WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s the beginning of another Memorial Day weekend! Many of us will be memorializing things worth remembering and celebrating with the second biggest wine tasting weekend of the year in the wine countries of the Northwest. So in honor of that, I’m going to save you guys a lot of time and money by bringing the wine country of Washington right into my little shop here.

Consider the fact that gas is about $2.30 per gallon, and it’s a 248 mile drive to Walla Walla, home of 3 of the featured wines in this week’s tasting: Latitude 46N, Tamarack Cellars, and Harlequin Winery. Actually, two of those are in Touchet (pronounced Too-Shee, for some strange reason) two miles from Walla Walla, but that’s close enough for me. From Walla Walla it’s about 80 miles to Benton City and Prosser Washington, home of Kiona, Willow Crest and Terra Blanca, three more of Friday’s wines. And the tasting room for Wilridge, the seventh of the tasting, is actually in Pike’s Place in Seattle. . .another 191 miles from Prosser. And we all probably know Seattle back to Portland is about 172 miles.

In the most economical car, that’s about 30 miles-per-gallon, 691 miles round trip, and about 20-25 gallons of precious fuel. That’s $53 in gas right there, at least, depending on your car. If you take your Ferrari, that would be about $161 in gas. . .(not that it would bother you much if you could afford a Ferrari.)

Then there’s the tasting room fees at about $10 per room, hotel costs at about $150 per night if you didn’t want to do the entire trip in one shot, $50 for someone to watch the house and feed the cat. So the grand total of the winery weekend in Washington would be about $500. And I’m pouring all 7 for $16! (You know. 5 for $10, and 2 Premiums for $6) What a value, eh? I’m saving you $484!

I might even knock a few dollars off the cost if you take me for a spin in your Ferrari!

So Friday, May 28th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Virtual Winery Tour in Washington!
Latitude 46 N 2003 Gewurztraminer, Touchet (Walla Walla-ish)
Kiona NV Vivacious Vicky Red, Benton City
Willow Crest 2001 Rocking L Red, Yakima Valley
Harlequin 2002 Jester’s Red, Columbia Valley
Tamarack Cellars 2002 Firehouse Red, Walla Walla

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Terra Blanca 2001 Syrah, Red Mountain
Wilridge 2000 Melange, Columbia Valley

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is the Wines of Spain!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

I’ve had a lot of you wondering when I was going to do a complete white wine tasting, so this week, this tasting is for you! It’s Pinot Gris, and it’s the most requested white wine here in the shop. And it’s hot! (Especially when heated. Not recommended.)

Pinot Gris, or in Italy Pinot Grigio (because it SOUNDS Italian when you add the -gio) is a grape that is a natural mutation that came from Pinot Noir, the grapevine variety that is the most prone to mutate, like the X-Men of the wine world. (Pinot Blanc is also a Pinot Mutant.) The vines look identical in leaves, berry size and clusters, and only distinguishable from each other after Pinot Noir grapes ripen to a darker color.

The grape originated in France’s Burgundy region, but is best known from the Alsace region of France where it is also named Tokay d’Alsace. It has no relation to the Hungarian Tokay (Tokaji), although if I remember correctly, it got that name from a mistaken identity long ago. So in considering the French origin of the name, the “Pinot” part comes from the pine cone shaped berry clusters of the grapes, and “Gris” comes from the French word for Grey, one of the hues to which the Pinot Gris grapes may ripen: blueish grey to a pinkish brown. . .the last of which isn’t really grey at all, so we’ll go with the first one. (”Pinot Pinkish-Brown” doesn’t sound all that attractive. . .or in French, “Pinot Brun Rosatre”). And in California, just like when they market Syrah under the name Shiraz, when it’s called Pinot Grigio, it’s all marketing (because it SOUNDS Italian when you add the -gio).

Wasn’t that educational? It’s more than you ever needed to know about Pinot Gris. The important part is that it can be a light-bodied to full-bodied white wine with a lovely fruit character that goes well with sunny summer days and barbequeued anything. And I’ll be pouring 7 of ‘em Friday! Get ‘em while they’re hot! (Served chilled.)

So Friday, May 21st, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Pinot Gris!
Willow Crest 2003 Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, Washington
Scarbolo 2001 Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy
Lumos 2002 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Bergstrom 2003 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pike & Joyce 2003 Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Rex Hill 2002 Jacob-Hart Vineyard Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Domaine Lucien Albrecht 2002 Tokay Pinot Gris, Alsace, France

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is the A Wonderful Washington Selection!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week we’re visiting New Zealand! I suppose when most of us think of New Zealand these days, we automatically think of hobbits and elves, dwarves and wizards, as the country is the new official home of Middle Earth. Previously, Middle Earth was most assuredly in England, but I suppose New Zealand is the new Realm of the Undying Lands. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure any of the Old Wineyard from 1296, as it is highly allocated, but I was able to find quite a few really good gems for this particular tasting.

Middle Earth. . .ahem, New Zealand is most well known, wine-wise, for the Sauvignon Blanc. It has been made the signature grape and would be all too easy to make a full New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tasting, since there are hundreds of them, and almost all very tasty and highly rated. There are also quite a few really good Pinot Noirs that are rivaling others throughout the world. Of course, what I am most interested in are the underdogs. Some winemakers are trying to break out of the simple Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir constructs that were set up for them to produce more interesting, and somewhat eclectic varietals; to show that New Zealand is not a one-trick pony. . .a one trick pony suitably sized for a hobbit.

So Friday, May 14th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

New Zealand (Middle Earth)!
Omaka Springs 2003 Riesling
Jackson Estate (Peter Jackson?) 2003 Sauvignon Blanc
Vavasour 2001 Pinot Noir
Villa Maria 2001 Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon
Okahu 2000 Ninety Mile

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Goldwater 2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Te Mata 2002 Syrah / Viognier

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is the Pinot Gris!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week we’re visiting Italy’s Sicily and Sardegna, the two biggest islands in the Mediterranean. If Italy is likened to a boot, geographically speaking, many people think it appears that Sicily is being booted by the boot. But where does that place Sardegna? It’s quite a bit further northwest from the business-end of the aforementioned boot. To me it appears as if the boot has booted Sardegna up into the North Mediterranean, and Sicily is a part of the boot that has broken off since Sardegna was, well, pretty big to be booting, and probably hard enough to break a boot. . .even a boot the size of Italy. But I digress. . .

I’ve been very interested in Sicily and Sardegna lately, as I’ve been seeing more interesting wines appearing out of those regions. I haven’t seen many wines from the region, which is odd considering Sicily manufactures more wine than anywhere else, but the ones I have found are very interesting, indeed. By the looks of things, the two regions are taking advantage of the new (1996) wine law the Italian government put into place allowing a middle category between simple table wine and official DOC and DOCG certified wines. This opened up the market to wines that weren’t certified DOC, but certainly were not being sold by the bucketful, so were much better than “table wines”. The designation was IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). It sounds boring, but it means that winemakers have a bit more freedom with the wines, grapes they include, and ways in which they make them.

“So, really, Mike” you ask, “What does this mean to me? And try not to make the answer as boring as the last paragraph. . .”

Well, it means Sicily and Sardegna produce wines unlike any other in the world which include grape varieties that are exclusive to these islands. Throughout my searches, I have yet to find most of the grapes seen in this Friday’s tasting anywhere else (besides Shiraz, of course. . .that’s everywhere.) Grapes like Nero d’Avola, Monica, Nieddera, Iszola, Catarratto and Grillo. The last two are used as primary grapes in Marsala, the famous (or is it now notorious) sweet wine from Sicily.

Okay, I’ve bored you enough! The wines from Sicily and Sardegna are certainly unique and tasty, and this is a tasting not to be missed! (It includes 2 whites, 1 rose and 4 reds)

So Friday, May 7th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Sicily and Sardegna!
Villa Tonino 2001 Inzolia, Sicily IGT
Spadafora 2001 Don Pietro Bianco, Sicily IGT
Tasca d’Almerita 2002 Rose di Regaleali, Sicily IGT
Mezzagiornio 2001 Nero d’Avola/Shiraz, Sicily IGT
Argiolas 2001 Perdera, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, Sardegna

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Contini 2000 Nieddera, Sardegna IGT
Morgante 2001 Nero d’Avola D. Antonio, Sicily IGT

Next week is the Wines of New Zealand!
M