07/21/07
(Saturday) - WineCOW.com Featured in Seattle Magazine
It only took two years but it looks like people might finally be taking notice of winecow.com. In the recent August 2007 issue of Seattle magazine there was a small blurb on your's truly. While this might not be a big deal in the world of mass media, we think it's something special. So, everyone go and buy your copy today and read about how winecow.com is "having fun with wine and eliminating its 'snob' reputation..."
-MP
07/20/07
(Friday) - Congratulations to Smash Wine Bar and other Award Winners
In the latest issue of Wine Spectator 3,955 restaurants from around the world were honored as part of Spectator's 2007 Dining Guide and Restaurant Awards. In their words, "Wine Spectator's Restaurant Awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers." After meeting these and other basic requirements the qualifying restaurants are then presented one of three awards - Award of Excellence (3,131 winners), Best of Award of Excellence (748 winners), and Grand Award (76 winners).
Washington State had approximately 70 award winners, with one Grand Award presented to Canlis. Included in the winners was one of our local favorites Smash Wine Bar & Bistro who received an Award of Excellence. While there were several other very good Washington restaurants that also received awards as well, it was nice to see Smash on there given their relaxed "snob free" atmosphere and approach to wine. It's also quite an accomplishment given that they have only been in business for just over one year, opening in April 2006. So, kudos to Smash and all of the other Spectator award winners, which also included favorites such as Purple Cafe & Wine Bar, Tulio, Meritage Restaurant & Wine Bar, and 35th Street Bistro.
-MP
07/17/07
(Tuesday) - Open up your Wallets for Kirkland Uncorked!
Kirkland Uncorked (July 13-15), formerly Kirkland SummerFest, is a weekend "Festival of Style & Taste" held in downtown Kirkland's Marina Part. This two and a half day event, which features various Washington wines, food, art and music, is touted as Kirkland's "signature summer event" with the goal to bring people into Kirkland to enjoy the downtown area shops, restaurants, and of course the marina. Basically it's a way to get people to come and spend money in Kirkland. And if you planned on tasting wine then hopefully you brought enough of it to spare because spending a lot of money is exactly what you did! The wine was served within the fenced off “Classical King FM Tasting & Lifestyle Garden,” which for $25 provided admittance and included a brown paper sack full of one tasting glass and five tasting "pogs". Each "pog" earned you one taste of food, provided by local restaurants, or a taste of wine offered up by volunteers representing various Washington wineries. So, breaking that down, if you were to take the tasting glass out of the equation (worth approximately $1-2), each wine/food taste comes out to approximately $5 each. That's $5 for 1-2 ounces of wine!!!
Now I understand, that like many wine events, some of this price gouging may be used as a way to detour people from drinking too much. But to charge $25 for what equates to approximately one standard glass of wine is just a little ridiculous! Maybe they also took into account that it was hot outside therefore the value of a refreshing beverage was even that more valuable. Anyway, it was for this reason that I instead paid the $8 entry (reserved for designated drivers), which got you nothing except the opportunity to be there. At least then I could enjoy a couple glasses of finely crafted beer for the same price as one taste, or 1.5oz glass of wine.
Outside of the ridiculous cost of wine (yes I did use the word “ridiculous” more than once), the event itself is a nice opportunity to come and spend some time in the sun enjoying downtown Kirkland and the waterfront. This is especially true for those that live and work in the Westside, who may not make it over the water that often. Unfortunately many of you probably chose to stay on the Westside this weekend due to the fact that the 520 bridge was closed for inspection. Ooops! I guess we’ll have to plan that out a little better for next year.
-MP
07/16/07
(Monday) - Four All-Star Vineyards Featured in Wine Enthusiast
Another great article on the Washington wine industry was recently published in well-known magazine Wine Enthusiast, August 2007. As opposed to focusing on particular wines or wineries Paul Gregutt instead chose to pay tribute to some of the most influential and sought after vineyards of Washington State. While there are numerous vineyards that produce some of Washington’s finest wines this article only focuses on four.
“I could easily name 25 or 30 that could qualify for star status, but in choosing just four I have looked for well-established sites that sell grapes to some of Washington’s best wineries. All are frequently used for vineyard-designated bottlings, generally of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. All have shown over decades that they not only reflect, but to a large degree exemplify, the specific flavors that characterize their AVA.”
These four vineyards include Ciel du Cheval (Red Mountain AVA), Pepper Bridge (Walla Walla, AVA), Champoux (Horse Heaven Hills AVA), and Boushey (Yakima Valley AVA).
Ciel du Cheval (meaning “horse heaven”), owned and operated by Jim Holmes, is one of Washington’s most sought after spots with big bold fruit, firm (but manageable) tannins, fine-tuned acidity, and a distinctive mineral/gravel undertone. All of which produce wines that have the ability to age for decades, but can also be enjoyed right now. Some well-known wineries making Ciel du Cheval vineyard-designated wines include Andrew Will, Cadence, Mark Ryan (2004 Dead Horse Red Blend – 94 pts), McCrea Cellars, Seven Hills, and Soos Creek.
Pepper Bridge, owned and operated by Norm McKibben, includes plantings mostly split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This low elevation site produces wines with flavor characteristics dominated by black cherry, as well as other sweet, ripe fruit. Know producers include Andrew Will, L’Ecole No.41, Leonetti Cellars, Pepper Bridge (2003 Cabernet Sauvignon – 91 pts), and Woodward Canyon.
A little over half of Champoux (pronounced “shampoo”), managed by Paul Champoux, is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with most of the remaining planted to Riesling and Chardonnay. Many of the wineries that utilize these grapes also operate as vineyard partners, who own and manage their own blocks, including Andrew Will (2004 Red Wine – 90 pts.), Powers, Quilceda Creek, and Woodward Canyon. Champoux flavors can vary depending on which grapes, which blocks, and which plantings are used.
Boushey, with grower Dick Boushey, creates powerful wines, that come as close as any Syrahs made in America to the expressive combination of smoked meat, cured ham, black truffle, charcoal, pencil lead and smoke that you find in Rhône. Among top wineries using Boushey fruit include Betz Family, Chinook, Delille, Doyenne, Long Shadows, McCrea (2004 Syrah – 94 pts.), and Three Rivers, where they use the higher acids and crisp profile to proved a firm spine to grapes from other warmer sites.
-MP
07/09/07
(Monday) - Washington Reds: Wine Spectator Tasting Report
In a recent issue of Wine Spectator magazine (July 31, 2007) editor at large Harvey Steiman provides a tasting report on the many quality wines from Washington State. With more than 150 of the 450 wines tasted scoring 90 or more points from Spectator’s 100-point scale, it definitely shows that Washington is a place to standup and take notice in the world of premium wine.
“Buoyed by a succession of high quality vintages, winemakers have produced more outstanding wines in this year's report than in any previous. America's No. 2 wine-producing state, once known for its success with Merlot, now excels with Cabernet Sauvignon and, increasingly, Syrah. In all, more than 150 bottlings rated outstanding (90 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale) among the 450 wines that I reviewed.”
And with a majority of the top wines deriving from Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon it’s obvious to see that Washington, once known primarily for it’s Merlot, has moved beyond its previous single star varietal into a bigger, better, and much more robust premium wine portfolio.
“Merlot, once Washington's calling card, is now scarce among the top tier. There are 20 Syrahs among the 40 highest-scoring wines in this report (92 points or higher), although their average case production is only half that of the Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends in the group. Only five of the top 40 are Merlot-based. It's not that Washington's Merlots are bad. They are just outnumbered. I reviewed 150 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines and 98 Syrahs and blends, but only 85 Merlots and blends.”
Top scoring Washington wines featured in the article include:
Betz Family Winery Syrah Red Mountain La Côte Rousse 2004 (95, $45)
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2004 (95, $100)
Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley Bionic Frog 2004 (94, $70)
Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley En Chamberlin 2004 (94, $55)
Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2004 (93, $50)
Betz Family Winery Syrah Columbia Valley La Serenne 2004 (93, $45)
Cadence Tapteil Vineyard Red Mountain 2004 (93, $40)
Fielding Hills Syrah Wahluke Slope 2004 (93, $32)
Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley 2004 (93, $55)
Owen Roe Yakima Valley 2004 (93, $42)
Tyrus Evan Syrah Walla Walla 2004 (93, $33)
-MP
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