Washington State Merlot

Just about one year ago Margot and I were getting ready to head off to the WineMaker Magazine Annual Conference for the first time. It was being hosted in Stevenson, WA situated on the Columbia River along the Oregon border. We had been to the state before, but not its winemaking areas, and didn’t have a chance on earlier trips to visit any wineries for tastings. Our plans included those activities on this trip, and we packed with much excitement.

( Great place to hang and drink! )

One of the types of wine we had the chance try from a number of difference sources was Merlot. I had heard many great things about WA Merlots and had never really explored them. My favorite from a winery visit was the Ethos Merlot at Chateau Ste. Michelle. The night of the swap meet we tried Merlot varietals and Merlot based blends from a number of local wineries and winemaking clubs. We enjoyed several homemade versions shared by local-area conference attendees. All together I felt I had gotten to know the style much better. Across all the selections we tried we found a great balance of fruit and earth with dark berries and cherry wrapping touches of chocolate, spice and smoke. The smooth textures and manageable tannins made these wines so very approachable and great casual drinkers. I kept thinking about food pairings and what I wanted to try at home with wines we would bring back.

One of the things we found so interesting were subtleties between the single vineyard Merlot bottlings at the Columbia Winery. They presented the wines from varied growing areas, conditions, the differences and we found so much of it to be accessible. At the conference I shared a rose I bought made from Merlot at Phelps Creek Vineyard (no relation) from just over the border in OR. At first folks didn’t seem interested, but once the first person at the table said something good about it, it was gone. Check out what we wrote back in June of 2010 from our trip notes.

So it was with great excitement that I was assigned a WA Merlot for a recent group tasting with the Boston Sommelier Society. I felt like I knew it better because of my experiences and knew more about the region giving me a good basis to search for. I considered the CSM Ethos but opted for something else and stayed within the CSM family. I came across the 2006 Canoe Ridge Merlot and grabbed a couple bottles to try. At $20 a bottle it should be a solid performer, but not an everyday drinker. I found a healthy dose of cherry, vanilla and a dusty soil note. The tannins are there but softening and really helping to define the wine. I bet this 2006 will be much better in 3-4 years.



Washington Merlot started stalking me at this point and this time in the form a perk from the Kloutperks Influencer program. As an influencer I received a $100 credit to Lot 18 and found wine and olive oil that would make for great adventures back at Ancient Fire Wines. The Pepper Bridge 2006 Walla Walla Merlot two-pack was a steal. The wine is good, but needs more time to mellow.

It is garnet in color with a touch of purple. The rim variation has a slight brown shift and the staining and viscosity are low inferring a lighter wine. The alcohol is up there, 14.1%, but noticeable, and makes the chocolate, cherry, spice, pepper and soil flavors a bit hard to completely pin down. The tannins are moderate, but feel like they are softening and time may be an asset here.

We are again getting ready to head off to the WineMaker Conference, this time in Santa Barbara, CA, home to several winemaking regions that will be worth visits. Pinot Noir perhaps, or Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier, oh my! We’ll be live tweeting from the conference, including the awards dinner. We won 9 medals last year and we have more chances than that again this year! Wish us luck!

Cheers!

Jason


I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.
http://klout.com/perks/disclosure

Slow Cooker Pork & Ethos Merlot

( Hungry? )

A few years back Margot and I both used the Weight Watchers program to lose weight and get to a manageable food lifestyle. Writing a food and wine blog makes that hard, but we are much more capable of intertwining healthy eating now so we no longer actively count points. During that time Margot picked up the “In Good Time - 123 Slow Cooker Recipes To Come Home To” Weight Watchers recipe book. We’ve used it so many times it has pages falling out of it! The recipes are really that good and when I work from home on Wednesdays I have plenty of time to have something going in the slow cooker.

This week I picked a recipe we hadn’t yet tried for Braised Pork Loin with Port and Prunes which can be found on page 47 of the book. We pick our weekly menus on Sunday to aid in the grocery shopping, but this also gives me time to think about beverage pairings. As I thought about what to drink with the pork I remembered we had a bottle of Ethos Merlot that we brought back from Chateau Ste. Michelle in May. We tasted it during the wonderful private tasting we had and it knocked both of our socks off! This is the best Merlot I have ever had, and one of the best bottles of red wine I have ever had the privilege to taste. We’ll get back to the wine in a minute.

A few weeks back Margot took advantage of a buy-one-get-one deal on pork loin roasts. It ended up being for the big ones so we have adapted this recipe for a roast 1/3 larger than the recipe called for. We also used two homemade wines instead of port. For the sweet component we used a wine we made in 2007 that we called Dark Magic made from grocery store grapes. Early on it was very funky, but it has mellowed now and the residual sugar makes for a great taste. We added some depth with some 2010 Chilean Malbec. This is from an early bottled 3 gallons that ended up being a bonus from the batch. It is young and not refined yet, but it is very drinkable with distinctive flavors and aromas. The color is very dark and I thought the richness would be fantastic in this dish.

Braised Pork Loin with Port and Prunes

1 (4½ lb) boneless pork loin
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ground mustard
1 ½ tsp dried sage
¾ tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 ½ cups sliced onion
2 leeks, sliced thin (white part only)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
½ cup dry red wine
1 cup sweet red wine
1 dry red wine
2/3 cup vegetable broth
20 pitted prunes
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

The process is pretty simple. The pepper, salt and spices are used to create a rub for the roast which should be cut in half crosswise. After applying the rub, heat the oil in a large pot. Once the oil is hot, brown the roast pieces on all sides. When browned move the roast to the slow cooker. I usually spray my slow cooker insert with some cooking spray to prevent sticking.

I added some additional oil to the pot used to brown the roast and then added the onion, leek and carrot, sautéing them for about 8 minutes. Add the wine and stock and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Pour the wine and vegetable mixture over the pork in the slow cooker, add the prunes and bay leaves and cover. I cooked this on high for two hours and then low for another five hours. Make sure to remove the bay leaves before continuing.

( Ready to cook! )

When you are ready to serve it remove the pork to a heat-proof dish and keep warm. Transfer the contents of the slow cooker to a large pot and bring to a boil. Use the water and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

( This is what it looked like after I took it out of the cooker and it had sat in a warm oven for a few minutes. )

This dish was a jackpot. The pork was so tender that removing it from the slow cooker was a challenge. The combination of flavors was wonderful with the prunes and red wine providing a clear foundation of fruit and subtle sweetness. We served it alongside baked acorn squash that had been basted with olive oil and maple syrup. Incredible!

The wine didn’t fail us on our second taste. From the moment we smelled it we recalled our mutual agreement from the tasting. This bottle is from the 2005 vintage and my understanding is that it should be tough to find these days unless you are in Woodinville, WA! It has intense aromas of cherry and plum. You’d have to have the worst cold in the world not to be able catch the aromas. It is mouth-coating and silky, something I could sit and savor for far too long. The fruit flavors are what you notice first and there is slight gaminess to it that went really well with the pork. The wine is very balanced with noticeable tannins, but not in an overpowering way. The wine enhanced the perception of the spices and flavors in the food without losing itself. I don’t think I could easily have picked a better wine to pair with, although I am up for the challenge!

Cheers!

--Jason

Seattle Drinking & Dining

Pike Brewing
http://www.pikebrewing.com/

Pike Brewing is located adjacent to the historic and very lively Pike’s Place market at the western edge of downtown Seattle. Having been here before I knew that the beers would be great and suspected the bar food would also live up to the need. We arrived in Seattle on Sunday night and wanted to venture out to get some refreshment before crashing after the trip from Stevenson. After checking out Fonte, see below, we needed something to eat and of course a more to drink. Pike Brewing is right up the block and open late on Sunday nights.

We pulled up to the bar and ordered a couple of pints to start us off. I tried the Belgian Tripel and Margot started with the Weiss. I was interested in the Tripel since I had just bottled a Trappist Dubbel with a kick and suspected it would be similar. The beer was full and smooth with some noticeable yeasty aromas. The malt flavor was present, but not in a sweet way. Definitely a good choice, and with 9% alcohol definitely one to put a smile on your face. I tried the Weiss and was not disappointed although light wheat beers can often be too light and lack personality so it didn’t resonate with me. Knowing Margot is typically interested in a mellower beer this choice worked out.

We ordered the Dungeness Crab & Artichoke Dip and the BBQ Pork Nachos to work with our beers. Real bar food Seattle style, for real beers! Both were very good and overall the dip worked better with the lighter beers while the nachos handled the darker and more alcoholic beers quite well.

I ordered a six beer sampler wanting to try a few others before we bailed. I knew we wouldn’t be back with so many other plans on deck, and I wanted to be able to say some more for anyone heading out there. The sampler included the Pike Pale, Naughty Nellie, Kiltlifter Scotch Ale, Tandem and the Stout.

The Tandem is a Belgian Double Ale and something I took away from it was confirmed in the tasting notes on web, fresh baked bread. What a neat aroma to be able to capture. The Kiltlifter was more malty and smoky so I definitely was enjoying it. Margot wonders how people can drink such things, including big IPA’s. I showed her how we do it, step by step. Lift glass to lips, drink, swallow and repeat! The Pike Ale and Naughty Nellie were nice, but not distinctive enough for me to recall much. The XXXXX Stout was a nice treat to finish with, like an unsweetened mocha. It was smooth and creamy with a mild aroma and deep, dark color.

Pike Brewing was definitely worth another visit and for any beer enthusiast should be on your list when you are in Seattle. I didn’t make it to Pacific Maritime or their pub the Jolly Roger, but some local friends agreed that it would also be worth a visit.

Fonte
http://www.fontecoffee.com/

Margot found Fonte online before we left and from a look at their menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and wine we were pretty sure we wanted to make a visit when in town. Fonte is presented as an upscale, luxury coffee and wine bar which is to say that their advertising certainly wants to plant that impression. While I can’t say the modern décor, low lighting, comfy leather chairs or high stools and tables didn’t extend the impression, I don’t think a place like this should only attract upscale clientele. The bar area was neat and clean and the staff were attentive and helpful. With several people working laptops and some obvious first dates going on, we felt cool enough!

We went on Sunday night looking to try a flight of wines we hadn’t ever had. Margot went with the WTF (What the Fonte?) which is pitched as a flight of unusual wines. With selections like a Gruet Sparkling from New Mexico and the Graf Hardegg Gruner Veltliner that is often described as having white pepper flavors and then of course a Berger Zweigelt that has been described using the word blood, I’d have to agree. She’s brave for sure. I didn’t try the sparkling, but I did try the other two and found them to be interesting, but totally drinkable and worth a first experience. The Zweigelt definitely has some iron minerality to it that I could see the blood connection with. It was a bit spicy as well and thus I got to finish it!

I ordered the Lewis & Clark flight which features a Pinot Gris and two Pinot Noir’s, all from Oregon.
The flight included the Westrey Pinot Gris, Matello Pinot Noir Rose and the Domain Drouhan Pinot Noir.
I have been fascinated with Pinot Gris since I had one earlier this year; made by Lange in Oregon. I haven’t found another one quite like it yet, but all of them I have tried were very worth it. Typically dry, light and fruity I have found good pairings at every try. This particular example is dry and focused with some fresh fruit and slate like character to it. The two Pinot Noir’s were quite different in their appearance, with the Matello Rose much lighter in color and with less earthiness to both the aromas and flavors. It was pleasing, but very subtle and not something I would seek out to pair with. The Drouhan was an example of what I had come to the Pacific Northwest to find, a rich and bold Pinot with strong fruit and a healthy dose of earth to let you know what you were drinking. While not the best Oregon Pinot I had on the trip, I definitely enjoyed this one to round out my flight.

Lola, Downtown Seattle
http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/lola

If you surf fine dining materials before you visit any city you will find out the names of a few hotspots. If you call early and reserve a table you might get to have a meal and some wine and think about the chef and staff’s influence on your night. And then you start thinking of how much you aren’t sure how to approach it and how much will it cost. This night didn’t have either of those problems

Great food. The spread sampler, pita bread and house rose kicked us off. This is a project for the diner, so keep this in mind. Fully engaged though, we had fun talking about what we were eating. Fresh tomato, dill, olives, beans, figs and sour cream. Those were the base ingredients in six different spreads. Check the menu. While you are checking it out, check out Tom Douglas, the Seattle chef who brings us LOLA and other spots. There is a book out there we saw about him, interesting read for sure.

I had the Red Wine and Garlic Lamb kabobs with the Smashed Garlic Fried Potatoes. Margot went with Lamb Burger with Chickpea Fries. Everything was exceptional. We talked about our first day in the city, vacation phase 2 we called it, and what we would do tomorrow. We visited the zoo that day in the bright sun, we were happy and the crew at LOLA was great to us.

When we moved on to dessert I ordered the donuts with honey nut drizzle. A solid choice with the warm sweet bread and nutty sauce to make it taste like candy. Then to the wine. I ordered two, because they were there, a Vin Santo and an orange muscat. The donuts were exquisite with both wines representing two different mixes of flavor.

Ray’s Boathouse
http://www.rays.com/boathouse/


Last night in Seattle. We visited with Amy and Chris who we met in 1999 when they lived, as we did, in MA and working in the craziness that is the Boston area. They moved a year later, first to Austin, then to Seattle. Amy helped us find several nice views and good times in the city on our visit and we asked them to pick a place for us to have dinner before heading home. Ray’s Boathouse in the Ballard section of Seattle is a beautiful restaurant right on the sound with a view of the Cascades out the window. One glance of the menu and I was sure this was going to be wild.

I had a new and potentially strange dish for my palette, something to think about I guess. Prawns, clams with a squid ink risotto. Slightly briny and salty, the squid ink wasn’t at all weird. I tried a whole bunch of wines, from a local Pinot Noir, a local Pinot Gris and a German beernauslese Riesling for dessert. Their wine menu online doesn’t list any of them, so having been distracted with memories of the past I didn’t capture the details. Dinner was great and the company made the week. Thanks Amy & Chris!

Pike’s Place Market

When we came to Seattle for the cruise to Alaska we had several visits to the market. This was the one place I knew Margot would want to see when she was in town. Obviously we had to go back, this time knowing what we could buy to enjoy while we were there, and it ended up being very sweet. Margot bought jewelry and we bought wine, cheese, bread, olives, spices and chocolate to enjoy at the hotel.

Cruising the market at different times allows you to take a pulse of that part of the city. Coming in the morning allows you to see the vendors setup and maybe get something new or rare to use or eat. Take a look at the pictures for a story of your own.

Flowers smell great in the morning.

Smiles, anyone?

Hey, sup dude?

Throw me some fish, eh?

Pike's Place Market

3 years aged, very cool

1 year aged?

\

Oink!

Cheers!
 
Jason

#WAWINE Real-time Celebration of Washington Wines

Check out #WAWINE on Twitter and http://www.facebook.com/TasteAndTweet?v=wall on Facebook to check out the Virtual Celebration of Washington Wine.

I just learned about it the day it was to be on and this is what we came up with.

Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Dr Loosen Riesling 2006 with butter crackers, cream cheese and assorted jams/preserves. As a sommelier in training I wanted to find something that I both had on hand AND helped showcase the wine. We had a tomato, raspberry, apple/maple, apricot and strawberry jams. The raspberry made the wine taste sour, but all the others let the crispness of the wine come through without making it taste at sour.

If it wasn't for the WineMaker Magazine conference I might not have gotten out to WA wine country as soon. The trip was fun, check out my other posts for updates from the trip.

Cheers!

Jason

Winery Visits in Woodinville, WA

Chateau Ste Michelle & Columbia Winery Visits
Woodinville, WA - May 2010

As far as we can remember Chateau Ste Michelle was the maker of the first Washington wine we ever had. We recall it being a Riesling from a tall, sloping bottle and that we had it many times after the first. This Riesling has popped up at many gatherings since and has been offered to us by friends far and wide. And why not? It is a very good wine.

So as we would be in Seattle for the tail end of our Pacific Northwest vacation, we arranged a tasting at Chateau Ste Michelle (CSM) in Woodinville, about 30 minutes northeast. What a beautiful property! Some of the buildings date to the 1800’s and the grounds contain flower gardens established by the original owners. It was raining so we didn’t get much in the way of pictures to share.

Our private tasting was in the library of the main house. The interior of this house was ornately decorated, with beautiful cortains, rugs and  large works of art on the walls. Beside a very nice couple from Edmonton, Alberta we had the full attention and service from Christina from the Chateau's staff.

The wines poured for the tasting were from several select vineyards in the Columbia Valley, or were blends from several labels that are made in much smaller batches than those wines from CSM we can get at home.

2007 Cold Creek Chardonnay - Nice fruit flavors and a smooth finish. An excellent example of a commercial Chardonnay that was not “over-made”.

2005 Ethos Reserve Merlot – Excellent nose and complex flavors. Washington Merlot was a surprise for me, something I hadn’t really had previously.

2006 Wahluke Slope Syrah – Bold and coating on the tongue. This was my favorite of the group. Flavors of dark berries and strong coffee.

2006 Artist Series Meritage – Smooth and complex, lots of flavors from a blend of Cab, Merlot, Malbec and Petite Verdot.

2006 Ethos Chenin Blanc Ice Wine - We had a choice for our last wine and once offered the ice wine it was decided. As you would imagine it was very sweet with incredible fruit flavors and that ever popular honeyed backbone. This was a nice treat to finish up the tasting.

As each wine was presented some distinctions about the locations and conditions of the vineyards were offered as well as history and background of the labels and how they came to be.

After the tasting Christina suggested we take the tour which is not only fun and informative but gets us three more tastings of different wines. How could any self respecting wine drinkers refuse?

The facility we visited is the site of the white wine production for CSM and of course the visitor center. Impressive in size for sure, it is amazing to think that they have another facility at least as large to produce the remainder of their wines. Some history of the winery was offered, and displays of medal winning wines, recent partnerships, and expansions were found along the tour walk. The bottling line was in the middle of a break in the action, but looking at the raw material queued up I could see how much volume it could produce!

At the end of the tour we lined up at the tasting bar and sampled three additional wines, including the Muscat Canelli which was tart and fruity with hints of spice. The tasting room and retail store are dressed in lots of wood and feel very much like you are working in the winery.

We wandered around the retail store for a bit and selected six bottles of wine to have shipped back east. Combining our favorites from the tastings to enjoy at home is sure to bring back some fun memories.

Across the street is the Columbia Winery, a Washington producer that we have more recently become familiar with. I had been told by some friends that their red wines were worth trying so I added this stop to our trip to check on that advice. It was good advice to take for sure!

Columbia Winery’s tasting facilities and tasting room have a very different feel than CSM. I would describe it as not channeling the history of the property and buildings that CSM can. With a modern feel, dark wood and lots of light the contrast was a nice way to transition to a different batch of wines.

Merlot came up again and scored big with both of us. We tried Merlot, Syrah and red blends from the Otis and Red Willow vineyards, and finished with the Geuwrztraminer. All of the reds were rich and flavorful with nice complexity. We are very familiar with the Columbia Cellarmaster’s Riesling but had never tried the Geuwrztraminer from the same line. With a strong fruit and floral nose the wine was sweet, but not in an overpowering way. Another strong finish.

Ready to move on and get something to eat before heading back to the city we asked our server for a recommendation. In the course of the conversation we found that we had travelled across the country to meet someone who used to live in Boston and had previously worked at the company I now work for. Truly a small world. The food recommendation resulted in the Purple Café & Wine Bar, from which Margot’s pizza blog entry from a couple days ago came.

If you are going to be in the Seattle area you should definitely take a look at the large concentration of wineries in the Woodinville area and build your own adventure.

Cheers!

--Jason

Breakfast at the Gorge

Ahhh Breakfast…going out to dinner is great, but give me a good breakfast over that any day. Starting my day usually with a fruit smoothie, or Special K cereal it is nice to take a break on vacation. Words like griddle, toast, and omelet or better yet……homefries, make me so happy. I suppose I get it from my Mom who lived for weekends when she could make her and my dad breakfast: eggs (his poached, hers were fried), toast and bacon. I mean, when the woman finally had her dream trip to France she went out and bought a fry pan, eggs and bacon because the host breakfast of fruit ,cheese and bread did not cut it. Now that is commitment!

One of the things that I most looked forward to when we recently stayed at the Skamania Lodge in Washington was the fact that they had a full restaurant on premises that served breakfast. Boy, I was not disappointed. On my own for breakfast and lunch each day (that Jay guy was in winemaking classes….) I got to plan my day. And plan I did, entirely around breakfast. I figured if I had a big breakfast a wee bit later in the morning I could skip lunch. It was well worth it.

If you are interested in checking out their dining options you can do so here http://www.skamania.com/columbia-gorge-dining.php

Day One: Meandered down to the restaurant which has breath taking views of the gorge. The smell hit me immediately. They had a good looking buffet but I was all about the Salmon Hash that I had seen on the menu. When it came I was not disappointed, you could tell it was all freshly made. Shredded potatoes (not those crappy frozen ones) julienned peppers and onions that we slightly crunchy and not greasy at all. This nest of flavor was topped with two poached eggs and a huge piece of fresh salmon. I was happy that the salmon was not over marinated or smothered with some sauce. It had a light, slightly spicy, dusting of flavor. Topped off with some freshly made sourdough toast and strawberry jam and I was a happy gal. Note: this illustrates one of my favorite things about breakfast over other meals, you can always blend salty and savory with sweet.

Day Two: Well, I’ll be honest this was the morning after I was at a Winemaker dinner with over 400 amateur winemakers who all brought some wine to share……I’ll leave my condition to your imagination. Moving a bit slow I decided that room service was best. This time I went all out, the Blue Dungeness Crab Omelet, served with homefries of course and a fresh fruit smoothie. Everything was good and hot. I would say though that the flavors were not quite as balanced as the Salmon Hash the day before. There was a lot of crab but even the quantity could not make up for the huge amount of cheddar cheese fighting for attention. It would have been better, I think, to have used a smaller amount of a more flavorful cheese, like goat or maybe even gorgonzola. This would have added some salty flavor without smothering the crab flavor. The smoothie was great and, let’s say, medicinal for my ailment.

On our last morning I finally had company and we decided to go to the restaurant and partake in their champagne buffet. The food was good, and there was A LOT! Pastries, and omelets, carving stations, desserts, an assortment of lunch items. Though I enjoyed all the food it was not quite as good as my made to order breakfasts were. I had Jay try the Salmon Hash after my wonderful experience and it was only OK. The salmon had been shredded rather than one large filet and the potatoes, peppers and onions a little limp, all of this as a result of being a “buffet”.

In the end, if you head to the Skamania Lodge, definitely get some breakfast. But, if you go to the buffet remember the golden rule: No matter how much it costs….it’s still a buffet, even if they are serving champagne.

Mangia,

Margot

Best Ever Pizza

I am happy to introduce Margot as new contributor to the Ancient Fire Wine Blog. She has been a regular character in the adventures, but generally just a hungry and thirsty participant and a silent editing partner. Silence no more! Take it away Margot.

http://www.thepurplecafe.com/

There are times in your life that you know you have just experienced “The Best”. We do not know when they are coming most of the time but when those moments happen it is like fireworks and neon signs blinking to alert us to them. Heck, Food TV has even built a show around this called “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. Prior to our trip to the Pacific Northwest Jay and I saw the episode about pizza. At the time I was firmly on the side of those “celebrity” chefs that chose the traditional style pizza: thin crust, good tomato sauce and mozzarella. I was a pizza purest. Sure I had my fair share of fancy toppings and sauces but in the end I thought that the title of “The Best” should go to the Old School style….. Then, on our trip….

We were in Woodinville, a Washington town known for the huge amount of wineries and wine tasting rooms that lined the streets. After touring and doing a private tasting at Chateau St. Michelle and then hitting the Columbia Winery tasting room, we were hungry. Not knowing where to head I asked the woman doing our tasting where she would go for a snack. She immediately said “The Purple Café”. Taking her suggestion we headed out to get a quick bite, nothing fancy, just something to get us through till dinner.

Pulling into the strip mall the outside of this place is much understated. The interior was quaint with three of walls consisting of shelves filled with wine bottles (much to Jay’s delight). Our food order consisted of the following: scallops wrapped in bacon and the Parma Prosciutto Pizza. Hoping to pair a wine that went well with both selections Jay suggested I order a gewürztraminer, named Sleight of Hand “The Magician” from the Columbia Valley in Washington. His intuition was accurate as the wine paired well with both menu items we ordered.

The scallops wrapped in bacon came first and they were cooked perfectly. The scallops were juicy and soft, the bacon crisp, thick and salty.

Then, the pizza arrived, it looked unassuming; thin crust, piled with arugula with glimpses of the gorgonzola cheese and prosciutto peaking through. When I bit into it, ahhhhh heaven, the fireworks went off and the sign starting blinking “BEST EVER, BEST EVER”. The balance of the ingredients was perfect. I am a huge fan of mixing sweet with salty, when it is done right, and in this case it was. The crust was crispy and really allowed the toppings to play center stage. The sauce in this case was a red onion jam which was sweet and savory at the same time lending itself to pair nicely with the creamy saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese. The prosciutto was found throughout each slice, but used sparingly as to not overwhelm the rest of the flavors. Topping it with the arugula was genius, as the crisp, fresh flavor helped to enhance your experience of the rest of the flavors.

So there it is, the best pizza I ever ate, in a strip mall in Woodinville, Washington. Though I will most likely never get back there again I am thankful for being able to have that “Best Ever” moment. Never found when you are looking, but there for you to stumble upon…until the next one, memories will have to do.

Mangia!

--Margot

Washington Wine Reviews

While on the trip for the WineMaker Magazine Conference Margot and I picked up some Washington wines to bring to meals and share with our new winemaking friends. Based on the responses we got everyone sure liked meeting us with wine in hand!

White Salmon – San Crispin Field (Rhone Style Blend)
Underwood, Washington
http://www.whitesalmonvineyard.com/

This was the most balanced and food-worthy red wine I had on the whole trip. With aromas of red fruits and peppery/spicy flavors it wasn’t overpowering nor was it too subtle to be taken seriously. I had it with dinner which consisted of rare prime rib, steamed salmon, steamed vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. The wine went well with everything and especially the prime rib for me because I don’t like it rare. Wine saves the day!

Coyote Canyon – Viognier 2008
Prosser, Washington
http://www.coyotecanyonwinery.com/

This was a truly delightful wine shared over lunch at the conference. The aromas from this wine were exceptional with abundant flowers and fruit. The wine was medium dry with that very slight hint of sweetness that made it versatile with a variety of food flavors. I love Viognier and have made it every year I have been making wine. I now have a new target to shoot for with my newest batch I am starting this week.

Brehm Vineyards – Riesling 2008
Underwood, Washington
http://www.brehmvineyards.com/

Peter Brehm was a presenter at the conference so I was excited to meet him and of course wanted to try some of his wines. He is also involved in the White Salmon winery from which the first selection came. This Riesling is what I would call a classic and “true” representation of the origins of Riesling. Tight and focused with moderate aromas of stone fruits this wine is dry and reminded me of an Alsatian style Riesling. We included this in our farewell wine & cheese tasting. It paired well with apple slices and the Willapa White sheep’s milk cheese. Peter’s claim to fame at the conference is his frozen grape business of which I have yet to take advantage. Based on my tastings of his wines I just might have to get some grapes and try my luck!

Overall our experience with wines from Oregon and Washington was excellent, and we only scratched the surface. I don’t have any words of wisdom on how to select which vineyards to visit or what wine bars to drink at, but I can tell you that trying a broad range of selections from the region will turn up many winners.

Cheers!

--Jason

WineMaker Magazine Conference Recap

(Skamania Lodge, Stevenon Washington)

The third annual WineMaker Magazine Conference was held in Stevenson Washington from May 20th to the 22nd, 2010. Over 400 amateur and small winery winemakers assembled at the Skamania Lodge in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge area for 3 days of education, networking, wine tasting and fun.

The format of the conference contains seminars and panels during the day including topics such as Testing for pH, Country (Fruit) Winemaking, Vineyard Management and Award Winning Tips from Past Winners. Two full days for sure. Each day there were keynote addresses over lunch and a wine evaluation seminar in the mid-afternoon. Attendees were obliged to bring wine to share at meals and of course to meet your fellow attendees, swap tips and have fun.

I chose a program focused on lab testing including for SO2 (Sulfite), pH, Total Acidity and Malolactic Fermentation. These measurements will all be a key part of the new batch of wines I will start this month.

In addition I sat in on seminars for Adjusting Wine Must Before Fermentation, Award Winning Tips, Yeast Nutrition and Improving Wine During Aging. After two days my head was spinning from all of the information I was soaking in, but with some good notes taken down I will be prepared to leverage what I have learned immediately,

One of the most interesting seminars was on entitled Same Grape, Different Yeast hosted by Sigrid Gertsen-Briand from Lallemand, a maker of wine yeasts, enzymes and yeast nutrients. During the seminar we were introduced to four white wines and two red wines, each from the same starting batch of wine infused with different strains of yeast. The goal of the seminar was to see firsthand through an evaluation of these wines how the yeast selection affected the end result. We were encouraged to evaluate the wines for color, clarity, aroma and taste as well as blend them to better understand how the individual components might be better together. The white wines where from the Chardonnay grape and at the table I was sitting the highlight was the blend of sample #2 with sample #4. The result was a well balanced smooth Chardonnay with pleasurable aromas, good flavors and a medium finish. How cool!

The first night was the swap meet. Right off I am going to be clear that I saw more open bottles of wine at the swap meet than I had anywhere else before. Risking damage during transit, Margot and I brought three bottles of our wine to share, a 2009 Strawberry, 2009 Chateau du Roi (CDP from a kit) and the 2010 Symphony. We dropped the CDP on the swap table and plucked a Cab Franc up to open. I have to admit that I don’t recall (and didn’t capture) the maker of the wine or my impressions. I was having too much fun. We opened our Strawberry at the table and then shared it around with some of the folks we met earlier in the day. The feedback was a great honor. Those of you who have had it know it well and the reaction here was much the same. The bottle was empty not long after it was opened. I went on that night to try upwards of 20 wines from all over the country made from a range of grapes and fruits. Some Merlot from PA, Zinfandel from CA, Cab Franc from WA and the list goes on. Not everything I had was to my liking, but when considering the enthusiasm with which they were poured and the camaraderie this event offered my detailed evaluation is not important. I had the very last sip of a 1982 homemade Merlot. It was showing some age but was drinkable and a treat to try. We were having fun and everyone I met, like myself, acknowledged that they were there to learn how to do it better. Some of the local commercial wineries and amateur winemaking clubs were also pouring their wines.

(Margot and Kelly & Robbie Rogers from NC)

The second night was the closing of the conference which was capped off by the competition awards dinner. Between Margot and I we had entered fifteen wines and hoped for some luck again this year with the judging. Boy did we end up surprised! We sat at a table with folks from NY, NJ, NC and a local winemaker from MA, Noel Powell, who I had corresponded with via the web prior to the conference. In all our table took home 12 medals , a nice concentration that got us some attention for sure. The big joke was the fact that my name got called nine times! “And once again from Londonderry New Hampshire, Jason Phelps” was how it went for the last two. The recognition was amazing and fellow attendees stopped by as we were packing up from dinner to congratulate me. So many people offered their kind words of support, and thanks for tips and encouragement I had offered to them over the two days. I felt like a rock star. Rex & Barbara from CA were the big winners taking the winemaker of the year award for the third time, something I was surely a runner up for. A true honor indeed. I personally congratulated both of them and let them know we hoped to see them again next year. With some of his tips in hand, he presented on the awards winning tips panel, we plan on giving them a serious run for the top award the next time around.

(Heading to the Podium!)

(Noel & Jason Representing for New England!)

On Sunday morning we enjoyed the deluxe Champagne Brunch at Skamania and headed off to Portland and ultimately Seattle. The next few blog postings will contain wine reviews for Washington, Oregon, winery visits to Chateau Ste Michelle & Columbia Winery and dining and drinking reviews for Seattle. Don’t touch that dial!

--Cheers!

Jason

Chocolate and Raspberry Wine

Chocolate and berries show up pretty much everywhere, since everybody knows they are good together, so nothing I am about to say is terribly original. That doesn't mean that through careful work and selection you couldn't create a memorable experience for yourself.

I came across a Raspberry wine from Pasek Cellers from Washington State. Find out more about them at http://www.pasekcellars.com/.
The wine is tart and somewhat sweet so it paired well with both cheese and chocolate. They have a dessert variety as well which would be more suited to very sweet desserts. The wine is a deep red color with a fantastic raspberry aroma. The flavor is spot on with enough tart and sweet in balance with each other. The finish is not very long, but long enough to please. Having made berry wines in the past I know how much product goes into a batch. I can only imagine the quantity of berries required for this wine.

I paired the wine with a Patric Chocolate from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar, a 67% cacao small batch offering. The chocolate itself has nice fruit flavors including dark fruits and red berries. The bit of chocolate and sip of wine were excellent together. The fruit in each found and connected with the other. The chocolate has the familiar bitterness of a darker style but doesn't come off as harsh.

Just for fun I found a chewy brownie recipe from Laura at the Cooking Photographer blog that would be worth a try with the wine. The recipe even mentions backing off on the sugar which would be beneficial with a wine that is not super sweet.

http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2010/03/julies-chewy-cocoa-brownies.html

Cheers!

--Jason

Ancient Fire to Attend the WineMaker Annual Conference in Stevenson, WA

In both 2008 and 2009 we have were lucky enough to bring home wine competition medals, with 17 in all as I write this.

The WineMaker Magazine International Competition is held each year, and the results are officially announced at the annual conference which we have yet been able to attend. This May we will be in making the trip and are hoping to learn new techniques, connect with others who share our hobby, drink some wine and if luck holds bring home some more hardware.

This year’s convention is being held in Stevenson Washington in the heart of the beautiful Colombia River Valley one of the most well known wine regions in the United States.

The conference combines classes and workshops with networking and finishes up with recognition for those whose wines scored highly in the competition. We are very much looking forward to clapping loudly for our peers, both those that have won medals and those who have risen to the top with best of show awards, including winemaker of the year. The swap meet on Friday is assured to be a great opportunity to share our wines with others who will also have interesting creations of their own available.

Check back soon to see what wines we will be entering into the competition and of course check back in late May to see if we were honored for our efforts again this year.

Cheers!