Washington Wine: Articles

Oct

26

Washington Wine Finds

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In Seattle this week I’ve discovered two nice wines you might want to check out!

Pasek Cellars 2007 Syrah 

Pasek Cellars was started by Gene and Kathy Pasek in 1995. Located in Mount Vernon, Washington, their specialty is fruit wine but they ventured into Syrah.

  • Grape Variety: 100% Syrah
  • Aroma: Warm spice and berries.
  • Taste: Extremely smooth and flavorful wine of blackberry and spice (from the oak aging) with a nice lingering finish.
  • Price: $12
  • My thoughts: My girlfriend picked up a bottle of this in Leavenworth, Washington at a tasting room. It was an extremely easy to drink red wine full of berry flavor and perfect for a cold Autumn night.

Hestia Cellars 2010 Chenin Blanc 

Out to dinner at Tilth Restaurant (organic new American cuisine from James Beard award winning chef Maria Hines), I discovered this one. Hestia is a small family owned and operated winery making wine in the Snoqualmie River Valley not far from Seattle. Their grapes come from four small vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA.

  • Grape Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
  • Aroma: Melon and honey.
  • Taste: Dry and crisp acidity, medium body with melon, citrus and honey notes.
  • My thoughts: I really enjoyed this wine! It’s aged in stainless steel tanks for five months which gives it a nice balance of minerality and fruit. More medium bodied than a Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio and not as grapefruit forward as a Sauvignon Blanc. Unfortunately this wine is sold out on their website as only 200 cases were made. But keep an eye out for the 2011. Can you believe when I went to their website for more info I saw their winemaker/owner and I share the same name, Shannon Jones?!?! Must go meet him. ;)
Cheers!

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Aug

31

2011 Harvest Season Full of Extremes

Wine  Written by / 1 comments

This growing season’s crazy weather conditions with extreme frosts, early summers and no summers have created quite a mixed bag for wine region harvests from California to Champagne to Chianti.

Many spots in Europe are already half way through their harvest creating the earliest harvest season many can remember. Reports from Greece last week showed several regions already underway. In France, due to a sunnier and warmer than usual spring, Champagne started on 19 August, their earliest harvest since 1822. Bordeaux also got underway in August due to high temperatures which advance the ripening.

Italian wine producers are predicting a great year although the temperatures could lead to volume down by 5%. Last year Italy surpassed France as the world’s leading wine producer with 49.6 million hectolitres produced vs. 46.2 million in France. For many Italian regions September weather will still be a factor. Cool temperatures at night will produce fragrant whites and well-structured reds.

The U.S. West Coast has dealt with a late short summer which will find some harvest seasons stretch into late November. California and the Northwest’s cold, wet early summer conditions mean a later than usual harvest. Oregon will have one of its coldest vintages in years. Eastern Washington’s late November frost could mean volumes are down 15-20% this year. Central California also had one of its worst frosts in years this growing season.

While those on the U.S. East Coast with last week’s crazy forces, an earthquake and Hurricane Irene, are reporting little impact. Virginia’s ideal conditions of a warm, dry summer should mean a great harvest.

As the grapes get picked and the wine starts production, we’ll see what all this means in the bottle in the coming months.

*Sources Wine Spectator, ANSA

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Aug

12

Give Pink Another Think

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I’ll admit that before living in Europe the site of pink wine automatically made me think of a sweet White Zinfandel. And needless to say, I’m not a fan. Now I see pink wine and I think ROSÉ… a lovely refreshing wine made from red grape varieties. The ‘pink’ comes from leaving the red grape skins in the grape juice during fermentation for only a few days to add color and characteristic.

I had tried a few Côtes-de-Provence French Rosés in the past which made me realize all pink wine is not White Zin. Then we moved to Amsterdam in Summer 2006 and Rosé was everywhere. It is the Dutch summer wine of choice so I had to take part. And being in Europe, there was plenty of good Rosé (or Italian Rosato or Spanish Rosado) to enjoy.

This summer Rosé is my favorite and it seems to be everywhere I turn… from Italy to Vancouver to Washington to Virginia.

Here are the top on my list if you’d like to seek one out.

  • Tenute Rubino Saturnino, Rosé, IGT Salento (Puglia, Italy): From Italy’s largest wine producing area and the ‘heel of the boot,’ this Rosé won the gold medal at Consours Mondial de Bruxelles international wine competition in May 2011 in Luxembourg. This gorgeous deep pink wine is made of 100% Negroamaro grapes, native of Puglia. The scent is lovely raspberry and violet while taste is round, crisp and refreshing, helped by its fermentation in stainless steel tanks. My favorite wine of my trip to Puglia in June!
  • Blenheim Vineyards Rosé 2010 (Virginia, U.S.): I’ve enjoyed many glasses of Kirsty Harmon’s fabulous Rosé most recently at their gorgeous winery outside Charlottesville. It’s 100% Merlot, bright pink in color, fragrance of banana and rose with a light, crisp taste.
  • Kiona Vineyards First Crush Rosé 2010 (Washington, U.S.): Just discovered this fruity refreshing Rosé at Urban Enoteca in Seattle. Crushed grapes were left on the skin for two days then pressed and fermented cold to preserve their pure fruit character.
  • 8th Generation Confidence Frizzante 2010 (Summerland, BC, Canada): This sparkling Rosé was the perfect sip for a sunny Vancouver day on Chill Winston‘s patio. Crisp, fresh field berries with a hint of grapefruit and cranberry.

Two others I’ve enjoyed are 2010 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé from California and Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec 2010 from Argentina.

So don’t be afraid of the pink! :) It’s perfect for the last month of summer.

Cheers!

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Jun

18

Washington Wine Country comes to Seattle

Travel / Wine  Written by / 0 comments

This week I spent an evening at a cool new spot in Seattle…Urban Enoteca. Open since December, this wine and event space in SoDo (South of Downtown) is a warehouse turned hip wine bar.

You open the huge wooden doors of the warehouse and are transported into a wine land from Eastern Washington. With a lovely greeting at the front desk, you’re introduced to The Wine Library and Wine Lounge. We pick up our Wine Library Card and head into the Library to explore the seven Eastern Washington wineries featured in their new Seattle wine bar homes.

The rustic Wine Library is lined with tasting booths staffed by the wineries…Cave B Estate, Côte Bonneville, Five Star, Fidelitas, Fielding Hills, Kiona and McCrea. You can browse the room and enjoy tastings, pours and flights from each winery. After a visit to each, we picked a few to sample and settled into bar stools around a wine barrel table not far from the warm fireplace and other comfy leather chair seating areas.

My favorite wines of the evening…

After checking out our Wine Library Card (each winery swipes your card for each tasting), we went over to the Wine Lounge for a yummy taste of Chef Chris Opsata’s menu (he’s formerly of Corkscrew Café in Manhattan Beach, CA). Loved the Ahi with sesame, red wine vinegar, cumin, compressed pear and basil; Gnocchi with peas, tarragon, preserved lemon and gruyere; and Fingerling Potatoes roasted in duck fat with aioli.

This is a great spot for wine exploration, a happy hour with friends or even a big group event (they have 3 private rooms that can accommodate up to 200 people). And a MUST GO for wine lovers living in or visiting Seattle.

 

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