Wine Press Northwest Winter 2011/2012 issue

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WINE PRESS N O R T H W E S T

FEATURES

30 Boise, a wine lover’s guide There are plenty of places for wine lovers to visit while in the Idaho capital.

42 David Adelsheim Longtime Oregon winemaker celebrates 40 years in amid vines.

50 Platinum Awards Find out which gold medal wines went on to receive Platinum awards in our annual Best of the Best in the Great Northwest competition.

64 Gourmet To Go Andrae’s Kitchen in Walla Walla serves up wine-friendly cuisine through a take-out window.

DEPARTMENTS 6 Wine Nose Vision, food will drive NW wine

8 A Distant Perspective Riesling key to Washington’s reputation

10 Northwest Edge Oils make most out of wine grapes

12 Swirl, Sniff & Sip 2011 shaping up as miracle vintage

COVER STORY On the cover: The Idaho Capitol building in Boise has undergone major restoration efforts in recent years.

This page: The Boise Depot was once a stop on the Union Pacific Railroad Company’s line. Now it’s a museum and event venue.

Story begins on Page 30.

Photos by Jackie Johnston

14 Urban Sips 12 steps, 9 hats and a crazy aunt

16 Poet Laureate Beyond the Crush

18 21 22 74

10 Things to Do Northwest Wine Events Northwest Wine News Grapes of Roth So you want to be a wine judge

Vol. 14, No. 4

Winter 2011/2012

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WINE PRESS N O R T H W E S T

Wine Press Northwest is for those with an interest in wine — from the novice to the veteran. We focus on Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia’s talented winemakers and the wineries, vintners and restaurants that showcase Northwest wines. We are dedicated to all who savor the fruits of their labor.

Publisher: Gregg McConnell Editor-in-chief: Andy Perdue Phone: 509-582-1405 Fax: 509-585-7221 E-mail: editor@winepressnw.com Managing editor: Eric Degerman Phone: 509-582-1404 Fax: 509-585-7221 E-mail: edegerman@winepressnw.com Salish Sea correspondent: Jon Bauer Tasting panel: Winnie Alberg, Kristine Bono, Kate Michaud, Justin Michaud, Mike Rader, Ken Robertson, Coke Roth, Dave Seaver, Paul Sinclair, Eric Degerman, Andy Perdue Master facilitator: Hank Sauer Facilitator: Daniel Skorski Page designer: Jackie Johnston Columnists: Jon Bauer, Dan Berger, Teri Citterman, Braiden Rex-Johnson, Ken Robertson, Coke Roth Poet laureate: Jordan Chaney Contributing photographer: Jackie Johnston Ad sales: Parker Hodge, 509-585-7257 E-mail: phodge@tricityherald.com To subscribe: Subscriptions cost $20 U.S. per year for four issues. Mail check, money order or credit card number and expiration date to address below or subscribe securely on our Web site.

Subscriptions and customer service: Hildanna Gerlach, 800-538-5619 e-mail: info@winepressnw.com Letters to the editor: We encourage your thoughts and comments about our publication and about Northwest wines in general. Write to us at the address below.

Fresh Press: Find fresh reviews of recently released Northwest wines. The free weekly PDF can be downloaded at winepressnw.com/freshpress Free weekly newsletter: Sign up for our free Pacific Northwest Wine of the Week e-mail newsletter at winepressnw.com Address: 333 W. Canal Drive Kennewick, WA 99336 © 2011 Wine Press Northwest A Tri-City Herald publication W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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the wine knows

BY ANDY PERDUE

Vision, food will drive NW wine

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ince returning to the family winery in 1997, John Bookwalter has constantly been pushing himself and reinventing the business his parents started in 1983. In these fast-changing times, Bookwalter has shown how creatively disrupting himself not only launches him forward but also can drag along a region and an industry that is, at times, reluctant to follow.

Eight years ago, Bookwalter changed his tasting room to a sit-down affair. The idea was get people to slow down and enjoy the wine, rather than belly up to a bar and taste quickly before moving on to the next winery. He knew that if he could slow the pace, he should be able to provide a better experience for wine lovers. That experience would be more likely to turn them into fans.

He brought in couches and overstuffed chairs, redecorated the winery and basically changed the atmosphere into something more relaxed. Soon, he began to offer cheese plates and other small bites. He stayed open later (most wineries close at 5 or 6 p.m.) and offered live music four nights a week.

This fall, Bookwalter took his business to a whole different level by basically turning his winery into a restaurant, called J. Bistro. He has hired Kristin Swaggart, a young chef who has already garnered regional and national acclaim and whose focus is on keeping her ingredients as fresh and local as possible.

“Farm to table” has become a nice catch-phrase in the last couple of years, signifying a shift by chefs who want to create an experience that is uniquely local. Bookwalter is especially excited about what he and Swaggart will be able to accomplish in the heart of Washington’s Columbia Valley, which happens to be one of the most diverse agricultural regions anywhere.

“I think we’re as well positioned as any community in the country,” he said confidently.

In the spring, Bookwalter will put in some raised beds behind the winery to give Swaggart even more options for fresh herbs and vegetables.

Creating a restaurant inside a winery is nothing new in the Pacific Northwest. Wineries in British Columbia have been doing this for the better part of a decade, with about two dozen in operation seasonally or year-round. Washington was a bit behind in this area but has been catching up in a hurry, thanks to several wineries around Lake Chelan, as well as Cave B in George, Chateau Faire Le Pont in Wenatchee, Westport in Aberdeen and Tagaris, which is a neighbor to Bookwalter. Oregon has also begun to take advantage of the trend, with such wineries as Cana’s Feast and King Estate among those jumping in early.

Bookwalter sees it as a natural extension to his business. In fact, he thinks it is much easier for a winery to open a restaurant than just about anybody. In his case, he already has the infrastructure of a modest commercial kitchen, a staff that is 6

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focused on service and, of course, a built-in wine list. His main additional cost is kitchen staff.

“There is an opportunity for all of us to become food based,” he said of the Washington wine industry. “Lodging, food and wine: These are the three things that drive wine tourism.”

The quality of Northwest wine is no longer in doubt, thanks to the industry’s growth and accolades at regional, national and global levels. With that, the quality of the winery buildings themselves have improved dramatically. Look at Kiona and Col Solare on Red Mountain, Bookwalter says, or Cave B. The culinary experience now needs to catch up with the quality of the wines, especially in the wide-open Columbia Valley.

Because the foundation of the Washington wine industry in the ’70s and ’80s was based on agriculture rather than tourism, the experience has been genuine but not always tourism-friendly, lacking in high-quality restaurants and lodging.

But that is quickly changing, thanks to folks like Bookwalter. Eight years ago, he turned his business upside down by creating the coffee lounge atmosphere. Today in the Tri-Cities — a community of more than 200,000 people — Bookwalter is a go-to spot for people who want to get together for a glass of wine or an informal meeting. Eight years ago, he was the first to have a winery that was comfortable and relaxing to just hang out in. Eight years ago, some in the industry probably thought he was a bit crazy. Now, he’s seen as a pioneer.

And don’t think for a second that Bookwalter plans to stand still and admire what he has accomplished. That’s not in his DNA. His winery sits on 10 acres of land. When the winery was built and five acres of wine grapes were planted, there wasn’t much nearby. Now, he’s surrounded by shopping centers and housing developments, and an interstate exit feeds a steady stream of cars right past the turnoff to his winery. There are five wineries within a mile.

Bookwalter has started to take out some of the vines because, frankly, the location isn’t good for growing grapes — “It’s a great spot to tell when everyone else will get frosted,” he quipped — and the best use is as a wine-and-food campus.

He’s added bocce courts and created an outdoor event area with additional parking. He has plenty of room to expand without having to purchase an extra square inch of land.

Bookwalter has been running the family winery for nearly 15 years now, and his reality is finally catching up with his vision. Expect that kind of vision to drive the Northwest wine industry forward.

ANDY PERDUE is editor-in-chief of Wine Press Northwest.

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a distant perspective

BY DAN BERGER

Riesling key to Washington’s reputation

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ld World wine areas are often defined by the grapes that are legally permitted to grow in each region.

There may be a vine or two of Syrah in Burgundy, but the red wine of the district is, by law, Pinot Noir.

Thus does the word terroir take on a vital meaning. We acknowledge the style differences between a Savigny-lesBeaunes and a Gevrey-Chambertin, and we cherish the differences. This doesn’t encourage people to compare them.

New World wine regions are thus left with an image issue.

Is our terroir (we assume we have such a thing, too) as important as those they have in Europe?

Among the problem of defining terroir here is the rather haphazard way we permit wine grapes to grow. As democratic as we are, we allow anyone to plant anything anywhere they please, leaving the entire idea of terroir up to interpretation.

Where is this going? It’s about the future of Washington as a world-recognized wine-growing region. And it starts with others that have already achieved that global image. Like Bordeaux, Napa Valley, certain regions of Australia, Marlborough, Barolo, Tuscany and a half-dozen more.

Most such exalted images were built, first, on one grape’s ultimate success, and then on the fact that other wines began to take hold as exemplary and worth paying attention to.

Napa started with success with Cabernet Sauvignon and then gained recognition for other wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and even Petite Sirah.

Washington, however, sits at a crossroads.

To be sure, those who have followed the success of the state as a world-class wine producer would argue (with a great deal of justification) that Merlot is the state’s top grape variety. So many superb examples of it have been offered to the world in the last 25 years that almost no one who knows the Washington wine industry would deny the vital importance of that grape.

You could also make a case for the iconic-ness of Cabernet, another for Meritage-type wines, for Syrah, and so forth.

But for me, the greatest achievement of Washington as a wine-producing state thus far has been the astonishing success across the board of Riesling.

A few winemakers know this (others do not), but more image-building for Washington has been done with this Germanic grape than ever could be achieved by any red wine. And there are good reasons for that.

As great as many Washington red wines are, there are loads of pricier competitors, and as scores are being handed out, many of the scoring publications take into account the price when they finally settle on a number. (Yes, they do!)

And the one area that has pushed Washington into the 8

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world’s spotlight is Riesling, irrespective of price.

To that point, a tale that shocked world Riesling experts: At a Riesling conference staged by Chateau Ste. Michelle a couple of years ago in Woodinville, a blind tasting of dry Rieslings was staged for all attendees. Not even the winemakers, who were on the dais, knew which wine was which.

At one point, one wine was highly praised by a lot of the attendees including German winemakers for the astounding varietal character and its unique terroir that gave the wine a distinctive character that simply couldn’t be European. And no Australian claimed it.

But Wendy Stuckey of the host winery knew it was her wine. No big deal. She is a skilled taster. There were a lot of excellent wines on the dais.

What was a shock was when someone asked the price of the wine. Most of the other Rieslings had been in the $25-$40 range. Stuckey, almost embarrassed by the question, said the wine sells for $10 and can be found for $6.99.

So to answer the obvious, unspoken question: Washington’s future as a great wine-growing region must start with this simple fact: Riesling is a great grape far more worthy of accolades than it has ever gotten, and Washington (along with a few other still yet-to-be-fully-recognized wine regions) can compete with the best.

How many people get it? Thus far, not many. Even the image-builders in the glossy wine magazine game don’t often get the fact that what’s happening in the Pacific Northwest with Riesling is a dramatic move worthy of attention.

At the moment, however, we have a chicken-and-egg question regarding the greatness of Washington Riesling. The fact that a wine that is as great, in the view of dozens of the world’s Riesling experts, as a Ste. Michelle Riesling could sell for $10 a bottle almost begs the question.

Why is this wine priced the way it is? Because Ste. Michelle can make more than 1 million cases of it, it is all superb, but thus far the U.S. consumer has yet to discover its greatness.

And to raise the price to indicate its quality would merely reduce its sales. Significant promotion of Riesling as a worldclass grape could help. So can promotions such as this past year’s Summer of Riesling.

Until Americans get Riesling, however, Washington will have to limp along making outrageously great Riesling that sells for a fraction of what it ought to.

DAN BERGER is a nationally renowned wine writer who lives in Santa Rosa, Calif. He publishes a weekly commentary Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences (VintageExperiences.com).

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northwest edge

BY BRAIDEN REX-JOHNSON

Oils make most out of wine grapes

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s those of us who dutifully recycle our wine bottles, (technically called “press cake”) after the oil is released. I compost our kitchen scraps and drive fuel-efficient cars can’t wait to incorporate these gluten-free flours into my well know, it’s not easy being green. baked goods for added color, texture and unique flavors, not But one Yakima Valley company is taking what many might to mention healthful antioxidants. consider trash — the pomace, or crushed seeds, skins and AprèsVin was started in 2007 as a “retirement project” by stems left over after grapes are pressed to make wine — and the husband-wife team of Eric Leber, 62, and Lori Ramonas, turning it into a culinary treasure.

60, who met as first-year graduate chemistry students at Yale AprèsVin, which translates from French as “after the wine,” University. is a small, family-owned business that produces an amazing It seems destined that Leber, a Washington native and array of pure varietal grape-seed oils and flours. The process retired chemistry professor, would somehow end up working begins when wine pomace is collected from select wineries closely with winemakers. His father, Ted Leber, was one of in Eastern Washington. The seeds are carefully separated, the original 10 Associated Vintners. dried and cold-pressed This group of amateur winemakers in European expeller produced the first premium varietal presses to produce wines in Washington in the 1960s, healthy grape-seed oils and the winery was the predecessor (high in antioxidants, of Columbia Winery. The swirly “AV” vitamin E and phytoon AprèsVin’s labels is the same logo chemicals) with disthat first appeared on AV’s wine bottinct colors and flavors tles. that mirror the wine On the company’s comprehensive varieties from which website you’ll find creative uses for they’re produced. each oil. Add the Chipotle Merlot oil Think Riesling oil to salsa for a fiery kick, or whisk it With the holidays fast approaching, one of AprèsVin’s colorwith light, grassy, citrus into vinaigrette to pair with fatty fish, ful gift packs would make a tasty and thoughtful gift. notes, while the such as wild Northwest salmon.

Chardonnay flavor Enticing recipes such as Sunnyside skews buttery, round and creamy. Merlot is bolder, with disChardonnay Biscuits or Merlot-Kissed Crab Cakes with Lime tinct dark cherry, cocoa and Scotchlike flavors; Cabernet Riesling Aïoli abound.

Sauvignon is darker and even more hearty. The cleverly But I was particularly taken with the recipe for Biscotti named Mélange à Trois blends Chardonnay, Merlot and Vino, the traditional Italian dunking cookie updated with the Cabernet Sauvignon oils. addition of both AprèsVin Cabernet Sauvignon Grape-Seed In addition to the single-varietal oils and blends, AprèsVin Oil and Flour and flavored with fresh thyme, red-pepper makes infused varieties such as Lime Riesling and Roasted flakes and lemon peel.

Garlic Chardonnay (the company’s two most popular flaImagine pairing this savory biscuit with a bracing glass of vors).

Northwest Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris.

The Chardonnay Fumé flavor is smoked over Chardonnay AprèsVin’s 12.7 ounce bottles run $25. Call 509-531-1293 or grape vines. go to www.apresvin.com. The products also are available in I was particularly taken with the Chipotle Merlot oil, which select Washington and Oregon QFC stores; at specialty stores goes down mild and fruity, then develops a definite back-ofand wineries in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and the-throat burn. Same sensory experience with the luscious California; at the Prosser, Richland and Walla Walla farmers Cabernet Poivré, flavored with black pepper. It’d be great markets and Oil & Vinegar stores nationwide. drizzled over a prime cut of charred-on-the-outside/rare-inIt’s easy being green with AprèsVin products — good for the-middle filet mignon. the earth, good for your health, good for local wineries — Use the oils as you would a fine extra-virgin olive oil, at and good tasting to boot! room temperature in dips, vinaigrettes, marinades and sauces. With its high smoke point, grape-seed oil is perfect for sautéing, stir-frying and grilling.

Braiden Rex-Johnson is a Seattle-based cookbook author, Grape-seed flour — in flavors of Riesling, Chardonnay, food-and-wine columnist and blogger. Visit her online at Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon — is another byproduct of www.WithBraiden.com. the pomace, milled from the compressed grape-seed solids 10

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swirl, sniff & sip

BY KEN ROBERTSON

2011 shapes up as miracle vintage Throughout late summer and fall visits to the region’s wineries, I regularly heard wine industry officials fretting over the cool year and a harvest they anticipated would be of lesser quality and quantity. Now they’re starting to talk as if they expect the 2011 vintage to offer some excellent wines. What happened?

Growers and winemakers, despite hoping for warmer weather, knew early on they would face trouble in late summer and fall. For example, when my wife and I visited Victoria, B.C., during the third week of July, we saw vineyards where the newly formed grapes were BB size and smaller, and some vines still did not have much fruit set.

Pat Spangler of Spangler Vineyards in Southern Oregon’s Umpqua Valley said in his area near Roseburg, he counted 22 days in 2009 when the temperature reached past 100 degrees, with a high of 112. In 2011, there were only six days over 100 degrees, with five of those days all clustered in a short eight- or nine-day period.

Observations like Spangler’s convinced many in the industry that they had to change their strategies for the 2011 harvest. Their tactics included dropping a substantial part of their fruit — up to 40 percent, he said.

The decision had to be made early, with the lesser clusters coming off soon after veraison, when the bright green grapes begin to turn color. “If you don’t do it early enough, it’s of no particular value,” said Rob Griffin, owner and winemaker at Barnard Griffin in Richland, Wash.

Growers also stripped more leaves from the vines than usual to expose the remaining grapes to more heat and sunlight. In a warm year, those leaves stay on to protect the grapes from too much sun. Those who didn’t take tough measures to help their grapes ripen later found wineries refused to take tons and tons of grapes that did not make their quality standards, several winemakers across the region told me.

“I rejected a lot of fruit,” Spangler said, noting one batch of Malbec he was watching simply stuck at 19 brix and was unusable for his red wine program.

Spangler and his Umpqua Valley neighbor Stephen Reustle of Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards both also sprayed nutrients onto their vines that helped raise sugar and improve pH levels. For Spangler, that bumped some Cabernet Sauvignon from “on the edge” to satisfactory levels.

“If you didn’t do the work in the vineyard, you could end up with a lot of unripe grapes,” he added.

Still, “we let this stuff hang and hang and hang,” he said, echoing what other winemakers around the region reported.

That doesn’t mean the winemakers will have an easy job as they craft the 2011 vintage, said Griffin, who started making wines in Washington in 1977.

“It will take craft and attention this year,” the veteran winemaker added. Folks who are used to making big, fat wines and have little experience with anything else “could be in trouble.”

“People will have to think a little bit,” he said.

Those who do the job right will be rewarded because in 12

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the white wine grapes of 2011, he has seen excellent fruit and really good structure. And he believes the Merlot will be very good as well. The Cabernet Sauvignon looks a little green and will require careful handling.

Spangler said he’ll work to minimize the green tannins from the grape seeds, which aren’t as ripe this year, and replace it with more mellow tannins from judicious use of oak. Keeping fermentation temperatures down and careful blending with the other Bordeaux varieties also will help.

Among the positives that winemakers see from the cooler year — more aromatics and floral notes, plus higher acids that will make the wines of 2011 long lived and offer greater aging potential. The vintage will not be producing high-alcohol fruit bombs that lose their luster in just a few years.

Griffin expects most of the vintage will end up with an alcohol content of 12.75 to 13.5 percent instead of 14.5 to 15.5 percent from the grapes grown in his region this year.

In the Umpqua, Reustle estimated alcohol will be in the high 12 percent range to the “low 13s.” “And I’m not afraid of that,” he added.

In fact, he’s looking forward to trying to make wines that are truly memorable from the grapes of 2011. He noted that just a few days before he had tasted a Spanish Gran Riserva from 1964 that was “11.8 percent alcohol and it was marvelous.”

He foresees “great, intense fruit (in) long-lived wines that age very well.”

Spangler agreed: “We could have some awfully good wines.”

Springtime 2012 will offer consumers a peek at this year’s whites and perhaps bring an unexpected bonus. Some of those red wine grapes that didn’t make it into the big reds likely will begin showing up as well — as rosé wines, perhaps even crafted from such dark grapes as that rejected batch of Malbec.

They may offer a tantalizing preview of what’s to come when the big reds of 2011 make their anticipated debut in spring 2013.

Wine words: Beaujolais Nouveau

As you read this, the 2011 edition of France’s famous red wine made in Beaujolais from Gamay grapes should still be in the wine world’s newsletters. Each year, it makes its official debut on the third Thursday of November, with major marketing campaigns plugging the first official release of each vintage’s first red wine. If you acquire some, drink it soon.

It’s not a wine to age, so if it didn’t get drunk with your Thanksgiving turkey, put it on the Christmas table. For its French winemakers, it’s a cash cow. No expensive oak aging and the money starts flowing within a few weeks of harvest.

KEN ROBERTSON, a Wine Press Northwest columnist since its founding, is a retired newspaperman who has been sipping Northwest wines and writing about them since 1976.

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urban sips

BY TERI CITTERMAN

12 steps, 9 hats and a crazy aunt

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eason’s greetings! I hope this finds you well and you’re surviving the holidays. It may feel like awhile since you’ve heard from me, but I can assure you, it’s not because of Writer’s Block.

First, I will say Suzy and Sammy are well. Suzy is continually adding to her collection of Nine Hats and becoming quite the Gandy Dancer. Sammy is obsessed with magic, and if I hear another Abracadabra, I might just hang myself. Did I mention I’ve been on edge?

Well, this may explain why.

The big news is we have a few additions to our household.

Yes my beloved husband’s Aunt Eve, along with her same-sex lover Siduri and their tattooed cat, Righteous, have come to live with us. Indeed, you read that correctly.

How did this happen, you wonder? I’m still wondering myself.

At Thanksgiving, my dear husband mentioned how nice it would be to be closer to family. Unlike me, he was serious, and his mother caught Desert Wind. She said his aunt was living in a Rough House and looking for a new adventure. I agreed that she was welcome; having no idea this would bring her to our Second Floor.

Sam suggested she come stay with us — “as long as you want.” I kicked him repeatedly under the table, as she enthusiastically accepted, then mentioned she’d be bringing her companion and their Jetty Cat. My Sam was on a roll and suggested we make a family vacation out of helping her move. So two weeks later, in we piled into the rented RV and off we drove on the Open Road — our 509 area code becoming a distant speck in the rearview. We headed to Cadaretta, Miss., a mere 2,200 miles from home.

Many days later, we pulled into a campsite behind the gates of Little Bear Creek, located in the middle of nowhere.

It wasn’t Pleasant Hill — but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

My mind quickly changed that night when a trip to the public restroom left me running for my life!

As I carefully walked with my flashlight, I came face to face with some Wild Eyed crazy Howling Wolfe. I don’t know what it was exactly, but its Sinister Hands were clawing at me, and I barely got away. The next day, as I sought refuge in the local post office, I noticed The Wanted sign for that same terrible creature. Apparently, The Alibi was believable, so the crazy is still at large.

Speaking of crazy, on the way home, Aunt Eve insisted we pick up Crazy Mary who was hitchhiking to Dead Canyon.

“Really Sam? Really? With the kids in the car?”

Eve assured me they knew her and we wouldn’t be taking a Chance. Against my judgment, the lady with The Swagger boarded the RV and went straight for my husband. She perched in 14

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the captain’s chair and began flirting with Sam, calling him Commander Comet among other things.

Did I have a problem with this? Oh, you bet I did! “In your Flying Dreams,” I yelled. I might have overreacted, but from the

back of the bus, I launched the only thing I could find. A Flying Trout hit her smack dab between the eyes. Call me a Bully, but I felt like Rough Justice was served.

I soon learned the biggest issue with Sam’s aunt was not that she and Siduri went well beyond displaying public affection.

No, the biggest issue was that they believed that oversharing was underrated. Apparently, last year at Cana’s Feast, she described a Masquerade party where the two of them dressed as Two Dancers — wearing only a leaf to cover their Zhoo Zhoo.

Well, I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure it’s not appropriate for children. Most of what she says is inappropriate, but boy, that doesn’t stop her. And now my children are starting to pick up bad habits. Just last week, little Sammy asked if he could be Shackled under Waters. “Umm, Sam — a word?”

Little Suzy tells me she wants to get a Tatt and be a Roller Girl! This is not my sweet little Angel Vine! This is The Dissident under the influence of Aunt Eve. Behind Sam’s precious aunt’s back, I’ve taken to calling her the Praying Mantis. I don’t feel I need to explain why.

Admittedly, I’m trying to hold it together by embracing the spirit of the season. The kids are busily decorating and singing the Twelve days of Christmas, while the broads try to stick to their Twelve Step program.

Suzy, with a lingering trace of innocence, insisted we build a manger in the front yard and shower the baby Jesus with gifts. While this is not exactly my cup of tea, I tried to be a good sport. Fresh out of Gold, I wrapped up a bottle of Mirth and tossed it next to the baby.

Tis the season to spread good cheer and the only way I can manage is by taking a page from Santa’s playbook. Foxy Roxy Vixen will be leading the sleigh tonight, and no doubt, Santa will be Five Star Cellars to the wind. I plan to follow his lead.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2012.

Cheers!

With sass and attitude, TERI CITTERMAN is a Seattle dweller and an eager wine enthusiast. She is the author of the latest edition of Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest and the Northwest Wine Journal. She writes An Urban Sip Wine Blog at anurbansip.com.

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poet laureate

BY JORDAN CHANEY

Beyond the crush A red man usually I am rolling in the sheets with my scantily clad petit faithful smashing grapes between our teeth in a dream state high above sleep lost in purple mountains and fruited plains where desire has me wakeful

En fuego, I’ll dance the tango with you Senorita in rain right as golden Sangria!

Mama Mia, I need to decant I’m panting the soul of Italy in my riddles playing a fiddle skipping along singing a silver man’s song sipping kerosene from a canteen as this sleazy little Riesling honey-coats tongue!

though I fell asleep beneath the flowers Give me a chance! in this case, one day under an umbrella a sleazy little Riesling came drizzling by a sweet but dry apple of my eye, a fair pear unparalleled with legs that paired perfectly well with my goblet cause I’m a grape goblin with fangs that feast on the fruit of the flesh so pardon my Kama I can explain!

I’m losing my marbles darlin’ Your legs are two Greek Pillars climbing high into white heavens, they flirt with the Gods, you’re a green-eyed Goddess, a firecracker scarlet starlet lip-stick on the collar with bonfire hair and pink and peach freckles speckled sexily from head to toe, a sweetheart that’s hard to wallow with…

Your legs have walked all the way from Austria, they deserve an applause and the wine tasters are surely a flooded audience I just want to be lost in the storm of your bra lost in the vineyards’ thralls with a young fly virgin from Germany laced from toe to waist in laces from Alsace a French maid made to bathe in a golden lake for goodness sakes she sparkles with greatness

I want to wrap you in a hammock knap you in the sack and find you napping softly in the lap of Napa Valley slowly disrobing to lightning and thundering rolling in the covers like Riesling lovers so much so that I’ve been labeled a drunk intoxicated by your loving I love her lush lashes how they rise up like Marilyn Monroe’s skirt after a gust of steam blasts the model in a bottle or the actress I want to sip from my mattress I’m a maverick after it and she’s a high maintenance balancing act that’s constantly on my conscience, noble rot or spoiled brat I have no other choice but to nickname you Constance It’s not my fault!

You’re smashing, a hoot, I get a kick out of you a laughing spasm, a grape-gasm for the grabbing a berry special double entendre your name a winemaker’s mantra so come fly with Sinatra What more can I say?!

Forgive me…

I’m a Brut and you’re a rare but fair-skinned Champagne, a high-yellow red-bone crush so busty and buxom that the buttons are busting off your bottle of bubbly, you’re a bottle of lust for the guzzling the loveliest trouble that’s always ripe for the tussling — could you blame me?

you could say I’m high on her winetasting You don’t understand! your puckered lips, your blown kisses are a smoking pistil you’re a smoking mistress on Red Mountain holding a Cuban rolled stogie smoking beneath your nose with nylon-legs crossed in full body language and crisscrossing your heart, good God you’re hot!

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No more excuses!

It’s better to stick with the truth.

You are simply the cutest fruit to have ever seduced me.

Jordan Chaney is a spoken-word poet who lives in the heart of Washington wine country. His first book is Double-Barreled Bible, and he has released Mighty Peasant on MP3 and CD. W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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activities

great things to do

in Northwest wine country

BY ERIC DEGERMAN

I

f we help you make a pleasing selection for a great bottle of wine to open at dinner or take to a holiday occasion at a friend’s house, then we’ve done our job.

Looking for a restaurant that supports Northwest wines? What about lodging that partners with a nearby winery?

Here is a list of ideas to help you enjoy the holiday season and fight the winter doldrums.

1

Classy, yet cheesy. A great way for wine-loving Yanks to cap off a tour of the Okanagan Valley is to swing into the Super Duper grocery/gas station in border town of Oroville, Wash.

Why? It doesn’t look like much from the outside, yet it features a remarkable little selection of cheese at rather low prices.

PlaceTile Designs offers an ideal way to help you share these delectables with family and friends.

This Atlanta company was launched in 1999 by Kristin Bowen, who created erasable ceramic place cards to use at her wedding reception.

She found a niche, and she’s since rolled out a variety of stylish reusable products, including items for wine bottles and cheese displays. A set of four Scroll CheeseTiles ($30) allows you to write the cheese info on the marker and gently push the pointed end into the wedge. Upon further review, the wine lover likely would prefer the Vine CheeseTiles set in egg white (as shown).

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The box includes a pen and will slip into the drawer of your china hutch. Go to placetile.com.

2

Yo ho ho and a bottle of wine. Leave it to Westport Winery in Aberdeen — our 2011 Washington Winery to Watch — to create another adventure into the world of wine.

The Roberts family restaurant is open for lunch daily, and on New Year’s Eve, will play host to its latest mystery dinner theater, titled “Dead Man’s Chest.”

Cost is $35, with reservations required.

Volunteer actors are needed, and dressing for dinner in costume is encouraged.

Weigh in at westportwines.com.

3

Grenache and ganache. February has become more than just Valentines Day for wine lovers. It’s more and more about chocolate.

On Feb. 3-4, the Mount Rainier gateway town of Enumclaw, also home to the King County Fair, will celebrate its fourth annual Enumclaw Wine & Chocolate Festival.

More than a handful of Puget Sound chocolatiers and about 30 wineries — most from east of the Cascades — are expected to pour. A ticket costs $20, and that’s good for both days.

Go to enumclawchocolatefestival.com.

4

Valentines Day treasured. As the Idaho wine industry matures, special weekends in the Treasure Valley and Snake River Valley such as Valentines Day are becoming more popular.

Last year saw a record-setting number of wineries open their doors for the weekend of roses and sweets.

Attractions included the Cupid’s Barrel of Love photo booth at Indian Creek Winery, chocolate tastings at Sawtooth Winery, live music and a dessert bar at Syringa, and Woodriver Cellars offered dinner, live music, a winery tour and

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tastings with the winemaker.

And down in Glenns Ferry at Carmela Vineyards, their on-premise restaurant served Valentines Day dinner specials, including fresh Alaskan King Crab legs and prime rib.

For updates, go to idahowines.org.

5

Catch the cam. Looking to learn more about the inner workings at a winery?

Earlier this year, owner Robb Bell and his team at Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River, Ore., launched their Real Winery Webcam.

The broadcast goes live on alternating Wednesdays, starting at 11 a.m. Email your question, and winemaker Michael Sebastiani will address it during the broadcast.

This season, the sessions included bud break, bottling, fermentations and barrel tastings.

See for yourself at cathedralridgewinery.com/LiveCam.php.

6

Gain some Experience. The Seattle Food and Wine Experience began in the fall of 2008 near the home of the Seahawks (CenturyLink Field Pavilion).

Now, it’s held Feb. 26 at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, near where the SuperSonics played. The event gathers up more than 30 Northwest wineries, 20 area chefs, beer, cider, distilleries and live music. The chefs will be offering demonstrations and providing small bites throughout the afternoon.

This year, Oregon is the featured wine region. A to Z Wineworks, R. Stuart and Rex Hill are among the Willamette Valley wineries scheduled to pour.

Ste. Chapelle will be representing Idaho. The Washington wineries include Airfield Estates, Badger Mountain, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Chinook, Covey W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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W I N E C O U N T RY Run, Desert Wind, DiStefano, Forgeron, Hightower, Kiona, Milbrandt, Treveri, Trust, Waterbrook and Woodinville Wine Cellars.

Cost is $49, and proceeds go to The Giving Grapes Foundation, which offers financial help to those in the service industry. Go to seattlefoodandwineexperience.com.

7

Wine, art and sand. One of the Northwest’s most romantic spots — Cannon Beach, Ore., — ties many attractions during a five-day period just before spring.

The Savor Cannon Beach Wine & Culinary Arts Festival runs March 8-13, and among the highlights is the Oregon vs. Washington Wine Throwdown.

Participating chefs include those from Ecola Seafood Restaurant and Market, Newmans at 988 and EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School.

Another supporter is Dean Reiman, who will sponsor tastings and celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Wine Shack — one of the Northwest’s oldest and most supportive wine retailers.

Hank Sauer, Wine Press Northwest’s master facilitator, hopes to avoid a tsunami evacuation this time around.

And I hope he makes a return trip into Bruce’s Candy Kitchen for me.

Wade into savorcannonbeach.com.

8

More than apples and apricots. The Wenatchee Valley continues to trade orchards for grape vines, and the growing number of wineries prompted Foothills Magazine to create the North Central Washington Wine Awards.

For example, the Wenatchee Wine Week is back for 2012, and it will run March 18-24. Last year’s events included a cheese pairing seminar.

The final day starts downtown with the March Madness Wine Walk. For $20, you get a souvenir glass and 15 tastes of wine while shopping downtown stores. (That’s a $5 savings from the 2011 event.)

That evening will feature seminars, pourings at two wine shops and winemaker dinners at downtown restaurants.

Go to wenatchee.org to harvest more updates on participating wineries, shops and restaurants.

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9

Have wine, will tote in style. Leaving the office with a sample or two or three has been handled more discreetly the past few months, thanks to the Sachi Vino Insulated Wine Tote.

They come in three colors and two sizes — two- and three-bottle bags — and the sleeves are wide enough for one shapely vessel of cool bubbly to snuggle in and retain enough chill for the ride home.

The nifty zippered pocket will hold a wine key and other accoutrements.

The Sachi ($29) can be carried using its adjustable shoulder strap. And if I get teased about modeling “a wine purse,” that jokester’s glass stays empty.

Zip over to sachi-bags.com.

10

Passing the bar. The Local Vine in Seattle caters to wine devotees with a coffee shop approach at its two wine bars — Capitol Hill and University Village.

Among the amenities are a fireplace, free Wi-Fi, small plates and more than 100 wines by the glass — many of them from Northwest icons. It’s interesting to note that co-owners Sarah Munson and Allison Nelson both have MBAs from Harvard, and the former is a Master of Wine candidate.

Continuing education is important to most folks, and TLV offers classes yeararound at the Capitol Hill branch. Their Cheese and Wine Pairing (March 10) and Wines of the Pacific Northwest (March 24) should be most interesting.

Classes cost about $65 with reservations required. Go to thelocalvine.com.

ı What is your favorite thing to do in Northwest wine country? Send your ideas to edegerman@winepressnw.com. ı Editor’s note: Three items in this issue’s “10 Things to Do” column got on our radar because they first were submitted to our free online Wine Events. calendar. Have a Northwest wine item to post? Go to winepressnw.com/events.

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events

W I N E C O U N T RY

January 6-8 and 13-15 Winterfest, Chelan, Wash. Wineries in the state’s youngest appellation join the Chamber of Commerce for the 26th annual event, which is on consecutive weekends. Go to lakechelanwinterfest.com.

13-14 Oregon Wine, Food and Brew Festival, Salem. This fairgrounds event includes a wine competition. Call 866-904-6165 or visit oregonwinefoodbrewfest.com.

14-22 Winter Okanagan Wine Festival, Sun Peaks, B.C. The 14th celebration has been rebranded and goes beyond ice wine. Call 250-861-6654 or go to owfs.com.

21 Wenatchee Valley Winter Wine Gala, Wenatchee, Wash. The ninth annual fundraiser for the Wenatchee Valley Museum features regional wineries and chefs.

Call 509-888-6240 or go to columbiacascadewines.com.

24 Taste B.C., Vancouver. Four Seasons Hotel plays host to the 18th annual fundraiser for B.C. Children’s Hospital. Provincial wineries, restaurants, cheese and chocolatiers help. Call 604-739-7801 or go to tastebc.wordpress.com.

28 Gifts from the Earth, Seattle. The South Seattle Community College Foundation showcases its culinary arts and wine program by pairing celebrity chefs with state wineries. Call 206-934-5809 or go to southseattle.edu.

February 3-4 Portland Seafood & Wine Festival. This multiple sclerosis fundraiser brings 50 wineries to the Oregon Convention Center. Go to pdxseafoodandwinefestival.com.

3-4 Enumclaw Chocolate & Wine Festival. About 20 wineries return to the Enumclaw Expo Center. Call 360-615-5626 or go to enumclawchocolatefestival.com.

4 St. Joseph’s Art & Wine, Kennewick, Wash. The 16th annual fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Parish and School features regional wines, restaurants, artists and musicians. Cost is $60. Go to stjoesartandwine.com.

7-10 Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers Convention, Kennewick, Wash.

Growers, winemakers and vendors throughout the Northwest convene at the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center for the 15th annual meeting and trade show. Call 509-782-8234 or visit wawgg.org.

11-12 and 18-20 Red Wine & Chocolate Tour, Olympic Peninsula, Wash. Member wineries on the peninsula and islands pour it on over two weekends and Presidents Day. Cost is $30. Call 800-785-5495 or go to olympicpeninsulawineries.org.

18-19 Red Wine and Chocolate, Yakima Valley, Wash. More than 50 wineries in the heart of the Northwest’s oldest grape-growing region pair their wines with chocolate. Reserve ticket is $35. Call 509-965-5201 or go to wineyakimavalley.org.

21-22 Oregon Wine Industry Symposium, Portland. Enology, viticulture and business move to the Oregon Convention Center. Go to symposium.oregonwine.org.

23-26 Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, Newport, Ore. The 35th annual event features more than 50 wineries. Call 800-262-7844 or go to newportchamber.org.

26 Seattle Wine and Food Experience. Seattle Center plays host to a premier Northwest event including wines from Washington, Oregon and Idaho, more than 20 chefs and live music. Cost is $49. Go to seattlewineandfoodexperience.com.

March 27-March 3 Classic Wines Auction, Portland. This 28th annual fundraiser for Portland-area children sells out months in advance. It features winemakers and restaurants on both sides of the Columbia. Call 503-972-0194 or go to classicwinesauction.com.

3 Greatest of the Grape, Canyonville, Ore. The oldest wine event in the Northwest celebrates its 42nd anniverary and pairs Southern Oregon wineries with restaurants at Seven Feathers Casino. Cost is $75. Go to umpquavalleywineries.org.

9-11 McMinnville Wine & Food Classic, McMinnville, Ore. This 19-year-old event lands at the Evergreen Space Museum. Cost is $15. Call 503-472-4033 or go to sipclassic.org.

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NORTHWEST WINE

Vino 911 comes to rescue with wine spills

BY HANK SAUER

Imagine being out on the town for a wonderful evening with great friends, delightful food and vintage wines. The wine steward opens an exquisite red wine, and the sediment from the aged cork finds its way onto your white blouse.

You reach into your handbag, and there’s Vino 911 to the rescue.

Shake it, spray it on the stain, and blot the area with a tissue. The blemish is well on its way to vanishing. Vino 911 comes in a convenient 2-ounce spray bottle. It can be used on most fabrics, linens and carpets. It is eco-friendly, containing natural ingredients with no solvents or fragrance to take away from your wine experience. It makes an excellent travel companion.

Vino 911 ($5) is available at www.corkpops.com.

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NORTHWEST WINE

Nom de vine: Stories behind wine names

Why did the Chicken Dinner cross the road?

BY JON BAUER

Why Huston Vineyards has named two of its wines Chicken Dinner Red and Chicken Dinner White isn’t too difficult to figure out; the young winery owned and run by Gregg and Mary Alger is on Chicken Dinner Road near Caldwell, Idaho.

The Algers planted Huston’s first vines in 2007, Gregg Alger said, and offered its first vintage in 2008, a Private Reserve Red of 100 cases, which quickly sold out, mostly to friends and area wine enthusiasts.

This year, Huston has built on that by opening its tasting room in April and releasing a 2009 Merlot and a Reserve Chardonnay, in addition to two blends, the Chicken Dinner White and Chicken Dinner Red. Made by winemaker Melanie Krause of Cinder Wines, the red and white blends were well received and good sellers, Alger said. The 2010 white, which has already sold out, is a snappy blend of Riesling, Muscat and Viognier that more closely resembles a Sauvignon Blanc, he said. The red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, which he described as a delicate red with lots of fruit on the front and a light finish.

The Algers chose the Huston name to honor the late 18th century farming community of Huston where the vineyard and winery is located.

So how did the road come to be named “Chicken Dinner?”

“Usually what we tell guests who come to the tasting room is that we can’t tell them the story; they have to buy a bottle of wine,” which tells the tale on the back W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

label. And usually, they relent, and tell the story, anyway.

Across Chicken Dinner Road from Huston Vineyard is an 18th century twostory farmhouse, currently owned by a friend and neighbor who uses the historic structure for his farm’s office. And it’s that neighbor, a man in his 80s, who told him the story.

Just at the change from rail to automobiles, the community of Huston was eager to see its roads upgraded from wagon-wheel-rutted dirt roads to more vehicle-friendly oiled roads, so Idaho’s governor was invited to the farmhouse in Huston for dinner, and was directed to the home by an arrowed sign that read, “Chicken Dinner.”

“The governor was lobbied for a better road, I’m sure, with a nice bottle of wine, and the road was oiled and the name stuck,” Alger said.

But there are other versions of the story, Alger admitted.

“It’s funny how people will come in and say, ‘That’s not the right story,’ ” he said.

Boise Co-op Wine Shop employee Leil Cardoza, who was told the story while in college, has heard other explanations, including that the chicken dinner was meant to ply a county road commissioner. As the commissioner was eating dinner, Cardoza said, he was also offered an organized helping of dust through an open window as cars and a truck drove up and down the road.

Either impressed with the demonstration or put off by the blatant lobbying, the road commissioner named the road Chicken Dinner.

But considering his neighbor’s connection to the farmhouse involved and the family, Alger is inclined to go with his neighbor’s telling.

Travelers, including many heading along Highway 55 to the ski slopes north, have developed a relationship with Chicken Dinner Road, Alger said, even stopping to take pictures of themselves

in front of the road sign. It’s a conversation piece and a fun bit of local history.

And Alger recommends continuing the debate over a bottle of Chicken Dinner wine, preferably with a chicken dinner.

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HARVEST REPORT

Chad Johnson of Dusted Valley Vintners in Walla Walla holds Viognier and Syrah clusters from the winery’s estate Stoney Vine Vineyard. (Chelsea Tennyson/Dusted Valley Vintners)

Northwest sweats out miracle harvest

BY WINE PRESS NORTHWEST

While this year has been coined a “miracle harvest,” the 2011 growing season is one that the Pacific Northwest wine industry won’t want to relive.

And yet, most winemakers already are raving about the wines they will bottle.

They readily credit not only the preparations made all summer long in the vineyards, but also Mother Nature. She came through down the stretch and provided near-perfect growing conditions, allowing for a remarkable come-from-behind victory, particularly in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

“We had some late streaks of weather that were absolutely beautiful, and that fantastic stretch is what carried us,” said Ken Wright, one of Oregon’s most acclaimed Pinot Noir producers.

Bob Bertheau, head winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle, brought in grapes between Sept. 19 and Nov. 9.

“If we’d gotten a freeze like we did in 2009, that would have been a whole different story,” he said.

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Day in the Life of Washington Wine On Oct. 13, Wine Press Northwest and about 50 Washington wineries and vineyards coordinated the inaugural “Day in the Life of Washington Wine” event. Wineries and vineyards from across the state sent in photos taken that day.

We wanted to share some of the best in this article. For more photos and a story from the project, go to winepressnw.com.

Tonnage was off for the second straight year for much of the Northwest. In Washington, early season projections for crop levels being down 20 percent across the state held true.

In some respects, the 2010 vintage provided some guidelines for the 2011 season, especially in the Walla Walla Valley where autumn freeze events affected the subsequent vintage.

For example, production in Walla Walla Valley dipped about 30 percent in 2010 because vines didn’t get a chance to harden off before a mid-October Arctic blast in 2009.

On Nov. 23, 2010, another hard freeze resulted in wideW I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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HARVEST REPORT spread winter damage. In fact, some sites in the Horse Heaven Hills — particularly portions of famed Champoux Vineyards — were forced to take chainsaws to their vineyards.

Washington

Woodward Canyon Winery, among the Pacific Northwest’s most active and informative with its Twitter feed, announced Sept. 15 that its harvest began with Sauvignon Blanc. That was a day earlier than 2010 but three weeks later than in 2009.

At Reininger Winery in Walla Walla, the red grape harvest began Oct. 3 with Merlot from Bacchus Vineyard near Pasco, Wash.

“This is actually going back to the way it used to be,” said Chuck Reininger. “I used to help out at Waterbrook for about 10 years before I started, and a lot of times, harvest didn’t start until the third week in September. It’s been about a decade since we’ve seen that.

There are a lot of new wineries that haven’t experienced this phenomenon, but my advice to them is to get used to it. We’re going back to the old weather trends.”

For the second straight vintage, winemakers were marveling over Merlot and the lower alcohol.

“This reminds me of why we like Merlot in Washington so much,” said Rob Griffin, owner/winemaker of Barnard Griffin in Richland. “The wines will be more European in style. They have crisper, leaner, more food-friendly balance that, frankly, I prefer.”

Bertheau, the Ste. Michelle winemaker, said, “This year, it was about as good as we could have hoped for in Washington. It didn’t rain much the last three weeks. Overall, Mother Nature was extremely kind to us.”

Indeed, there was no “game over” freeze event as there was in 2009, which began the current stretch of three problematic vintages in Washington.

“On Oct. 14-15, in 2009, we were done with harvest,” Reininger remembered. “This year, on Oct. 13, we’re kind of just getting going.”

W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

ABOVE: Father Daniel Barnett of St. Patrick Parish in Pasco leads the annual harvest blessing at Gordon Brothers Vineyards. Owner Jeff Gordon, in the red coat, observes. (Katie Gordon Nelson/Gordon Brothers)

LEFT: Leah Waaramaki, assistant winemaker, inspects Madeleine Angevine grapes at Whidbey Island Winery’s vineyard near Langley.

Sangiovese the cat assists.

(Greg Osenbach/Whidbey Island Winery)

While 2011 will create some unusual issues in the winery for many, the ingredients are there for some remarkably long-lived wines.

“There will be more fun with Syrah, but it will be a little more refined,” Reininger said. “Syrah in the last decade has had a tendency to be more in your face. Bigger. Jammier. And it’s nice to let the Chardonnay hang a little more because of the lower sugars, which will mean lower alcohols. But it’s been really scary with all the rain. This is Mother

Nature, and this is where the real winemaking decisions come into play.”

Rick Small, Woodward Canyon’s founding winemaker, has a welldeserved reputation for creating some of the Northwest’s most age-worthy wines. This year, he crushed his first red grapes on Oct. 14 with Syrah from Champoux Vineyard. He wrapped up Nov. 5 with Cabernet Sauvignon from Les Collines Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.

“This vintage reminds me most of

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HARVEST REPORT passed the ’94s, ’98s, even the ’92s,” Wright said. “They really became complex within a couple of years.”

Consecutive nights of near or belowfreezing temperatures on Oct. 25-27 affected several regions in the Northwest, including Southern Oregon.

“Three straight days of frost. Not good,” reported Roseburg winemaker Pat Spangler. “Anything low or even remotely sensitive is likely done for the year. Everything is being picked now, no matter how ripe it was.”

The Indian summer conditions and the canopy management allowed many, but not all, to avoid botrytis cinerea, a fungus that can gather on wine grapes.

And the squadrons of hungry migratory birds were not nearly as problematic in 2011 as the previous year, when overall tonnage was off 22 percent.

Merlot is pumped over at Long Shadows Vintners near Walla Walla. The aeration is good for a healthy fermentation. This Merlot came from Dionysus Vineyard north of Pasco and is destined for Long Shadows’ Pedestal label. (Gilles Nicault/Long Shadows Vintners)

1984 followed then by 1991 and 1993,” Small noted. “The wines are sure to be different, but they will be good from good producers. I believe I told someone else that the wines will be more like the wines we used to make 25 years ago; like Left Bank Bordeaux possibly.”

Oregon

At Ken Wright Cellars in Carlton, there seems to be genuine excitement about his latest crop of Pinot Noir.

“I’m actually really surprised at the depth of color, and the profile is red to blue fruit, rather than black fruit,” Wright said. “These are very pretty — more soprano than basso this year — but they will be gorgeous, clean wines.”

Sam Tannahill, founder of A to Z Wineworks and chairman of the Oregon Wine Board, called it “a miracle harvest.”

“Two weeks ago, we were literally in the bottom of the ninth inning, two runs behind with two out,” he said in mid-October.

Season-long preparations by vineyard managers allowed the grapes, particularly the fickle Pinot Noir from cooler 26

sites with volcanic soils, to take full advantage of the ideal conditions.

“It was a matter of being patient and letting the fruit hang, but the fruit had to be absolutely flawless to not let it be affected by rot,” Wright said. “The birds were not as much of a problem this year as last, and the foliage looked better than last year. The vines were better and stronger than last. In the end, it was a great year for us.”

In terms of tonnage, “We were about where we expected to be, where we 1 average about 2 ⁄4 tons per acre overall,” Wright said. “The natural crop level was huge, looking at 6-7 tons an acre, so thinning was more of a requirement because it was cooler, and everybody got that. Nobody pushed Mother Nature or they would have been foolish beyond belief.”

Wright likened this vintage of Pinot Noir to that of 1991, which also was late and cool.

“When we’ve gone back and tasted through the 1990s, ask any winemaker who was in the valley — those 1991 wines surprised everyone and sur-

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British Columbia

As was the case in Washington, Sauvignon Blanc became the first variety taken in the Okanagan Valley, and Le Vieux Pin in Oliver began Sept. 14 and wrapped up Nov. 7.

At Pentâge Wines near Penticton, harvest began Oct. 3 — which was six days earlier than in 2010 — and concluded Nov. 14.

Five days later, wineries were out harvesting for ice wine. It was the secondearliest harvest of grapes for ice wine, behind only the Nov. 5, 2003, collecting.

There are 875 tons of grapes left out for ice wine harvest, the largest in B.C. history. And Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery was the first to be certified by government officials, harvesting from 9:30 p.m. Nov. 19 until 12:30 a.m.

Nov. 20. That’s when temperatures reached minus 9 Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit).

Tonnage was up over 2010, and winemakers noted that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir look improved over the 2010 vintage.

According to a summer report by Lynn and John Bremmer of Mount Kobau Wine Services in Oliver, there are 210 licensed wineries in the province pursuing grapes from a total of 9,866 acres planted. The Bremmers also W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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HARVEST REPORT

Bins are washed after a long day of harvest at Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Washington’s first Syrah was planted here in 1986, and the iconic hilltop chapel is one of the state’s most famous landmarks. (Mike Sauer/Red Willow Vineyard)

noted there are 864 vineyards in B.C., and 24 growers have plans to create new wineries in the next few years.

Idaho

Winemakers and grape growers in the Gem State probably had the easiest time of any in the Pacific Northwest, primarily because what they learned in 2010 helped them in 2011.

For example, the bud break in late April put the vines several weeks behind, so vineyard managers made adjustments that resulted in 10-15 percent smaller crop than 2010.

Idaho also largely escaped the winter damage that devastated some portions of Eastern Washington and powdery mildew didn’t pose much of a problem.

The Halloween frost did abbreviate harvest for most of the 43 wineries and the state’s 1,600 acres of vines.

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Grape grower Paul Champoux oversees Merlot harvest at Champoux Vineyards in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. (Judy Champoux/Champoux Vineyards) W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 / 2 0 1 2 • W I N E P R E S S N O RT H W E S T

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FIND A WINE

Find a wine

Looking for a good bottle of wine? Use our handy flowchart to find a wine reviewed in our weekly Fresh Press newsletter (winepressnw.com/freshpress)

START HERE

Grape or other fruit?

Glenterra 2010 Estate Rosé

Grap e

Camas Prairie Raspberry Mead

ie on Lo

Red

Red, White or Pink?

Pink

Paying in Loonies or greenbacks?

White

Re d

W hit e

k ac b en re G

Jazz or country?

Mannina Cellars 2010 Maddily Rosé zz Ja

Nodland Cellars 2010 Bebop Riesling

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Re d

it r fru e h t O

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Cou ntry

Farm Girl 2009 White

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Godless

Arbor Crest 2008 Dionysus

Roller Girl 2009 Jammer Red

Cold Springs Winery 2007 Astrology Merlot

Yes

Patterson Cellars 2008 Syrah Sirah

Dinner with Doris goddess, godless or Doris Day? G od de ss

No

Road 13 Vineyards 2008 Jackpot Pinot Noir

Superstitious?

al Anim

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?

1/2 Ass 2010 No. 4 White

Veg eta ble

M ine ra l

Hard Row to Hoe 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

Pay day

Payday or day before payday?

Col Solare 2007 Red, $70

Da yb efo re

StoneCap Wines 2010 Chardonnay Pine & Post NV Red, $6

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Boise A wine lover’s guide WRITER JON BAUER PHOTOGRAPHER JACKIE JOHNSTON

L not.

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et’s get this out of the way: Unless we’re talking about a side dish, we’re not spending much time on Idaho’s potatoes, famous or

“The potatoes are great, but we’re a lot more than potatoes here,” Idaho Wine Commission Executive Director Moya Shatz Dolsby told Wine Press Northwest magazine during the Idaho Wine Competition in October at Ste. Chapelle Winery.

Boise and the Treasure Valley offer wine travelers a great base from which to explore Idaho wine. In addition to wineries and vineyards to explore, Boise is a bustling college town, with a rabid following for its Boise State Broncos football team, a diverse restaurant scene, bikefriendly streets, the Greenbelt trail along the Boise River, skiing at nearby Bogus Basin, a Saturday farmers market, diverse cultures that includes a Basque community, the Idaho State Historical Museum, other arts and cultural museums and beautiful parks.

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Idaho has seen explosive growth in its wine industry, going from 11 wineries in 2002 to its current tally of 43.

The federal government designated Idaho its first American Viticultural Area region in 2007, covering the Snake River Valley. And an application is under consideration for a second AVA for the historic growing area near Lewiston, Shatz Dolsby said.

As the number of wineries has increased, a greater percentage of them now depend on winemakers and vineyard managers with training and experience in making good wine, said Leil Cardoza, inventory manager of the Co-op Wine Shop in Boise.

Just a few years ago, Idaho could boast of only one winemaker, Greg Koenig, trained at the University of California at Davis’ vaunted viticulture program. Now,

Cardoza said, Idaho has several with educations from Davis and other respected programs as well as previous experience under other prestigious winemakers.

Idaho continues to put more acreage in wine grape production and is still exploring its potential. Idaho has shown success with Riesling and Chardonnay and now with Rhône varieties Mourvèdre, Syrah and Viognier, as well as Malbec, Sangiovese and Tempranillo, Shatz Dolsby said.

“That’s one of the things about the Idaho wine industry; it’s so new and so small, we don’t even know what we can do best yet,” Shatz Dolsby said.

Throw in restaurants, wine bars and wine shops equally excited about what lies ahead for Idaho wines, and it sounds like a good reason to visit.

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Boise-area Wineries

Cinder winemaker Melanie Krause

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards owner Martha Cunningham

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Cinder Cinder, housed in a nondescript warehouse in Garden City, just west of Boise, provides a good example of the standing of Idaho winemaking, young but brimming with quality and the drive and talent to succeed.

Winemaker Melanie Krause and husband Joe Schnerr, who married in 2006, started Cinder as part of the Urban Winemakers Cooperative with two other wineries sharing facilities at the Garden City warehouse. The other wineries, as intended for the incubator cooperative, have moved on, leaving Cinder to grow and expand.

While Cinder is relatively young, Krause, a Boise native and a Washington State University graduate with degrees in biology and Spanish, has impressive experience in vineyards and winemaking, including several years with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as a vineyard technician and assistant red winemaker at its Canoe Ridge Estate facility near Paterson. With Schnerr working in the Boise area as a chemist, Krause began looking for opportunities in Idaho.

The soils and climate of the Snake River Valley AVA offer similarities to what Krause worked with in Washington.

“We were convinced we could make world-class wine in the Snake River Valley,” Schnerr said. “And what Melanie learned in Washington has served her well.”

But any loyalty to Washington ends with the knowledge. Cinder uses fruit only from Snake River Valley vineyards. Krause surveyed Idaho vineyards in 2006 before W I N E P R E S S N W. C O M

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making her first wine for Cinder.

Taking note of the soils, microclimates and slopes and developing a “sexy farmer’s tan,” Schnerr said of his wife, Krause was convinced she could get what she needed close to home.

About 2,500 cases from the 2010 vintage were produced, and Schnerr expects the winery to continue to expand production.

While the winery makes its home in a warehouse, the interior is more chic than you might expect, with clean design lines, dramatic lighting and stacks of oak barrels behind a metal and glass bar for tastings. And the Cinder name is explained through framed representations of the Snake River Valley’s volcanic soils in which the grapevines grow.

Contact: 107 East 44th Street, Garden City, 208-433-9813, www.cinderwines.com Hours: Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Fraser Vineyard Wine Press Northwest’s 2011 Idaho Winery of the Year, Fraser Vineyard, produces award-winning wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah and Viognier.

Bill Fraser, a fourth-generation Idahoan, and his wife, Bev, work

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with grapes at their Boise winery from their estate vineyard in Caldwell that they planted in 2003, and from other Snake River Valley vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot are planted on 5 acres at their Caldwell vineyard, which also can be visited and has a patio available for rent for events.

Downtown: 1004 La Pointe Street, Boise, 208-345-9607, www.fraservineyard.com Hours: Open Saturdays through November, noon to 3 p.m. and by appointment.

Périple Périple Wines, next to Cinder in Garden City, ignores borders when it comes to making wines.

Angie Shaltry Riff’s first wine with the Périple label, a 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir, was started in California and trucked in barrels to Boise. The Idaho native, who trained in California under the famed Helen Turley, also uses grapes from Washington’s Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills and Columbia Valley and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Contact: 107 1/2 E. 44th Street, Garden City, 208-9415641, www.periplewines.com Hours: By appointment.

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards Gary and Martha Cunningham

thought they were looking for orchard property to begin their second careers.

Looking for land in nearby Emmett, “We saw people tearing out their orchards,” Gary Cunningham said. “This is a fantastic growing region, but the expense of harvesting and competition from Washington and China was making it hard to make a living growing fruit. If they were tearing out orchards, we told ourselves we better look at other options.”

The other option was growing wine grapes and making wine.

The couple found 1,600 acres in the hills north of Eagle and northwest of Boise and 14 years ago began planting their vineyard. Having started with 3 acres each of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Gary Cunningham now cares for 44 acres of USDA-certified organic grapes that include Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache, Malbec and Syrah, planted on hillsides from rootstock from French vineyards. With 450 more acres suitable for planting, Cunningham has plans for expansion.

Greg Koenig, who has his own winery and distillery in Caldwell, is the winemaker for 3 Horse Vineyards, with offer-

ings that include Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, a SyrahMourvèdre blend, Roussanne, Viognier, Riesling, a rosé and Vivacious, a blend of Viognier and Roussanne. The winery produces about 10,000 cases, with plans to increase to 12,000 cases in 2012.

Gary Cunningham is the vineyard manager, keeping an eye on the grapes but also keeping in mind what he finds in the soil. His decisions on what to plant are driven by how a particular variety responds to the soil and minerals.

The winery’s homey tasting room overlooks a stream-fed greenbelt below one of the grapevine-studded hills. Birds flit through the garden and vineyards, and Martha Cunningham keeps a tally of bird sightings on a tasting room whiteboard.

From the start, the couple decided not to use pesticides and fertilizers in the vineyard, but it wasn’t until they saw a USDA booth at a county fair that they realized they were halfway to earning certification as an organic vineyard, Martha Cunningham said.

The Cunninghams encourage a natural balance and sustainability by nailing up nesting boxes for kestrels and releasing ladybugs and lacewings.

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Mike Crowley, Syringa owner and winemaker, pours for wine lovers who arrived by tour bus.

The bugs and birds earn their keep by controlling unwanted pests.

“The birds are a great signal that you’ve got ripe fruit,” Gary Cunningham said, and he waits to put up his netting to protect the grapes until he hears from them. “I hear the birds talking, ‘I’ll wait until you’ve got ripe fruit for me.’”

Contact: 5900 Pearl Road, Eagle, 208-863-6561, www.3horseranchvineyards.com Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment.

Syringa Mike Crowley, owner and winemaker for Syringa Winery in Garden City, has always been a collector, starting with sports memorabilia and later wine.

The wine collecting soon led to sharing his interest with friends.

“I share everything I enjoy with my friends,” Crowley said, who then began to think about making his own wine. But Crowley didn’t leap in without 34

preparation. His winemaking skill has developed methodically, studying winemaking, going back to school at Walla Walla Community College and finding apprenticeships at other wineries, including work as a cellarmaster with Walla Walla Vintners and later Sawtooth Winery in Nampa in marketing.

Crowley began making his own wine in 2004 in a shared facility with Cinder and Vale, now in Caldwell, then broke off as intended two years ago to operate independently.

Crowley produces about 900 cases in his urban winery. His current offerings include a Sauvignon Blanc, a Fumé Blanc, a Primitivo and a bottled but unreleased blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Primitivo, all from Snake River Valley vineyards.

The Syringa name is doubly meaningful for Crowley. Syringa is Idaho’s state flower, which is featured on Syringa bottles, but it’s also the name of his late sister’s niece and is a tribute to his late sister’s memory.

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Contact: 3500 Chinden Blvd., Garden City, 208-433-1616, 208-440-1616, www.syringawinery.com Hours: Thursday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. and by appointment.

Snake River Winery Scott DeSeelhorst’s Arena Valley Vineyard in Parma ranks among the most picturesque in the Pacific Northwest, and his wellappointed BoDo tasting room has become a centerpiece for the city’s First Thursday celebrations.

His list of award-winning wines includes single-variety bottlings of Barbera, Blauer Zweigelt, Grenache, Malbec, three styles of Riesling, Tempranillo and even Touriga Nacional.

Tasting room contact: 786 W. Broad St., Boise, 208-345-9463, www.snakeriverwinery.com Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Closed Mondays.

Woodriver Cellars Woodriver Cellars, whose 2008 Cabernet Franc won double gold and best red wine at the 2011 Idaho Wine Competition, is a true destination winery northwest of Eagle, offering a handsome tasting room and bistro with live music on the weekends and a beautiful grounds, banquet facilities and private rooms for weddings and other celebrations.

Woodriver winemaker Neil Glancey has been making wines for more than 15 years and emphasizes the use of handpicked fruit from the winery’s estate vineyards, small-batch fermentation and aging in French oak barrels, which he says results in quality “from ground to glass.”

Among the wines Woodriver offers are Chardonnay, sparkling Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, a meritage, a Cabernet SauvignonMalbec blend, Tempranillo and a Port-style dessert wine aged in whiskey barrels.

The winery’s tasting room and bistro offer a menu of small plates, cheeses and Woodriver’s

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Woodriver Cellars winemaker Neil Glancey

wines by the glass and winepairing events on Friday and Saturday evenings. Paintings and photographs by local artists are featured throughout the lodgelike room. The winery also offers a bocce ball court outdoors.

Contact: 3705 N. Highway 16, Eagle, 208-286-9463, www.woodrivercellars.com Hours: Tuesday, 2 to 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Closed Mondays.

and its bar will allow you to get into a Mad Men frame of mind.

Contact: 1314 W. Grove St., 866- 780-6012, www.themod ernhotel.com

Hotels

Grove Hotel A AAA Four-Diamond-rated hotel, the Grove offers Emilio’s Restaurant, The Bar and The Zone sports bar. The hotel is adjacent to the CenturyLink Arena and Boise Convention Center in downtown Boise.

Contact: 245 S. Capitol Blvd., 208-333-8000, www.grove hotelboise.com

Hotel 43 Billing itself as Idaho’s Boutique Hotel, Hotel 43 offers 112 rooms, the Floating Feather day spa, Metro Café, Chandler’s Steakhouse and is centrally located in downtown Boise.

Contact: 981 Grove St., Boise, 800-243-4622 , www.hotel43.com

Owyhee Plaza Hotel A downtown Boise landmark since 1910, the Owyhee, pronounced oh-Why-hee and named for the Owyhee mountain range, offers 100 guest rooms and its Plaza Grill.

Contact: 1109 Main St., 208343-4611 or 1-800-233-461, www.owyheeplaza.com

Modern Hotel and Bar A stylishly updated and modernized former Travelodge with 39 rooms and suites, Modern Hotel

Idaho Heritage B&B Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Idaho Heritage was built in 1904 for

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merchant Henry Falk. The B&B offers six rooms and suites, including the Governor’s Suite.

Contact: 109 W. Idaho St., Boise, 208-342-8066, www.idheritageinn.com Boise Guest House Near downtown, the Boise Guest House offers six boutique suites, each with a private bathroom and full kitchen.

Contact: 614 N. Fifth St., 208-761-6798, www.boiseguesthouse.com

Wine shops Boise Co-op Wine Shop If you’re looking for a particular bottle of wine, be it from the Snake River Valley or Rhône River Valley, you’re likely to find it among the more than 3,500 selections at the Boise Co-op Wine Shop.

A part of the Boise Co-op in downtown Boise since 1984, and four years ago moving into its own building across the parking lot from the main co-op, the wine shop offers one of the largest selections of Burgundies,

Bordeaux, Champagne and German Rieslings in the region, said inventory manager Leil Cardoza. Count on finding wines from Australia and New Zealand, Austria, France, Italy, Canada, South America and California, as well.

Northwest wines get their due, with more than 120 selections each from Washington and Oregon and 90 from Idaho.

The wine shop offers free tastings each Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and each Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

And its website offers recommendations from the staff and news about new releases.

Contact: 915 N. Eighth St., Boise, 208-472-4519, www.boisecoopwineshop.com Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tastings Tastings is a relative newcomer to Boise, open since June 28, said owner Jay Beard, who added you’ll most likely to catch him mopping the floor.

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boise The wine shop offers more than 600 labels, of which Beard said a third are Northwest wines, including many from Idaho.

The wine shop also has a wine bar that offers a rotating menu of six whites and six reds by the glass, as well as a menu of small plates, such as cheese, fruit and other wine-friendly nibbles. The wine selection at the bar typically has a theme, such as Washington wines, holiday wines or whatever strikes Beard’s fancy.

Beard has brought in Idaho winemakers for special tasting events, including Fraser Vineyard’s Bill Fraser and Sawtooth’s Bill Murray. The special events on Wednesday and Fridays have been well attended, Beard said.

“We blew the doors off the shop,” he said.

Contact: 2447 Apple St., Boise, 208-385-9463, www.tastingsboise.com The Basque Market Located on Boise’s Basque Block, and across the street from the Basque Museum and Cultural Center (www.basque museum.com), the Basque Market offers a selection of wines from the Basque regions

in Spain, Portugal and southern France, as well as wines from Basque families in Chile.

Owner Tony Eiguren offers Basque staples, hard-to-find spices, olives, meats and cheeses and other deli items from Spain and Portugal and local producers and cooking equipment including paella pans.

Tapas are available daily from noon to 3 p.m., and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, which can be enjoyed with a bottle of wine.

Contact: 608 W. Grove, Boise, 208-433-1208, www.thebasquemarket.com Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Erickson Fine Wines Erickson offers extensive lists of Northwest wines, including more than 60 selections from Idaho, as well as wines from Argentina, Australia, California, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal.

Contact: 150 E. Riverside St., No. 120, Eagle, 208-938-3698, www.ericksonfinewines.com Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Closed Sunday.

Bueno Cheapo Vino Bueno Cheapo calls itself a happily complex but easy-going little wine shop.

In addition to a wine club, the shop also offers frequent wine classes, $25 for one person or $40 for a couple, offered at the wine shop. The class covers the vineyard side of winemaking as well as how to taste wine and identify qualities and flavors and pairing wine with foods.

Contact: 770 S. Vista Avenue, Boise, 208-336-1930, www.buenocheapovino.com Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Restaurants Café Vicino Richard Langston and Steve Rhoades opened Café Vicino nearly five years ago, when Boise’s restaurant scene was at a stage of development similar to Idaho’s wine industry.

“From a professional level, it’s had its ups and downs,” Langston said. “But the changes happening the last five years have been phenomenal. It’s been great to get to know the growers and producers and see

them all grow and change.”

Vicino is a relatively small fine-dining restaurant in downtown Boise with 17 tables.

“It’s all European and Mediterranean-inspired,” Langston said. “We sometimes get pigeon-holed as Italian, but there’s also a Provençal French and Spanish influence.”

The Treasure Valley is a productive agricultural area, which has allowed Langston to create dishes that incorporate an increasing amount of locally grown and raised foods, including produce, chicken and artisanal cheeses, including Rollingstone chevre, made in Parma. Idaho, not Italy.

A sample meal: We’re in Idaho, after all, so let’s start with freshly made Yukon gold potato chips dusted with truffle salt, then a fresh beet and Rollingstone chevrè salad on mixed greens with an orange vinaigrette. Then for an entrée, a Prosciutto-wrapped Matthews Farm chicken breast on crispy polenta with a golden raisin and grappa sauce.

It’s fare that calls for a glass or wine, which Vicino offers with more than 20 offerings by the glass and scores more by

Old wine bottles in display at Boise Co-op Wine Shop

Red Feather Lounge

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boise the bottle. Washington, Idaho and Oregon are well represented as are California, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Argentina.

“Wines are a big deal for us,” Langston said.

In his 18 years in Boise, after moving from the San Francisco Bay area where he studied and worked as a chef, Langston said he’s watched Idaho’s wine industry develop and grow and sees promise in the many relatively young wineries in the Boise area and Snake River Valley.

“It’s come from almost nothing 18 years ago, to offering so many different wines. And the quality of wines being produced has gone up and continues to improve as the growers and winemakers figure out what’s going to do well.”

Wineries, such as nearby Cinder and Fraser Vineyards, are doing great things with Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot, he said.

“And that’s great for me because it complements my style of cooking,” he said.

Contact: 808 W. Fort Street, Boise, 208-472-1463, www.cafevicino.com

Hours: Open Monday through Friday for lunch, Monday through Saturday for dinner. Reservations recommended.

Bardenay Bardenay, in Boise’s historic Basque Block, has taken the concept of the brewpub a step beyond beer. Each of Bardenay’s three Idaho locations distills the restaurant chain’s own spirits.

The Bardenay in nearby Eagle makes gin. The restaurant in Coeur d’Alene makes vodka, and the Bardenay in Boise distills rum. All three spirits and other spirits and a long list of wines from around the globe, U.S. and Northwest, are served at each location.

Walk into the Boise restaurant’s main dining room and bar and the first thing you’ll notice is a glass-encased distillery, its gleaming metal pots and pipes standing like a massive pipe organ in a sanctuary.

“It’s definitely the centerpiece,” said Cindy Limber, wine director for Bardenay.

Bardenay, which celebrates its 12th anniversary this December, offers as many as 30 wines by the glass, 24 of which are kept “under gas” in a long

glass-faced winekeeper display behind the bar. The winekeeper keeps oxygen away from the wine, extending the length of time a bottle can be kept open, allowing for a greater selection by the glass.

“It’s also a nice way to display the bottles,” Limber said.

Along with a helpful menu that describes styles of wines and makes food and wine pairing suggestions, the staff at Bardenay is also skilled at offering recommendations.

Asked about a particular pairing she enjoys, Limber suggested the charbroiled salmon fillet with sun-dried tomato butter and a crisp white.

The Northwest is well represented on Bardenay’s wine list, with selections by the glass or bottle from Washington and Idaho.

“We emphasize the Northwest as much as we can, especially Idaho,” Limber said.

Contact: 610 Grove Street, Boise 208-426-0538, www.bardenay.com Hours: Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, and Saturday and Sunday for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Bella Aquila You’d expect a Napa Valley transplant to include a healthy number of Napa Valley and California wines on the wine list for his family’s restaurant, which will mark its third year in March.

Chad Cooper, partners with parents Bill and Ellen Cooper in Eagle’s Bella Aquila restaurant, does give more than a nod to Napa Valley, but he also recognizes the quality he can find closer to his new home.

“Napa Valley wines are represented on the list, but we also have a number of Idaho and Northwest wines, 20 percent of the list. And then another 20 percent is Italian,” he said.

Cooper made particular note of the wines being made by Fraser Vineyard, as well as Cinder, Koenig, Sawtooth, Woodriver and 3 Horse Ranch Vineyard. That’s a bottle of 3 Horse Ranch that Chad Cooper is holding in his photo on the restaurant’s website.

Bella Aquila’s kitchen is led by longtime Treasure Valley chef David Knickrehm, whose menu offers Italian-inspired appetizers, including pizza, pasta and entrees of seafood, chicken, beef, veal, pork and lamb.

Bardenay’s distillery

Hotel 43

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Martini made with Bardenay’s gin.

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boise Samples from the menu: An appetizer of suppli, aged Fontina-stuffed risotto cakes, fried and served with marinara and basil oil; and entrees of Scallops Christian, sautéed sea scallops in a ChampagneParmesan cream sauce; and Vitello Saltimbocca, veal scaloppini stuffed with prosciutto and fresh sage.

While it hasn’t been an easy time for restaurants in general, Cooper said, the scene is healthy in Boise and Eagle, helped by California transplants and native Idahoans who are equally knowledgeable and appreciative of what is offered by the valley’s restaurants and wineries. “”I’m in heaven up here,” Cooper said.

Contact: 775 S. Rivershore Lane, No. 100, Eagle, 208-9381900, bellaaquilarestaurant.com Hours: Open Monday through Saturday for lunch, Monday through Sunday for dinner and Sunday brunch.

Red Feather Lounge & Bittercreek Ale House Nestled side by side, the Red Feather Lounge and Bittercreek Ale House share ownership as well as an ethic that focuses on serving as much from local

growers and producers as possible. Red Feather’s menu lists no fewer than 40 local food providers with colorful names such as Peaceful Belly, Lava Lake Lamb and Gregarious Gardens.

And if that isn’t enough to get the message, take a closer look at the beer and wine menu: Along with identifying the brewery or winery and its AVA, you learn where it’s made and how far away it is. The wineries closest to Red Feather include Fraser Vineyard at a half-mile and Cinder and Periple at 2.6 miles.

You can expect the season to dictate the menu, but a recent offering included choices such as a grilled kale Caesar salad; lox and cucumbers; pizza with basil and mozzarella and heirloom tomato sauce; a spicy Lava Lake Lamb burger; chicken in wine with polenta and roasted carrots; and confit pork belly, served with pickled fruit, cilantro and ginger sauce.

During the warmer months, you can dine on the sidewalk that fronts a bustling but pedestrian- and bike-friendly Eighth Street, home to the Saturday farmers market. Inside, the décor is modern and rich, including the downstairs Red

Feather Cellar for parties of 10 to 18, where you can dine surrounded by bottles of wine.

Those who want to enjoy a local wine or beer and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time can take advantage of the Low-Power Happy Hour, weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. The lights are lowered and candles are lit for a late afternoon that is energy-saving and romantic.

Contact: 246 N. Eighth Street, Boise, 208-345-1813, bcrfl.com/redfeather Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to close.

Berryhill & Co. Chef and restaurateur John Berryhill was the celebrity chef for Boise TV station KTBV for several years and now runs Berryhill & Co., as well as the Plan B Lounge and Bacon (see below).

Berryhill’s list offers several Idaho wines, including selections from Bitner Vineyards, Cinder, Fraser, Koenig, Cinder, Snake River Winery, Ste. Chapelle and Woodriver Cellars.

A sample of the menu, which features many local growers and producers: a spinach and cranberry salad, available with Berryhill’s own bacon; and a Salmon Creek Farms pork chop,

braised in herbs, fennel and artichoke and served with a preserved lemon ragout over white Tuscan beans.

Contact: 121 N. Ninth St., Boise, 208-387-3553, www.johnberryhillrestaurants.com Hours: Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Open Sunday for brunch only.

Reservations recommended Cottonwood Grille Open since 1999 and with views of the Boise River, the Cottonwood Grille offers a wine list with some 200 selections, including many from the Northwest and California, with more than a dozen by the glass.

Along with menu selections of pasta, fish and shellfish, poultry, pork, beef and lamb, the restaurant also serves fresh game, including Black Canyon elk, buffalo, duckling and grilled pheasant.

Contact: 913 W. River Street, Boise, 208-333-9800, www.cot tonwoodgrille.com Hours: Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Angell's Bar and Grill Open since 1981, Angell’s Bar

Bella Aquila’s fresh pasta.

There are several outdoor cafes in downtown Boise.

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boise and Grill offers a full list of wines from the Northwest, California and Europe, as well as Fraser Vineyard and California’s Coiled “Sidewider,” a Snake River Valley Syrah.

A sampling of the menu: a prawn martini with Pacific white shrimp and sliced cucumber, lime and Ancho tomatillo sauce; prime rib with tempura or coconut prawns and tamarind marmalade sauce; grass-fed lamb rubbed with lavender, juniper, garlic and olive oil and a mint, black currant and Port reduction.

Contact: 999 Main Street, Boise, 208-342-4900, www.angellsbarandgrill.com

Wine bars Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery Salt Tears, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, offers a short list of wines, including a couple of Boise entries, including Cinder’s rosé and Periple’s Something Red blend and its Pinot, made by Napa winemaker Leslie Preston, an Idaho native.

Contact: 4714 W. State St., Boise, 208-275-0017, www.salttears.com Hours: Monday, 6:30 a.m. to

8 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Twig’s Cellar Twig’s serves small plates, salads, pizzas and desserts and offers more than 22 wines by the glass, including Snake River Valley Merlot from Huston Vineyards and bottles from Vale, Fraser and Périple. A good bet: Potato Twigs, hand-cut potatoes with blueberry catsup.

Contact: 816 Bannock St., Boise, 208-344-8944, www.twigscellar.com Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Closed Sunday and Monday.

Grape Escape Wine Bar Contact: 800 W. Idaho St., Ste 100, Boise, 208-368-0200.

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Breakfast Bacon A companion to Berryhill & Co. restaurant, Bacon offers what you hoped for: bacon. This breakfast and lunch place, which also can whip up a bloody Mary, offers several styles of specially made

Locals don’t mind the wait getting into Goldy’s for breakfast.

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bacon. Recent offerings included Kurobuta herbed bacon, chocolate bacon, maple rosemary bacon, smoky cumin bacon, turkey bacon and even tempeh bacon. Good bet: Eggs and Berryhill bacon, served with salsa fresca, roasted potatoes and.

Contact: 121 N. Ninth St., No. 102, Boise, 208-387-3553, www.johnberryhillrestaurants. com Hours: Open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

iconic IdanHa Hotel building, La Vie En Rose’s European bakery and bistro offers breakfast and lunch and a case stocked with delectable pastries, cakes and tarts. Good bet: a smoked salmon and cream cheese frittata.

Contact: 928 W. Main St., Boise, 208-331-4045, www.lavieenrosebakery.com Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro There’s a bustling big-city vibe in this two-floor diner within eyeshot of the state Capitol. Be prepared for a short wait, and they don’t take reservations. Local roaster Dawson Taylor supplies the coffee. Good bet: Eggs with Salmon & Dill Hollandaise on English muffin.

Contact: 108 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, 208-345-4100, www.goldysbreakfastbistro.com Hours: Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Moon’s Kitchen Moon’s Kitchen, a downtown Boise fixture since opening in 1955, is a classic diner offering hearty breakfasts and lunches at affordable prices.

Contact: 712 W Idaho St., Boise, 208-385-0472, www.moonskitchen.com Hours: Open Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. ı

La Vie En Rose Bakery and Bistro Located in the historic and

J O N B A U E R is Wine Press Northwest’s Salish Sea correspondent.

The Northwest native has a quartercentur y in the newspaper business and lives in Mount Vernon, Wash.

JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the page designer for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com

Sunday brunch at Berryhill & Co.

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WINE COUNTRY: PROSSER

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F E AT U R E

David Adelsheim has been making wine in the Willamette Valley for 40 years.

Adelsheim Vineyard is in the Chehalem Mountains in Newberg, Ore.

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DAVID

ADELSHEIM OREGON PINOT PIONEER STILL GOING STRONG AF TER FOUR DECADES

BY ANDY PERDUE g PHOTOS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

F

orty years ago, David Adelsheim didn’t have much of an inkling of what he was getting into. He didn’t expect to be thought of as a wine pioneer, that’s for sure.

“It was a leap of faith, to say the least,” he said with a gentle laugh.

Today, the founder of Adelsheim Vineyard is celebrating something he didn’t think about when he bought a few acres of land back in 1971: four decades in the wine business and a reputation as one of the industry’s guiding lights.

“In 1971, a lot of people were trying out farming for the first time,” he said. “There was a revolutionary spirit that said you could do whatever you wanted.”

In 1971, Adelsheim and his thenwife, Ginny, purchased land in Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains near Newberg. They brought in Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling vines from California and planted them in 1972. Six years later, he made 1,300 cases of wine and launched one of Oregon’s first wineries. Today, he farms 232 acres of vineyards and produces 40,000 cases of wine.

Adelsheim spent his early years in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, but his family moved to Portland when he was 11. With no background in farming or winemaking — just a love for wine — the Adelsheims dived into a business

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that, frankly, was new for many on the West Coast. Oregon’s winemaking history went back barely a decade, and the industry was so small, it could define itself over dinner.

“There were six to 10 families involved,” Adelsheim said. “And we could sit around a table and have a conversation about how to make a wine industry out of thin air. That’s what the beginning of the Willamette Valley wine industry was all about: a fantasy about a future without practical experience.”

The folks around the table included such names as Erath, Lett, Ponzi, Sokol Blosser and Adelsheim. Today, they are considered the pioneers, giants who built the foundation for an industry and a path for others to follow.

Adelsheim said the mid-’60s to mid-’70s was a time of enlightenment for the West Coast wine industry, when people began to understand and get excited about wine for the sake of quality, not just to make money.

“That was particularly true in Oregon, where there was no history of growing grapes,” he said. “The whole approach in Oregon was about the quality of wine. Grapes were necessary to get to the wine, so we slowly learned about viticulture.”

Those were heady days, he said.

And painful.

“We were certainly among the most naive,” he said with a laugh that can only come with distance from hard lessons. “We had no background in growing grapes or making, selling and marketing wine.

Over time, we’ve had to learn about all of them.”

Back then, everyone brought something to the table. Dick Erath, for example, had an expertise in viticulture, and he also knew how to work with financial institutions.

Adelsheim had been a sommelier prior to getting into the wine industry, so he knew his way around the food industry.

“I had a bit more clarity on how restaurants and distribution worked and was able to help on some of that,” he said. “I was also willing to put in work on wine label regulations and clonal importation.”

Everybody, he said, was helping to create a greater good for the entire industry.

“It was about the people in the business,” he said. “It was about the collaboration everyone was able to provide. We each brought a range of talents.”

After Adelsheim put his vines in the ground, he began thinking about what to do with the resulting grapes, so he turned to “Papa Pinot,” David Lett, who is credited with planting the first Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley in 1965.

“I worked with David in 1973 and

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looked to him for a range of help with stylistic advice,” he said. “Our focus on style and balance is related to what he did.”

That same year, Adelsheim and Lett worked together to craft regulations that would set aside the best vineyard land in the north Willamette Valley. With the help of the Yamhill County planning director, they were able to protect hillA D E L S H E I M V I N E YA R D sides from 16800 NE Caulkins Lane becoming Newberg, OR 97132 housing 503-538-3652 developwww.adelsheim.com ments.

Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Today, those daily. hills grow some of the world’s most exciting Pinot Noir.

Several judgings and tastings over the next decade would put Oregon on the global wine map and force the Old World to take notice. In the mid-’80s, the Drouhin family of Burgundy purchased land and launched Domaine Drouhin Oregon in the Dundee Hills. The International Pinot Noir Celebration soon followed, and suddenly the little industry was growing up.

Adelsheim and others never envisioned today’s Oregon wine industry.

“I’m not sure we knew what doing a good job would look like or what the industry would become,” he said. “I would not have predicted it.”

He said the uniqueness of the northern Willamette Valley drew today’s industry here — “idealism about growing Pinot Noir and not doing it the way it’s done in Burgundy and California.” He added that Oregon was not content with simply growing wine grapes and crafting wine. Instead, the industry continued to evolve and grow, to create ways for wine lovers to experience Oregon wine rather than simply drink it.

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Adelsheim said that the wine industry’s growth and success has led some to lose that personal touch. But for every winemaker who gets caught up in distancing himself from the consumer, 15 more are hungry to take his place.

“It’s difficult to envision our future,” he said. “We don’t want it to be Napa Valley, and we don’t want it to be Burgundy. We want it to be the Willamette Valley. We want to hang onto that collaborative aspect. That has led this upstart place with little or no reason to exist.”

He describes Oregon as tiny compared with Washington and “off the chart” compared with California. Yet the quality of the wines — and their subsequent importance amid wine critics and consumers alike — makes Oregon way bigger than its size would otherwise indicate.

The six American Viticultural Areas that carved the north Willamette Valley into smaller pieces a halfdecade ago are a natural part of Oregon’s wine evolution, he said, describing them as one part sophistication and one part “nerdism.”

“For all the detractors who think there are huge numbers of people who are not ready for that detail, I think it’s another reason to be excited about Oregon wine,” he said. “It starts setting the fine details apart, which is exciting.”

Adelsheim is no longer the winemaker for his eponymous operation — he leaves that to winemaker Dave Paige and cellarmaster Gina Hennen.

He co-owns the winery with Ginny — they divorced in 2007 after a long separation but remain on good terms — and Jack and Lynn Loacker, who have been involved since 1994, a year before they began planting grapes on nearby Ribbon Ridge.

Depending on what the vintage gives, Adelsheim will produce anywhere from 16 to 22 different wines, everything from single-vineyard Pinot Noirs to Chardonnay and Auxerrois. The focus on Pinot Noir will continue to drive Adelsheim —

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and Oregon — forward, he said.

“We love playing with as many white varieties as we can plant,” he said. “We love the two acres of Syrah here. But that’s all fiddling around the edges.”

He said Adelsheim Vineyard has gone from being evenly split between whites and reds to twothirds red — and that gap will only widen as the focus narrows on Pinot Noir.

“We need to keep our focus on that variety and get even better at finding blocks and pieces of blocks that are extraordinary and should be kept separate,” he said. “Our grape growing and winemaking teams are in the running for the best in the north Willamette Valley. Our goal is to do everything even more consistently and to identify those places that we should be keeping separate.

We’re trying to deliver something that reflects what comes out of the vineyard with the least amount of distraction from winemaking, albeit with a stylistic bent that leads us in the direction of balance and elegance. Naively, that’s where we started out — and that’s ultimately where we’ve stayed.”

At 68, Adelsheim has no thoughts of retiring, though he is involved in fewer of the details.

“I’m pretty confident that we’re making the best wine we’ve ever made without me being there with the day-to-day decisions. I’ve planted vines, built wineries, been the winemaker, sold wine, done the books, done the taxes — and I eventually realized that the people I’ve hired were better at those jobs than I could ever be, so I rely on them to make the day-to-day decisions, which lets me focus on the future.” ı AN D Y PE R D U E is editor-in-chief of Wine Press

Northwest. Reach him at 509-582-1405 or editor@winepressnw.com.

JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the page designer for Wine Press Northwest. Her website is WineCountryPhotos.com

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A bee sips some nectar from a lavender blossom at Adelsheim Vineyards.

David Adelsheim

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WINE COUNTRY: WALLA WALLA VALLEY

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WINE COUNTRY: WALLA WALLA VALLEY

We produce elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from our Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge estate vineyards. These luxurious wines showcase the distinctive terroir of the Walla Walla Valley.

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Open Sat. 10-4 Special Events & by appt

509-527-8400 www.fivestarcellars.com

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WINE COUNTRY: SPOKANE, IDAHO & SOUTHERN OREGON Recent releases from Spokane, Idaho and Southern Oregon Excellent. Coeur d’Alene Cellars 2008 McKinley Springs Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon,Washington, $28.

Because Idaho and Washington do not share an American Viticulture Area (yet), Idaho wines that use Washington grapes may not use the appellation of origin, in this case, the Horse Heaven Hills. Setting aside this bureaucratic silliness, this is a delicious wine from what is now recognized as among the best places in Washington to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. This example from a North Idaho producer opens with aromas of classic black currants, boysenberries, blueberries, vanilla and intriguing minerality. On the palate, it offers flavors of red-toned fruits backed with leather, tobacco, vanilla, spice and French press. We see this pairing nicely with Londonbroil, beef au jus or herb-crusted lamb. (209 cases,13.9% alc.)

Recommended. Wood River Cellars 2008 Estate CabernetMalbec, Snake River Valley, $25.

There’s a greeting of black cherry and black olive, followed by herbaceous aromas of mint and plug tobacco that hint at the presence of Cabernet Franc in this blend. On the medium-bodied palate comes more fruit, leading with Van cherry and cassis. It’s backed by flavors of cola, chocolate, horehound and lots of minerality, giving it a solid place at the table with hearty soups and beef casseroles. (250 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Outstanding! Arbor Crest Wine Cellars 2009 Three Vineyards Syrah, Columbia Valley, $18.

Here’s another head-turning red from Spokane winemaker Kristina Mielke-van Löben Sels, and her melange from Bacchus, Conner Lee and Stillwater Creek vineyards makes for a blackberry monster nearly from beginning to end. Aromas also hint at Marionberry, blueberry tea and shoe leather.

Open the mouth and imagine a spoonful of blackberry pie filling, followed by boysenberry, black cherry, bittersweet chocolate and black olive. The balance of acidity with cranberry skin tannin prevents it from offering too much of these good things. Suggested pairings include huckleberryinfluenced ribs and duck breast. (715 cases, 13.8% alc.)

Outstanding! Nodland Cellars 2010 Bebop Riesling, Columbia Valley, $16.

This young Spokane, Wash., winery released some stunning reds earlier this year, and Tim and Tracy Nodland’s diversity shows with this deliciously jazzy Riesling.

There’s inviting fresh fruit cocktail aromas with peach, green apple, lychee, grapefruit and facial powder. The flavor profile opens with kiwi fruit, peaches and mango as the sweetness (2.2% residual sugar) sits on the palate before pink grapefruit arrives for balance. Enjoy with Tex-Mex, Thai or other spicy foods. (112 cases, 11% alc.)

For more reviews of recently released wines, check out www.winepressnw.com/freshpress

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THE BEST OF THE BEST IN THE GREAT NORTHWEST

12 th Annual Platinum Judging S T O RY B Y A N D Y P E R D U E

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or the past dozen years, we have invited wineries to submit their gold medal winners to compete in what we call “the Best of the Best in the Great Northwest.”

And every year, it’s a chance for us to not only figure out what some of the greatest wines in the Pacific Northwest are, but also to get a bigger picture on trends in our region.

One trend that has continued is the greatness of Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery. The family operation just over the Canadian border near Oliver, B.C., again dominated the Platinum Judging, winning an astonishing six awards. Through the 12 years of this competition, the winery

run by Walter and Gordon Gehringer has won 25 Platinums, the most by any winery in the Pacific Northwest.

The two top wines of the judging were from Washington: Kiona’s 2008 Lemberger from estate Red Mountain grapes and Jones of Washington’s 2010 Viognier, which used estate grapes on the Wahluke Slope. Kiona had the top wine in our inaugural Platinum Judging in 2000 for a Cabernet Sauvignon.

For Jones of Washington, this caps a superb year for winemaker Victor Palencia, who won a dozen gold medals around the country, including several best-of-class awards.

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Here are a few other story lines from this year’s Platinum: ı Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington’s oldest winery, won three Platinums this year, including the No. 3 wine in the competition.

In 12 years, CSM has won 14 Platinums. ı Barnard Griffin in Richland, Wash., won two Platinums.

Winemaker Rob Griffin has now earned 18 Platinums through the years. ı Winemaker Robert Smasne was responsible for four Platinums in our competition. He won one under his own label (Smasne Cellars), but he

also made the three Platinum winners for Skylite Cellars in Walla Walla. ı Also winning two Platinums each were: Maryhill Winery, Covington Cellars, Dunham Cellars, Northstar, Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards, Tsillan Cellars and Watermill Winery. ı Through the first 11 years of the Platinum, just one Idaho wine had won a Platinum.That changed this year, as two Gem State wines earned that distinction. ı We judged 25 Rieslings, and wines from each of the four Northwest regions (Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and

Idaho) earned Platinums. ı There are some great bargains to be found in the Platinums this year, as 15 wines were priced at $15 or less. In fact, the top three wines were $17 or less.

This year’s Platinum Judging was conducted at the Clover Island Inn in Kennewick, Wash., overlooking the Columbia River that is so important to the Northwest wine industry.

Our judges were: Kristine Bono of Col Solare on Red Mountain; Parks Redwine of Atlanta, Ga., and owner of the Northwest Wine Summit competition; Doug Charles, owner of Compass Wines in Anacortes, Wash.;

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Dr. Thomas Henick-Kling, director of viticulture and enology for Washington State University; Jay Drysdale of Enotecca Winery and Resorts in Oliver, B.C.; Ken Robertson, Wine Press Northwest columnist; Coke Roth, Wine Press Northwest columnist; and Dave Seaver, Wine Press Northwest tasting panelist. (Note: Bono and Drysdale did not judge wines from their wineries. Additionally, Charles sells a fortified wine as a negoçiant, and he did not judge that wine.)

All wines were tasted blind, meaning the judges did not know the producer or the price.

DOUBLE PLATINUM

Jones of Washington $17 2010 Estate Viognier, Wahluke Slope Winemaker Victor Palencia has had a heck of a year, and this is the cherry. This opens with aromas of oranges, limes and minerality, followed by flavors of mangoes, papayas, Crenshaw melons, hints of roses and even lemon bars, along with a long finish of luscious orange Creamsicle and utterly amazing acidity. There’s a nice tension of sweetness and acidity that makes this especially intriguing. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (406 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Best Buy! Chateau Ste. Michelle $9 2010 Harvest Select Riesling, Columbia Valley In just its second year in release after replacing the popular Indian Wells Riesling, this sweeter wine already is a big hit — and huge production wine — for the world’s largest producer of Riesling. There’s an intriguing subtlety in the nose that requires a bit of concentration to fully appreciate, and the complex flavors are laden with rich, ripe fruit. Despite the sweetness (4.98% residual sugar), it isn’t over the top, thanks to cleansing acidity that brings beautiful balance and provides a full range of really cool complexity.

Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit, Washington State Wine Competition, Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (double gold), Monterey Wine Competition, San Diego International Wine Competition (double gold) and Indy International Wine Competition (double gold). (170,000 cases, 10% alc.)

Best Buy! Kiona Vineyards Winery 2008 Lemberger, Red Mountain In

Quady North $19 2010 Pistoleta, Rogue Valley Owner/winemaker Herb Quady took equal parts

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Washington, nobody has made Lemberger longer or better than Kiona. In fact, a few years ago, Kiona made two styles, but the version from its estate grapes was so distinctive and delicious, winemaker Scott Williams decided to just stick with this one. And it’s a great example of the variety, with aromas of Van cherries, mint and smoke, followed by a beautiful mouth feel that reveals flavors of cherries, black pepper, cedar and red berries.

Make this your go-to barbecue red. Won gold at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition (best in class) and Pacific Rim International Wine Competition.

(3,400 cases, 13.5% alc.)

$12

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Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier for this white blend from Southern Oregon grapes.

This opens with succulent aromas of citrus and tropical fruit, including pineapples, limes and orange zest, followed by luscious flavors of apples, oranges, pineapples and stone fruit. It’s a dry, crisp, bright white wine that still provides a bit of delicious creaminess on the midpalate. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (100 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Sokol Blosser Winery $38 2008 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills One of Oregon’s oldest producers continues to craft its finest wines, as this Pinot Noir reveals.

Longtime winemaker Russ Rosner used mostly estate grapes from the Dundee Hills to craft this delicious and complex Pinot Noir. It opened with fascinating aromas of sweet herbs, rich earth, wet gravel and black truffles, followed by flavors of ripe raspberries, violets and mushrooms. One judge described it as “the rock star of the day because it brings the whole package.” Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest Pinot Noir judging. (6,308 cases, 14% alc.)

Best Buy! Sawtooth Estate Winery $9 2009 Riesling, Snake River Valley One of Idaho’s largest and oldest producers has crafted the first non-ice wine to win a Platinum award from the Gem State, and it’s a beauty.

Winemaker Bill Murray used grapes from the estate Sawtooth and Skyline vineyards and blended in just a touch of Muscat to provide an additional level of complexity. It opens with aromas of apricots, limes and apples, followed by balanced flavors of grapefruits, oranges and crisp apples. A bit of residual sweetness (2%) enhances the flavors and texture, all of which is beautifully balanced with Idaho’s famous acidity. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (1,521 cases, 12.3% alc.)

Best Buy! L'Ecole No. 41 $14 2010 Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley Few winemakers on the West Coast take this clas-

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sic variety seriously, but owner/winemaker Marty Clubb has had a soft spot for Chenin Blanc for many years. In fact, L’Ecole has crafted a Chenin since 1987. For this wine, Clubb brought in Yakima Valley grapes from vines planted in the late 1970s. The resulting wine opens with aromas of cloves, lemon zest, cinnamon and peaches, followed by flavors of green apples, quinces and Jolly Rancher candy. Crisp acidity provides plenty of length. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit and Washington State Wine Competition. (2,160 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Otis Kenyon Wine $30 2008 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley Despite some pessimism about selling Syrah, this grape remains one of the most popular, based on the number of entries we received — and this was the best of the bunch. The grapes for this Syrah from a small but highly regarded Walla Walla winery came from Patina and Stellar vineyards. It is a classic Washington Syrah, opening with aromas of black pepper and blackberries, followed by a palate that is loaded with dark fruit, including blackberries, plums and blueberries. It’s a long, lingering wine that should pair nicely with braised meats. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (586 cases, 14% alc.)

Steppe Cellars $25 2008 StoneTree Vineyard Malbec, Wahluke Slope Talk about synergy. The grapes for this superb Malbec were grown by Tedd Wildman, and the wine was crafted by his wife, Anke Freimuth-Wildman at this Yakima Valley winery. This shows off a wonderful earthiness on the nose, as well as floral notes, plums and plump boysenberries. On the palate, this opens with flavors of ripe plums, black licorice, vanilla, boysenberries and even a hint of cinnamon. While it has the muscularity of a Malbec, the winemaker showed a deft touch with oak. Won gold at the Long Beach Grand Cru and Seattle Wine

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Awards (double gold). (90 cases, 14% alc.)

Mount Baker Vineyards & Winery $20 2008 Proprietor’s Limited Release Malbec, Yakima Valley One of Washington’s northernmost wineries, Mount Baker is in the picturesque Nooksack Valley not far from Bellingham.

The grapes for this tremendous Malbec came from Crawford and Lonesome Spring vineyards in the Yakima Valley. It opens with aromas of rich, ripe, dark berries and minerals, followed by powerful flavors of cherries, cola, blackberries, earth and black pepper. There’s a complex and intriguing tension between the fruit, tannin and acidity that makes us think this will only get better with a few years in the bottle. Won gold at the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition. (353 cases, 13.7% alc.)

Covington Cellars $35 2008 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley This small Woodinville, Wash., producer used grapes from three appellations — Red Mountain and Walla Walla and Yakima valleys — to craft this superb and complex Cab Franc, a red grape that remains underappreciated.

This version should win over fans, however, thanks to its sexy aromas of black cherries, boysenberries, oregano and chocolate. On the palate, it’s an intense wine with flavors of dried cherries, vanilla, chocolate and black tea. Its astonishing complexity lasts throughout the memorable finish. Won gold at the Indy International Wine Competition and Seattle Wine Awards. (334 cases, 14.3% alc.)

Chateau Ste. Michelle $50 2007 Artist Series Meritage, Columbia Valley This is winemaker Bob Bertheau’s most collectible wine, and he focuses a lot of energy and superb fruit to craft an amazing red blend. Using grapes from estate Canoe Ridge, Cold Creek and Indian Wells vineyards, he expertly blended Cabernet Sauvignon (56%) with Merlot (37%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot. It opens with aromas of cherries, chocolate, black currants and crushed leaf, followed by flavors of cranberries, cherries, black licorice, chocolate and Bing cherries.

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Minerality, tannin and toasted oak help make this a complete package. Won gold at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, Seattle Wine Awards (double gold), Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Monterey Wine Competition and Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. (2,200 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Tsillan Cellars $28 2008 Lakeside Vineyard Bellisima Rossa, Lake Chelan Dr. Bob Jankelson envisioned this gorgeous winery on the south shore of Lake Chelan, and his estate grapes are paying off in tremendous ways. Shane Collins’ amazing blend leads with Syrah (80%) and is rounded out with Merlot (16%) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The result is a wine with aromas of black licorice, fresh dates, cherries and black currants, followed by opulent flavors of dark chocolate, ripe boysenberries and vanilla, all backed with rich tannins and ample acidity that create intense and amazing depth.

Won gold at the New World International Wine Competition (best in class), Seattle Wine Awards, Washington State Wine Competition, Northwest Wine Summit and Tri-Cities Wine Fest. (520 cases, 15.3% alc.)

Coyote Canyon Winery $22 2010 Albariño, Horse Heaven Hills The folks at this Yakima Valley winery and Horse Heaven Hills vineyard have this Spanish variety dialed in. In fact, the 2009 version of this wine won a Platinum last year, and this steps up to a unanimous Double Platinum, an astonishing feat. This opens with aromas of a baked peach pie, followed by flavors of orange marmalade, pears and melons. The bright acidity is balanced with 1.5% residual sugar, creating a delicious and harmonious wine. Won gold at the Washington State Wine Competition. (483 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Willamette Valley Vineyards $45 2008 Hannah Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley In the past few years, this large winery near Salem has been focusing more of its effort on crafting high-end single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.

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All of winemaker Forrest Klaffke’s work paid off in this wine, which uses grapes from a vineyard in the northern Willamette Valley.

The nose opens with a whiff of mint, followed by layered aromas of spices, violets, cola and cherries. On the palate, it reveals flavors of Dr Pepper, black cherries, black licorice and chocolate, all impressively balanced with mild tannins and bright acidity. Won gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (96 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Skylite Cellars $28 2006 Syrah, Columbia Valley Robert Smasne is an omnipresent winemaker in Washington, and he crafted this superb Syrah using grapes from the Yakima and Walla Walla valleys. It’s a consumer-friendly wine with aromas of allspice, blueberries and huckleberries, followed by flavors of black currants, currants, fresh figs and just the right amount of oak. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (112 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Thurston Wolfe $25 2008 Reserve Petite Sirah, Horse Heaven Hills Owner/winemaker Wade Wolfe basically pioneered this Rhône variety in Washington and has been so successful with it, he’s branched out with this vintage with a bottling that separated the best barrels. Wolfe uses grapes from Zephyr Ridge, one of his favorite vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills, and it’s a real crowd pleaser, opening with aromas of cocoa powder, boysenberries, mint and graphite. On the palate, it is loaded with complex flavors of black cherries, ripe dark berries and a hint of pleasing gaminess. The finegrained tannins expertly back up the massive fruit, and the oak balances everything beautifully. Won double gold at the Washington State Wine Competition. (50 cases, 14.6% alc.)

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $50 2010 Minus 9 Ehrenfelser Icewine, Okanagan Valley Last year, this Oliver, B.C., winery topped our Platinum Judging with a Riesling ice wine, and this year, it repeats with a unanimous Double Platinum using the rare Ehrenfelser grape (a cross of Riesling and Silvaner). This is a thick, exotic, viscous, over-

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the-top dessert wine that shows off aromas of honey and ruby red grapefruit, followed by rich flavors of poached pears and baked apples topped with vanilla and cinnamon.

There’s nothing subtle about this rich, refreshing ice wine. Won double gold at the Indy International Wine Competition. (280 cases, 13% alc.)

Dusted Valley Vintners $28 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley The boys at Dusted Valley have done it again, making the top Cab in our judging of 37 gold medal winners. The grapes came from four vineyards, leading with Dusted Valley’s estate Sconni Block, and this blends in a bit of Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec. On the nose, it leads with aromas of red plums, tobacco leaf and toasty oak. On the palate, this wine is more than just berries. It’s a beautifully framed wine with flavors of ripe dark fruit backed with solid but not overbearing tannins, making it a harmonious wine. Won gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

(700 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Best Buy! Kramer Vineyards $15 NV Celebrate Müller-Thurgau, YamhillCarlton District The Kramer family began making this delicious bubbly in 2002 from estate grapes. It’s a fun, exciting wine that reveals surprising complexity. It opens with aromas of minerals, Spanish almonds and pineapples, followed by flavors of ripe pears and tropical fruits. The residual sugar is 4%, but it finishes dry, thanks to the bright bubbles. On the midpalate, it is creamy and frothy, giving way to flavors of starfruit on the finish. Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s sparkling wine judging.

(260 cases, 10.5% alc.)

PLATINUM Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards $22 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley Owner/winemaker Judy Phelps is crafting

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some delicious wines on the north shore of Lake Chelan, as evidenced by this wine using Yakima Valley grapes. In fact, this is a field blend of Sauvignon Blanc (90%) and the rare Muscadelle de Bordelaise from Lonesome Spring Ranch near Red Mountain. It’s a mouthwatering wine with aromas of ripe pears and herbs, followed by enticing flavors of clean, bright tree fruit. Won double gold at the Washington State Wine Competition. (200 cases, 13.8% alc.)

Buty Winery $25 2009 Semillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle, Columbia Valley Caleb Buty already has packed in 21 vintages into his relatively young career by working harvests in Washington, New Zealand and South Africa. He used techniques learned in New Zealand for this superb blend that leads with Semillon (65%) using grapes from the broad Columbia Valley.

It opens with aromas of gooseberries, starfruit, pears and apples, followed by flavors of Meyer lemons, green apples and a squeeze of lime. This wine will taste so good with seared scallops. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (850 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Best Buy! Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $15 2010 Classic Ehrenfelser, Okanagan Valley Brothers Walter and Gordon Gehringer learned their trade in Germany before returning to British Columbia. Today, their white wines are some of the most astonishing we have had the privilege to taste. This wine uses the rare Ehrenfelser grape, a cross of Riesling and Silvaner that serves Gehringer well for this dry table wine as well as a succulent ice wine. This opens with aromas of pears, passion fruit and orange zest, followed by intriguing flavors of tropical fruit, melons, ginger and light spices.

It’s a dry wine that will pair perfectly with halibut, baked oysters or scallops. Won gold at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition (best in class). (3,000 cases) Carlton Cellars $20 2009 Seven Devils Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Dave Grooters was lured to Oregon

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from the East Coast by his love for Pinot Noir, and he learned his craft while working with Ken Wright, both in the winery and the vineyard. This is a Pinot Noir that is easy to love not only for its quality but also its value.

Grooters loves the Oregon Coast and named this wine for a region near Coos Bay. The wine opens with aromas of dark, purple fruit and violets. On the palate, it reveals flavors of cloves, black licorice, black truffles, ripe dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate. It’s a big, delicious wine. Won double gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (1,440 cases, 14.3% alc.)

Skylite Cellars $47 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley Sometimes, a wine just needs a little more time. Such is the case with this red blend from a Walla Walla Valley winery. A year ago, it earned its way into the Platinum Judging and earned a gold from our panel. This year, it got in again and showed a bit more time in the bottle was all it needed.

Consulting winemaker Robert Smasne used grapes from three vineyards (RiverRock, Bella Terra and Pepper Bridge) with great expertise. The wine shows off aromas of cherries, coffee and chocolate, which lead to flavors of red and black fruit, all backed with delicious dark chocolate. There’s plenty of tannin, but it’s all perfectly offset with ample fruit and acidity. (100 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Cadaretta $50 2008 Windthrow, Columbia Valley The Middleton family has long been in the Washington timber industry, and it named this wine for a term referring to trees that have been uprooted by the wind. It’s a Southern Rhône-inspired blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Grenache using grapes from the Walla Walla Valley, Wahluke Slope and Horse Heaven Hills. It opens with aromas of vanilla, cherry cola and huckleberry jam, followed by smooth, velvety flavors of black currants and huckleberry juice. The resolved tannins are fully integrated with the ripe fruit, producing a harmonious mouth feel. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards.

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(110 cases, 14.6% alc.)

Watermill Winery $28 2007 Estate Petit Verdot, Walla Walla Valley In 2007, Andrew Brown took over as winemaker for this Walla Walla Valley producer and immediately picked up where consulting winemaker Rich Funk left off, crafting an amazing red wine from a rarely utilized grape.

The fruit for this wine comes from McClellan Estate Vineyard near Seven Hills on the Oregon side of the valley. This wine opens with luscious aromas of boysenberries, blueberries, blackberry compote and black pepper. The palate reveals flavors of Belgian chocolate, cloves, black cherries, graphite, cedar and black tea, with just a hint of mint on the rich finish. Won gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (96 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Walla Walla Vintners $24 2009 Sangiovese, Columbia Valley This Walla Walla Valley winery has a long history with Sangiovese, and this is one of its finest efforts.

In addition to 80% Sangiovese, it also includes Syrah (12%) and Malbec, both of which provide ample backbone and complexity. This opens with perfumy aromas of rose hips, white pepper and red currants, followed by flavors of cherry candy, cedar, pepper and blueberries.

This is a dense wine with hints of minerality in the background. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (797 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Northstar Winery $41 2007 Merlot, Columbia Valley Ste. Michelle Wine Estates created this winery in the mid’90s with the goal of making some of the finest Merlot in the world. That focus pays off annually, and this wine is no exception.

Winemaker David “Merf ” Merfeld used grapes from 14 different vineyards and blended in a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot to craft a well-rounded and complex wine. It opens with aromas of big, beautifully ripe blueberries and spice cake, followed by rich, succulent flavors of black cherries and leather. The restrained tannins provide just the right amount of structure to back up the fruit. Won gold at the Grand Harvest Awards,

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Critics Challenge International Wine Competition and Seattle Wine Awards.

(11,500 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Basalt Cellars $24 2007 Merlot, Columbia Valley The Clarkston area in southeastern Washington has a long history of grape growing and winemaking, but all that ended with Prohibition and didn’t reappear until Basalt Cellars opened its doors in 2004. The grapes for this wine — which include 11% Cab — come from three vineyards, leading with Willard Farms in the Yakima Valley. The resulting wine opens with aromas of hibiscus and Bing cherries, followed by flavors of moist earth, spice, sweet chocolate and ripe cherries. It’s beautifully structured throughout.

Won gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. (224 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Covington Cellars $45 2007 Syrah, Columbia Valley If you haven’t heard of Covington Cellars before, now is the time to give it some attention, seeing as it earned Platinums for both of the wines it entered this year. The grapes for this smallproduction wine came from five vineyards, including Smasne, Kestrel, Kiona, Seven Hills and Olsen. It opens with aromas of cocoa, tobacco leaf, violets and blueberries, followed by hedonistic flavors of youthful dark fruit that melds with hints of tar and a touch of oak. Won double gold at the Indy International Wine Competition. (93 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Tsillan Cellars $28 2008 Lakeside Vineyard Reserve Syrah, Lake Chelan This is one of the most decorated wines of 2011, winning gold medals at no fewer than seven competitions. Well, add a Platinum to the mix, Dr. Jankelson. The grapes come from estate grapes on the south shore of Lake Chelan, providing further evidence of the viticultural opportunities of this emerging region. This wine opens with aromas of chocolate, black olives, blackberries and huckleberries, followed by massive flavors of black currants, black tea, blueberries, huckleberries,

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toast and caramel. Won gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (double gold), Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, Grand Harvest Awards, San Diego International Wine Competition, Seattle Wine Awards, Northwest Wine Summit and North Central Washington Wine Awards.

(411 cases, 15.2% alc.)

Watermill Winery $28 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley Using grapes from McClellan Estate Vineyard on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, family winemaker Andrew Brown has crafted yet another superb wine. This is 100% Cabernet Franc, and it’s a beauty, thanks to aromas of black cherries, ripe raspberries and American oak spices. On the palate, it shows off chocolate overtones and flavors of Montmorency cherries and crowdpleasing oak. It’s a seamless wine with foodfriendly acidity that lifts the wine from first sip to the lengthy finish. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (238 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Dumas Station Wines $32 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley Winemaker and vineyard manager Jay DeWitt planted the grapes for Dumas Station’s estate Minnick Hills Vineyard in the northern Walla Walla Valley in 1999. Those vines are paying off with superb wines, including this intriguing Cabernet Sauvignon.

It opens with aromas of olives, chocolate, sweet herbs, black cherries and vanilla, followed by beautifully integrated flavors of opulent dark fruit backed with velvety, finegrained tannins. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (511 cases, 15.3% alc.)

Woodward Canyon Winery $49 2008 Artist Series #17 Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington Owner Rick Small and winemaker Kevin Mott take great advantage of estate grapes from Champoux Vineyards, as well as dabs from Spring Creek, Woodward, Sagemoor and DuBrul for this superb Cab. It opens with aromas of huckleberries, violets and plums, followed by hedonistic flavors of big, dark fruit, black licorice

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and well-integrated oak. Even under blind conditions, this stood out as a reserve-style Cab that should find its way into collectors’ cellars. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (2,273 cases, 15.3% alc.)

Skylite Cellars $47 2007 Reserve, Columbia Valley Consulting winemaker Robert Smasne blended three Bordeaux varieties for this superb red wine.

He leads with Malbec (51%), followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) and the rare Carménère. The result is a beautifully layered wine with aromas of dark fruit backed with earth. On the palate, the well-integrated flavors of ripe, dark berries meld with moderate oak, all backed with gripping tannins that should serve this wine well for the long haul.

Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit, Grand Harvest Awards and Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (double gold). (152 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Koenig Vineyards $20 2009 Riesling Ice Wine, Snake River Valley In the first 11 years of the Platinum, just one Idaho wine had ever made the cut. This year, two more earned the distinction, and all three have been Rieslings. Greg Koenig, who makes wine for several valley producers, used frozen grapes from Williamson Vineyard for this delicious dessert wine. On the nose, it reminded our judges of a pineapple upsidedown cake, and on the palate, it was resplendent with flavors of caramel and peach crumble. It’s all backed with acidity we usually only see in British Columbia ice wines — a great compliment indeed. This won gold at the Idaho Wine Competition and Northwest Wine Summit. (302 cases, 11% alc.)

Best Buy! Domaine Ste. Michelle $13 NV Extra Dry, Columbia Valley One of the unsung heroes of Washington winemaking is Rick Casqueiro, who manages to annually craft more than 300,000 cases of bubbly that is world class and affordable. How he does it is a bit of a mystery, but who cares? This is his sweetest wine at 2.3% residual sugar (the

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name is an anomaly that can be blamed on the French) and is made primarily with Chardonnay, with 12% Pinot Noir. It reveals aromas of cinnamon, lime, pear and apple, followed by delicious flavors of starfruit, pineapples, lime zest and ripe peaches. Beautifully balanced, this will complement a wide range of foods, starting with spicier fare. Earned double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. (51,919 cases, 11.5% alc.)

William Church Wines $22 2010 Viognier, Columbia Valley Two years ago, the 2008 version of this wine won a unanimous Double Platinum from us (as well as a Platinum for its Malbec), and it has repeated the feat here. Using grapes from Conner Lee Vineyard in the Columbia Basin, Rod and Leslie Balsley have crafted a Viognier that opens with succulent aromas of lemongrass and minerals, followed by flavors of grapefruits and oranges with a lingering spritz of lemon juice. It has surprising amounts of acidity, which would lead us to pair it with seafood. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (300 cases, 13.8% alc.)

Best Buy! Cuckoo's Nest Cellars $15 2009 Aromatique, Oregon Bryan Wilson went to California after graduating from the University of Oregon and eventually worked his way back home. He’s now the winemaker for Foris Vineyards in the Rogue Valley, and this is his own label, which he started in 2006.

This is a blend of Viognier (67%) and Gewürztraminer, and it is aptly named. It opens with aromas of orange zest, spices and sandalwood, followed by rich flavors of honey, spice and ripe oranges. It’s a dry white that is full of zip. Won gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (142 cases, 14.3% alc.)

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $16 2010 Gewürztraminer-Schönburger, Okanagan Valley Schönburger is a young grape as far as vituculture goes. The cross of Pinot Noir with Chasselas and Muscat Hamburg has been around only since 1979.

The Gehringers successfully blend it with

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platinum Gewürztraminer to make a wine that has a bit of sweetness (1.2%) and plenty of fruit. It shows off its Muscat and Gewürztraminer origins with aromas of lychee, apple pie spice and pink grapefruit. On the palate, it could be mistaken for an Alsatian wine with flavors of gala apples, lemons and oranges. The acidity is everything one would expect from a Gehringer wine. Won gold at the Indy International Wine Competition. (550 cases, 13.2% alc.)

Best Buy! Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $15 2010 Private Reserve Riesling, Okanagan Valley How ridiculously consistent is this wine? This is the third consecutive Platinum from the last three vintages. Walter and Gordon Gehringer use grapes from Golden Mile Bench, which gets afternoon shading that helps retain all-important acidity. The resulting wine opens with aromas of melons, citrus and floral notes, followed by flavors of tropical fruit topped with sweet spices. It’s a long, beautifully textured wine. Won gold at the Indy International Wine Competition.

(850 cases, 13.1% alc.)

Madrone Mountain $24 2009 Starthistle Cuvée, Oregon This winery in Southern Oregon pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to a noxious weed that has invaded its vineyard. This is 100% Riesling and 100% delicious. It opens with a hint of pleasing petrol on the nose, followed by aromas of ripe apricots and peaches and freshly sliced lime. On the palate, it’s a harmonious wine with flavors of apples and lemons and bracing acidity that balances the mild (1.5%) residual sweetness.

Won gold at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. (325 cases, 10.7% alc.)

Best Buy! San Juan Vineyards $14 2010 Les Vignes de Marcoux Vineyard Riesling, Yakima Valley San Juan Vineyards reaches into the western Yakima Valley for these grapes, which come from the lesserknown sibling to Red Willow Vineyard.

Obviously, it’s a great site for Riesling. This opens with succulent aromas of oranges, apricots and peaches, followed by off-dry flavors of fresh-off-the-tree apples and lemon bars.

Won gold at the Riverside International Wine Competition. (217 cases, 12.4% alc.)

Best Buy! Silver Lake Winery $10 2009 Chardonnay, Rattlesnake Hills One of Woodinville’s oldest wineries expanded into the Yakima Valley a few years ago and brings in some of its best fruit from the Rattlesnake Hills. This Chardonnay is as superb as it is inexpensive, a great combination in these economic times. The aromas reveal little in the way of oak, as the fruit is quite expressive and includes nectarines, sweet apricots and Key limes. On the palate, it’s on target with delicious flavors of pineapples, pink grapefruit and green apples. Its acidity is almost Rieslinglike. Won gold at the West Coast Wine Competition and Seattle

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Wine Awards. (1,000 cases, 13% alc.)

Barnard Griffin $17 2010 Orange Muscat, Columbia Valley Rob Griffin is anything but boring, especially when it comes to experimenting with out-ofthe-mainstream varieties such as this rare version of Muscat. This opens with aromas of classic oranges and orange blossoms, as well as cloves and honeysuckle. On the palate, the orange theme continues, with flavors of orange honey and Mandarin oranges, as well as hints of vanilla spice. Its pleasing acidity beautifully balances the 5.7% residual sweetness. Earned an “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s judging of unusual white wines.

(300 cases, 12.1% alc.)

Best Buy! Arrowleaf Cellars $14 2010 Bacchus, Okanagan Valley Named for the Roman god of wine, this grape variety was created in Germany by crossing MüllerThurgau with Silvaner and Riesling. It’s grown primarily in Germany and England, but it also shows up in cooler areas of the Pacific Northwest. These grapes are grown north of Kelowna, B.C., around the 50th parallel. The resulting wine is fresh and lively, with extroverted aromas of lemons and apples, followed by mouthwatering flavors of peaches and oranges. Won gold at the Indy International Wine Competition. (780 cases, 12.2% alc.)

EdenVale Winery $25 2005 Pear House Collection Reserve Syrah, Rogue Valley This winery near Medford, Ore., is on property that is considered the birthplace of the state’s commercial pear industry. It’s also proving to do well with wine grapes, as evidenced by this superb Syrah. This opens with aromas of black licorice, orange zest, dried cranberries and mint, followed by flavors of plum jam and mint, all backed with bright acidity and moderate tannins. Won gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (660 cases, 16.2% alc.)

Milbrandt Vineyards $55 2007 Sentinel Northridge, Wahluke Slope This Bordeaux-style red is named for Sentinel Gap, the dominant geological feature just north of the Wahluke Slope through which the Columbia River flows. The grapes come from the Milbrandts’ 92-acre Northridge Vineyard, and the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Merlot (25%), Petit Verdot (6%) and Malbec. It shows off aromas of cranberries, pomegranates, smoke and spice, followed by approachable flavors of black cherries, black licorice, huckleberries and strawberry-rhubarb pie. Won golds at the Washington State Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and Seattle Wine Awards (double gold). (400 cases, 14.3% alc.)

Sinclair Estate Vineyards $40 2008 Pentatonic, Walla Walla Valley No fewer than seven vineyards contributed grapes to this superb red blend. It leads with Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), as well as Merlot (21%), Malbec (5%) and a bit of Syrah. It shows off aromas of black leather, cranberries, blueberries and sweet spices, followed

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by balanced and creamy flavors of ripe dark plums, blackberries, black currants and butter rum. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (175 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Saviah Cellars $30 2007 Petit Verdot, Walla Walla Valley Rich Funk is no stranger to top awards, including Platinums, as this is his fifth since 2004. He brought it grapes from McClellan Vineyard near Seven Hills on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley and crafted a rare Petit Verdot. It opens with aromas of black cherries, mint and smoked meat, followed by gripping flavors of blackberries, black licorice, black cherries and black currants. He shows a deft touch with the oak and tannins in this harmonious wine. Pair with venison or other game meats. Won gold at the Washington State Wine Competition. (190 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Best Buy! Maryhill Winery $12 2010 Viognier, Columbia Valley A few years ago, Maryhill won best in show at the vaunted Northwest Wine Summit for a Viognier, the first time a white wine earned that honor.

Winemaker Richard Batchelor continues the tradition of great Viognier from this Columbia Gorge destination winery. It opens with aromas of Creamsicle, pineapple and lemon zest, followed by creamy flavors of baked apple turnovers and lemon bars. Won gold at the International Eastern Wine Competition (double gold/best in class) and Indy International Wine Competition. (3,463 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Best Buy! Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $15 2010 Classic Auxerrois, Okanagan Valley This white wine grape is rarely seen outside of Alsace, but this sibling to Chardonnay is grown a bit in British Columbia and Oregon.

Gehringer has made a superb wine from it for years; in fact, this is its third Platinum for this variety. It opens with aromas of apricots and dried pineapples, followed by delicious flavors of apples and pears, all backed with bright acidity. It’s a beautifully made wine that is perfect with shellfish. Won gold at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition (best in class). (1,350 cases, 13.3% alc.)

Brandborg Vineyard & Winery $38 2008 Ferris Wheel Estate Vineyard, Umpqua Valley In 2001, Terry and Sue Brandborg found what they believe to be one of the great, unheralded locations in Oregon to grow Pinot Noir: the tiny Umpqua Valley town of Elkton. This wine from estate grapes certainly furthers the claim. It opens with aromas of fresh plums, cranberries, raspberries and green tea, followed by flavors of raspberries and other high-toned red fruit that reminded us of the Dundee Hills, as well as black tea. Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s Pinot Noir judging. (280 cases, 13.3% alc.)

J. Daan Wine Cellars $20 2008 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Justin and Megan Van Vanten own and operate this small winery in Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains, and they’ve now impressed us twice with this wine. It opens with aromas of

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BY THE NUMBERS ıϧEntries: ıϧDouble

409 Platinums: 20 (4.8%)

Platinums and Platinums: 81 (19.8%) ıϧDouble Golds: 155 (37.9%) ıϧGolds: 130 (31.8%) ıϧNo medals: 43 (10.5%)

boysenberries, raspberries and cedar, followed by lengthy flavors of ripe red berries, cherries and cranberries. This has great structure and should continue to mature and develop for another decade. Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s Pinot Noir judging. (475 cases, 13.8% alc.)

with aromas of boysenberries, vanilla bean, dark chocolate and white pepper, followed by flavors of boysenberries, Marionberries, coffee and graphite. The tannins ride shotgun, mingling alongside the fruit from first sip through the lengthy finish. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (150 cases, 14% alc.)

Chateau Ste. Michelle $28 2008 Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills It’s been 20 years since Ste. Michelle began putting grapes on Canoe Ridge, which overlooks the Columbia River in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. And the grapes tended by vineyard manager Mimi Nye have gained acclaim for their quality and play a key component in Bob Bertheau’s wines.

Here, estate Merlot takes center stage and reveals aromas of leather, chocolate and Bing cherries, followed by complex flavors of ripe, expressive black fruit backed by textured tannins. Won gold at the Long Beach Grand Cru and Seattle Wine Awards (best in class).

(7,000 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Burning Desire $45 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc, Lake Chelan This reserve label for Hard Row to Hoe focuses on grapes from near the winery’s location on the north shore of Lake Chelan. Husband Don Phelps grew these grapes, and wife Judy Phelps crafted the superb wine. This was among the most complex wines we encountered amid the Cabernet Francs, opening with aromas of Guatamalan cardamom, earthiness, dark fruit and a chocolate Tootsie Pop. On the palate, it’s a big, young wine going places. It already reveals flavors of mint, chocolate, deep layers of cherries and raspberries on a bed of mild tannins, bright acidity and modest oak.

Won gold at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. (100 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Fort Walla Walla Cellars $32 2007 Merlot, Walla Walla Valley This downtown Walla Walla winery is named after a historic regional landmark, and that history also is revealed on the label. In this case, we’re even more excited about what is inside the bottle. The grapes come primarily from highly regarded Les Collines Vineyard, with Pepper Bridge and St. Clare contributing. It opens with ripe aromas of plum jam, cooked cherries, black tea and black olives, followed by flavors of blueberries, Marionberries and bright cherries. The tannin management is impeccable, and the acidity perfectly balances the wine. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (572 cases, 13.8% alc.)

Benson Vineyards Estate Winery $26 2007 Syrah, Lake Chelan Scott Benson crafts the wine for his family’s destination winery on the north shore of Lake Chelan and uses estate grapes that further reveal the future of this nascent region. We loved the brighter, lighter style of this Syrah, which revealed aromas of raspberries and boysenberries. On the palate, it’s also not a behemoth.

Rather, it is elegant in style, revealing its fruit rather than shoving it in your face. Rich acidity walks the wine through a lengthy finish. Won gold at the North Central Washington Wine Awards. (277 cases, 14% alc.)

Kontos Cellars $30 2008 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley Winemaker Cameron Kontos follows in his father Cliff ’s footsteps (Fort Walla Walla Cellars). He used grapes from Les Collines and Pepper Bridge vineyards to craft a superb Syrah. This opens

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Maryhill Winery $17 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley Craig and Vicki Leuthold have built an amazing operation, and their winery on the edge of basalt cliffs overlooking the Columbia River Gorge has become one of the top destinations in Washington wine country.

Affordable wines like this are the foundation of their success. This superb Cab opens with aromas of Van cherries, ripe strawberries, raspberries and milk chocolate, followed by elegant flavors of blackberry jam and freshly brewed espresso. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit, Washington State Wine Competition and Seattle Wine Awards (double gold). (1,914 cases, 13.5% alc.)

ıϧAverage

alcohol: 13.7% price: $26.68 ıϧTotal cases represented: 2,458,947 ıϧWineries/labels represented: 163 ıϧViticultural areas represented: 25. ıϧAverage

the leading wineries in Southern Oregon. And they are not afraid to try something unusual.

This opens with aromas of black olives, ripe dark fruit and pencil shavings, followed by flavors of juniper berries, blueberries and dark chocolate. It’s a big wine without being overpowering, thanks to well-balanced fruit and tannin. Won gold at the Riverside International Wine Competition and Pacific Rim International Wine Competition. (130 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Kyra Wines $18 2009 Purple Sage Vineyard Estate Dolcetto, Wahluke Slope Winemaker Kyra Baerlocher uses the Italian Dolcetto grape from her 100-acre estate Purple Sage Vineyard on the warm Wahluke Slope for this superb and rare Washington wine. It is a beautiful example of the grape, with aromas of rose petals and big, purple fruit, followed by graceful flavors of black cherries, blueberries and sweet chocolate. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (118 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Westport Winery $35 2009 Going Coastal Sparkling Gewürztraminer, Washington This winery on the Washington coast has a lot of fun coming up with clever names for its wide variety of wines, but there’s also a lot of quality inside the bottle. This is a delicious sparkling wine that opens with aromas of pears, starfruit and pear butter, followed by flavors of yellow grapefruits and a creamy mouth feel. This wine has a fair bit of residual sweetness (3%), which is expertly balanced with the bright bubbles. Earned an “Outstanding” rating during Wine Press Northwest’s sparkling wine judging and gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (204 cases, 11% alc.)

Buried Cane $25 2008 Heartwood, Columbia Valley The Middleton family on the Washington coast is perhaps best known for Cadaretta, a high-end winery in Walla Walla. This is its value tier, and Heartwood is a new red blend for the label that leads with Syrah (78%). With the addition of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise, it is a Rhône-style blend, and it sings. It opens with aromas of mint tea, oregano, blackberries and spice, followed by flavors of vanilla extract, roasted coffee, blackberry, black licorice and chocolate. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (514 cases, 14.1% alc.)

Best Buy! Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery $15 2010 Dry Riesling, Okanagan Valley Using estate grapes from the west side of the Okanagan Valley, Walter and Gordon Gehringer have crafted a bone-dry Riesling that is startlingly delicious. The 2007 version of this wine won a Platinum three years ago, so this is yet another successful repeat for the Gehringers. It opens with outstanding aromas of minerals, apples and floral notes, followed by bright flavors of slate, minerals, limes and apples. It is steely and elegant through the lengthy finish. Won gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships. (1,000 cases, 13.2% alc.)

Spangler Vineyards $38 2008 Petit Verdot, Oregon Since taking over the old La Garza winery near Roseburg, Ore., Pat and Loree Spangler have turned their now-eponymous operation into one of

Goose Ridge Vineyards $18 2009 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley The Monson family owns the 1,600-acre Goose Ridge Vineyard, one of Washington’s largest vineyards. While most of the fruit goes to

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platinum other wineries, winemaker Kendall Mix keeps some for the estate winery. This screams “Chardonnay!” from the first whiff, which reveals aromas of pineapple, mango, butterscotch and toast, followed by a creamy mouth feel that includes flavors of butterscotch and lemon pulp. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (1,800 cases, 14% alc.)

Left Coast Cellars $18 2009 Left Bank Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley This 100-acre vineyard and estate winery is just west of Salem near the Eola-Amity Hills, and it has added an on-premise café, one of the first such operations in Oregon wine country. Winemaker Luke McCollom has crafted a delicious Pinot Blanc — the oftenoverlooked “third Pinot” of Oregon. It opens with aromas of slate, fresh linen and lime, followed by flavors of Key lime, lemon, ripe pear and wet stone. Won double gold at the Oregon Wine Awards. (198 cases, 13.6% alc.)

Cardwell Hill Cellars $23 2009 Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley This small producer in the southern Willamette Valley has crafted a nicely priced premium Oregon Pinot Noir. It opens with exotic aromas of leather, spice, gaminess and boysenberries, followed by complex and lively flavors of red raspberries and bright cherries.

It should pair beautifully with braised meats, veal or mushroom-laden dishes. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (3,881 cases, 13.2% alc.)

Ded.reckoning $25 NV Ded Man's Chest 15 Year Tawny, Columbia Valley The label is owned by Doug Charles of Compass Wines, a wine shop in Anacortes, Wash. It was made by Don Townshend of Townshend Cellars near Spokane, who blended and aged the wine between 1990 and 2000. The average age of the wine, thus, is 15 years, and it’s a classic tawny, with aromas of dried currants, raisins, dates and walnuts. On the palate, it reveals flavors of toffee, butterscotch, oranges, dates and chocolate-covered cherries. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (100 cases, 20% alc.)

Oliver Twist Estate Winery $18 2010 Patio Passion, Okanagan Valley This young winery is on the Black Sage Bench, perhaps the most venerable spot in the Canadian wine industry. This slightly off-dry rosé is made with Merlot, and it strikes a delicious balance between minerality and fruit.

On the nose, it reveals aromas of strawberries, cherries and even oranges with just a whisper of smokiness, followed by flavors of rhubarb and strawberries. It should pair nicely with dark turkey meat or barbecued ribs.

Won gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships. (387 cases, 13.7% alc.)

Erath Winery $50 2008 Prince Hill 115 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills Dick Erath planted Prince Hill Vineyard outside his home in 1983, and it’s now one of winemaker Gary Horner’s favorite sites. It opens with aromas loaded with red currants, cherries, strawberries and vanilla, followed by

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flavors of raspberries, ripe strawberries and fresh figs. Traces of smoke, earth and minerality wend their way through the wine, and everything is backed with modest tannins and exciting acidity. Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s Pinot Noir judging. (236 cases, 13% alc.)

Aubichon Cellars $38 2009 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley This little winery in Dundee crafted a superb Pinot Noir in just its third vintage using grapes from the Dundee Hills and Chehalem Mountains.

Winemaker Jim Sanders shows off his skills by making a wine that is Euro in style with layered, funky, forest floor components that are balanced with cherry and raspberry fruit. Its palate is impressive, thanks to balanced creaminess that makes it equal parts complex and approachable. Earned “Outstanding” in Wine Press Northwest’s Pinot Noir judging.

(251 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Dunham Cellars $28 2006 Syrah, Columbia Valley This is winemaker Eric Dunham’s fifth Platinum for this variety, having won for his 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006 (the latter for his Lewis Vineyard-designated version). Two of those — the 2001 and 2004 — were unanimous Double Platinums and the top wines in the competition. In other words, Dunham makes some crazy good Syrah — and this one is a relative bargain. It opens with aromas of smoked bacon, black olives, black papper, horehound and pencil shavings, followed by flavors of ripe blackberries and blueberries. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (1,647 cases, 14.6% alc.)

Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards $38 2009 Reserve Syrah, Umpqua Valley Stephen and Gloria Reustle crossed the country to grow grapes and make wine in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley, and in just a few short years, the Reustles have established their winery as one of the most exciting in the state. The grapes for this wine came from estate grapes and reveal aromas of blackberries, black pepper and dark chocolate. On the palate, they show off flavors of espresso, milk chocolate, black licorice, black olives and a roasted meat characteristic. This won gold medals at the Monterey Wine Competition and San Diego International Wine Competition. (236 cases, 14.3% alc.)

Market Vineyards $39 2008 Dividend Syrah, Columbia Valley This boutique winery in Richland, Wash., uses stock market terms to name its offerings and even goes so far as to have a “Bull Market” and “Bear Market” for its two wine clubs. The wines are crafted by Charlie Hoppes, so it’s no surprise to see this wine here. This Syrah opens with aromas of ripe plums, porcini mushrooms and espresso, followed by flavors of Marionberries, boysenberris and black licorice. Won gold at the Seattle Wine Awards.

(91 cases, 14.9% alc.)

Barnard Griffin $17 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley This is the seventh Platinum for a Cabernet Sauvignon that Rob Griffin has earned over the

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years. Thus, it’s no surprise to see this wine amid the best wines of 2011. This opens with aromas of black currants, blackberries and ripe dark plums, along with notes of vanilla and sweet spices. On the palate, this is loaded with a menagerie of ripe dark berries, including blackberries, blueberries and boysenberries.

This is a drink-now red. Won gold at the Washington State Wine Competition (best red). (7,800 cases, 13.8% alc.)

Davenport Cellars $24 2007 Continuity Red, Columbia Valley A year ago, this wine was qualified in the 11th Platinum Judging and earned a double gold.

This year, it became eligible again, and that extra year in the bottle was the difference.

Davenport is a small producer in Woodinville, and this was its first vintage. The wine is equal parts Cab and Merlot, along with Malbec, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. It opens with aromas of mint, cherries, loganberries and herbs. On the palate, it again shows off intriguing minty notes, as well as red-toned fruit. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (198 cases, 14.8% alc.)

Dunham Cellars $20 2008 Lewis Estate Vineyard Riesling, Columbia Valley Though this famous Walla Walla winery is best known for its Syrahs and Cabs, it also produces a number of white wines, including this vineyard-designated effort from its favorite spot in the Columbia Valley.

This wine opens with intriguing aromas of petrol, as well as green apples. On the palate, it shows off more petrol with apricots and steely minerality. Everything is backed up with bracing acidity. Won gold at the Northwest Wine Summit. (672 cases, 12.9% alc.)

Northstar Winery $60 2007 Merlot, Walla Walla Valley Winemaker David “Merf ” Merfeld blended Cabernet Sauvignon (16%) and a touch of Petit Verdot (6%) to round out the edges of this beautiful Merlot from the Walla Walla Valley. It opens with aromas of black cherries, chocolate, black tea and blueberries, followed by mouth-filling flavors of blueberries and ripe plums. There’s a certain richness to this wine, thanks to youthful tannins and exuberant acidity. This Merlot still has plenty of life in it. Won double gold at the Seattle Wine Awards. (400 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Smasne Cellars $35 2008 Lawrence Vineyard Block 3 Syrah, Columbia Valley Winemaker Robert Smasne focuses in on a special block of Syrah on the remote Frenchman Hills near Royal City, Wash., for this wine, and it is a beauty. It opens with aromas of huckleberries, blueberries, black pepper and chocolate. On the palate, it reveals flavors of Marionberries, huckleberries, blueberries and cola. Its beautiful texture carries the flavors through the lengthy finish. Won gold at the West Coast Wine Competition. (94 cases, 13.9% alc.) ı AN D Y PE R D U E is editor-in-chief of Wine Press

Northwest.

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WINE COUNTRY: YAMHILL COUNTY

26421 NW Hwy 47, Gaston, OR 97119

503-662-4509 Open by appt. & holiday weekends www.adeawine.com

16425 SE Webfoot Rd., Dayton, Oregon (503) 868-7359 Open for tasting 12-5 weekends & by appt. weekdays

Recent releases from Yamhill County Excellent.

Kramer Vineyards 2010 Rosé of Carmine Little Red, Yamhill-Carlton District, $18.

Kramer, one of Oregon’s oldest producers, is based in the northern Yamhill County town of Gaston. It is, to our knowledge, the only winery in the Northwest producing wines from the obscure Carmine grape, which is a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane and Merlot. The red version of this wine is known at Kramer as “Big Red,” so this rosé is nicknamed “Little Red.” It is loaded with aromas of strawberries, raspberries, red licorice and pie cherries, followed by bright flavors of watermelons, Meyer sweet lemons, Jonagold apples and cherries. It is laced with acidity, making this versatile food wine perfect with roasted turkey, grilled scallops, spaghetti and meatballs

Outstanding!

Erath Winery 2009 Bishop Creek Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton District, $50.

Gary Horner makes vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from five American Viticultural Areas, and his standard barrel program of 40% new

French oak for 15 months seemingly provides alluring sweet spice and roundness to each project. Here, it helps imparts notes of Dr Pepper, toffee and cinnamon Red Hots to the theme of black currant jam, strawberry pie, cherry cola and fresh-cut rhubarb. This may be the most hedonistic of the 2009 collection, but there’s ample acidity for traditional Pinot Noir pairings of poultry and salmon. (98 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Recommended.

Erath Winery 2010 Dion Vineyard Pinot Gris Rosé, Chehalem Mountains, $22.

Despite a difficult vintage, Gary Horner still managed to create this rarity in the Pacific Northwest — a pink from Pinot Gris. It’s closer to coral in color, and the nose gives off notes of peach, pink grapefruit, watermelon, Asian pear, lime and strawberry with no signs of the partial barrel aging. It’s a serious drink, built to be lively, fresh and quite dry with flavors of yellow grapefruit, watermelon rind, unripe strawberry, minerality, a touch of tannin and impressive acidity. (229 cases, 13% alc.)

For more reviews of recently released wines, check out www.winepressnw.com/freshpress

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WINE COUNTRY: WILLAMETTE VALLEY

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WINE COUNTRY: COLUMBIA RIVER

Enjoy our authentic Italian Cuisine, friendly atmosphere and extensive wine selection.

Visconti’s Ristorante Visconti’s Italian Italiano Restaurant 636 Front St. 1737 N. Wenatchee Ave., Leavenworth, WA Wenatchee, WA

509-548-1213

509-662-5013

www.viscontis.com

WINE COUNTRY: LEAVENWORTH

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WINE COUNTRY: DESTINATIONS

WINE COUNTRY: LAKE CHELAN

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Chicken Curry paired with Dunham Cellars’ 2009 Lewis Estate Vineyard Riesling.

The Chicken Curry is on the menu at Andrae’s Kitchen.

Unfortunately, the wine is not.

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M AT C H M A K E R S WINE Dunham Cellars $20 2009 Lewis Estate Vineyard Riesling —1,137 cases produced, 12.4% alcohol

On wheels Walla Walla chef goes mobile

BY ERIC DEGERMAN

T

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

he chalkboard next to a small metal tip bucket serves up a heaping sense of pride for Walla Walla chef Andrae Bopp.

It reads simply, “AK’s Burger Counter 4,840 as of today.”

“That’s not just 4,840 burgers made from beef right here in the Walla Walla Valley,” Bopp said. “It’s also 4,840 servings of local tomatoes, 4,840 times we’ve used local onions, local bacon, pickled local cucumbers and 4,840 times we’ve used the local bakery. All of the ingredients are sourced locally, which is pretty cool.”

Resourceful is just one way to describe Bopp, which rhymes with “pope.” And while Walla Walla appears to be the final destination for this St. Louis native, his high-profile mobile kitchen doesn’t appear to be his last business move.

Would you believe a drivethrough window and sitdown seating in a minimart? If all works out, look for Bopp inside the Cenex Convenience Store at the corner of Rose and Ninth.

“It would give us a yearround location that’s not weather-dependent. Here we are now, standing outside in a hail/blizzard/rainstorm,” Bopp said with a chuckle.

He’s not complaining,

though. That Mississippi-built food truck has been a tremendous vehicle for his growing catering business.

“It’s pretty damn busy here,” he said. “It’s the busiest intersection in Walla Walla, which is kind of nice because it gives us great visibility and great access. People can very easily, park and eat inside. It’s a good spot.”

Even though Bopp, 46, never has had a brick-and-mortar location in Walla Walla, visibility hasn’t been a problem for this accomplished social network user to cook up.

He uses Facebook, Twitter and email to communicate with his followers, a list that includes many Walla Walla winemakers.

He accepts reservations online for his popular La Porte Brune project, a series of Northwest “underground” dinners. Guests sign up in advance, knowing only the date and the city. They receive an email shortly before the dinner informing them of the exact location.

“They are not so underground anymore since I’m all permitted up,” he said.

“Basically, they are glorified winemaker dinners that I’m preparing right out of the truck.”

Ah, the truck.

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his wine serves as a remarkable example of how a young winemaker and a new vineyard can grow together to make each other stand out.

In 1999, Eric Dunham got in virtually on the ground floor of Lewis Vineyard as Ken, Betty and Ken Lewis Jr. planted it just the year before.

Their 80-acre vineyard near Prosser has the advantage of 1,200 feet elevation in the Rattlesnake Hills and produces stunning results with red and white wines.

Now, about half of the Lewis Vineyard fruit goes to Dunham Cellars, which received Wine Press Northwest’s Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year award in 2008.

Over the years, multiple vintages of Lewis Vineyard Syrah have earned Platinum awards in Wine Press Northwest’s best-of-the-best competition.

This fall, the 2008 Lewis Estate Vineyard Riesling was just the latest Dunham wine to earn a Platinum.

And that Riesling would indicate a smooth transition at Dunham Cellars. During the winter of 2008, Dan Wampfler left Ste. Michelle Wine Estate’s winemaking team at Columbia Crest to spearhead the efforts at Dunham Cellars. The arrival of the Michigan State grad frees up Eric Dunham to serve as the director of winemaking.

The popularity of their house style, and the variety in general, prompted the Dunhams to double their production of Riesling for the 2009 vintage.

Judging by the success of this pairing, this current vintage might be showing even better with a bit more acidity. It’s built and labeled as an off-dry Riesling with its residual sugar hovering just above 2 percent.

The rich mouth feel and level of sweetness, held up by just enough acidity, makes it an ideal pairing partner for spicy fare with Asian or Spanish influences. It brings a tremendous amount of orchard fruit from beginning to end, featuring aromas and flavors of pear butter and baked apple turnover, backed by jasmine, honeysuckle and just a bit of petrol.

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Dunham Cellars, 150 E. Boeing Ave., Walla Walla, WA, 99362, 509-529-4685, www.dunhamcellars.com

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M AT C H M A K E R S RECIPES

Andrae Bopp’s latest culinary venture is a food truck he’s called Andrae’s Kitchen, most often located in Walla Walla.

Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice Serves 4

6 boneless chicken thighs, diced 2 tablespoons canola oil Salt and pepper, to taste 1- 2 cups Curry Sauce (see recipe below) 4-5 cups cooked Jasmine rice 1 bunch green onions, sliced 1 ⁄ 4 cup peanuts, chopped 1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and sauté in the canola oil until golden brown and cooked through.

2. Place in bowl and toss with curry sauce. Place over the rice and top with green onion and peanuts.

Curry Sauce Makes 2 cups

This curry sauce will work with all forms of seafood and shrimp as well as by itself for vegetarian purposes.

1 2 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 5 2

onion, minced garlic cloves, minced teaspoon butter teaspoon tomato paste tablespoons Wondra ® Flour cup coconut milk cups vegetable stock Golden Delicious apple, peeled and chopped Red Delicious apple, peeled and chopped banana tomato, peeled and seeded tablespoons curry powder curry leaves, 1 stalk lemon grass, 2 sprigs thyme, bundled together with string Salt, pepper to taste

Sweat onions and garlic in butter.

Add paste and cook out.

3. Add Wondra and stir in.

4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove herbs and place remainder in blender. Blend, strain and season with salt and pepper.

1.

2.

“It started on a wild night of drinking in Seattle with friends,” Bopp said with a smile. “A guy throws a newspaper article across the table to me about the food truck business in L.A., and they said you should just 66

do this. I said, “In Walla Walla?” And they said, “Yeah, in Walla Walla!”

After forking over $80,000, the 81⁄2-foot by 18-foot trailer came with 50 cubic feet of refrigeration, a 6-foot range, a 24-inch charbroiler, a 24-inch flattop grill and a 40-pound deep fryer.

He rolled out AK’s in Walla Walla during the 2010 grape harvest, first near the airport across from Dunham Cellars. Then came invitations from downtown to set up at

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the tony Corliss Estates and then the upscale Marcus Whitman Hotel.

“We do lunch Monday through Friday, usually somewhere close to town,” Bopp said. “On the weekends, we travel to wineries — mostly south of town since there really aren’t a lot of food options there — so we’ll set up at Dusted Valley, Sleight of Hand and Saviah and provide lunch to wine tourists.

“That’s during the day,” he continued. “On the evenings, it’s wine din-

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M AT C H M A K E R S RECIPE Duck Confit with Arugula and Blackberry Vinaigrette Serves 4

Duck confit: 6 duck legs, fat scored 1 bunch rosemary 1 bunch thyme 12 garlic cloves, minced 8 shallots, minced Kosher salt Cracked black pepper 1 1 ⁄ 2 quart duck fat Blackberry vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1-2 shallots, minced 1 pint blackberries 2 ⁄3 cup white balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons mint, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon white pepper 1 ⁄ 2 cup canola oil Salad: 4 cups Arugula 1 ⁄2 cup toasted walnuts Salt and pepper, to taste 2 duck breasts, seared, chilled, sliced 1 ⁄2 cup Parmesan Reggiano, shredded Prepare the duck confit: 1. Place legs, herbs, garlic and shallots in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pack into a dish and cover tightly.

Refrigerate 24 to 72 hours.

2. Remove and brush off mixture.

Place scored side down in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat until crispy and fat is rendered.

3. Place legs in roasting pan and cover with duck fat. Place in oven at 275°F for 4-5 hours or until meat pulls off bone.

Remove, strain duck fat and reserve.

ners — both private and public — and catered events.”

On Memorial Day, he trucked AK’s to the Gorge at George for the Sasquatch! Music Festival. In October, he hauled it to West Seattle for a “chowdown” competition among more than 20 food trucks.

It’s been quite a transformation for Bopp from his eponymous, French-inspired restaurant just a couple of blocks from the Idaho state Capitol in Boise. In 2006,

Andrae’s earned an “Outstanding Northwest Wine List Award” from Wine Press Northwest. A few months later, Bopp won two awards from the Washington Wine Commission, one of them for Best Out-of-State Washington Wine Program.

“I love the Walla Walla Valley and the guys who are making wine there,” he declared in his Summer 2007 profile as a Match Maker.

He still has a soft spot for that Boise restaurant, using the stylized

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Prepare the blackberry vinaigrette: 1. Sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil. Add berries and cook for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with the vinegar.

2. Place mixture in blender and add sugar, mint, salt and pepper. Slow add canola oil. Strain and adjust seasoning.

Prepare the salad: 1. Toss arugula, walnuts, duck confit and vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

2. Plate and place sliced duck breast on salad. Top with the Parmesan.

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M AT C H M A K E R S “A” that appeared on the door as the logo for AK’s.

Despite his mobile kitchen, don’t make the mistake of viewing Bopp as a hobo or winery roadie. The former competitive cyclist graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City, worked at several Manhattan hotspots and still returns to the Big Apple for inspiration.

But when it came time to start out on his own, Bopp chose Boise over Walla Walla because he wasn’t sure if Walla Walla couldn’t support another fine-dining restaurant.

After five years, he learned Boise wasn’t ready, either. He moved to Walla Walla and switched careers.

His close friends at Dusted Valley Vintners — Corey Braunel and Chad Johnson — created a position for him.

“They gave me a shot to come in and work harvest, and that turned into a full-time job for a couple of years as an assistant winemaker,” Bopp said. “I was doing a little catering on the side, and pretty soon it turned into a little more catering than winemaking. I told them, ‘Hey, I’ve got to get back into the food business,’ which they knew was coming.”

In his previous Match Maker appearance, Bopp featured Alaskan halibut via sous vide, the only time in the 14-year history of the food-and-wine pairing profile that a chef has deployed the French technique of vacuum-sealing food in a bag with seasonings. Ironically, that dish included a smoked Walla Walla sweet onion purée.

Now, with AK’s, Bopp is helping to remove pretense from the wine culture.

“That’s our goal — to give people really quality food at a fair price,” he said.

The Chicken Curry ($8), made with jasmine 68

rice and green onion, paired deliciously with the Dunham Cellars 2009 Lewis Estate Vineyard Riesling.

Asian-influenced cuisine is a natural match for off-dry Rieslings, and this carries enough acidity to balance its own sugar (2.3%). The fruit profile of the Dunham Riesling features orchard fruit and subtle baking spices, which transitions nicely as the Golden and Red Delicious apples incorporate into Bopp’s curry sauce.

The other Match Maker wine was the Cadaretta 2008 Syrah, and it allowed Bopp to address another debate surrounding wine and food.

“I get a lot of people ask me about pairing red wine with salad,” he said.

So he offered his Duck Confit on Arugula. That rich meat, backed by shredded Parmesan cheese, the nutty interplay of the arugula and walnuts, and thin drizzle of his blackberry vinaigrette complemented the brambleberry accents of the Cadaretta Syrah. The wine’s bright acidity made the balsamic vinegar component a virtual nonfactor.

Bopp posts the AK’s menu online, and while it changes frequently, Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice has become a standing item.

And as of Dec. 1, wine tourists who fly out of Walla Walla on Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air can check one case of Walla Walla wine for free. Cadaretta and Dunham Cellars are among the more than 70 participating wineries.

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Andrae’s Kitchen, c/o Cenex Convenience Store, Rose & Ninth St., Walla Walla, 99362, 509-572-0728, andraeskitchen.com, laportebrune.com, Twitter @AndraesKitchen. ı ERIC DEGERMAN is Wine Press Northwest’s managing editor. Have a suggestion for a future Match Maker? E-mail him at edegerman@winepressnw.com.

JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the page designer for Wine Press Northwest. Her website is WineCountryPhotos.com

WINE Cadaretta Wines $35 2008 Syrah, Columbia Valley —582 cases produced, 14.8% alcohol or generations, the Middleton family has operated a large-scale forestry operation based in Hoquiam, Wash., with service along the West Coast.

They appear to be in the Washington wine industry for the long haul, too.

In 2005, they launched their Walla Walla winery, naming it after their lumber schooner that was conscripted into service during World War II. They also are partners in the Artifex Wine Co., with Norm McKibben of Seven Hills Vineyard and continue to develop a 150-acre vineyard nearby.

The Middleton Family Wines labels in Washington — Buried Cane and Cadaretta — are made by Larry Cherubino and Brian Rudin. (The Middletons also own vineyards and Clayhouse Wines in Paso Robles, Calif., which they created in the 1990s.)

Rick Middleton Jr., made a serious start by hiring rising star Virginie Bourgue as Cadaretta’s first winemaker, and she also helped with the early plantings before leaving to launch her own label.

Their young Southwind Vineyard — first planted in 2008 — is coming on line, so they turned to Pepper Bridge and the highly regarded StoneTree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope for this berry, juicy Syrah.

Rather than deliver a jammy and voluptuous blackberry bomb, Cadaretta’s third vintage of Syrah leans toward a theme of Marionberry and dark black cherry, loaded with allspice, vanilla bean and Cabretta golf glove leather.

Skillful use of 100 percent French oak, most of it new, did nothing to rob the fruit.

And the wine shows delicious balance with acidity leading the away as the tannins sit in the background like a pair of well-worn cotton pajamas.

And the Middletons rapidly established a reputation with their Washington portfolio for Syrah. The Buried Cane 2007 Syrah ($15) earned a rare Double Platinum and was voted the Best Syrah in Wine Press Northwest’s 2010 year-end Platinum Judging.

F

Cadaretta Wines, 1102 Dell Avenue, Suite B, Walla Walla, WA, 99632, 509525-1352, cadaretta.com

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M AT C H M A K E R S Duck Confit with Arugula and Blackberry Viniagrette (aka Meat Salad) served with Cadaretta Wines’ 2008 Syrah.

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WINE COUNTRY: COLUMBIA GORGE

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WINE COUNTRY: PUGET SOUND & WESTERN WASHINGTON

Recent releases from Western Washington Excellent. Westport Winery 2010 Bella, Washington, $33.

Our reigning Washington Winery to Watch is now up to 33 different wines, and here’s its most expensive still wine, a tribute to the lead character in the Twilight series that’s set on the Olympic Peninsula. Dana Roberts takes a rather novel approach with his blend of Barbera, Merlot, Primitivo, Refosco, Tempranillo and Syrah, and it’s a very fresh and fruity wine. Aromas and flavors bring a theme of blueberry, Montmorency cherry, red currant and pomegranate. Its fruity approach, nice acidity, low tannin and near absence of oak is akin to a Chianti and should pare well with light Italian fare. It also would serve as a great introductory red wine for those new to wine. (562 cases, 12% alc.)

Recommended. Westport Winery 2010 Swimmer's Last Syrah, Washington, $27.

Coastal winemaker Dana Roberts uses a current of bright acidity to carry the structure of this lighter-styled Syrah. Fresh boysenberry, blueberry taffy, black olive, pink peppercorn and cured meat accents are finished by a pop of loganberry. (204 cases, 12% alc.)

For more reviews of recently released wines, check out www.winepressnw.com/freshpress

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WINE COUNTRY: TRI-CITIES & RED MOUNTAIN

Recent releases from the Tri-Cities and Red Mountain Excellent. Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards 2010 Estate Gewürztraminer Ice Wine, Columbia Valley, $37.

Tim Henley’s winemaking for this began with harvest on Nov. 24, and 26 weeks of fermentation left him with a whopping 31% residual sugar. Those looking for dessert in a glass can end their search here, which starts with aromas of a fuzzy and sweet apricot, backed by peach, tangerine, baked apple, candied grapefruit peel, honey and Mister Lincoln rose. The rich and syrupy palate brings more baked apple, honey and lychee flavors with candied pineapple in the finish. (38 cases, 7.1% alc.)

Excellent. Fidelitas Wines 2008 Champoux Vineyard Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills, $50.

From perhaps the state’s most prized vineyard comes a robust Merlot that provides an aromatic greeting of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, violets, coffee, caramel and dark chocolate. The palate comes loaded with black cherry, tar and charcoal, which are followed by more dark chocolate and coffee. In the finish is a pinch of allspice and bright cranberry acidity. (192 cases, 14.4% alc.)

For more reviews of recently released wines, check out www.winepressnw.com/freshpress

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Pacific Northwest Wine Clubs ELLENSBURG WINEWORKS WINECLUBS We offer 2 wine programs to suit your wine preference and budget. A quarterly Washington-only wine club, 6 btls $200250/shipment and a monthly or every-othermonth international club 2 btls/shipment. www.ellensburgwineworks.com 509-962-VINE (8463)

Washington Greater Seattle Area CITY CELLARS FINE WINES, 1710 N.45th St., Seattle. (206) 632-7238. Tues.-Sat.11-7; Sundays 12-5. www.citycellar.com. Friday tastings 5-7.

“In the heart of Wallingford.”

GEORGE’S WINE SHOPPE, Kelsey Creek Shopping Ctr., 15015 Main St. Ste 115, Bellevue, WA 98007. Wines for every taste!

Open Mon.-Sat. 10-6. 425-644-7723 www.georgeswineshoppe.com

Tacoma Area

Spokane

WINE BANK, 7017 27th St W. University Place, WA 98466. Voted Best Wine Shop in Pierce County. Saturday tastings. Discount wine club. Now carrying the best Craft Beers. 253-564-1101. Sign up for our email newsletter. www.winebankup.com

Olympic, Kitsap Peninsula, San Juans COMPASS WINES, 1405 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, WA. 360-293-6500; fax: 360-5881895. Extensive collection of rare & collectable wines. Wine storage. Only 2 blocks from the marinas. Dockside delivery available. compasswines.com

Central Washington ELLENSBURG WINEWORKS Bottle shop and wine bar. Themed wine tasting every Friday & Saturday. Artisan cheeses, meats, olive oil and more. WE SHIP! www.ellensburgwineworks.com 509-962-VINE (8463)

VINO! A WINESHOP, where you don't need to know a lot about wine. Join our discount buying club or our "Wine of the Month Club."

Wine tasting every Friday & Saturday. Join the fun at 222 S. Washington St., Spokane, WA 800-826-5674, 509-838-1229 www.vinowine.com

Oregon Greater Portland Area BRENTWOOD WINE COMPANY — Internet fine wine weekly auctions. The Northwest's largest buyer of fine wine. Consignment option where you set the price or outright purchase.

For free appraisal, email wine list: appraisals@brentwoodwine.com (503) 638 WINE • www.brentwoodwine.com

Oregon Coast THE CELLAR ON 10TH, Astoria. Corner of 10th & Marine Dr. Finest selection of regional wines. Wine bar; weekly tastings; storage; gifts.

(503) 325-6600 • www.thecellaron10th.com E-mail us: thecellaron10th@aol.com

Experience the Northwest’s Best Wine Store • Over 5,000 wines • Discount prices • Free local delivery • We ship UPS • Call for free mailer • Private wine lockers • Secured access • Climate controlled • Convenient location

2700 Fourth Avenue South Seattle, WA (206) 682-7374 • (888) 682-WINE www.esquin.com

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BY COKE ROTH

So you want to be a wine judge Ed. note: Beginning with this issue, Coke Roth will share stories — mostly true — from his adventures in tasting Northwest wine over the past five decades.

O

ther than being asked the origins of my name (long story, another time), I most frequently get asked how I became a wine judge.

Prior to entering law school at the age of 40, I ran the TriCity branch of Roth Distributing Co., a multigeneration beer and wine wholesale operation. From the time I was a tyke, wine quality aspects intrigued me, so a life-long marriage occurred between my occupation and recreation.

There was foreign study in Germany during my junior year of college, working for Gallo just after my undergraduate studies, a gentle nudge from my wonderful father and membership in the Sigma Chi fraternity (actually, that was primarily beer). All seem to be the most likely reasons why I could not get my nose out of a glass.

However, I suppose the formal beginning came in 1976 when Bob Wing, wine competition superintendent of the Nez Perce County Fair in Lewiston, Idaho, invited Washington grape grower Maury Balcom and me to be wine judges at the fair. I was so honored because I was going to be a rock star at the Nez Perce County Fair.

Dressed in a paisley tie and orange plaid bell bottom pants (lookin’ groovy), I sat with the other judges at classroom-style tables, in a building with a door 30 feet from the bovine barn. The wines in brown bags were displayed behind us on shelves. A couple of feet in front of us was a flimsy rope, to keep the mosh pit of onlookers in their own zone.

As we were thoughtfully tasting through wines that ranged from Cabernet Sauvignon to dandelion, a man — a very large man — leaned over the rope and yelled “Yur judgin’ maa waaaahn!” He was dressed in bib overalls, tipping the scales 80 pounds heavier than the grand champion hog, a chain saw in hand and a toothless grin. He leaned back and said, “Hopin’ ya lahk it,” and it was not by coincidence that we did, the olfactory distraction from the bovine barn notwithstanding. It was a pea pod wine, emerald green in color, with perfect balance and varietal character. A gold medal — with or without his compelling presence.

So, you wanna be a wine judge? Be careful what you wish for.

While it is enviable, it is not easy. It is, indeed, cool being a wine judge; the paid-for trips, the deluxe accommodations, terrific food, fun people and great wines all invoke jealousy from the wine-drinking crowd. Judging a couple dozen wines at the Nez Perce County Fair is mere child’s play compared with the 100-200 per day you normally expect at a large competition; my personal record was 237, and if you don’t spit all the wine out, you’ll be napping by noon.

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I advise people to never get too impressed with one wine critic, rather believing a panel of judges is a better quality filter. I know more than the average bear about wine, but no one can tell you what you like. A typical wine panel consists of food, sales, media and technical people, and only when the stars align do you get medals. Indeed, the system is not perfect. And panels don’t catch it all, either.

The night before one international judging in Canada, we judges were at a little Italian restaurant drinking expensive Italian wine. A fellow judge spotted one wine on the menu, a screw-top $7, liter-size bottle from Chile. Unbeknownst to us, the next day our hands-down prejudging favorite was entered into the competition, and every judge voted no medal, including me.

So, the old “time and place” lesson was learned at a relatively young age: Wine competitions have the same blemishes as any of the other indicators except that there may be some chance that not all of the same judges will make the same mistake at the same time.

Most of the wine judges I have met during my 36 years of running and judging wine competitions have vast experience in food and wine. The best wine judges are those who do not place too much emphasis on their own likes and dislikes, but rather use the time-and-place memory skills to balance organoleptic acuity with subjectivity.

Whenever and wherever I judge, I remember the following analogy: Cindy Crawford has a mole on her face, and actor George Clooney has a hairy back (I assume). The point is, if you concentrate on only those small blemishes, you are missing out on a lot of fine horse flesh. Accordingly, the best wine judges do not overemphasize small faults in a wine; instead, they understand that the sterile and sometimes fatiguing atmosphere of the judging table must be weighed in favor of the wine.

Wine will be consumed with friends, over dinner or otherwise enjoyed by consumers who are not bothered by the mole. Moreover, good wine judges are not afraid to move off of their original position. My good friend and fellow Wine Press Northwest columnist Dan Berger and I will frequently go from a bronze to a gold based on a retaste and compelling arguments by our talented counterparts.

In closing, you can use particular indicators from columnists and wine competitions as rough guidelines on what you want to drink. However, the guy in the paisley print tie and orange plaid bell bottoms advises you to be your own judge.

I advise you to drink wine you like in moderation — frequently.

COKE ROTH is an attorney who lives in Richland, Wash.

He is an original member of Wine Press Northwest’s tasting panel. Learn more about him at cokerothlaw.com.

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