the month from 5–9 p.m., the streets will be open to pedestrians only. Stroll down the 500 block of Fisgard Street in downtown Victoria and enjoy tastes from food vendors, including some of the world’s finest oolongs and other teas at Silk Road Tea Company, and watch traditional Chinese arts and entertainers. www.downtownvictoria.ca
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SEPTEMBER 23–25
Sun Valley Harvest Festival, Sun Valley, ID Autumn in Sun Valley provides lovely weather for enjoying the abundant local harvest. This year’s festival will focus on sustainably produced foods, wines, and beers, with cooking demonstrations by visiting regional chefs, tastings, a culinary trade show, multi-course dinners nightly, and a beer garden. www.sunvalleyharvestfestival.com
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 Stars, highest ranking) Robert Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide (7th Edition)
French soul ~ Oregon soil Please visit us, Wednesday through Sunday, 11am – 4pm Tours by Appointment
telephone (503) 864 -2700 ~ www.domainedrouhin.com www.northwestpalate.com
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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datebook British Columbia |
Garry Oaks Winery
Salt Spring Vineyards
October 2
Apple Festival Salt Spring Island, BC
A
s autumn sets in, harvest festivals abound throughout the Pacific Northwest. At the annual Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, the apple gets to shine. From heirloom to commoner, with names like Hidden Rose, Northern Spy, and Irish Peach, and in all sizes and shapes, from perfectly round to gnarly and slightly flattened, apples come in an astonishing 350 varieties—tree-ripened, dew-sweetened, and grown organically on Salt Spring Island. Spearheaded by apple farmer, educator, and island resident Harry Burton, this family-friendly event, now in its 13th year, kicks off at Fulford Hall, where the just-harvested varieties are displayed along with pies baked by the Apple Pie Ladies, who use the best cooking apples from the area. (The aroma is worth the entry fee alone.) Through light-hearted skits and music, attendees can learn about apple history in the world (the Gravenstein dates back to the 1600s) and on Salt Spring, whose apple history dates back to 1860 and was the island’s main cash crop in the 1920s. The entry fee includes a map to 17 orchards, where you can taste and see the apples at their source. For an additional fee, many of the farms—including Burton’s Apple Luscious—will be offering alfresco meals, from Thai and gluten-free, to lamb and farm-fresh (menus will be announced at the farm gates). Proceeds from this year’s festival will go towards a fruit processing facility for juicing and pasteurizing. —Shelora Sheldan Tickets are $10, available the day of the festival only. www.appleluscious.com
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Consider spending the weekend and taking in Salt Spring Island’s Saturday Market (www.saltspringmarket. com), where farmers, artisan bakers, cheesemongers, and craftspeople come together in Centennial Park on the waterfront to sell their wares. The intrepid culinary explorer would be wise to buy picnic fixings at the following food artisans: Atop a bluff, with Mount Baker views in the distance, Heather Campbell (aka “the bread lady”) bakes flatbreads, baguettes, and sweet loaves from her wood-burning oven. She’s opening her studio (251 Forest Ridge Road, 250-653-4809, www.saltspringtourism.com/blog/the-bread-lady/) during the Apple Festival, selling bread right out of the oven plus barbecued local pork and apple pies. Choose from a selection of cheeses and take in the beautiful setting at the home of Salt Spring Island Cheese (251 Forest Ridge Road, 250-653-4809, www.saltspringcheese.com), where you can watch both cheesemaker David Wood at his craft and his goats frolic between milkings. For produce, check out the organic, 120-acre Foxglove Farm (1200 Mt. Maxwell Road, 250-931-5336, www.foxglovefarmbc.ca) for peppers, tomatoes, and other seasonal produce. Attendees wanting to include grapes in their itinerary can check out these noted wineries: Salt Spring Vineyards (151 Lee Road, 250-653-9463, www.saltspringvineyards.com) offers a lovely setting for enjoying their Blanc de Noir, as well as an Apple Pie dessert wine made from local apples. Mistaken Identity (164 Norton Road, 250538-9463, www.mistakenidentityvineyards.com)
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Tourism British Columbia (photos by Andrea Johnson and Don Weixl)
Core Provisions
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datebook British Columbia | Hastings House
Looking across to Long Harbour from Hastings House grows 100-percent organic grapes on its estate, and makes excellent rosé, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, and Merlot. Garry Oaks Winery (1880 Fulford-Ganges Road, 250-653-4687, www.garryoakswine.com) is known for its Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, but gaining a reputation for the Zweigelt and Leon Millot varietals.
Where to Stay Hastings House 160 Upper Ganges Road 250-537-2362 www.hastingshouse.com
Salt Spring Vineyards 151 Lee Road 250-653-9463 www.saltspringvineyards.com
Green Acres Lakeside Cottage Resort 241 Langs Road 250-537-2585 www.ultranatural.com
The Hastings House
Getting There B.C. Ferries (888-223-3779, www.bcferries. com) sail from Vancouver Island, from either Swartz Bay or Departure Bay, or via Tsawwassen terminal on the mainland. Harbour Air (800-665-0212, www.harbourair.com) floatplanes fly direct from Vancouver to Ganges on Salt Spring Island.
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September : Northwest Palate Readers get 20% off room rates October : 2 nights + 2 Dinners for two = 50% off your room rate www.sookeharbourhouse.com T: 1-888-328-1704 E: info@sookeharbourhouse.com est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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datebook British Columbia |
British Columbia SEPTEMBER 2–4 Jazz on the Mountain, Whistler, BC. Top international and Canadian
Sail, Sip, and Savor Sail with Terry Thompson, owner of Urban Enoteca on their first annual wine cruise. The Celebrity Solstice combines the extraordinary service of a Celebrity cruise with all the amenities of a destination resort. These ships raise the bar with the first ever two-story glass wine tower at sea, the first Enomatic wine preservation and pouring system, and a wine list of over 500 selections - including some of the world’s rarest and most sought-after vintages. Concierge Class Staterooms starting at $1420 pp. Cruise sails April 1, 2012 for 7 nights to the W. Caribbean. Call now to reserve your stateroom, 800-368-4369 or vacation@ustravel.us
Formerly Doug Fox Travel & Cruise
wine. food. venue. u n e q u a l e d
Price is based on double occupancy per person and includes cruise, taxes, fees and Taste of the Vineyards wine program. Does not include air, transfers or gratuities. WA SOT #601824183.
jazz artists perform at more than 30 free and ticketed shows in and around the picturesque village of Whistler and its meandering pedestrianonly stone pathways. With more than 200 retail shops, 90 restaurants and bars, and a range of accommodations, jazzbos enjoy the music and an amazing array of amenities and activities on the mountain playground. For more information call 1-800-WHISTLER or visit www.whistler.com. www.whistlerjazzfest.com
SEPTEMBER 11 Passions, Dr. Peter Centre, Vancouver, BC. Over the past eight years, this
annual fundraising gala for the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation has attracted lovers of great food and wine. Enjoy tastes from 24 of the city’s best restaurants, including Cibo, Cin Cin, Chambar, Coast, Crave on Main, Diva at the Met, El Barrio, Fraiche, the Kambolis Group, LeGavroche, La Terrazza, Market at the Shangri-La, MIX the Bakery, O’Doul’s, The Observatory, Oru at the Pacific Rim, Provence, and Tojo’s. Newcomers this year include The Apron at the Wall Centre Westin, Ensemble, Hapa Umi, Hawksworth, Maenam, and West. A street-side food cart will greet guests as they arrive, courtesy of Fresh Local Wild. Another new addition this year will be a cocktail and canapé station courtesy of Kale & Nori and The Keefer Bar. www.drpeter.org
SEPTEMBER 11 & 18 Feast of Fields, Langley and Vancouver Island, BC. This roving
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gourmet harvest festival is the annual fundraiser for FarmFolk/CityFolk, a nonprofit organization helping to cultivate a local, sustainable food system. Celebrate the local bounty as chefs, vintners, brewers, farmers, and food artisans offer tastes in the Metro Vancouver area on September 11 at Krause Berry Farms in Langley, BC, and on Vancouver Island on September 18 at Marley Farm in Saanichton. www.feastoffields.com
SEPTEMBER 16–18 EAT! Fraser Valley, Tradex Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford, BC. Taste
and discover new flavors from local restaurants, wineries, and food and beverage artisans at this offshoot of the popular Vancouver-based culinary festival. Appearing on the Celebrity Cooking Stage will be chefs Rob Feenie and Lynn Crawford. Other areas of interest include the Wellness Pavilion, Bite of the Valley, Grapes and Hops Presentation Stage, Dairy Farmers of Canada cheese seminars, and the Food for Thought Film Festival. www.eat-fraservalley.com
SEPTEMBER 30 Fraser Valley Cork & Keg— Wine and Beer Festival, Langley Event Centre, Langley, BC. Less than an hour’s drive from downtown Vancouver, the Fraser Valley is home to culinary artisans of all stripes located in the bucolic communities of Abbotsford, Langley,
www.jacksonvilleinn.com
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Chilliwack, and Agassiz, collectively known as the Circle Farm Tour. This year’s inaugural event will showcase more than 50 of the area’s makers of wines, craft and premium beer, cheese, and chocolate. www.corkandkeg.ca
SEPTEMBER 30–OCTOBER 9 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, various locations, Okanagan Valley, BC. For ten days, ending
on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, this annual fall festival is a celebration of culinary delights, with more than 165 events happening around the valley, including the “Characters of the Okanagan Wine Tasting Experience” on September 30 and October 1, and the “Festival of the Grape” on October 2, showcasing more than 30 wineries and food vendors from the South Okanagan Valley, plus grape stomping and live entertainment. www.thewinefestivals. com/fallfestival.htm
OCTOBER 1–3 Art of the Cocktail, various locations, Victoria, BC.
Cocktailians, mixologists, professional and amateur bartenders alike will shake up the weekend with their skills at blending spirits. Afternoon workshops will address subjects ranging from pairing cocktails with food, to Italian cocktails, and making your own tinctures and extracts. Don’t miss the Pacific Northwest Bartender Competition Sunday night, and Monday night’s “Dinner with a Twist” will challenge the Global Brand Ambassador to create the perfect cocktail pairing for each course prepared by some of Victoria’s top chefs. www.artofthecocktail.ca
OCTOBER 15 & 16 Apple Festival, UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver, BC. More
than 60 apple varieties ranging from heritage, to new, and tried-and-true favorites, will be available for attendees to sample (for a $3 cdn tasting fee) and to purchase in bulk. Watch grafting and cider-pressing demonstrations by the BC Fruit Testers Association, among other family-friendly activities. www.ubc botanicalgarden.org/events/applefest
OCTOBER 29 & 30 Grape Stomp & Harvest Party, Township 7 Vineyards and Winery, Langley, BC. Get your feet
wet while whetting your whistle at this annual party celebrating the grape harvest with a traditional harvest lunch, grape stomp competition, tastes of new fall releases, and live music. www.township7. com/events/
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www.northwestpalate.com
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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Washington SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 Quincy Valley Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival, Twin Firs Turf, Quincy, WA. A 200-
acre sod farm is the site of hot air balloon launches on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The “Night-glow” on Saturday evening features the illuminated, tethered balloons floating above the grounds to provide a brilliant backdrop for sampling wines by Wenatchee-area wineries such as Stemilt Creek, Milbrandt, and Bella Terrazza, plus beer by Iron Horse Brewery in nearby Ellensburg. www.partiesonthegreen.com/id56.html
SEPTEMBER 17 Taste of the Harvest, Wenatchee, WA. Area wineries and restaurants
offer tastes at this family-friendly festival. Activities include a cooking competition, market with locally grown produce and artisan crafts, a farm equipment show, live music, and more. www.wendowntown.org
SEPTEMBER 18 BLEND, Bell Harbor Conference Center, Seattle, WA. More than
40 wine producers from Washington, Sonoma County, and Portugal pour their best blends
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datebook Washington |
paired with gourmet cuisine from top Northwest hotels and inns, including Friday Harbor House, The Inn at Langley, Salish Lodge & Spa, and others. Attendees can also take part in blending seminars, or enter to win getaways to the featured hotels. www.columbiablend.com
SEPTEMBER 23–25 Fremont Oktoberfest, Seattle, WA. Run in the Brew HA-HA 5K, enter
the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest, or compete in the Street Scramble scavenger hunt. Worn-out participants can recuperate at one of the three beer gardens with more than 80 microbrews, or refuel at the Oktoberfest Village featuring traditional German food booths, a free entertainment stage, and a kids’ area with “Zucchini 500” races, root beer tasting, and Oktoberfest themed arts and crafts. www.fremontoktoberfest.com
SEPTEMBER 24 & 25 Catch the Crush, Prosser, WA. Join the wineries of Red Mountain,
Columbia Valley, and Yakima Valley as they celebrate the fall harvest and the 25th annual seasonal grape crush. Enjoy winery tours, wine tasting, and hors d’oeuvres. Crush pads will be set up and winemakers will host live grape stomps at 4 p.m. on Saturday; get a team together and sign up. Live music and entertainment will also help ring in the fall season. Admission is free. www.visittri-cities.com
SEPTEMBER 25 Harvest Jubilee & Farm Tour, Camano Island and Stanwood, WA. Take a self-guided tour of more than a dozen farms in the scenic Stillaguamish Valley (which means “peaceful
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
waters” in Native American), and connect with the farmers who make our tables abundant with locally grown foods and fibers. Visit the Festival Hub in downtown Stanwood, where barbecue, arts and crafts, children’s activities, and a barn dance provide entertainment all day and into the night. www.harvestjubilee.org
OCTOBER 1–31 Savor the San Juans, various locations. Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan islands play host to a month of culinary attractions, from autumn festivals and farmers markets, to threecourse dinner specials at local restaurants for $30–$35, and local arts and crafts on display at Artstock, happening October 1 and 2 in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. There’s further enticement as many island lodges are offering special getaway packages. www.visitsanjuans.com/savor
OCTOBER 1 & 2, 8 & 9 Lake Chelan Crush, various locations. Wineries around Lake Chelan, in the north-central part of Washington state, welcome visitors for a behind-the-wines look into the winemaking process, offering wine enthusiasts the opportunity to get a real taste of what harvest is about. Take a tour through the cellar, stomp grapes, watch as the grapes come in, and taste the juice from the press. Activities vary by winery, so make sure to go online for a full calendar of crush events. www.lakechelanwinevalley.com
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datebook Washington |
OCTOBER 1 Fresh Hop Ale Festival, Yakima,WA. Fans of fine craft beer will
converge in downtown Yakima for this ninth annual festival. Yakima Valley contributes 77% of the total U.S. hop crop, and festival goers will be able to sample the fruit of this labor as numerous participating breweries will be pouring. There will also be brewing demonstrations, food from local restaurants, live music, and street dancing. www.freshhopalefestival.com
OCTOBER 1 & 2 Northwest Tea Festival, Seattle Center, Seattle,WA. This fourth
annual event will be steeped in opportunities to learn more about, and sample some of the best teas from all over the world. Local tea vendors will offer samples at Tea Tasting Booths, while tea experts will share their knowledge at classes ranging from region-specific primers to cultural traditions and practices surrounding tea service. www.nwteafestival.com
OCTOBER 8 5K Vineyard Fun Run & Grape Stomp, Airfield Estates, Prosser, WA. Feel the grapes squish between your toes while helping the winery stomp roughly 10,000 pounds of grapes for their next rosé. Or travel by foot as runners, walkers, children, and dogs are all invited to traverse through the beautiful estate vineyards. www.airfieldwines.com/events
OCTOBER 15 One Wine Weekend, Walla Walla, WA. Enjoy receptions with winemakers
as they share vintage bottles from their libraries, leading up to Saturday evening’s Entwine Auction, a fundraiser for Walla Walla Community College’s Enology & Viticulture, Culinary Arts and Art students. Enjoy a multi-course formal dinner featuring ingredients from local producers, plus a live auction of wine barrel art and music from the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. www.onewineweekend.com
James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year 2011
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Without doubt, the moS t
SoCiaLLy reSpoNSibLe
CroutoN You’ll eVer eat. At FareStart, your dining dollars provide valuable culinary job training and support to homeless and disadvantaged people working hard to transform their lives. Join us at FareStart for Guest Chef Night and enjoy a three-course, gourmet meal ($24.95) prepared by our students and a premiere local chef, and you’ll help change lives one meal at a time. For reservations please email reservations@farestart.org or call (206) 267-7601. GueSt CheF NiGht thurSdayS / LuNCh / CateriNG 700 Virginia St. Seattle, Wa • 206-267-7601 WWW.fareStart.org • reSerVationS@fareStart.org
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the place to stay
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OCTOBER 22 & 23 Northwest Chocolate Festival, Seattle, WA. Get a taste of
chocolates from around the world and confections made by regional bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Attend chocolate and wine pairing workshops, panel discussions with artisan chocolate makers, and cooking classes. www.facebook.com/nwchocolate
FUTURE FILE NOVEMBER 5 Gusto! Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at Comcast Arena, Everett, WA.
Join the Everett Community College Foundation for an evening of Northwest wines, select microbrews, and fine restaurants. www.everettcc.edu/gusto
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est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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Oregon September 3 & 4 Explore, Tour & Taste, various wineries. This Labor Day weekend
wineries of the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs will host meet-the-winemaker events and pre-harvest winery and vineyard open houses, including rare opportunities to visit wineries seldom open to the public. www.chehalemmountains.org
SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 Pinot in the City, Portland, OR. An unprecedented 100
Willamette Valley wineries will transform a city block in Portland’s Pearl District into a wine country experience. Wineries will showcase new and current releases, while local restaurants and authors offer their wares. www.willamettewines. com/events/pinot-in-the-city
SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 Umpqua Valley Wine, Art & Music Festival, Roseburg, OR.
Weekend activities include a dinner and auction to support Umpqua Community College, bicycle tour through area vineyards, sips from Umpqua Valley wineries, food and art vendors, live music, and the Wiener Dog Nationals. www.uvwineartandmusic.com
SEPTEMBER 17 MidValley Brewfest, High Street Brewery & Café, Eugene, OR. Eugene-area breweries come together for a chilled-out day of beer
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tasting, food, and music. www.mcmenamins. com/1486-mcmenamins-brewfests-mid-valley
SEPTEMBER 18 Wild About Game, The Resort at the Mountain, Welches, OR. Celebrate and
sample locally-sourced game meats and wine while watching some of the Northwest’s top chefs compete in the cook-off. A dinner buffet of buffalo, elk, quail, pheasant, and other dishes rounds out the day. www.nickyusa.com/events.html
SEPTEMBER 22 Indulge at the Jupiter, Portland, OR. Sample Portland’s eastside hip
restaurants, brewpubs, and microdistilleries— all benefiting p:ear, a nonprofit program for homeless and transitional youth. Overnight packages at the Jupiter Hotel are available. indulgeatthejupiter.wordpress.com
SEPTEMBER 24 & 25 Oregon Grape Stomp and Harvest Celebration, Willamette Valley Vineyards, Turner, OR. Kick off your shoes—
and the wine grape harvest—as two-person teams (a stomper and a swabber) vie to produce the most juice using feet alone. The winning team earns a trip to the World Grape Stomping Championship in Santa Rosa, California. www.willamettevalleyvineyards.com
OCTOBER 8 Harvest Trail Tour and Grand Tasting, North Willamette Valley, OR. Gain
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
new insights into winemaking, from vine to bottle, including harvest practices and how different soils impact wine. You’ll visit three winery stops for tastings, light snacks, and educational tidbits about winemaking. The day concludes at the Grand Tasting event, including wine samples, food, and discounts on wine from participating wineries. www.visitwashingtoncountyoregon. com/harvesttrail
OCTOBER 14 & 15 Eat Taste Love in the Willamette Valley, Newberg, OR. Wine
country B&Bs Deer Haven Farms and Le Puy host a seasonally inspired weekend stay. “Harvest” is the theme and showcases Oregon’s grape crop at the peak of ripeness, with vineyard tours, elegant alfresco meals, and receptions at both inns. www.lepuy-inn.com/eattastelove.html
OCTOBER 20–23 Portland Cocktail Week, Portland, OR. In tandem with the Great
American Distillers Festival, craft distillers from near and far offer tastes of their artisan spirits while bartenders compete in the Mixmaster Mixology Contest. www.distillersfestival.com
NOVEMBER 4–6 Shaffer Fine Art Gallery, Portland, OR. Join wine artist Thomas Arvid
for a Collector’s Dinner on the 4th, art show and reception on the 5th, and a VIP Willamette Valley Winery Tour with the artist on the 6th. Call 503295-4979 or email info@shafferfineart.com.
www.northwestpalate.com
www.northwestpalate.com
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25
to wn r e e
ng a i k i b r
by Byron Roe Photography
oregon’s Enjoying a taster tray of beer on the back deck at Bend Brewing Co.
Ale Aboard It’s a quick ride from the Oxford over to the offices of Bend’s Visitor Center, where we picked up an Ale Trail map and “passport.” Visiting all the breweries on the Ale Trail and having the passport stamped at each place will entitle the bearer to one limited-edition, commemorative “Silipint”—an unbreakable silicone pint glass perfect for taking out on the road—upon said passport’s return to the Visitor Center. The cartoon-style city maps the center
26
al
Szymczak By Peter
nd centr
b
ou
g n i z a l B s ’ d n Be l i a r T Ale
W
ith 300 days of sunshine a year (as many as Arizona, even India!) in the high desert country of Central Oregon, Bend is an ideal place for fair weather bike riders like myself. Further enticement to self-power is the allure of beer refueling stations. Biking along Bend’s Ale Trail, with seven craft breweries (and counting) within easy pedaling distance, makes for a fun weekend of sipping, sampling pub fare, and sightseeing around the bike-friendly city of Bend. Even better: you don’t need to bring your own bike. Guests who stay at the Oxford Hotel (see “Travel Planner: Where to Stay”) can check out one or more of the four loaner Townie bikes, with comfy seats and fat tires for a smooth ride and easy pedaling. At 4.1 miles round trip, Bend’s Ale Trail is billed as being walkable, but you’ll be hard-pressed to visit all the breweries in one day on foot. Biking was our preferred way of hitting the Ale Trail. We made sure to eat between sips along the way, as we were warned buzzed bicycle riders face the same road rules as motorized vehicles when it comes to DWI (driving while intoxicated). Wearing helmets and toting bottles of water, we steered our bikes down Bend’s brick-paved roads in search of Beervana.
hands out aren’t easy to read or seemingly accurate, so if you don’t have GPS you might consider picking up a copy of Bend Brews, the book written by André Bartels and former Bend mayor Bob Woodward, which is available for purchase at the Bend Visitor Center or online at bendbrews.photomotif. com. In addition to a better map, it contains information about Bend’s beer history, plus profiles of all the area breweries. For our first stop, we pedaled over to Bend Brewing Co., where the beers are made by award-winning brewster Tanya
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Cornett (see our January/February 2011 issue for a profile of her in “Beervana’s Brewsters”). Most of the beers are only available at the brewpub, so make sure to try the seasonal brews. In early summer, the Ludwig Pilsener and Ching Ching (a sweetly sour ale made with pomegranate and hibiscus) were both refreshing ways to start. Order one of the fresh sandwiches or salads, eat half with the beers, and pack the rest for later. It’s about a 20-minute bike ride through some of Bend’s quaint neighborhoods and Drake Park (a beautiful place to picnic) over to 10 Barrel Brewing Co., where the volume might verily ratchet up to 11 when the place is packed—and that’s often the case. The brewpub has a massively popular outdoor patio with fire pit, plus sizable main dining room and a tap room in the back corner with roll-up garage doors that spill onto additional alfresco bar-side seats. The taster tray is 10 (appropriately so) beers deep, and the brews are amped up in flavor too. The S1nist0r Black Ale is a meltingly smooth blend of toasted malts and hops (it won a gold medal at the 2011 World Beer Championships), while the Apocalypse IPA (a winner of silver) is awash with citrus aromas. Wash them down with one of the small pizzas. For the grain averse, personal pies are also available in a 10-inch gluten-free crust and there’s a decent selection of wines by the glass. “We like to see cycling cleats,” says Chris Justema, who along with Ron Kutella, owns Cascade Lakes Brewing, where we arrive after another leisurely 20-minute ride and Continued on page 28
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Get extra credit for checking out Three Creeks Brewing in Sisters
Redeem your Ale Trail passport for a commemorative Silipint
Oxford Hotel
NW Hill
NW T umalo
NW Galveston
Silver Moon Brewing
Visitor Center
NW
NW
10 Barrel Brewing Co.
NW Newp ort Ave.
Bo nd N St. W Br oo ks St.
Br oa dw ay
Bend Brewing Co.
Old St. Francis School
board Hop on le Pub at c y the C e Brewing if GoodL
NW Florida Boneyard Beer
SW Century Dr./14th St.
GoodLife Brewing
Deschutes Brewery
Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.
andrÉ bartels and peter szymczak
SW
Breweries along Bend’s Ale Trail
Boneyard Beer
10 Barrel Brewing Co.
Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.
www.10barrel.com 1135 NW Galveston Ave. 541-678-5228
Bend Brewing Co. www.bendbrewingco.com 1019 NW Brooks St. 541-383-1599
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Bob ard & Woodw artels’ André B book, ews r Bend B
ado lor o C
www.boneyardbeer.com 37 NW Lake Place 541-323-2325 www.cascadelakes.com 1441 SW Chandler St. 541-388-4998
Deschutes Brewery www.deschutesbrewery.com • Main Brewery, 901 SW Simpson Ave. 541-385-8606
• Public House, 210 NW 11th Ave. 503-296-4906
GoodLife Brewing www.goodlifebrewing.com 1355 SW Commerce Ave. 541-728-0749
McMenamins Old St. Francis School www.mcmenamins.com 700 NW Bond St. 541-382-5174
Silver Moon Brewing www.silvermoonbrewing.com 24 NW Greenwood Ave. 541-388-8331
Three Creeks Brewing www.threecreeksbrewing.com 721 Desperado Court (Sisters, OR) 541-549-1963 For more information Bend Visitor Center, 750 NW Lava Road www.visitbend.com 877-245-8484
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Datebook Bend This fall the beer- and bike-friendly town of Bend plays host to the following festivals and events:
Bend Brewery
September 2 & 3 The Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival Taking place at the Des
Chutes Historical Museum, this annual event will show-case Central Oregon breweries and their craft beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels, and oaken casks. In addition, enjoy bourbon tasting from regional distilleries, local food vendors, and live music.
www.thelittlewoody.com
September 9–11 Sisters Folk Festival Enjoy a pint
while listening to headliners Dave Alvin and Steve Forbert during the three-day celebration of American roots music, from blues to bluegrass. andrÉ bartels
www.sistersfolkfestival.org
September 17 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships
The historic Old Mill District will serve as start and finish lines of the event, a combination of technical sections and miles of single track bike paths that will test competitors as they gradually climb toward Mt. Bachelor before looping around and returning to town on a fast and fun descent.www.usacycling.org/
events/2011/mtbmarathon/
September 23 & 24 Oktoberfest Cheer on the competitors in the Weiner dog races, yodeling contests, and the hammerschlagen competition, a race to hammer a nail into a log. Plus, enjoy a veritable smorgasbord of local beer and food to entertain and satisfy the whole family during this seventh annual community event. www.downtownbend.org/
bend-oktoberfest
October 1 & 2 Bend Fall Festival Downtown Bend
celebrates the harvest season by hosting musical artists on two stages, plus local produce vendors, restaurants, and microbreweries. Activities for kids of all ages include pony rides, a hay maze, face painting, apple bobbing, pumpkin painting, and more. www.c3events.
com/events/Bend-Fall-Festival/
October 29 & 30 2011 Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show Gearheads and the artisans that
build bicycles will converge at GoodLife Brewing’s Bier Hall to ogle at the works of art on wheels, coinciding the same Halloween weekend as the Bend leg of the Cross Crusade bike competition, a series of dirt bike races that takes place around Oregon all autumn (visit www. crosscrusade.com for more info). www.
oregonhandmadebicycleshow.com
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Continued from page 26
the next stop on the tour. The brewery, based in Redmond, has an outpost in Bend called The Lodge, which Kutella envisions as a place where “cyclists go on their way home or to their overnight accommodations and talk about their days on the roads or trails.” Their sampler tray offers an introduction to the always-on-tap “Big 6” beers—Blonde Bombshell, Rooster Tail Ale, Monkey Face Porter, Pine Marten Pale Ale, 20˝ Brown, and I.P.A. (22-ounce bottles of these beers can also be found in stores across the Northwest). I couldn’t pass up the pit barbeque ham sandwich topped with crispy onion rings, a supremely salty and saucy affair that made memorable the full range of big beer flavors. Turning back toward town, we stop in at the grand-daddy of them all, Deschutes Brewery, the name most synonymous with beer in Bend. The main brewery opened nearly 25 years ago, and its Public House brewpub is a mainstay (currently getting a façade makeover) of downtown Bend. Today, Deschutes Brewery is the largest craft brewer in Oregon. Tours of the brewery are held daily and their on-site brewpub can be as busy as Grand Central Station, but it’s the only place to sip such landmark brands as Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale at the source. Next up, McMenamins Old St. Francis School was once the home of Bend’s first parochial school; in 2004 it was renovated by the McMenamin brothers (whose holdings include 60 such historic buildings across the Northwest)
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into a lodging, dining, movie-going, and beer drinking complex. Inside, the building is replete with the artistic flourishes that define McMenamins properties, and on a clear day the beautifully landscaped and decorated grounds provide a park-like setting to enjoy a pint of one of their signature beers or seasonal offerings. A little off the beaten track is Boneyard Beer, which calls home what looked to be a former auto body shop—check out the old airport limousine (which, it’s rumored, Jay Leno would desperately love to buy and add to his collection of antique cars) and the vintage delivery truck. The rock-and-roll, custom culture sensibility of owners Melodee and Clay Storee and brewmaster Anthony Lawrence permeates the small tasting room. Boneyard might be small, but they’re thinking big. Tall-boys of their R.P.M. I.P.A. are soon to be released on the Northwest market. (Boneyard doesn’t serve food, so now’s a good time to munch on that other half-asandwich we saved from our earlier stop at Bend Brewing.) It’s a quick ride over to Silver Moon Brewing, the seventh and final stop on our Tour de Bend breweries. Offering a hearty menu of pub grub, free pool, and a diverse lineup of musical performers, Silver Moon appeals to locals and tourists alike. And the beer shines too. The seasonal André le Géant, a Belgian-style tripel ale, was (like its namesake) strong, yet had a gentle, www.northwestpalate.com
caramely side, while the Bridge Creek Pilsner was crisp but not too bitter. The up-and-comer on Bend’s brew scene is GoodLife Brewing. Open since just this year, the brewery isn’t currently on the official Ale Trail, but expect them to be added next year. Their indoor Bier Hall and two-acre alfresco beer garden are quickly attracting a following. With the addition of GoodLife, the total number of breweries climbs to nine for the surrounding area. Incidentally, that’s about one brewery for every 11,500 people, more per capita than Portland with about one in 16,600.
Extended Ale Trail Heading out of Bend via US-20 East, you’ll pass Bendistillery, where you can sample their famed Cascade Mountain Gin and other hand-crafted spirits on your way to Three Creeks Brewing Co., located a little more than 20 miles away in Sisters, Oregon. The bonus stop on the Ale Trail, Three Creeks Brewing is soon to become a mountain biker’s hot spot, with a planned-for trail that will connect the brewery directly to the Peterson Ridge trail system. And just when you thought there were no other beer trails left to blaze, here comes the Cycle Pub of Bend (www. cyclepub.com). The so-wackyit-works combination of bike and beer worlds is an “only in Oregon” phenomenon, a rolling tap room on wheels powered by the pedaling bar patrons themselves. Believe it.
To Sisters
Three Creeks Brewing
20
Travel Planner Getting There From Portland by car, head east on Highway 26 for a close-up view of Mount Hood, then turn onto Highway 87. An equally scenic route—once you exit I-5 South—is US-20 E, which wends its way past picturesque Detroit Lake, through the Deschutes National Forest and the town of Sisters.
Where to Stay The Oxford Hotel 10 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-382-8436 www.oxfordhotelbend.com
The bike borrowing program at the Oxford Hotel is just one of the green amenities at the eco-chic boutique hotel in downtown Bend. Constructed in 2010 using a number of sustainable building materials, the hotel still has that new hotel feel and is powered by 100% renewable energy through Pacific Power’s Blue Sky Program. Rooms feature recycled glass vanities, Natura green mattresses (made with organic wool and built to Forest Stewardship Council standards), and organic bedding for a synthetic-free, comfortable night’s rest. My only gripe with the room was the loud, white noise–generating, energy-efficient heating and cooling system. King suites are spacious, with an ultra-convenient one and a half baths and a kitchenette actually worthy of cooking in—not that one needs to, what with all the great nearby restaurants (see below). The master bath has a deep-set soaking bathtub and adjoining shower, roomy enough for sharing with dual shower heads, a built-in bench, and sauna steam controls, perfect for detoxing and relaxing after a day of biking and beer drinking.
Where to Eat & Shop
Located on the sublevel of the Oxford Hotel, 10 Below wins style points for swanky décor as well as the cuisine of Chef Brad Wood and the creative bar program. Try a barrel-aged Manhattan paired with the trio of beef sliders, or the Mellow Yellow cocktail with house-infused marshmallow vodka. Across the street from the Oxford, get a wee taste of the Big Easy at Bourbon Street (5 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-323-2833, www. bourbonstreetbend.com). Sip on
a Sazerac while tapping your toes to the live ragtime band on Friday evenings.
Bendistillery Bend
www.northwestpalate.com
The streets of downtown Bend are lined with boutiques and bottle shops, making for great window shopping. Record collectors will no doubt want to check out the vintage vinyl at the Bend outpost of Ranch Records (831 Wall St., 541-3896116, www.ranchrecordssalem. com/locations/bend/). The menu at Tart (www. tartbistro.com, 920 NW Bond St., 541-385-0828) has an ample
selection of small plates, perfect for sharing or a late night bite. The crab and avocado over field greens was fresh and lightly dressed, and braised beef cheeks with roasted radishes and a side of frites beats a drivethrough burger and fries hands down. Also conveniently located across the street from the Oxford Hotel is Thump Coffee (25 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-388-0226, www.thumpcoffee.com), where
the sourcing of fair-trade coffees from around the world and the expert brewing thereof are taken quite seriously. (See www.thumpology.com for more info about the quasi-cult behind the coffee.)
A bustling casbah of eastmeets-west flavors, Joolz (916 NW Wall Street, 541-388-5094, www.joolzbend.com) promises
“where mezze meets mesa” and delivers with dishes such as Simpson Ranch elk sliders, seasoned with Middle Eastern spices and topped with onion chutney, as well as traditional Lebanese dishes. Zydeco (919 NW Bond St., 541-312-2899, www. zydecokitchen.com) is another
hot spot, popular for its Cajun and Creole-inspired menu and good selection of Northwest wines, in case you’d like to switch it up after all that beer. Next door to the Bend Visitor Center is Blacksmith (211 NW Greenwood Ave., 541-318-0588, www.bendblacksmith.com),
the well-apportioned bar, lounge, and steakhouse featuring executive chef Gavin McMichael’s seasonally changing menu.
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Item #144Š2011 Erath Vineyards, Dundee, OR 97115
Grapes from the EARTH, wines from the HEART....
Come
the Art of Pinot
visit our wine tasting room :
9409 ne worden Hill road, dundee, oregon 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily | eratH.Com
By James Patrick Kelly
Coils of lamb sausage sit on the cutting board of Elias Cairo, salumist at Portland’s Olympic Provisions, during a recent lamb butchery seminar. Photo by David Lanthan Reamer
ot long ago, lamb from the Southern Hemisphere was the chop of choice at the butcher’s counter. Finding exceptional domestic lamb was not easy. Even if you could find locally pastured lamb, it was often expensive, frustratingly inconsistent, and not as readily available as imported lamb. But today more and more farmers markets, restaurants, and natural food stores are carrying grass-fed lamb, produced by local farms. The reasons for lamb’s newfound appeal vary from increasing consumer interest in grass-fed meat to its smaller carbon “hoof ” print, consistent availability and quality. Not to mention it delivers a flavorful bang for the buck—especially when purchased as a whole or half animal and butchered at home. 31
Lava Lake Lamb
Anderson Ranch
SuDan Farm Clockwise from top left, photos on this page were taken by Dana Hopper-Kelly, John Valls, John Valls, David Lanthan Reamer, Dana Hopper-Kelly, John Valls, and courtesy of Anderson Ranch.
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“Like many chefs during the ‘90s, I used lamb from New Zealand, as well as Colorado lamb on occasion. There wasn’t as much local lamb around as there is now,” says Scott Dolich, chef/owner of Portland’s Park Kitchen and Bent Brick, his new eatery which opened this past June and features hyper-local cuisine. Rocky Mountain lamb was popular for a while, when curious Northwest chefs like Dolich started searching out domestic meat. But this grain-fed American lamb, raised by large producers in northern Colorado, doesn’t appeal to everyone’s palates. Most people who order lamb enjoy its earthy, robust flavor, whereas grain-fed lamb is extremely mild, much like grain-fed beef. By contrast, sheep in the Northwest are primarily raised on a diet free of grains. Ruminant livestock such as sheep are efficient converters of plant proteins to meat protein, more so than cattle. Free to graze on all the grass they can eat, lamb is naturally lean as a result—low in calories, fat, and cholesterol— and an excellent source of iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12. Regionally raised lamb also appeals to the eat-local mindset, which has remarkably changed the way restaurants are doing business. Many chefs have shied away from serving meat from well-traveled animals, fattened on grains on feedlots far away from the Northwest’s verdant valleys. Since 2001, SuDan Farm has been one of a handful of Pacific Northwest producers that has helped meet this rising demand for local lamb and, in the process, redefined the industry by putting an emphasis on natural ranching practices such as chemical-free grass pastures, no antibiotics, no growth hormones, and no additives or preservatives. “My animals are strictly raised on grass. I’m not organic, but I follow the same practices,” says Dan Wilson, who owns and oversees an 11-acre farm with his wife, Susie. SuDan Farm raises and slaughters about 1,600 lambs a year—that’s approximately 30 lambs per week, each weighing about 55 pounds—most of which ends up at Portland and surrounding area farmers markets and at various eateries throughout the region. Rancher John Neumeister managed a slightly larger operation, Cattail Creek Lamb, raising about 2,500 lambs per year in the southern Willamette Valley. His lamb was featured at fine restaurants in Oregon, Washington, and California, including Alice Waters’s famed Chez Panisse. This year has been challenging for Neumeister, who closed his business in March to restructure it after his
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he organic label doesn’t have the teeth it used to. People are happy with grassfed meat that’s not exposed to antibiotics and chemicals. We can do that without being organic.”
— Mike Gordon, Lava Lake Lamb
partnership with another sheep ranch was dissolved. But he plans to have his lamb back on menus, hopefully by next summer. “Portland, right now, actually has a shortage of lamb,” Neumeister says. He’s right, and as a result lamb has never cost so much. The worldwide spike in prices can be attributed to the New Zealand and Australian markets, which are producing less lamb than they have in the past due to drought and other natural disasters. Helping to keep lamb in Northwest markets is Anderson Ranch, located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where about 10,000 head of sheep are raised on grass only, fed no byproducts, antibiotics, or growth hormones. Owner Reed Anderson, a fourth-generation sheep rancher, sees the land as his livelihood— more so, his legacy. “We’re getting into a new generation of people that are discovering lamb for the first time. People are really starting to reconnect and get to know their farmer and where their food comes from,” said Anderson. Lava Lake Lamb is another all-natural, grass-fed producer of Pacific Northwest lamb. Based in Hailey, Idaho, the operation uses about 800,000 acres—mostly Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land—to raise its herd of 12,000 ewes, lambs, and rams, which are protected by a crack squad of Peruvian herders and attentive sheep dogs. In addition, the company has 25,000 acres of its own land near Carey, skirted by the ancient black lava flows of Craters of the Moon National Monument. The company, which annually butchers around 3,500 sheep, sells packaged fresh and
Experience Our Unique Block Designated Wines Limited Production
OPEN DAILY 11-5 WWW.VANDUZER.COM 800.884.1927 DALLAS, OREGON 97338
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Continued from page 33
9200 Ramsey Road Gold hill, Oregon 97525 5 4 1 - 8 5 5 - 2 0 1 8 ~ w w w. f o l i n c e l l a r s . c o m
lange estate named
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frozen lamb. It previously had an organic brand of lamb, but that program was discontinued, in part because consumers don’t appear to be as enthralled with organiclabeled food as they once were. “The organic label doesn’t have the teeth it used to. People are happy with grass-fed meat that’s not exposed to antibiotics and chemicals,” says Mike Gordon, sales coordinator at Lava Lake Lamb. “We can do that without being organic.” Lava Lake Lamb distributes most of its meat in the Sun Valley and Boise areas (CK’s Real Food in Hailey and Red Feather Lounge in Boise are good places to try it), but Lava Lake also recently branched out into the Seattle and Portland markets. As a matter of fact, John Neumeister of Cattail Creek Lamb has just struck a deal with the company to distribute this Idaho lamb in the Portland area, mostly to larger restaurant accounts. On the smaller end of the production spectrum is Martiny Livestock near Concrete, Washington. Owner Linda Martiny knows a thing or two about sheep, considering she grew up on a sheep ranch in the Pahsimeroi Valley of Idaho—about 50 miles north of Hailey. Martiny and her husband, Mike Donnelly, tend a flock of around 30 Suffolkbreed sheep, as well as Angus cattle, on their 20-acre ranch in the mountainous reaches of north-central Skagit County. She works the crowd on weekends in the Seattle area at the Edmonds Farmers Market and at the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market, where her lamb has become a hit. “In the last five years, the demand for farm-raised lamb has increased incredibly,” Martiny says. Yet there’s still a lot of room for the lamb market to grow. Average annual consumption of lamb in the United States is only one pound per person, compared to 65 pounds of beef, and 50 pounds apiece for pork and poultry. The two main reasons for lamb’s lack of popularity are its price—prime cuts are usually $10 or more per pound—and few people know how to properly cook it. But now that the Pacific Northwest has a flock of local shepherds who are raising lamb locally for our tables, it’s a great time to (re)discover its flavorful pleasures—and to be thankful for ranchers like Neumeister, Wilson, Anderson, Martiny, and others who are enriching the local food economy with locally raised, grass-fed lamb.
www.northwestpalate.com
SEPTEMBER 24 – 25
Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, Canby, OR www.flockandfiberfestival.com Since 1997 this homespun annual festival has recognized and appreciated the natural fibers derived from sheep, as well as local hand-spun arts and craft disciplines. The weekend includes workshops, demonstrations, livestock shows, seminars, competitions, children’s activities, and excellent food—lamb kabobs, kettle corn, lamb burgers, salads, roasted corn, coffee, and yummy desserts.
Flock and Fiber Festival
Trailing of the Sheep OCTOBER 7–9
Lamb Jam
Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey, ID www.trailingofthesheep.org Sheep ranching became big business in the Wood River Valley during the mid-19 th century after the mining heyday came to an end in the nearby mountains. Ketchum was the epicenter of commerce for the sheep industry, which was mostly run by Scottish immigrants. For a century— from around the 1850s through the 1950s—ranchers in the area often hired Basque sheepherders in the summer to take their large flocks over Galena Summit to graze in the Sawtooth Mountains. Contrary to popular belief, these Basque immigrants weren’t sheepherders in their homeland. As a matter of fact, many of them jim grossman had never spent any time around sheep until arriving in Idaho. But they were a hardworking group who didn’t mind the solitary life of a shepherd. The Basque community, which is now more than 15,000 strong in the Gem State, has become embedded into Idaho’s cultural fabric over the years. Though, most sheepherders today in the Wood River Valley hail from Peru. A glorious spectacle takes place every fall when the sheep are brought back from the high country. This has always been a time of great celebration. The Trailing of the Sheep Festival, in its 15th year, commemorates this event with three days of multi-cultural fun in the towns of Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey. Expect to see lots of Basque dancers, Peruvian musicians, sheep-dog trials, woolen workshops, and a parade showcasing thousands of sheep being herded down Main Street in Ketchum. Many local restaurants offer special menus that feature inventive lamb dishes throughout the weekend.
Trailing of the Sheep: Basque dancers
Alabastro Photography
OCTOBER 23 3rd Annual American Lamb Jam, Seattle, WA www.fansoflambseattle.com
Trailing of the Sheep: sheep-dog trials
Twenty of Seattle’s top chefs will participate at Bell Harbor International Conference Center for an ultimate lamb cookoff featuring their dishes accompanied by award-winning Washington wines. Awards will be handed out for Best of Show, Most Creative, and People’s Choice winner. Get the recipe from last year’s Lamb Jam winner, chef Mark Bodinet of Copperleaf Restaurant at Cedarbrook Lodge in Seattle, Wash., at www.northwestpalate.com. Chef Bodinet will represent the Pacific Northwest in New York on September 25 when he competes against other Lamb Jam winners from Boston, D.C., and San Francisco.
railing of the sheep photos by john valls
www.northwestpalate.com
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Neck
Rib
Loin Sirloin
Lamb Butchery
Forequarter
Flank
Shank
Breast
Shank
Nervous? No. Breakdown? Yes.
Leg
By Kathleen Bauer
’m not the squeamish type. Dissecting a frog in high school biology was fascinating rather than horrifying. As a food writer, I’ve written about slaughtering chickens and witnessed the pasture slaughter of a pig. So when the opportunity arose to participate in what butchers call “breaking down” a whole lamb into its component parts, I was all over it—and not just for academic reasons, mind you. My husband and I love lamb, whether it’s smoked, grilled, or braised, and have participated in a multi-family “lamb share” where, over the course of a season, we’d get half a lamb packaged in tidy white butcher paper bundles ready for our freezer. Less expensive than buying it by the piece in the store, this kind of bulk purchase allows us to save money and support a small family farmer in the bargain. That same thinking is evident in the rise of meat CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture, like our lamb share) and butchery classes available in the Portland area. Whether it’s the promise of saving money by butchering your own meat, or simply learning more about where the meat on your plate comes from, today’s conscientious foodie is finding lamb to be a good gateway animal because of its manageable size and straightforward structure. 36
Melinda Casady
“Mind Your Meat Mistress” class at Portland’s Culinary Workshop At the just-launched Portland’s Culinary Workshop (PCW), located on burgeoning North Russell Street just across the river from the Pearl District, chef-instructor Melinda Casady teaches hands-on butchering skills. “The only way you can learn butchery is to do it,” said Casady. A sassy firecracker who knows her chops from her loin meat, Casady honed her skills in fine dining restaurants where whole animal butchery was a staple, and until recently was an instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute. She was drawn to butchery because “it’s like a puzzle—seeing how the muscles and bones fit together and then figuring out the best way to take it apart.” A fellow student of mine, Kathy Dee Zasloff, listed several reasons for attending the class. “I love to butcher meat and have practiced on chickens all of my life. My grandfather was a butcher,” she said. “I’d never seen a lamb being butchered, so I was curious how physically different it was from a pig,” she said, also noting that lamb is her favorite meat. While Zasloff intends to put into practice the
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
information she learned at the class, I saw looks on the faces of other students indicating they may never cut apart another lamb. But Casady still thinks the experience and information are vital for every amateur chef. “You know more about how to cook [lamb] if you know where it comes from,” she said. Plus there’s the opportunity to learn about the bits you don’t normally see in the meat case, like lamb neck (said to be the butcher’s favorite braising meat), or belly meat (which can be made into lamb bacon), or lamb kidneys (prized by Indian and Italian cooks for their tenderness and delicate flavor). Casady sat the class down for a short lecture on meat basics including anatomy, grades of meat, and cuts. Then, as the class gathered around the carcass with knives in hand, she showed each student how to count the ribs and make the initial cut between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs on each side, then saw through the backbone to separate the foresaddle from the hindsaddle. It’s not a job for wimps, requiring a strong arm and perseverance, but there was an audible sigh from the class when the carcass split in two. Then she instructed students in breaking the halves down into the large sections, or primal
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“The bones [when they’re trimmed out] should be as white as your teeth or you’re not doing a good job”
For lamb recipes go to www.northwestpalate.com. • Lamb Shoulder Confit • Spicy Lamb Salad
— elias cairo, olympic provisions
Photos this page, top row: Josh Graves (left) and Elias Cairo lead the lamb butchery class at Olympic Provisions. Below, chef-instructor Melinda Casady of Portland’s Culinary Workshop starts breaking down the whole lamb carcass. Olympic Provisions photos by David Lanthan Reamer / PCW photos by Kathleen bauer
cuts, from which the individual portions would be made. She removed the shank and breast from the foresaddle, then removed the neck and separated the rack and shoulder between the fourth and fifth ribs. From the hindsaddle, she separated the loin from the leg at the end of the pelvic bone, and then the sirloin from the legs. Lastly, she separated the legs into a larger upper leg section and the hindshank. Casady loves to teach the butchery class and to share her fascination with students. “It’s great to see that ‘Aha!’ moment when they realize where the cuts come from,” she said. Plus by learning to do it themselves “they can do it the way they want and get the cuts they want.”
Lamb Butchery Class at Olympic Provisions Less hands-on, but equally informative, was the lamb butchery class taught by Elias Cairo and Josh Graves at Olympic Provisions in Southeast Portland’s historic Produce Row district. Teasing each other and trading (verbal) jabs, these guys love what they’re doing and it still shows, even
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though between them they’ve cut apart thousands of carcasses. With lines like “If I don’t want it in my mediumrare burger, I don’t want it anywhere” and “The bones [when they’re trimmed out] should be as white as your teeth or you’re not doing a good job” salting their presentation, these two were a treat to watch. And, like Casady at PCW, they evangelize about using the whole animal, with every scrap of trim and bit of bone going to make sausage or stock. They started the class with a primer on the various kinds of lamb available, which is based on the animal’s age at slaughter. For instance, to be sold as true spring lamb, the animal must be born after January 15 and slaughtered before October. They noted that most of the lamb shoppers see in the butcher’s case, however, is generally between six months and one year old and weighs between 80 and 140 pounds. “At one year old the flesh picks up a musk that makes it taste ‘off’,” said Graves as he separated the carcass into primals. He theorized that one reason some people say they don’t like lamb is because they’ve only tasted meat
from older animals. After Graves divided the lamb into portion cuts, the class’s attention turned to Cairo, who stepped away from his trimming and deboning duties and moved on to the production of sausage. The key to successful sausage making? “Keep the meat as cold as possible,” said Cairo. “It’s essential in developing a good bind between the meat and fat.” His other recommendation was to have a book and keep track of what you do with each batch, noting that he has a book going back to his first sausage making trial. Interestingly, both the PCW and Olympic Provisions classes ended with the various cuts laid out on the butcher table in a reassembling of the carcass, illustrating the “puzzle” aspect to the process. Class attendees left with an armload of lamb to cook at home, plus some memorable advice to take with them on their next trip to the butcher’s case. Portland’s Culinary Workshop: 807 N. Russell St., Portland, OR / 503-512-0447 / www.portlandsculinaryworkshop.com Olympic Provisions: 107 SE Washington St., Portland, OR / 503-954-3663 / www.olympicprovisions.com
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Southern Oregon Renaissance The home of Oregon wine sees new growth and attention
M
by Cole Danehower
odern Oregon wine began here. In 1961, on a gently sloping plateau northwest of Roseburg, Richard Sommer planted Oregon’s first modern-era wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir.* Yes, the state’s famous Pinot Noir wines actually got their start in southern Oregon when Sommer’s Hillcrest Vineyard released its 1967 vintage. Since then, however, the ongoing hoopla for Oregon’s wine has ineluctably shifted to the Willamette Valley and Pinot Noir, leaving southern Oregon sometimes feeling a second cousin in the state’s wine family. One winery in the region even has a label called “Fly Over Red,” ostensibly a swipe at all the wine writers who fly over southern Oregon in order to get to the Willamette Valley to write about “Oregon wine.” But southern Oregon is upping its game—and fame. No longer Oregon’s “other” wine country, the state’s largest warm-climate growing region has come into its own thanks to new vineyards, new wineries, and renewed spirit of innovation that are reigniting the region’s wine culture by producing top-notch wines that can compete with the best from anywhere.
“As confidant as I am about southern Following in their footsteps, people Oregon’s ability to grow great grapes,” like Pat and Loree Spangler arrived to says Mark Wisnovsky, whose family has rename and revitalize a pioneering area been making wine at Valley View Winery winery, and are today making an impressince 1976, “I don’t know if I would have sive variety of top-quality wines under the been able to foresee how far we’ve come in Spangler Vineyards label. the last 10 years. The region has probably Terry and Sue Brandborg, of doubled its production—twice over—in Brandborg Vineyard and Winery, came that period, and wine quality from California to the town just keeps improving.” “As confidant of Elkton, planted a vineyard Key to the recent rise of the Umpqua River, and as I am about near southern Oregon has been an are making Pinot Noir from southern influx of steadfast individuals southern Oregon every bit bringing to the region both a Oregon’s abil- as good as their colleagues in commitment to quality wineValley. ity to grow the Willamette growing and the wherewithal Kara Olmo and Greg great grapes, Paneitz brought degrees in to succeed over time. “Southern Oregon is defi- I don’t know viticulture and enology, plus nitely benefiting by getting experience in wine and if I would work more experienced people in hospitality, to the Applegate have been Valley when they partnered terms of knowledge and years of experience in viticulture able to foresee with Ted and Mary Warrick and enology,” says Michael how far we’ve to create Wooldridge Creek Donovan, a southern Oregon come in the Vineyards. wine industry veteran and Across the way, the managing director of RoxyAnn last 10 years.” Martin family purchased — Mark Wisnovsky, Winery near Medford. “Six Troon Vineyard, a foundavalley view winery years ago we had 23 wineries tional area winery, and under and today we have around 70.” the guidance of Chris Martin have draEarl and Hilda Jones are examples of matically expanded the range, quality, and this trend. In the mid 1990s they settled production of wines. in Roseburg after a careful study of climate Herb Quady, the scion of California’s data convinced them it was the best place winemaking Quady family, set up shop in North America to grow Tempranillo, a in the Applegate Valley, making headSpanish grape that had never been grown turning wines under his Quady North in Oregon—or hardly anywhere else in brand, as well as for Troon Vineyard. the New World. Paying rigorous attention Bill and Barbara Steele fled Wall to site selection, vineyard management, Street for southern Oregon and estaband winemaking quality, their Abacela lished Cowhorn, one of the country’s winery quickly became emblematic of leading biodynamic vineyards, wineries, the region’s winemaking renaissance and and farms. helped attract new interest and investStephen and Gloria Reustle are yet ment to the area. another example. They moved from New Continued on page 40
*Southern Oregon’s wine history, however, goes much further back, including grape plantings by Jessie Applegate in 1876, and vinifera plantings and sophisticated winemaking by Steve and John Von Pessl, and Adam Doerner beginning in the 1880s.
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
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Above: Del Rio Vineyards outside of Medford was started in 1997 and is an example of the modern growth in southern Oregon viticulture, supplying grapes to over 20 of the state’s wineries, including many in the Willamette Valley. Photo by Andrea Johnson
Below: Valley View Winery winemaker John F. Guerrero has helped shepherd the growth of this foundational southern Oregon producer. photo by Jared cruce
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S
pend any time in southern Oregon and you can’t escape references to the “State of Jefferson”— even on winery websites. In 1941 there was an abortive, but very real, secession movement (inspired by the lack of good roads in the rural area) that aimed to create what then would have been the 49th state—to be named “Jefferson”—from the counties forming southern Oregon from Douglas County, to northern California’s Mendocino County. A Proclamation of Independence was drafted, Yreka was designated the capital, a governor was elected, and the main road was blockaded. But timing was bad. The nascent rebellion came to an immediate stop on December 7, 1941, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor— participants swore allegiance to the United States and went home. Nevertheless, the independent spirit of the mythical State of Jefferson is a very real cultural element of the southern Oregon psyche, and amply reflected in the distinct independence of the area’s wineries.
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Earl and Hilda Jones of Abacela have been influential in southern Oregon winegrowing.
photo by Andrea Johnson
The State of Jefferson
continued from 38
York City to the Umpqua Valley in 2001 and began making wine from their estate Prayer Rock Vineyards. Applying both capital investment and viticultural insight, Reustle follows in the footsteps of southern Oregon innovation by being the first winery in the country to commercially produce a Grüner Veltliner wine—now more regularly made by a handful of Willamette Valley wineries. “New varieties bring attention, interest, and excitement to the region,” says Stephen Reustle. “Soil and climate are really the two most important inputs for making world-class wine, and we have the growing heat and soil variety to successfully ripen many different varieties—as long as they are properly managed to your site.” Historically, a lot of southern Oregon grapes were planted without much research and treated as just another crop; success was often more a matter of good fortune than viticultural planning. That began to change with the establishment of new vineyards planted with the latest viticultural knowledge, most notably the large-scale Del Rio Vineyards outside of Medford, in the early 2000s.
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Paying rigorous attention to site selection, vineyard management, and winemaking quality, Abacela winery quickly became emblematic of the region’s winemaking renaissance. Building a firm viticultural foundation has become a regional priority. “Research is vital to our future,” points out Abacela’s Earl Jones. “The establishment of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at Umpqua Community College and their viticulture and enology program means we have a local resource for trained viticulturalists, winemakers, and wine marketers that will help the industry here grow with increased quality.” Even with all the forward progress, southern Oregon still faces interesting challenges and opportunities. Rob Folin, of Folin Cellars, is excited by the sense of winemaking freedom he finds in southern Oregon. “We’re not held back by tradition as much as the Willamette Valley,” he says (and Folin has plenty of winemaking experience in the Willamette Valley). “There’s no set style down here; winemakers have free range to do what they want—there’s an attitude of ‘Okay, let’s try that out!’” Such diversity can also be a drawback. “Finding the right varietals that work for this area has been a real challenge,” says Chris Martin of Troon Vineyards. Many of the earliest successful grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir—were already identified strongly with other places, and the quality of the southern Oregon versions were only occasionally competitive. Yet the newer grapes in the region—Tempranillo, Grüner
Veltliner, Malbec, and others—don’t yet have sufficient production volumes or market following to become a signature variety for southern Oregon. But does the region need to have a single variety to achieve out-of-region market success, and if so, what would it be? “Put a dozen southern Oregon winemakers in a room and you’ll get a dozen different answers,” says Ruth Garvin of Cliff Creek Cellars. Some say the Rhône varieties are key to the region’s future; others champion Malbec, some Cabernet Franc, many agree on Viognier and Tempranillo. “The interesting challenge for southern Oregon,” says Donovan, “is that we have the climate to do so many grapes really well. We need to distinguish ourselves on what we do best, and ‘variety’ may be exactly what we do best.” “As diverse as we all are in our winegrowing and winemaking, we still need to work together as a region to get our wine quality as consistent as possible, and to improve our branding and identity,” points out Garvin. And even when all of those things are working well, there is still the challenge that southern Oregon wineries simply aren’t located near a significant population center: Medford is a fivehour drive from Portland and a sixhour drive from San Francisco. “As more people discover we make great wines, they are motivated to come visit southern Oregon,” says Wisnovsky. “And when they realize we have Crater Lake, fishing on the Umpqua River, whitewater rafting on the Rogue, the Britt Music Festival, Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival, and everything else, suddenly southern Oregon doesn’t seem all that far away.” Ultimately, it is wine lovers who will determine the region’s future by voting with their pocketbooks. If the number of new vineyard plantings and winery developments, coupled with the rise in wine sales from southern Oregon, are any measure, they are already voting in droves in favor of the region.
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Viognier
Cabernet Sauvignon
hotos by Andrea Johnson (hillcrest and applegaTe Valley) and cole danehower
HillCrest Vineyard
Applegate Valley
A Southern Oregon Sampler Unfamiliar with the wines of southern Oregon? Here’s a personal selection of some of my favorite examples of the region’s most interesting wines.
Abacela
Folin Cellars
2010 Albariño, Umpqua Valley, $18
2008 Petite Sirah, Rogue Valley, $34
Earl and Hilda Jones introduced topquality Tempranillo to North America— always worth buying—but their dry, crisp, brilliant Albariño is a knock-out.
This uncommon varietal is a standout from Folin, though it is a toss-up favorite with their Syrah (they are two entirely unrelated grape varieties).
Brandborg Vineyard & Winery
Foris
2008 Pinot Noir, Ferris Wheel Vineyard, Umpqua Valley, $38 Terry and Sue Brandborg’s location near Elkton provides some of the coolestclimate sites in southern Oregon; their Pinot Noirs are superb.
Cliff Creek Cellars
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Reserve, Southern Oregon, $50
Don Mixon and Bret Gilmore may be the only winemakers in Oregon specializing in artisanal sweet wines. This intense blend of late-harvested Viognier and Gewürztraminer is a powerful example of their style.
While the Spanglers make a variety of excellent wines, their Estate Reserve Cab (from dry-farmed, own-rooted vines planted between 1968 and 1971) shines as a delicious, ageable example of a classically popular grape.
Quady North
Troon Vineyard
Owner/winemaker Herb Quady is making exciting wines from Viognier, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc grapes. Some think Cab Franc could be a signature grape for the region.
Though perhaps better known for their Zinfandel wines, Troon’s delightful, small-production Vermentino is a new, standout white wine for the Northwest.
Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards
2009 Viognier, Anna Maria, Applegate Valley, $22
Stephen Reustle produced the first commercial Grüner Veltliner in America, and it is a superb example of southern Oregon viticultural innovation.
The Wisnovsky family planted their first grapes in 1972 and have been key players in southern Oregon’s wine growth. Their Viognier is always a topnotch example of what may be one of the region’s best varieties.
2006 Zinfandel 1888, Umpqua Valley, $28
RoxyAnn Winery
Velocity Cellars
2007 Claret, Rogue Valley, $26
2007 Velocity, $24
Oregon’s oldest estate winery is producing fascinating wines— like this unconventional Zinfandel— under owners/winemakers Dyson and Susan DeMara.
Winemaker John Quinones makes one of the best Bordeaux-style blends in the Northwest.
Owner/winemaker Gus Janeway has extensive southern Oregon experience; his 100% Malbec is a superb example of an up-and-coming regional variety.
2008 Gewürztraminer, Rogue Valley, $13.50 Ted Gerber began planting grapes in the early 1970s and has been important in building the region’s wine credibility. The Gewürztraminer, made by winemaker Bryan Wilson, is full of varietal flavor.
2006 Syrah, Southern Oregon, $25
Girardet 2009 Baco Noir, Umpqua Valley, $25
2010 Spiral 36, $22 A biodynamic beauty, this white blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne is a brilliant example of the power of naturally made southern Oregon wines.
EdenVale Winery
2005 Tempranillo, Reserve, Rogue Valley, $45 Since 2001 Anne Root and winemaker Ashley Campanella have built Medfordbased EdenVale Winery into a major regional producer.
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Spangler Vineyards
2010 Água da Neve, Rogue Valley, $30
Winemaker Joe Dobbes applies his extensive southern Oregon experience to crafting this Syrah, embodying the best qualities of the region.
Cowhorn Vineyards
Madrone Mountain
Philippe and Bonnie Girardet are southern Oregon pioneers, establishing their winery in 1971, with wines now being made by their son Marc. Baco Noir is a rare hybrid grape made unusually well by Girardet. Also try the smallproduction Baco Noir Reserve.
HillCrest Vineyard
2008 Cabernet Franc, Applegate Valley, $35
2009 Grüner Veltliner, Reserve, Umpqua Valley, $26
2010 Vermentino, Applegate Valley, $20
Valley View Winery
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North meets
South
Southern Oregon wineries see opportunities in the Willamette Valley.
T
by Cole Danehower • photos by erin thomas
here’s a welcome new wrinkle for wine tourers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley: winery tasting rooms that don’t offer Pinot Noir. Long known for its Pinot predominance, the state’s most winery-rich appellation is experiencing a small but important influx of a handful of forward-thinking wineries from southern Oregon. In the last few years these producers have established tasting rooms right in the center of the state’s famous cool-climate appellation to display the warm-climate wines they grow in the south. “People in the Willamette Valley actually like seeing the warm-climate varietals in our tasting room,” says Rob Folin, whose Folin Cellars was the first to bring southern Oregon wines to the north by opening a tasting room in the Willamette Valley in 2007. “It is a treat for them to come into our tasting rooms and find kinds of wine they didn’t used to be able to taste in the valley before.” “We add another layer of interest for Willamette Valley visitors because our wines are different from what they expect,” agrees Ruth Garvin, whose Cliff Creek Cellars launched their tasting room in Carlton a few months after Folin did. The warmer climate in Oregon’s southern appellations means the region can grow many more wine grape varieties than is possible in the cooler Willamette Valley. Yet there are only about 70 wineries in the south compared to around 270 in the north, and the Willamette Valley is far and away the most visited appellation in the state. In the past, this has rankled with some southern Oregon wineries that have sometimes felt that the amount (some would say the
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excessive amount) of critical attention paid to Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has done a disservice to the quality and variety of southern Oregon wines. But this attitude has melted away as the two regions find common purpose in making and marketing top-quality wines—regardless of the variety or geography. “There are people who are surprised to not have Pinot Noir available when they walk into our tasting room in Carlton,” says Chris Martin, owner of Troon Vineyards, located in the Applegate Valley AVA outside of Grants Pass. “But that gives us an opportunity to show off not only what Troon does best, but what the rest of the state can do, too— and that just helps Oregon wine as a whole.” This move northward has, in part, resulted from the recognition of market realities for southern Oregon wineries. “There just aren’t that many people down here,” says Pat Spangler, owner with his wife Loree of Spangler Vineyards in the Umpqua AVA. This spring the Spanglers opened a new tasting room in Newberg, their first foray beyond their Roseburg base. “If you’re
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
Carlton couple Sean and Julie Davis stop in to Cliff Creek Cellars for an afternoon taste.
Cliff Creek Cellars 258 N. Kutch St., Carlton, OR 503-852-0089 www.cliffcreek.com
going to sell top-quality wine at $20 and above, you’ve got to have a way for first-time customers to sample it. Being in Newberg means we can offer tastes to the largest and most knowledgeable wine consumers in the state, and still maintain our local customer base in the Umpqua.” Like many Oregon wineries, those in the south have small production and often can’t effectively distribute outside their local market. “Direct sales to consumers is vital to our success,” points out Carole Stevens of Folin Cellars. “By opening tasting rooms in the Willamette Valley we can more easily reach the largest wine market in the state. At the same time, we’re exposing a lot of people to southern Oregon wines that wouldn’t otherwise try them—we think it works well for everyone!” It is likely that more wineries from outside the Willamette Valley will see opportunity in opening tasting rooms in the area. Already Zerba Cellars, from Oregon’s side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, has opened a tasting room in Dundee, and other out-of-area wineries are looking at their Willamette Valley options as well. “You’re going to see a lot more
Folin Cellars 118 West Main St., Carlton, OR 503-349-9616 www.folincellars.com
wineries from southern Oregon putting up tasting rooms in other places,” predicts Spangler. “You can’t just wait for people to find you, you have to go out and find them. When you make great wine, you’ve got to get it in front of great customers, wherever they are.” www.northwestpalate.com
“You’re going to see a lot more wineries from southern Oregon putting up tasting rooms in other places. You can’t just wait for people to find you, you have to go out and find them. When you make great wine, you’ve got to get it in front of great customers, wherever they are.”
Spangler Vineyards 203 Villa Road, Newberg, OR 503-538-1146 www.spanglervineyards.com
— Pat Spangler, Spangler Vineyards
Troon Vineyard 250 N. Kutch St. Carlton, OR, 503-852-3084 www.troonvineyard.com
The Appellations of Southern Oregon
Portland Carlton Newberg 5
Roseburg
Umpqua Valley AVA
Applegate
5
Southern Oregon AVA
Red Hill Douglas County, OR AVA Rogue Valley AVA
Grants Pass
Valley AVA
Medford Ashland
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In 2005, thanks mostly to the efforts of winemaker Earl Jones and his son Dr. Gregory Jones, a globally recognized expert on viticultural climatology, the Southern Oregon AVA (American Viticultural Area) was created as a sort of über-appellation to encompass—and give new identity to—all the warm-climate growing regions south of the Willamette Valley. The Umpqua Valley AVA is the northernmost, and longest established, in southern Oregon. It is distinguished by a variety of climate conditions that include the area’s few true cool-climate spots, some equally cool as the Willamette Valley. Within this appellation is the state’s smallest AVA, home to a single vineyard, the Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon AVA. The Rogue Valley AVA is large and diverse, with many dry and warm valleys that offer spare, but productive vineyard sites. The appellation is home to one of Oregon’s largest wineries, Bridgeview Vineyards and Winery. It is divided into three predominant valleys, with the Applegate Valley having obtained AVA status in 2001. While not yet official appellations, the Elkton area in the Umpqua Valley AVA’s northwest corner, and the Illinois Valley and Bear Valley sub-regions of the Rogue Valley AVA are considered to have distinct terroir characteristics and are likely to someday have their own AVAs.
Warm-climate Wine Countries
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ichard Sommer was not just a lucky local farmer who happened to be the first to plant grapes in southern Oregon. He was a UC Davis graduate who carefully studied climate data and came to the considered conclusion that heat summations and precipitation patterns near Roseburg were ideal for the kinds of wine he wanted to make. For over 40 years others have seen the same climate advantages to the region. Like the Willamette Valley, southern Oregon’s wine countries are protected from ocean air intrusion by the Coast Range in the northern portion and by the Klamath Mountains in the south. Unlike the Willamette Valley, southern Oregon vineyards are at higher elevations— from 900 to 2,000 feet—and receive distinctly more growing heat, leading to harvests up to 10 days earlier than for the same grape variety grown in the Willamette Valley. The region is also more mountainous and less homogenous. Successful vineyards can be found on varied geologic features, from steep mountainside slopes to isolated gentle hillsides and even flat bench land. Soils are tremendously varied, with each slope and vale having its own composition, often including granite rock face erosion, alluvial deposits, and gravel banks. Southern Oregon is also considerably drier, especially in the critical growing months between April and September. An average of southern Oregon weather stations shows precipitation of a little more than 34 inches annually—almost all falling outside of the growing season—compared to just over 43 inches in the Willamette Valley. These climate and geography conditions, so unlike the Willamette Valley, allow southern Oregon vignerons to ripen a much wider range of wine grapes—including the Bordeaux- and Rhône-style grapes that are more popular in the marketplace—than is consistently possible in the Willamette Valley.
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tasting notes T wine views & reviews
By Cole Danehower • B.C. Tasting Notes By Harry Hertscheg • photos by erin thomas
w Pinot
Gris
Pinot Gris continues to grow in popularity, thanks in part to its refreshing, lightly spicy qualities, and also its easy adaptability to many different styles of winemaking. Oregon is the New World home of the variety, but more and more plantings are appearing in Eastern Washington and the Okanagan Valley.
Cathedral Ridge Winery OR
2010 Pinot Gris, Arsheen, McMinnville
Aromas of peach and pear are mixed with light notes of butternut. Full and texturally hefty on the tongue, flavors of lemon-accented pear also offer a light orangey quality. There is rousing acidity that adds some bite to the finish, but the overall style is fresh and forward. Sip with halibut fish and chips. (300 cases made.) $18
Spice and herbal notes on the nose combine with dried white flowers to create a savory introduction to the wine. Vivid pineapple and citrus flavors shine out on a palate of dried herbs and Asian pear. Complex and somewhat unconventional, the combination of zesty flavors and spicy accents are well sustained on the lively finish. Pair with cracked Dungeness crab. (1,000 cases made.) $16
2010 Pinot Gris, Reserve, Willamette Valley Fresh scents of Asian pear and lemon/lime spice with notes of tangerine are full and enticing. Crisp pear and grapefruit flavors have a pleasing force to their sweet and gently nipping qualities, made more energetic by crisp acidity. Additional notes of citrus zest and dried straw add complexity. There is a slight sense of pétillance at the periphery of the tongue, and despite the zesty quality there is a core of round and sweet fruit. Flavorful and lively, pair this Pinot Gris with homemade crab cakes. (894 cases made.) $22
w Pinot
Blanc
For many years there was an effort in Oregon to promote Pinot Blanc as a meritorious member of the Pinot family. It never really gained too much traction, and even though the variety remains relatively small in terms of production, it seems to have advanced handily in terms of quality. In British Columbia, a cogent argument has been made that the variety is ideally suited to become the province’s signature wine grape. But as elsewhere, sadly, the market just hasn’t caught up, despite the wine’s charms.
Clos du Soleil BC 2010 Pinot Blanc, Grower’s Series, Similkameen Valley VQA Fragrant apple
Seufert Winery OR 2009 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley Shiny, medium-intensity gold color. Forceful aromas of melon and broiled grapefruit are inviting. Fresh flavors of green melon, lime, and grapefruit zest are clear and tasty, with background tones of spice. Good acidity keeps the flavors spirited, and the finish loiters long with citrus notes. A good choice as a summer picnic wine to drink with assorted meats and cheeses. (82 cases made.) $16
Maysara OR 2010 Pinot Blanc, Autees, McMinnville Rich green/gold color leads to a nose full of melon rind and minerality with an overlay of sweet pear. Bright, dry, and crisp, tart lemon/lime flavors are dynamic on the palate, yet balanced by an undercurrent of soft and sweet pear qualities. Lipsmacking in intensity, this is a fresh wine to serve well chilled with a smoked chicken salad. (2,500 cases made.) $17
and lime aromas perk up the nose. Crisp apple, zippy lemon, and tangy peach resonate on the energetic mid-palate. Finishes fresh with a lingering honeyed note. Drink alfresco with spicemarinated grilled prawns. (280 cases made.) $19 cdn
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
descriptive reviews of Northwest wines as an aid to finding wines they may like. All
wines are reviewed blind (we do not know the producer). Well-made, pleasing-to-drink wines that display good varietal character and balance
Maysara OR
2009 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Lange Estate Winery & Vineyards OR
asting Notes provide readers with
vintage value
are Recommended. Wines that offer additional complexity, character, and persistence of flavors are Highly Recommended. The Exceptional rating is given to memorable wines that display varietal or stylistic purity, have seamless balance, and display profound character.
Recommended
Highly Recommended
Exceptional
Seven of Hearts OR 2010 Pinot Gris, Oregon Warm and spicy scents of cardamom and lemon/lime fruits, with some minerality and scents of potpourri. Viscous in the mouth, the wine at first seems closed, but after a moment it shows tart lime and green melon qualities, finishing with some heat and a twang of citrus peel. A weighty wine with substantial body, it would pair well with salmon sausages. (126 cases made.) $16
w Chardonnay
Despite all the ballyhoo about ABC wines (Anything But Chardonnay), the variety’s popularity remains unbowed by competition from Viognier, Pinot Gris, or other whites. In the Northwest this is partly due to the increased care that winemakers take in producing their Chardonnays, so that this is almost a golden age for lovers of the variety.
Boomtown WA 2010 Chardonnay, Washington State Full scents of cut red apple, white peach, and sweet white flowers are pleasing on the nose. A velvety texture carries unctuous flavors of peach and apple fruit, with an edge of green melon rind. Well-balanced acidity gives needed definition to the lush fruit, and the finish has excellent length, with melon flavors lingering nicely. Serve with cold quiche on a warm day. $13
vintage value
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w Gewürztraminer
2009 Chardonnay, Seven Poplars, Okanagan Valley VQA Butterscotch and
One of the so-called aromatic white grapes, Gewürztraminer offers a delightful combination of fruit and spice, along with depth and complexity when well made from older vines. Because of the northerly latitudes in the Northwest, there are many excellent places to grow the grape that offer the combination of warmth and coolness that allows the grape to mature its full flavors slowly. However, the amount of Gewürztraminer planted here is not growing, and the wine remains a bit of a specialty product appealing to aficionados—smart aficionados!
toasted spice aromas engage the nose. A rich palate highlights ripe peachy fruit, balanced by lemony acidity. The finish turns lean, with wellmarked minerality. Pair with a rich seafood stew. (325 cases made.) $25 cdn
stellar
Pend d’Oreille ID 2009 Chardonnay, Idaho Subdued nose of peach and toasty oak combines with a light yeasty quality. Plump and buttery flavors of peach and pineapple fruit are reasonably well balanced against decent acidity and carried on a soft, yet weighty texture. The flavors have some punch and length, but a slight hotness lingers on the finish. A classical barrel-fermented Chardonnay to pair with coquilles St. Jacques. (675 cases made.) $16
selection
Chateau Ste. Michelle WA 2009 Gewürztraminer, Oak Oval, Limited Release, Columbia Valley Dry. Complex soft scents of lychee, lemon-
Ponzi Vineyards OR 2008 Chardonnay, Reserve, Willamette Valley Perfumed scents of flower blossoms, citrus peel, white linen, toasty oak, and a stony minerality are complex, forward, and intriguing. Plush and velvety on the tongue, the wine offers complex notes of yellow peach, lemon/lime, a touch of pineapple, and delicate notes of spice, toast, tarragon, and lemon curd. Ample acidity balances the lush fruitiness, yet the mellow center of fruit dominates, giving the wine a sense of depth. The finish shows plenty of fruit and minerality, and is deliciously persistent. A dynamic Chardonnay that offers many pairing options (including the option to age it further)—baked cod on a bed of white beans and herbs would be a good choice. (1,650 cases made.) $30
grass, melon, and spice evolve nicely in the glass, with maturing notes of sweet-smelling white flowers. Gently sweet on the tongue with flavors of honey-drizzled apricot, clove-studded orange, and a light sense of lime juice. Crisp acidity sneaks up on the palate, making itself known as a pleasing tightness along the sides of the tongue, adding verve to the fruitiness. The finish is quite long, with a sense of spice and minerals pleasingly protracted on the palate. Pair with a classic choucroute garni for a sense of Alsace in the Northwest. (612 cases made.) $17
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Northwest Palate 1320 SW Maplecrest Dr., Portland, OR 97219
N O V EM BER 1 1 A N D 1 2 , 2 0 1 1
Join Oregon’s top winemakers as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of ¡Salud! A BENEFIT TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO OREGON’S SEASONAL VINEYARD WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES This festive two-day gala marks the debut of the 2010 vintage when the state’s foremost wineries uncork their ¡Salud! Cuvées – collectible Pinot Noirs created exclusively for the auction. Celebrate the past 20 years of Oregon winemaking with rare wine collections, personal winemaking experiences, and exciting vacations abroad. Like the unique cuvées themselves, you will only find these opportunities at the ¡Salud! auction. Mingle with the most distinguished names in the Oregon wine industry, and toast with them to the health of their vines and the workers who care for them!
Photo ©Michael Wilhelm
s
Lake Breeze BC
TIC KE TS A VA I L A B L E ON L I N E A T S A L U DA U C TI ON . OR G
Sponsored By:
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Adelsheim Vineyard Amalie Robert Estate Antica Terra ArborBrook Vineyards Archery Summit Argyle Ayres Vineyard Beaux Frères Bethel Heights Vineyard Chehalem Cristom Vineyards Dobbes Family Estate Domaine Drouhin Oregon Dusky Goose Elk Cove Vineyards Erath Winery Evening Land Vineyards The Eyrie Vineyards Hamacher Wines Ken Wright Cellars King Estate Winery Lange Estate Winery Maysara Winery Patricia Green Cellars Patton Valley Vineyard Penner-Ash Wine Cellars Ponzi Vineyards R. Stuart & Co. Raptor Ridge Winery Scott Paul Wines Shea Wine Cellars Silvan Ridge Sokol Blosser Soléna Estate Soter Vineyards St. Innocent Winery Stoller Vineyards Torii Mor WillaKenzie Estate Willamette Valley Vineyards Winderlea Vineyard & Winery Witness Tree Vineyard The Vintners Circle is a group of select wineries that generously donate their time, resources, and talent to create exclusive ¡Salud! Oregon Pinot Noir Cuvées.
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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Thornhaven BC 2009 Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley VQA Medium dry. The pungent nose offers
r o t s A O r e g O niA
classic “Gew” aromas of lychee and rose water, with welcome scents of spicy tropical fruit. Bold fruit cocktail flavors ride bright Okanagan acidity and a varietally true viscosity. Pleasurable, long peach and honey finish. A go-to patio sipper. $18 cdn
River Aerie WA 2009 Gewürztraminer, Columbia Valley Off-dry. Scents of sweet apple, green melon, and dried straw are full and satisfying. Sweet on the tongue with ripe green melon, apricot, and apple flavors, surrounded by subtle notes of dried herbs and sweet spices. Warm in the mouth, with a soft and plush texture that seems to want some additional freshness. A wellconcentrated wine with good force of flavor, serve well chilled with Dungeness crab cakes. (196 cases made.) $16
w Rosé
ann & tony kischner’s
Bistro l retaei & n wi hop giftnsow ! open
open every day • lunch . dinner . sunday brunch 503.325.6777 • bridgewaterbistro.com • 20 basin street, astoria or
Though wine-knowledgeable consumers have long ago advanced beyond their suspicion of “pink” wines, the average wine buyer still sees these wines as pale imitations of “real” red wines. Too bad for them! Northwest rosé wines tend to be delightfully crisp, tart, and full of satisfying fruitiness.
Ghost Hill Cellars OR 2010 Pinot Noir, The Spirit of Pinot Noir, Bayliss-Bower Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton Inviting aromas of strawberry cream mixed with subtle tones of dried herbs and citrus peel. Punchy flavors of raspberries and red grapefruit are dry and tart, filling the mouth with pleasing fruitiness. There is a sense of heft to the wine thanks to the depth of the fruit, and lingering notes of melon rind and minerals give additional complexity. Great balance of acidity gives the wine energy, and the finish is forceful and lasting. A summery wine to pair with grilled salmon burgers. (95 cases made.) $18
Maysara OR 2010 Pinot Noir Rosé, Roseena, McMinnville Aromas of a summer garden
fOunded • 1811
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
combine notes of earth, warm herbs, and berries. Though the nose is relatively un-fruity, once the wine is in the mouth it almost explodes with energetic flavors of strawberries, raspberries, and a note reminiscent of biting into a juicy red apple. This wine has verve and style, with flavors made lively by healthy acidity. The finish is long and powerful, with well-sustained notes of fruit and a lingering citrus twang. A great warm day sipping wine! (5,000 cases made.) $16
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Montinore Estate OR 2010 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Subtle herby scents of crushed red fruits lead to clean and tart flavors of strawberries and cherries, unsullied by any significant ancillary notes, save perhaps a sense of tony minerality and maybe a touch of apple skin. The flavors are more pure and honorable than bold or raucous, but that makes for a rewarding style of straightforward, dry fruitiness with a long and fruity finish. $20
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Noir
The 2008 vintage of Oregon Pinot Noir has received lots of justifiably laudatory press, and it is still the dominant vintage available on wine shop shelves. A classically cool growing season allowed the grapes to develop slowly, maturing their varietal flavors easily and producing wines of elegance. The 2009 vintage now coming into the market is somewhat different, thanks to a much warmer growing season that often shows higher alcohols and extraction in the wines—much to the delight of many who prefer bigger Pinots.
Amalie Robert OR
River Stone BC
2008 Pinot Noir, Dijon Clones, Willamette Valley Aromas of dusty
2010 Malbec Rosé, Okanagan Valley Off-dry. Ruby pink color. Fragrant rose petal, strawberry, and sassafras aromas delight the nose. The fresh, softly textured palate offers oodles of black plum, black cherry, and spicy root beer flavors. Delightfully balanced interplay between refreshing acidity and sweet fruit. Tasty with a roast beef sandwich. (110 cases made.)
earth and red grape skins offer pretty flower blossom notes and a touch of cinnamon. Full-on sweet/tart flavors of raspberry and ripe cranberry are forward and lively on the palate. Accents of minerality, a touch of soap and talc, plus a floral overlay gives the wine dimension. Crisp acids and yielding tannins provide a healthy frame for the fruit. Though the body and texture are light and airy, the flavors are potent, and the wine finishes with echoes of fruit. Serve this with morel couscous and guinea hen. (192 cases made.) $40
$20 cdn
Anam Cara Cellars OR
Tantalus BC 2010 Rosé, Okanagan Valley VQA Dry. Watermelon pink color. A focused potpourri of red fruit scents with cinnamon. The tautly textured palate unleashes cranberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors amidst refreshing minerality. Engaging clove and cinnamon finish. The light, dry tannins provide food-friendly support. Superb with seared ahi tuna. (66% skin-contacted Pinot Meunier, 33% saignéed Pinot Noir; 230 cases made.) 22 cdn
2008 Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve, Chehalem Mountains Scents of dried spice and rich black cherry fruit combine with touches of molasses and forest floor for a savory and inviting nose. Punchy black cherry fruit has top notes of raspberry tartness and a floral undertone of dried rose petals. The fruit core is framed by an earthy minerality, with tones of dried herbs and freshly turned soil, creating an intriguing tension between sweet fruitiness and engaging sapidity. An organoleptically complex wine that offers absorbing layers of interest. Pair with rosemaryroasted duck breasts in a Pinot Noir reduction. (175 cases made.) $40
Seven of Hearts OR 2010 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Fresh aromas of crushed red fruits are enlivened by a distinct note of sweet spice on the nose, reminiscent of gingerbread, with a touch of minty freshness to boot. Nicely dry, the wine delivers tart flavors of cherry, pomegranate, and a touch of cranberry, along with mineral notes and a gentle sense of dried herbs. Full of flavor with a vibrant feel, the finish is exceptionally flavorful and vigorous. A substantial rosé that could easily complement a serving of cold salmon. (98 cases made.) $12
vintage value
domaine
trouvère tasting room now open in the heart of dundee above the red hills market
12 to 5 / Wednesday ~ Sunday
www.domainetrouvere.com / 115 Southwest Seventh, Dundee, Oregon
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est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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Beckham Estate Vineyard OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains Fragrant aromas of spice and rose blossom combine with subtle meaty tones on the complex and forward nose. Warm and expansive in the mouth, clean, tart flavors of strawberry and cherry combine with a foundation of earth and graphite/ mineral with a plush texture. Plenty of zesty acid highlights the red fruitiness, and a firm brace of dusty tannins provide a just-controlled-enough structure. The finish is long and drying, with plenty of furry tannins remaining. A solid Pinot Noir that delivers good fruit character in the lush and warm ’09 vintage style. Pair with lamb kebabs. (250 cases made.) $32
BlackCap Wine of Oregon OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Red fruit scents blend with notes of spice, browned leaves, raspberries, gentle pine nuances, and forest floor on the layered nose. Fresh and very focused cherry and raspberry flavors are remarkably clean, nicely tart, with a sweet edge of berry-ness. A subtle earth note creeps in on the mid-palate, adding a minerally, savory tone. Round and silky texture belie the crisp acidity that makes the fruit shine, while polished tannins are almost undetectable, yet provide enough spine for the wine to linger with force on the finish. A young wine that deserves a long life in the cellar to develop its fullest potential. If you do open it now, decant and give it plenty of time to open. Serve with duck confit. (504 cases made.) $45
stellar
selection
Elk Cove Vineyards OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Clay Court, Willamette Valley Lustrous carmine color. Subdued aromas take some moments to reveal themselves, but then display pretty floral notes of roses and lavender, cherry blossoms, and a subtle tint of spearmint. The wine washes the mouth with sweet cherry flavors that are quite forward and fresh, and also show a pleasing spiciness with minerality and earth tones. Excellent acidity counters the fruit sweetness, and very fine tannins add definition. The finish is long and flavorful. A very fruity Pinot Noir that would pair well with baconwrapped saddle of rabbit. (200 cases made.) $48
Elk Cove Vineyards OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Mount Richmond Voluble aromas of crushed dark cherries and raspberry leaves swirl amidst tones of pipe tobacco and cedar, with gentle notes of violets capping everything. In the mouth, lush flavors of black cherry fruit are bold and focused, yet restrained. Additional notes of licorice, heavily steeped black tea, cola, and cardamom provide intriguing spicy accents. There are noticeable tannins and the acidity is well balanced, creating a layered sense to the wine. Note: decanting will help open this wine, which is still a baby—but the better thing to do is lay down some bottles for additional maturity. (1,004 cases made.) $48
Luminous Hills OR 2009 Pinot Noir, Estate, Yamhill-Carlton District Red fruit aromas combine with notes of dried garden leaves, baking spices, and dried earth on the fully scented nose. Though relatively light in body, loads of black cherry flavors wash across the mouth with a silky texture. Bright with flavors and pleasingly sharp with acidity, plus additional notes of toasted spices and warm hummus providing an earthy foundation. Soft tannins are subtle but effective in adding body, and while the finish is aromatic and fresh feeling, there is some sense of hotness. Pair with squab stuffed with wild rice and prunes. (357 cases made.) $28
Quails’ Gate BC 2009 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley VQA Tangy red berries and earthy forest floor aromas charm the nose. Tart cherry and ripe raspberry flavors enliven the medium-bodied, savory-toned palate, while the spicy cinnamon stick finish lingers warmly. Matches well with a rosemary and garlic roasted chicken. $25 cdn
Sineann OR 2008 Pinot Noir, Wyeast Vineyard, Columbia Gorge Beautifully pure varietal aromas of Pinot Noir fruit are a welcoming introduction to this wine. Aromas develop in the glass with additional notes of caramel, earthy mushroom, and herbs, adding a savory/sweet complexity to the nose. Rich cherry fruit is well concentrated and presents a full-bore fruit-sweet character that sits easily on the palate. Molasses and a Dr. Pepper-like plum quality also develop, but the sense of fresh warm cherry prevails above all else. Silky and slightly viscous in texture, the wine has good weight, very fine and ripe tannins, well-balanced backing acidity, and a fresh and long-lasting finish. A delicious and substantial Pinot Noir to pair with a lamb pilaf. (450 cases made.) $42
St. Innocent Winery OR 2008 Pinot Noir, Shea Vineyard, YamhillCarlton Dense nose of herb-accented black raspberry and cherry fruit, with tones of caramel, toast, and earth. Expansive flavors of sweet blackberry and black raspberry fruit wash easily across the tongue, carrying with them notes of graham, cola, and dried herbs. Silky up front, but with distinct and relatively sharp tannins and bright acidity. The youth of this wine is apparent: everything is tasty and delightful on its own, but the whole has yet to meld harmoniously. Additional cellaring of 3–5 years should bring out its full potential. (656 cases made.) $42
w Syrah stellar
selection
Eastern Washington and British Columbia’s South Okanagan Valley are proving to be prime sources for quality Syrah, with southern Oregon beginning to shine also. The warmer climate produces rich wines with plenty of character, without becoming overly ripe and flabby. Still, the variety is young in the region, and the best vineyard sites are probably still awaiting discovery.
Bergevin Lane Vineyards WA 2008 Syrah, The Princess, Francisca’s Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley Smoky meat and spice scents intertwine with crushed plum and blackberry fruits, plus freshly ground black pepper and a sense of pencil shavings, all combine to create a muscular nose. A viscous and velvety texture delivers concentrated blackberry and boysenberry jam flavors that are both deep and broad on the palate. A tinge of tar, a hint of mint, and a dusting of cocoa give the almost piercing fruitiness additional depths. The tannins are very soft and unobtrusive, and while it could perhaps use a touch more acidity, the depth of flavor will be very appealing. Not quite a “fruit bomb”—but very close—this meaty Syrah would pair best with a similarly brawny dish, perhaps a beef daube or slow-cooked lamb casserole. (150 cases made.) $52 48
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
www.northwestpalate.com
Crayelle Cellars WA 2008 Syrah, Washington State Lush and sweet-smelling plum and black raspberry fruit has a definite verve on the nose, with accents of spring flower blossoms. Forward and fruity on the palate, the flavors of black raspberry and blackberry fruit are clean and sweet/tart without being rowdy or overbearing. Notes of flint and mineral add complexity, while a floral top note echoes through the long finish. Beautifully balanced acidity gives a taut feel to the fruit, while refined tannins add to the sense of stylish restraint. An elegant Syrah to pair nicely with osso buco or to lay down in the cellar for additional maturity. (80 cases made.) $25
Cave B WA 2008 Syrah, Cave B Vineyards, Columbia Valley Plummy scents of red and black fruits are clean and seem to gather force with time in the glass, also developing some pretty floral qualities and a gentle overlay of earth. Quite fruit-sweet on the attack, with red-toned fruit flavors reminiscent of cherry and even strawberry. The floral qualities of the nose appear on the mid-palate as tones of rose petals, leading to an aromatic finish full of red fruit characters. Soft tannins and bright acidity make for a juicy and very red-fruited mouthful. Pair with peppercorn-crusted filet mignon. (288 cases made.) $25
Dusted Valley WA 2008 Syrah, Tall Tales, Walla Walla Valley
®
Wines true to the soil Wines true to the vintage® Shortly after attending the Pinot Noir auction, Dena and Ernie began their search for the last best place to grow Pinot Noir. It was the spring of 1999, when we discovered our 30 acre Pinot Noir vineyard. It was hiding under an old cherry orchard in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley. As we continue to steward the land and tend the vines, we have unearthed another gift from our vineyard - presenting Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay.
stellar
Understated, but quite attractive, scents of blackberry and black raspberry fruits mingle with notes of graphite, minerals, and herbs, with a touch of cola. Nicely restrained in the mouth, flavors of black cherry and slightly underripe blackberry are well framed by good acidity and gentle tannins. Additional notes of violet flowers combine with a sense of dry garden soil to create an interesting tension. The fruit flavors are well sustained through the soft finish. This is an admirably unostentatious Syrah that would pair nicely with a wild boar ragù and pasta—or cellar for 3–5 more years. (175 cases made.) $53
selection
Heirloom Cameo is our response to the greatness of White Burgundy. So few white wines can provide beauty and intrigue upon release, and then gracefully develop nuance and character. Our approach to this wine is a gentle touch, where we seek balance, depth, elegance and complexity. The name is derived from several cameos that were passed through the generations to Dena. – 93 points Wine and Spirits Magazine, October 2011
Estate Selection is Ernie’s barrel selection and is often described as the big brother of Amalie’s Cuvée. It has more breadth in the mid-palate and firmer structure in the finish. However, the blend has to have Dena’s approval. When asked about the blending process, Ernie is quick to point out “She has veto power.” This wine is the “his” in the “Hers and His” effort. - 93 points Wine and Spirits Magazine, October 2011
Willow Crest WA 2006 Syrah, Yakima Valley Spicy and peppery aromas at first compete with the raspberry and blackberry scents on the nose, but with swirling the fruit moves forward and adds an uplifting floral quality. Supple red raspberry and cherry flavors are full and forward with plenty of fruit sweetness. A gentle sense of dried leaf is contrasted by floral violet notes, but in the end the lively red fruit dominates the entire tasting experience. Bright acidity enhances the fruit, and though there are ample and somewhat drying tannins, it is still the almost exuberant red fruit character that remains. A relatively simple Syrah perfect for a summer picnic of cold cuts and smoked chicken. $16
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The Reserve is what happens when we work together. The winemaking philosophy behind this wine is sheer simplicity. We each choose our favorite barrel and that is The Reserve. - 93 points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/August 2011
All of our wines are 100% estate grown and bottled. Our winemaking style is traditional, with indigenous yeast, whole cluster fermentations and extended barrel aging. We believe in “Winemaking: the continuation of terroir by other means.” ™
To learn about Amalie Robert Estate, reserve your tasting appointment, or join the a-list, please visit our website: WWW.AMALIEROBERT.COM
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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w Red
Blends
mouth. On the finish, a pleasing strawberry jamlike flavor lingers. Still feeling young and tightly wound, I would cellar this Rhône-style blend for another 1–3 years. (53% Mourvèdre, 35% Grenache, 12% Syrah; 997 cases made.) $20
Northwest red blends are among the best wines made in the region. These wines reflect the skills of the winemaker as he or she weaves different varieties and sites into a harmonious wine that reflects both their vision and the character of each vintage.
Bergevin Lane Vineyards WA 2007 Red Wine, Intuition, Reserve, Columbia Valley Spicy aromas show hints of cedar, boysenberry, lavender, and hummus with an overlay of smoke and toast. An immediate sense of lean and punchy boysenberry and cherry flavors is too quickly overtaken by dusty tannins, lending a slightly out-of-balance sense to the wine. Subsequent sips show a pleasing violet nuance as well as tones of black tea and eucalyptus. Good acidity makes the wine bright and fresh, but plenty of lingering tannins give the finish a touch of astringency. This is a complex wine with lots of character—cellar for an additional 3–5 years. (67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc; 150 cases made.) $59
2008 Red Wine, Windthrow, Columbia Valley Meaty aromas of blackberry and black raspberry fruit swirl with subtle peppery qualities and flowery rose and violet notes. Surprisingly light-footed in the mouth, juicy flavors of blackberry, red plum, and a touch of strawberry are pert on the palate, thanks to a generous acidity, which also gives the wine a lissome quality. The fruit has a ripe and appealing quality, with slight overtones of white pepper and green olive. The finish is warming, with gentle tannins and a lingering floral aspect. A pleasing wine to accompany the rather recherché dish of calf’s liver and sweet Walla Walla onions. (36% Syrah, 29% Mourvèdre, 18% Counoise, 16% Grenache; 110 cases made.) $50
Burrowing Owl BC 2008 Meritage, Okanagan Valley VQA Fragrant cassis, black plum, and chocolate spice aromas delight. Rich mocha and blackberry flavors balance well on the lively mouthfeel. Complexity emerges on the tobacco and coffee bean finish. Aerate well now to soften tannins, or cellar over next 6 years to round it out. (50% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot; 969 cases made.) $45 cdn
Chateau Ste. Michelle WA
Cadaretta WA
Chateau Ste. Michelle WA 2008 Red Wine, Austral, Limited Release, Columbia Valley Pretty aromas of crushed red
2008 Red Wine, Boreal, Limited Release, Columbia Valley Expansive aromas of black fruits, cocoa powder, lavender, and dried herbs are quite full and forward. Supple on the tongue with deep flavors of plum and blackberry fruit, a touch of ground black pepper, and gentle hints of leather and earth. Tremendously soft and plush in texture, with plenty of warming fruitiness and incredibly polished and subtle tannins, this is a succulent wine with lots of character that will mature nicely in the bottle. (93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; 847 cases made.) $30
cherries and plums with a light dusting of barrel spice, a touch of caramel and cinnamon. Plump berry fruitiness is surrounded by soft tones of barrel toast and baking spices. Medium bodied and well balanced, this wine is long on the palate and offers definite tannins that coat the
opening october 2011 in the dundee hills
ESTATE VINEYARD AND WINERY
OPENING IN DUNDEE OCTOBER 2011
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12001 NORTHEAST WORDEN HILL RD |
CURRENTLY TASTING AT ALEXANA WINERY
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116 WEST MAIN STREET
T: 503 852 3013
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WWW.ALEXANAWINERY.COM
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
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DUNDEE |
CARLTON
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OREGON 97132
OREGON 97111
www.northwestpalate.com
Columbia Crest WA 2008 Red Blend, Grand Estates, Amitage, Columbia Valley Blueberry and blackberry fruit scents combine with pine, rosemary, and smoke to produce a layered nose. The attack features lush plum and blackberry flavors with accents of blue fruits, smoke, a touch of tar, and sage. The flavors are bright and full, though distinct tannin structure becomes quickly apparent, and continues well into the long finish; even so, the finish sustains plenty of fruitiness. An excellent wine to pair with any kind of backyard barbecued meats. (64% Merlot, 19% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4.5% Malbec, 5.5% Cabernet Sauvignon.) $12
WOOD WARD CANY ON WOODW CANYON
vintage
Est. 1981
value
tasting room open daily Celebrating 30 Years!
Tasting room open daily. www.elkcove.com open 24-7.
You are welcome anytime.
ALSO OFFERING PRIVATE TASTINGS BY APPOINTMENT
11920 W. Hwy 12, Lowden Walla Walla Valley
Kana Winery WA 2007 Red Wine, Dark Star, Yakima Valley Scents of red fruits with a subtle earthy quality and notes of dried herbs. Supple flavors of black raspberry with a pleasing sweetish cast are complemented by background notes of mocha and espresso. Good acidity imparts a light feel, and polished tannins are subtle. The finish is persistent, with good fruit length and bright freshness. A tasty and uncomplicated wine perfect for serving with hamburgers. (90% Syrah, 5% Tempranillo, 5% Grenache; 320 cases made.) $20
27751 NW Olson Rd. Gaston, OR 97119 877-ELKCOVE
www.woodwardcanyon.com 509-525-4129
n ’s orkreeepggto ec’ r osn
s ets o best best kept secrets SILVER FALLS STATE PARK OREGON GARDEN
& Wine tasting in silverton Oregon’s Coolest Small town!
historic wolf building 201 E. Main St. • Silverton, OR
Enjoy fine wines, artisan cheeses & breads, and tasty charcuterie
2007 Red Wine, Old Vines, Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley
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Start your Labor Day Wine Country Adventure with us ! Sept 3-5: 11am to 7pm
Kana Winery WA Attractive, medium-to-lightly hued rosy red color. Full aromas of caramel-dipped cherries with a drizzle of chocolate. Sweet cherry and raspberry flavors are carried on a supple texture and at first appear rather soft—perhaps accentuated by distinct chocolate notes in the background. But soon sufficient acidity and noticeable, but never in the way, tannins lift the wine above mere fruitiness. An easy drinking wine with plenty of fruitsweet character, this would pair well with duck confit. (198 cases made.) $18
Finely Crafted Small Batch Wines
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614 E. 1st strEEt, NEwbErg, Or. 97132 • 503.537.2094 artisanalwinecellars.com
est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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McWatters Collection BC 2007 Meritage, Okanagan Valley VQA
SeriouS Pinot. not So SeriouS PeoPle.
Visit us in the Chehalem Mtns, only 30 min from Portland. Open Fridays & Saturdays 11 am to 4 pm and by appointment
SAMPLE OUR “coolest, cool climate varietals” Daily from 11am-5pm 345 FIRST STREET, ELKTON BRANDBORGWINE.COM
9995 N.E. ParrEtt MtN rd. NEwbErg, Or 97132 • 503-554-0721 JKCarriere.Com
Harry McWatters, an Okanagan wine pioneer and long-time Meritage maker, is back with his own label. Fragrant blackcurrant and fresh sage aromas are backed by raspberry notes. Black fruit flavors thrive upfront while lively red berries and tobacco notes linger on the spicier backend. Lively acidity and velvety tannins make this a pleasure to drink. Chocolate and raspberry notes delight on the finish. Decant for a rib-eye steak. (60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc; 500 cases made.) $25 cdn
San Juan Island Vineyards WA 2008 Red Wine, Destiny Ridge Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills Aromas of tomato leaf and red fruits speak of Cabernet Franc in the blend, with ancillary notes of cedar. Initial sweet cherry fruitiness with cola accents becomes more tart on the mid-palate, finishing with a sense of sourness. The wine has a soft texture, but good tannin structure—and enough acidity—to give a tart and bright feel to the fruit. This is a good wine for afternoon drinking around the barbecue grill. (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot; 143 cases made.) $19
Sinclair Estate Vineyards WA 2008 Red Wine, Vixen, Columbia Valley Cherry
VISIT OUR TASTING ROOM IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN MCMINNVILLE
581 NE 3rd Street www.twelvewine.com 503.435.1212 52
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
and cassis fruit aromas are accented by subtle notes of cinnamon. As the wine opens in the glass, pretty perfumed floral notes emerge. It has a supple texture with plenty of plush blackberry and black raspberry flavors that are well focused and satisfying. Accents of vanilla and cola, plus some cinnamon spice, give the fruit interesting dimensions beyond simple fruitiness. Silky tannins and wellbalanced acidity give the wine a very evenhanded feel, good depth, and all the elements are nicely integrated. Serve with Moroccan lamb and Washington lentils. (46% Mourvèdre, 19% Syrah, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Grenache, 7% Merlot, 4% Malbec; 538 cases made.) $45
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The Seasonal chef Dungeness Crab Cakes Recipe by Jamie Kennedy Serves 6
Mashed potatoes add a plush texture to these pillowy cakes made with fresh-caught Dungeness crab. Perhaps it’s no coincidence: about the same time Kennedy was awarded the Order of Canada, Dungeness crab was certified in Oregon as a sustainable seafood choice by the Marine Stewardship Council. Dungeness crab is also rated as “recommended” by British Columbia’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood organization.
By Peter Szymczak
Lauded chef Jamie Kennedy dishes up his version of sweet—and sustainable— Dungeness crab cakes. He shared the recipe during a recent journey west from his home base in Toronto. The lure? A fishing and foraging excursion on Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), off the northwest coast of British Columbia.
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• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • ½ cup finely chopped onion • ½ cup finely chopped celery • 1 pound Dungeness crab meat Canadian chef Jamie Kennedy has built his career as a chef on using local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. He’s the owner of two restaurants in Toronto (Gilead Café & Bistro, and Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner Café) and was recently awarded an Order of Canada for his influence on Canadian cuisine.
“B
• 2 eggs • ½ cup mayonnaise • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce • Hot pepper sauce, to taste • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
photos by Peter szymczak
ringing up traps full of spot prawns and pots full of crabs...Reeling in a salmon...Just being at the source of where the food comes from, the provenance...Some cooks cook for 30 years and never see this,” muses Jamie Kennedy while gazing out on the ocean. “It’s just incredible.” Chef Kennedy hails from the land-on-the-lake Niagara region of Ontario in midwest Canada, but his style of cooking is right at home in the Northwest. He’s one of the pioneering chefs of the locavore food movement in Toronto. During his 30-plus-year career as a chef, he’s co-founded Knives and Forks, an early effort in the food movement set up to encourage farm-to-table practices and foster relationships between farmers and chefs. He has owned and operated a series of successful eateries, inspired a new generation of chefs, and been an active voice in the Slow Food community and an exponent for the use of local food. He was recently awarded the Order of Canada “for his promotion of Canadian cuisine and the use of organic, sustainable, and locally sourced foods.” Kennedy visited Haida Gwaii this past July to fish, to cook, and to demonstrate his farm-, or in this case ocean-to-table cooking philosophy. Haida Gwaii is an archipelago consisting of about 150 islands off the Northwest coast of British Columbia, and home to several premiere fishing lodges, including The Outpost (888-432-6666, www.westcoastfishingclub.com/the-outpost) on the remote west coast of Graham Island. The Outpost hosts culinary expeditions with chefs such as Kennedy and David Hawksworth (see page 10) during the fishing season, which runs annually from around late May or early June to September. This year the ocean was abundant with Chinook—even tyees, salmon in excess of 30 pounds—and Coho, as well as halibut, rockfish, and ling cod. Kennedy was amazed at the food to be gathered. Just by wandering the shore, he and the guests on the fishing and foraging expedition found clams, mussels, scallops, and seaweed. In addition to crab cakes, he served diver scallops, uni (sea urchin), and horse clams. “They’re so sweet,” he said. “The bounty here is phenomenal.”
september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
• ¹/³ cup mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley • ½ cup all-purpose flour • 2 eggs, beaten • 2 cups panko (or dry white bread crumbs) • Sunflower oil, as needed Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Sauté until tender, about 3 or 4 minutes, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the crab, mashed potatoes, and eggs. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Add to the crab mixture and stir until well combined. Form crab mixture into 6 cakes, approximately 1-inch thick. Lightly coat cakes with flour, and dip in beaten eggs. Coat with breadcrumbs and place on a plate. Chill the cakes for 1–3 hours before frying. In a large heavy skillet, pour in enough sunflower oil until the level of the oil is ½-inch deep, and heat to 375˚F (190˚C). Carefully place the chilled crab cakes into the oil and cook until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan; cook in batches, if necessary. After removing the crab cakes from the skillet, place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve warm as an appetizer, or add a side of fresh salad greens for a light meal.
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• Champagne Reception • Regional Cuisine & Regional Wines provided by
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est. 1987 | Northwest Palate | september/october 2011
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Š2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA 98072
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september/october 2011 | Northwest Palate | est. 1987
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