Friday Find, June 15

Each Friday we highlight a wine from the Northwest that we think is a real "find." By find we might mean that it's a steal, as all of these wines we'll feature weekly are at or under $20. We might also mean "Hey, you really need to go find this" and it might be a wine that we feel not enough people know about. In any case, with the weekend pending we're hoping to help you "find" a wine to kickoff the weekend right. We'll tell you a little bit about the wine and try to help you track it down here in the Northwest.

Last week's Friday Find got me into hot water with one reader who really didn't care for my taste in literature and so hopefully this week goes off without incident. This week I was invited to attend and be a judge for the Rosé Revival event put on by Seattle Uncorked at Ray's Boathouse.  I had mixed feelings about judging the event for two reasons, the first and foremost for me is that I don't typically rate wines.  I've never taken the time to develop a scoring system or really to understand the ones that are out there.  I would much rather describe a wine and note what I like or dislike about it than give it a score.  Maybe that's a cop out for me; I don't know.  The second thing that made me nervous about the whole judging experience was what if I like the crappy wines?  Seriously, I thought about that.  What if I pick the really bad ones?

I've never thought of myself as an expert when it comes to wine.  I am regularly reminded of the superiority of my wife Gwynne's palate over my own simply by tasting wines with her.  She picks up things I do not and cannot.  So the Rosé Revival was an opportunity for me to get a real sense of what I was made of and how my palate would do after tasting something like 64 different wines.

The judges were permitted to arrive early so that we could start to taste the wines before the general public arrived.  I arrived early, but as it turned out not early enough.  I had gotten about three quarters of the way through the rosé wines, and exactly none of the whites when the doors opened. My goal was to speed taste the wines and get home in time to read a few stories to my daughter before her 7:00 pm bed time. (Mission accomplished by the way.)  Once the crowds arrived they made getting to the tables and having the wines poured a bit of a challenge.  The upside to this Seattle Uncorked event however was that I heard lots of good questions being asked of the winemakers, though folks still weren't spitting much of their wine.  I imagine later in the evening it was an interesting affair.

Annually the Rosé Revival recognizes a top three wines in the white and top three in the rosé category.  As of this writing I still don't know who won all three places and I'm only aware of one actually, the Sunbreak Chenin Blanc from Convergence Zone Cellars won the top white wine of the evening and was in fact my selection. Whew, redemption, maybe I'm not a hack after all.  So, with that validation my Friday Find was also my top pick of the rosés and it comes from a winery I'd never had before Ott & Murphy and their 2011 Chanson Rosé.  It's a pale dry beauty with a salmon hue.  The wine offers floral and subdued fruit aromatics. On the palate it's bone dry with light flavors of unripe watermelon, strawberry and a bit of zest that hints at fresh mint.  For $16 this is a wine worth discovering and a winner, in my book at least. (Apologies to everyone for that really bad photo.)

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Waiting to Exhale...LettingYour Wine Breathe

There are many ways to skin a cat.  I suppose this is true, because that's a saying I've heard a few times.  It holds true again here when it comes to aerating one's wine. There are many ways to do it, yet, thankfully, none of them involve cats or knives.

The most common way to aerate one's wine is by using the wine glass itself.  You've seen this or you've done it.  You pour the wine into a sizable wine glass and swirl it to introduce oxygen into the wine.  This allows it to "breathe" (be exposed to more oxygen) often releasing a larger variety of aromatics.  Wine evolves undeniably when exposed to oxygen and so this swirl expedites that process a bit.

A decanter, which can also be used to separate a wine from its sediment can be used to expose wine poured from a bottle to more oxygen by simply increasing the surface area.  This has the same effect as swirling your glass but can allow more wine, up to a bottle, to breathe at once.

The third method of aerating is the use of a relatively new gizmo called a "wine aerator" which, while perhaps not the most original name, gets to the point.  These gizmos, the most famous perhaps being the Vinturi allow you to force oxygen into your wine as you pour as little as a glass.  They also rely heavily on fluid dynamics and physics.  Obviously. Fluid particles are subject only to pressure and their own weight. If a fluid is flowing horizontally and along a section of a streamline, where the speed increases it can only be because the fluid on that section has moved from a region of higher pressure to a region of lower pressure; and if its speed decreases, it can only be because it has moved from a region of lower pressure to a region of higher pressure. Consequently, within a fluid flowing horizontally, the highest speed occurs where the pressure is lowest, and the lowest speed occurs where the pressure is highest. (from wikipedia)

The industry stance on these aerators is that they are a reaction to a wine industry economic reality.  Younger and younger wines are being released as wineries are pinched for cash and simply can't hold on to inventory to let bottle aging do its magic.  These aerators simply make these young, often very big wines more drinkable now.

Similar to the Vinturi is a new aerator that sits in the bottle and simply aerates the wine as you pour it, the Host from True Fabrications. Where the Host differs from others is that it has variable aerating options.  And, perhaps more conveniently you just use it as a pour spout, moderating the amount of aeration that the wine gets based upon the angle of your pouring.

So, does it work?  Absolutely it does and I would say from my personal experience that it's a perfect solution for when you can't decant a wine, be it because you don't own a decanter, because you're not going to consume an entire bottle or because you're thirsty right now and waiting for the wine to breathe just is not your bag.

I used the Host on a couple wines and found the results to my liking.  In the case of the first wine, the God King Slave, a Tempranillo and Syrah blend from Southern Oregon, the wine transitioned from more fruit up front, to more earthen and leather aromatic characteristics.  As the wine opened up it became more complex in its flavor presentation.  This is a well made wine and it's not overtly tannic so I noticed less impact on the palate regarding "loosening the wine up."

The Host similarly did a fine job helping breathe life into a Bordeaux style blend from L'ecole 41, the Perigee.  At a 2008 this is a fairly young rendition of this wine and the Host helped to peel back a few layers of fruit to expose some more subdued earthen and cedar character.

My final statement on aerating wines: DO NOT aerate Pinot Noir.  It's far too delicate, just let it open up on its own.  That's a wine that should not be rushed.

Here's the real deal.  We'll be giving away three Host aerators to our readers this week.  To be eligible make sure you "Like" us on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled for our contest details there.

the Host aerator was provided as a sample by True Fabrications

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Spread Love it's the Brooklyn Way: Northwest Wines to You

The following post was sent to us by some of our better looking readers on the East Coast.  The opinions contained herein are their own. Although they are attractive, they are not in fact a part of the Northwest Wine Anthem staff, though I realize that this can be confusing.  Enjoy.

From Jennifer Richey of Brooklyn:

Recently, I took part in an event put on by Northwest Wines to You their “Tasting Games” alongside a few good friends in NYC. For those who don’t know, the tasting games are a virtual tasting that began this year and commences each month with a new team of tasters. Three bottles of wine are sent that week wrapped in tissue paper so no one knows what they are sampling, by the label that is. If you've never tasted “blind” I highly recommend it. It is an impartial way of judging a wine, and can be a learning experience whether or not you are an experienced taster. I was able to get my friend Benoit Ferre (a winemaker from San Michele Chef-Chef, France) to the tasting table by telling him we were only sampling Pinot Noir from the Northwest. He was convinced that the only real American wine was Pinot Noir coming from Oregon. The French have a history of dismissing our domestic wines, despite the blind tasting famously known as the Judgement of Paris that convinced them otherwise. It was only when they closed their eyes and opened their minds that U.S. wines were put on the French map. Oui, oui.

To make our French friend feel at home we made sure to allow room for some French cheeses. We had raclette, roquefort, and triple cream cheeses to complement our tasting. Our first wine was a lovely rich and velvety wine with a nice complexity and good level of acidity on the tongue. We were guessing a cabernet/merlot blend or perhaps a malbec. As it turns out it was a 2009 Merlot from Olsen Estates in Yakima Valley, and the alcohol content was quite high at 14.2. I was sold on the blind tasting once I discovered it was a Merlot. I don’t typically go for Merlot, thank you “Sideways”, but this was a very tasty wine with a smooth finish that I highly recommend. Especially for those who favor a full bodied cabernet. In the end we decided that if it were a celebrity it would be Scarlett Johansen, with its robust flavor. . .or according to our host Allie, “it has a nice rack!” This is probably not an approved French descriptor, so we should have said something more refined like "garrigue" but, c'est la vie.

Our second bottle was clearly a Rosé just by the look of it. Some things cannot be masked in a blind tasting without a blind-fold, but we’ll save that idea for next time. It had a very tart finish and although we sampled it at room-temperature, our French friend thought that the color looked a bit darker than the rosés of his homeland. We did give it another try once it was chilled, and although it was better it still had a really bitter somewhat tart fruit finish. Our resident Frenchman Benoit informed us that in France they refer to the color of this Rosé as the “skin of an onion”, meaning it had a yellowish tint and not the infamous pale pink of a ripe and ready Rosé. This 2010 rosé was from Witness Tree in the Willamette Valley.

Last but certainly not least, our third and final wine of the evening was a very earthy wine. We could definitely taste cherry and hints of mint. This wine has a very nice structure and acidity that could go with anything. Everyone agreed that this wine was our favorite of the night, a very close second to the merlot. We were all eyeing the bottle for our next glass. This exquisite wine was a 2007 Pinot Noir Johan Vineyards Nils Reserve from the Willamette Valley. Our resident Frenchie was happy to have his Oregon Pinot!!

If you would like to tune into the next tasting, sample the aforementioned wines or view other great options from the NW, they can be ordered from Northwest Wines to You. Cheers!

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Friday Find, June 8

Each Friday we highlight a wine from the Northwest that we think is a real "find." By find we might mean that it's a steal, as all of these wines we'll feature weekly are at or under $20. We might also mean "Hey, you really need to go find this" and it might be a wine that we feel not enough people know about. In any case, with the weekend pending we're hoping to help you "find" a wine to kickoff the weekend right. We'll tell you a little bit about the wine and try to help you track it down here in the Northwest.

There are certain novels you have to read in order to gain admission to the cool kid's club and the earlier you read them, the cooler you can be.  "Have you read Desolation Angels?" "Uh, of course, in highschool." That cool kid credibility comes at a price, and depending upon which books you're reading that price could be a modicum of your sanity.  With some of the novels, Kerouac's Big Sur for example, it doesn't really matter when you read it, the book makes you insane.

Like any up and coming brooding intellectual I spent many weekends as an undergraduate in dusty used book stores checking them off the list, Camus, Hesse, Sartre, Mann, Dostoevsky.  The Existential movement in European literature didn't necessarily have equivalents here in the states but some of the Beat generation and those that would come after certainly sought to invoke some of this desperation and struggle to make meaning, or at the very least flounder in the meaninglessness of it all.  I jumped into Kerouac and Bukowski very easily.  I found a kinship with them, while I couldn't relate to the rampant alcoholism and drug use, there was a beauty in the way they used words to make the mundane seem so powerful.  There were some American writers however that I cannot and do not get.  The two that stick out the most are Ken Kesey and Hunter S. Thompson.

Ken Kesey is most famous, very likely, because of Jack Nicholson but also because of a book he didn't write.  Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.  From my understanding, because I never read that book either, Kesey took a lot of LSD, drove around in a bus and hung out with the Grateful Dead and Allen Ginsberg.  Some people are famous because they're talented, like Bukowski and some people are famous because they had famous friends, and from what I can tell Ken Kesey is one of the latter.  He may just be the Kim Kardashian of that generation.

Speaking of acid however, there's nothing more essential to a great, crisp white wine than that beautiful acidity.  Not the kind of acidity that Ken Kesey would go in for but rather that screaming crisp bite of green apple that is the beauty of malic acid in wine.  The retention of malic acid in wine is what a winemaker, or a wine conouseur is referring to when talking about a wine's acidity. Malic acid is one of the primary components of wine grapes, and as the grapes ripen and more sugars develop that acidity decreases.  This tends to happen more in warmer climates than in cooler ones.  Wine from the Willamette Valley has more acidity than wine from Red Mountain.  For white wines that don't possess some of the  tannic structure that the grape skins impart in red wines the malic acidity can be and often is the star of the show.

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Woodinville Wine Cellars is an excellent "acid test" when it comes vibrant acidity coupled with loads of citrus fruit. Word is the 2011 is to be released real soon.  Aromatics waver from tropical fruits to stony minerality and a sense of overall brightness.  The citrus fruit continues on the palate and the wine delivers brilliant beauty with loads of acidity.  Only 400 cases of this wine were produced and it's 100% Sauvignon Blanc, combining fruit from Red Mountain's Artz Vineyard and the cooler Stillwater Creek. For $18 it's a Friday Find for a nice warm Summer day, assuming we see one of those.

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Quady North; at Home in the State of Jefferson

In October of 1941, the mayor of tiny Port Orford, Oregon, announced a plan to secede from the state and join several surrounding counties in southern Oregon and northern California to create the 51st state, the State of Jefferson.  Though the announcement was made more in an effort to draw attention to the lack of infrastructure and support from the state's capitals than it was a serious effort to create a new seat of government, that sense of independence and self reliance has lived on in Oregon's southern reaches.

Today's State of Jefferson ethic can also be applied to the serious wine producing region seeking to make a name for itself independent from Oregon's signature wine in the world-renowned Willamette Valley.  For Herb Quady, it was that spirit of independence and the opportunity to be a part of something in the making that drew him to the Rogue and Applegate Valley region.


"In coming to Southern Oregon, I was hoping to be an integral part of an emerging winegrowing region. I thought it would be fun to be one of the people who could do some of the big work, and help to discover what would really succeed in the region." In moving to Oregon, Herb Quady left behind a post as the Associate Winemaker of the very successful and, at the time, very large, Bonny Doon Vineyards in California.

California had already been established as the birthplace of serious American fine wine.  Herb described the feeling in the industry there as a bit "claustrophobic" with so much having already become so done and all of the big questions had more or less been solved.  In the Oregon's State of Jefferson, Herb found an opportunity to be a part of the discovery. An added bonus was the community of winemakers willing to take chances and display some of that "rogue" mentality within the Rogue Valley.

For Herb, Southern Oregon is special in that it's offering the American wine conversation a new chapter for wine: "big reds" (read: not Pinot Noir).  "We have the opportunity to blaze a kind of third way for red wine, different from that of California and Washington. This way would emphasize balance and grace."  This third path for reds highlights lower alcohols and a focus on the "spicy and savory" character of the varietals rather than an emphasis on making a fruit forward wine.

These wines are made possible by the difference in the climate and topography that makes up this dynamic Southern Oregon wine region.  Elevation ranges from 700 to 6,600 feet and the temperatures tend to be more similar to Walla Walla than to the Willamette Valley.  This means that Southern Oregon can produce a variety of wines that suit a variety of micro-climates.  Cool and warm varietals are doing well, and for Herb Rhone varietals is where he's focused his label's effort, save for his Cabernet Franc which is developing a cult like following.

Herb has found that variability to be one of southern Oregon's greatest assets.  He's produced for his label and, as the winemaker at Troon Vineyard, for Troon's Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Vermentino and Riesling, among others. Herb also sees other producers crafting some excellent wines, citing the white Rhone style wines of Cowhorn as well as the Petit Sirahs of both Folin Cellars and Spangler Vineyards.

I sampled several of the Quady North wines and have included tasting notes from a few favorites for brevity's sake.  The labels are visually fresh and eye-catching, in the style of old school "sailor tattoos" and they're designed by Herb's wife Meloney.  Herb says that on occasion someone will remark that the "labels are great, and the wine is good too."  Which is okay by him.

Across the board you notice the lower alcohol levels as well elegance, the wines don't come out and thump you over the head. Instead you've got refined reds that emphasize minerality and complexity and white wines, and a rose that bring acidity and zing to the palate.

We were crazy about the Rosé from Quady North and it was our Friday Find on April 20th and you can find our thoughts on it here.

The 2011 Pistoleta is a blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne. The wine is pale golden and that brightness carries over to the aromatics with plum blossom and apricot skin. The acidity and fruit forward palate makes this wine a fantastic zesty white with loads of citrus and stone fruit for pairing with food as well as enjoying on it's own with some Summer weather on the porch. $19

2008 4-2, A Syrah blended from 5 different vineyard sites and named for the Quady's daughter's favorite blend of water and fruit juice. The 4-2,A is a nod to Herb's stylistic preference for Northern Rhone Syrah. Aromas of dried figs, blackberry reduction, all with dust and herbal  notes. Flavors of deep black fruits, fennel and chicory root. $25

2008 Cabernet Franc Simply put this is an outstanding wine. With this wine Herb is hoping to bridge the gap between those who love the often forgotten "third wheel" of the Bordeaux varietals and those who often eschew it for it's "green peppper" or "vegetal" descriptors.   Aromatics of clove, and dusty blueberry.  The palate is blue fruits, with loads of dusty earth and spice flavors.  The kicker at the end for me is a touch of eucalyptus or mint. $35 (and worth every penny)

These wines were provided as samples by the winery.

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Vinolution Revolution: 06.22.12

Washington's wine industry is finally hitting that age where the kids of the wine pioneers are starting to take hold of the reins, and they're leading the horses and wagon into a new territory.

I think I like this pioneer spirit.

Christophe Hedges, of Hedges Family Estate, and Justin Wylie, of Va Piano Vineyard, event chairs for one of Washington's newest and funkiest wine events, Vinolution, are just part of an expanding movement working to breathe new life into Washington's now well-established place in the world of wine. 

Vinolution's second coming will be held Friday, June 22, 2012 from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm at the West 8th Building in downtown Seattle. The event's website states that it's a "new kind of wine event," and is designed for those who don't necessarily fit into the "swirl, sip and spit set." (It also mentions pairing red wine with juicy cheeseburgers, which, for me, seems an obvious choice. This sounds like my kind of event). 

But as if that wasn't good enough, the best part is that the entire production is being pulled together to benefit The Market Foundation, which works to support the Pike Place Market neighborhood's human service agencies for low-income and elderly residents at its Clinic, Senior Center, Food Bank, and Child Care & Preschool.

To find out more about how this wine event differs from others I spoke to Christophe Hedges, son of Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges, who founded the family winery on Red Mountain in the late 1980's.

What sets Vinolution apart immediately, Christophe said, is the location. "The venue is going to be different," he said, with the event being held on a large deck in the middle of downtown Seattle - a "super urban setting" instead of more formal hotel-style events, or the rustic warehouse style venues in Georgetown, SoDo, and Fremont. 

Secondly, Hedges said that the wineries, distilleries (yes, there will be booze!) and restaurants taking part in Vinolution have been hand selected for their passion for the geography of Washington, sourcing local ingredients and celebrating the "authenticity of the Northwest." 

Among the nearly 20 Washington wineries involved are Dusted Valley, Efeste, Sparkman Cellars, and Mark Ryan Winery (just to name a few). My favorite local distillery, Oola, will be present, as well as Pike Brewing (in case you really need a pint of Kilt Lifter by the end of the night). 

Hedges admitted that while the event is being marketed toward younger wine lovers, more seasoned drinkers will still enjoy themselves, perhaps more than their younger counterparts because they've been to more run-of-the-mill events in the past and this one will stand out to them for its quirkiness.

Another aspect of this event that is revolutionary is its modern take on the charity auction idea. Hedges said they're "getting rid of the 'show off' auction idea," in which your peers get to watch you raise your paddle during a live auction or read your name and the winning dollar amount on the silent auction bid list. At Vinolution, auction bids will be made via smart phones, and you'll be texted at the end of the night to let you know if your bid has won or not. 

Finally, Hedges said they're keeping the event small and exclusive, with a 200 person max. And you know what that means? It means you need to go buy your tickets! They are available online or by calling 206.236.6167. Reserved tables are available for groups of eight. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep up on any new additions to the wine list. 

Come out and be a part of Washington's Vinolution on June 22. Viva la Vino! 

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Friday Find, June 1

Each Friday we highlight a wine from the Northwest that we think is a real "find." By find we might mean that it's a steal, as all of these wines we'll feature weekly are under $20. We might also mean "Hey, you really need to go find this" and it might be a wine that we feel not enough people know about. In any case, with the weekend pending we're hoping to help you "find" a wine to kickoff the weekend right. We'll tell you a little bit about the wine and try to help you track it down here in the Northwest.

In the late 1800s right through the early 1900s aggressive hunting, particularly by ranchers, farmers and government bounty programs, resulting in the near extinction of the Gray Wolf in Washington state. By 1930 they had been wiped out of the entire Northwestern United States.  In 1973 the Gray Wolf was among the endangered species and protected by the Federal government.  However in the 90s Gray Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, and due to a combination of changing attitudes about wolves and nature's incredible will to survive wolves are making a comeback all over the western United States and here in Washington.

Gray wolves have returned to Washington via both British Columbia and Idaho and in 2008, the Lookout Pack established Washington's first healthy wolf pack to return to the state.  Since that time there are currently five known packs, three successful breeding pairs and by best count 27 wolves in the state of Washington.  Small numbers to be sure, but a start.  If you're interested in learning more about wolf populations and how you might get involved in the Gray Wolf's recovery in Washington state, check out Conservation Northwest.  It's a great organization and we happen to know that the good folks at Terra Blanca on Red Mountain are big supporters of Conservation Northwest.

This week's Friday Find is certainly wolf themed, and it's a serious bargain. From Lobo Hills, a Seattle winery.  By wolf themed I simply mean that lobo means wolf in Spanish and that Tony the winemaker and proprietor of Lobo Hills had a dog named Lobo.  So there you go, I need a story folks. The real story here is the wine.  I tasted the Lobo Hills among several bottles of some of the best red blends in the state and at the time was unaware of the price, but probably would have pegged in the $27 or $30 neighborhood.  It's only $17.  When I was in Pike & Western Wine Shop on Memorial Day they were hand-selling this wine like crazy.  I must have watched them sell eight bottles of the stuff inside of 30 minutes, citing what a nice guy the winemaker is and that the wine is simply a steal.  Well, I've yet to meet Tony but the wine is just that.

The Lobo Hills 09 Right Bank Blend delivers a lot of structure and serious wine for the dollar. As opposed to a fruit forward, oak heavy comfortable wine typically found at this price you get dried fig and herbal aromatics.  A thinking man's or woman's bargain wine. The palate comes through with dark black fruit, loads of structure, herbal elements, and minerality. A very nice wine for pairing with a hearty meal or to contemplate the fate of Washington's recovering Gray Wolves.

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