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Walla Walla Weekend

So many wine things to blog about, so little time available to do the writing! I can’t reasonably write at the office because there are too many other demands on my time and I don’t want to do it when I get home because, by golly, I’d like to have some time to myself now and then. But clearly, my dearth of discipline has resulted in a lamentable lack of bloggage.

One solution is for me to write less, more often. But I’m a long-form kind of guy. I like to think that it is better to write about a subject more thoroughly than to simply blurt out a lot of ill-formed thoughts for the sake of meeting an artificial deadline. But that, I suppose is against the blog ethinc.

So be it. Long-form is dead, long live long-form writing (if only in memory).

So let me try more of less—more frequent blogging, less weighty wordage.

Starting now.

I’m late in writing about Vintage Walla Walla.

It was held in June and I was happy to be a media guest (one result of my visit is an upcoming cover feature on Walla Walla wine in Northwest Palate). I stayed at the Girasol Vineyard and Inn which, I must say, was quite wonderful. I arrived in the midst of a genuinely scary lightning storm that had bolts striking all around, bringing up bad memories of killer storms in Illinois when I was a boy.

The owners, Michele and Edward, are genuinely delightful hosts. The location, essentially behind Northstar Winery, is a perfect combination of rural quietude with easy access to town or wineries. Edward is the quintessential B&B chef, with perfectly tuned breakfasts using local and seasonal ingredients. Michele is a fount of knowledge about the local area—including her own impressive wine background. The room was cozy-modern in style, and I was greeted with a cheese and nut plate that I happily munched through in two days. I would go back in a snap.

The Vintage Walla Walla itself was well attended by an enthusiastic crowd of obviously knowledgeable, though perhaps a little too local, wine lovers. For me, the tasting highlight of the event was a prestige sampling of older Walla Walla wines at the Vintage Pour. When the doors opened I made a beeline to the obvious wineries: Cayuse, for sure, was high on the list, as was Pepper Bridge, Spring Valley, Northstar, and others. I pretty much made it through the entire set of tables (regretfully, but tenaciously, spitting).

Though I may be a minority in this (and considered a traitor by some of my Oregon friends) I am more enamored of Walla Walla Merlots than any other Washington wine style. They are just - so - damned - good! Sure the Syrahs were super, but Merlot (Sideways be damned) took my heart.

The intellectual highlight of he weekend was a terroir tour conducted by Dr. Kevin R. Pogue of Whitman College. We had the opportunity to see the different soil structures that underlie the appellation’s vineyards, and gained a sense of how wines from different parts of the Walla Walla Valley might be influenced by the region’s varied topography. While I might quibble with his use of the word “terroir” (it is not synonymous with “soil”), the tour we took was invaluable in understanding the vinous characters of Walla Walla.

[About the photos: at the top is an overview of the AVA from the southern hills near Seven Hills Vineyard. Next is Kevin Pogue pointing out the loess soils that underlie many Walla Walla vines. Below that is a closer image of a cut through the loess; the white line is a layer of ash from a Mt. St. Helens eruption about 13,000 years ago. Next is a close-up of the fine sandy texture of these windblown soils. The following photo is of a different soil, the much coveted cobblestones found in the southern part of the AVA; these are from Christophe Baron's Cailloux Vineyard. The dramatic cut in the ground, dwarfing the people, is fractured basalt that underlies some new vineyards (yes, there are vines on top of this stuff! The final shot is a close-up of the convoluted basalt bedrock.]

Of course, the classic Grand Pavillion tasting was wonderful. The value for me was in finding new wines, rather than the expected standbys. Sure, Woodward Canyon had great wines—don’t they always?—but special wines from smaller producers are what turned my head: like the ’06 Couvillion Merlot, or the completely unique Mendoza Torrontes from Flying Trout, or the Malbec from Gifford-Hirlinger (yes, not a name easy to remember or spell).

The Vintage, put on by the inimitable Walla Walla Wine Alliance, was an excellent event. Held, as it was, in economic tough times, it was great to see a healthy attendance (though poking around the tasting rooms that weekend was not overly encouraging as to the visiting population of wine tourers). If you’ve been wanting to visit Walla Walla, you could do a lot worse than to plan a trip to next year’s Vintage event.

OK,that was about as fast and brief an overview as I know how to do. And it felt like I was writing a 6th grade essay on “what I did with my June 5-6 weekend.”

I did not go into the different terroirs I toured, I did not discuss the various vintages of older Walla Walla wines I tasted, and I did not explore my ambivalent sense of how the economy is influencing today’s Walla Walla appellation.

I also did not go into the huge new vineyard developments, the enticing prospect of new wines from fractured basalt bedrock, or the difficult issues of water resources in the Valley. I did not talk about Cadaretta, or the new Seven Hills development, or why I am so stuck on Spring Valley, or why the best Merlot wine I ever had was from Northstar, or why I think Pepper Bridge Cabernet ay be better than Quilceda Creek.

All of these would require long form essays.

Blogs are not long form, they are short form. Like the time spent by the average American in today’s home kitchen, blogs are brief and easy to digest. So for the deeper stuff, I guess you don’t have time to read it, and I don’t have time to write it.

Too bad.

Short-form is better. Long live the short-form.

Kelowna, Penticton, Naramata, and Osoyoos . . . Oh Boy!

Do those names mean anything to you? If you’re a wine lover living in the U.S., probably not. But if you’re a wine lover living in Canada, those names ring loud. Sadly, most American wine drinkers don’t have a clue about what’s happening in the British Columbia wine world, but if they did, they’d hop in the car and drive north to get in on one of the most vibrant wine countries on the continent.

No kidding!  The fact is, no other wine region in North America has come so far as fast as has British Columbia (the link is to the British Columbia Wine Institute).

I am moved to post this after reviewing my chapter on British Columbia in my book manuscript (still a few weeks away from being delivered to my publisher . . . I’m sweating it out!!).

Doubt my enthusiasm for B.C. wine country? Hop a flight to Kelowna, rent a car, and take a long weekend to tour some of the most spectacularly architected wineries you’ve ever seen (there is nothing like 3 or 4 of them anywhere else in the Northwest—or even Napa), and taste premium wines that I guarantee will turn your head. (The first photo here is of demonstration vines at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.)

And, no, I am not being paid by any visitors bureau, winery association, winery, or tourism commission to say this. It is just part of my ongoing mission to acquaint people with the imbibing culture of the Pacific Northwest.

Most Americans barely appreciate that fine wine is grown in B.C.—too cold, they think, too snowy, to . . . northerly. It is true that some of B.C.’s wineries straddle the 50^th parallel . . . but that puts them at the same general latitude as parts of Germany, so there is precedence for quality wines that far north, though admittedly at the extreme edge of viable viticulture. 

Just outside of Kelowna are a series of excellent wineries and vineyards. Just south of Kelowna CedarCreek makes some of the best wines in the province from local grapes as well as fruit sourced from the warmer south. Summerhill Pyramid winery is eccentric, but their sparkling wines are excellent. Tantalus Vineyard (they don’t have a tasting room) makes excellent pinot noir, but their Old Vines Riesling is one of the finest I’ve ever tasted.

Just across the lake from Kelowna, Mission Hill Estate Family Winery may be the most gorgeous winery in North America. With awesome architecture and views to die for, you could be forgiven for not caring if the wine was any good—but it is superb. All their wines are good, but their S.L.C. and Legacy products are world-class. Nearby Quails’ Gate is a top-quality producer whose wines could easily compete with any comparable wines made in the U.S.—yes, Napa/Sonoma included. Try their pinot noir and riesling to see what I mean.

I know I sound overly enthusiastic, but Americans don’t generally know about B.C. wines because they almost never make it across the border. They don’t need to: B.C. wineries easily sell all their wine production to B.C. wine drinkers—which  is too bad for us! When you get the best wines from B.C. you'll be amazed at their quality. (The second picture is of recently pruned Naramata Bench vines.)

What isn’t appreciated in America is that B.C.’s prime wine growing region, the Okanagan Valley, gets heat units comparable to (and in places in excess of) Napa Valley, along with the added benefits of longer sunlight days and aridity that naturally prevents disease and pests. In fact, the southern part of the valley, near the U.S.-Canadian border, is a true desert—Canada’s only.

Yes Virginia, there is warm-climate viticulture in British Columbia!

Penticton is a burgeoning town at the southern end of Okanagan Lake (everything in the Okanagan is burgeoning, from the major city of Kelowna to the number of new vineyard plantings) that kind of marks a halfway point in the wine country. It is within part of the valley that is relatively cool (growing degree days roughly between 2200 and 2400). South of here it starts getting much warmer—GDD of 2500-2700.

North of Penticton, lining the eastern benches of Okanagan Lake, is the Naramata Bench. This is a spectacularly beautiful territory that rises steeply from the lake shore, then evens out to form rolling hills and slopes that have wonderful exposure to the western sun, great air drainage from the eastern mountains, and well-drained glacial till soils that vinifera love. (The third picture was taken in a small vineyard on the Naramata bench.)

Naramata wineries do a great job with . . . wait for it . . . pinot noir! Yes, Oregon, there is another wine country in the Northwest that can slowly ripen wonderfully balanced pinot noir. Also grown here is pinot gris, pinot blanc, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, and in some places warmer grapes like merlot, cabernet franc, and even syrah.

The bench offers visitors a variety of wine and tasting room styles, from beautifully designed and landscaped wineries offering well-made commercial wines, to true boutique wineries that craft excellent, small-batch wines. While like any place the wine styles vary, overall quality is very high—some producers are absolutely superb.

Here are a few names whose wines I think are particularly good: Poplar Grove (a cultish winery, by the way, who make superb pinot noir—among other wines), La Frenz, Therapy Vineyards, Kettle Valley, Lake Breeze. But you should try as many as you can . . . there are some new wineries whose products I haven’t yet had a chance to taste, and you’re likely to find something of interest at almost any tasting room you visit.

OK, I’ll stop here for he moment and pick up the warmer southern region of Osoyoos in my next post.

But one more thing before I go: This is a very cursory description of one small part of the Okanagan Valley, which is only one growing region (albeit the most important) in B.C., so take it as a starting point only.

All is Fair in Food and Wine Pairings

When it comes to pairing wine with food, I am an advocate of the “whatever works for you” school of thought. Even so, my personal palate is sometimes boggled by what others pick to pair with their dishes. I’m even beginning to think that there is a “house palate” when it comes to pairing wine with food based on regional taste styles and experiences.

For instance, here in Pinot-centric Portland, we have our preferred pairings: Pinot and salmon is probably the most classic. We like the quiet elegance of a fruity Pinot noir against the sweet flesh of salmon. Both ingredients have a restrained quality about their flavors, and the complement of a Pinot with cherry/berry fruit, nice acid balance, and a touch of earthiness, with the soft succulence of the fish goes extremely well together. We also often like Pinot with pork, or even poultry such as turkey, because neither the flavors of the dish nor the wine ever overpower each other.

But those would not, it seems, be the preferred pairings for our more Bordeaux-centric neighbors in Washington.

Recently I was proudly served a considered food and wine paring by a top Seattle chef: plank grilled fresh salmon and Pepper Bridge Cabernet sauvignon. Now don’t misunderstand me: I love the Pepper Bridge Cab. I have written glowingly about its merits and the fact that I think it gets overshadowed by some other Washington cult Cab producers. It is a great wine.

But for me . . . not a great match with salmon. 

To my palate, the wine completely destroyed the salmon. Rich, substantial, and concentrated black berry fruit flavors accented by dried herbs and spice offered nothing but weight and force against the delicate flavors of the salmon. There was no balance in the pairing: the wine overwhelmed, hands down, and the salmon disappeared in my mouth, subsumed by the power of the wine. All I could taste was a mushy texture in my mouth and lots and lots of rich dark fruit.

Of course, they don’t make much Pinot noir in Washington. They do make a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon, and they do have a lot of salmon. No doubt the Cab/salmon concept is as natural to them as salmon and Pinot would be to Oregonians. It obviously worked great for the Seattle chef, and no doubt also for all those people who drink a lot of Cabernet sauvignon!

I thought of this today when I saw a notice on the Washington State University Viticulture & Enology website about “Perfect Pairings.” One of the perfect pairings they pointed to was: Beef Wellington and Pinot noir.

Say what?

This pairing would work in exactly the opposite way: the food would completely swamp the wine. Apparently the “spicy” quality of a Pinot noir was considered the right match for Beef Wellington. Well . . . okay . . . except for me, I don’t think of Pinot noir as particularly spicy, and I don’t think the heavy beefy richness of a tenderloin, combined with duxelles, pate of foie gras (if done properly), and a flaky crust to be a persuasive match for the usually lighter fruitiness and textural delicacy of a Pinot noir. The mushrooms and perhaps foie are on the right track, but add in everything else and for me, the Pinot would get completely lost.

I’d probably match a spicy Syrah with Beef Wellington. You’d get a big sumptuous fruit hit, definite pepper and spice, plus probably a nice bite of tannic structure, all to balance out the beefy, earthy richness of the Wellington. Now that, to me, would be a perfect pairing!

But that's just me, and my palate is no more right, or wrong, than the folks at WSU or the Seattle chef.

It boils down to what we've become accustomed to. Still, I do wonder if regional peculiarities of food and wine consumption work their way into our personal perceptions of what are optimum pairings?

Eric Hamacher and the Fallacy of Bad Vintage

Wine writers always like to play the Good Vintage/Bad Vintage game . . . as if vintages were that black and white. Take for instance, Oregon’s 2007 and 1997 vintages. (My apologies for having appropriated Eric's photo from his website without formal permission).

Both of these vintages have been described as “problematic,” “difficult,” “weak,” and assorted other epithets. 1997 was remembered as a high yield, wet vintage that produced watery, high-acid wines with a lack of fruitiness—at least, that is what some critics claimed. 2007 was also a wet vintage with wines that seem to lack color, have high-acidity, and diluted fruit. It certainly wasn't like 2006 . . . or 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998, & 1999 (it might have been a little like 2005).

Is all this true? Of course it is . . . and isn’t.

In the Willamette Valley (a little less so in warm-climate Oregon) vintage variation is a vital element of the winemaking scene. Too cool in the spring and flowering can be hindered, affecting the nature of the vintage. Too hot in the summer and sugars can develop too fast and unevenly. Rain during harvest can panic inexperienced winemakers into picking too soon, and veterans can be fooled into thinking things will dry off after the first rains.

All of these things (and more! . . . as they say) happened in 1997 and 2007. Hence, 1997 has become a "bad" vintage and 2007 is getting similarly dissed by some wine critics.

B.S.!

Here it is 10 years after the 1997 vintage and I just had a phenomenally good Willamette Pinot noir from that supposedly terrible vintage. It was from Eric Hamacher and it was wonderful. He disproves the "bad vintage thesis."

His 1997 wine was full of color, belying its older origins. The aromas were trademark Oregon with full fruitiness and a foundation of earthy dust. The body was not the traditional thick Pinot we’ve seen so many of in recent years, but rather had a silky and diaphanous quality that was quite sensuous, and yet packed full and balanced flavors, with fruitiness that was forward, and fresh. It wasn’t a light or insubstantial wine, quite the opposite. There was good force to the flavors and superb balance throughout. A thoroughly delightful Oregon Pinot noir from what is traditionally considered a thoroughly forgettable vintage.

This Hamacher Pinot noir proved 1997 was a great vintage . . . at least for a winemaker of Eric Hamacher’s skills.

You see, in the end, the winemaker can trump the vintage. Sure, there were not so great wines in 1997 (you want a list?) but that is no reason to damn the whole vintage. There were also wonderful 1997 wines made as well (and I have a list of those, too), as the Hamacher Pinot proved.

So when you read about how problematic any particular vintage is . . . such as 2007 . . . take it with a grain—no, a carload—of salt. And look for producers that have proven themselves vintage after vintage, good, bad, or indifferent as the critics call it. 

As always, drink (and think) for yourself!

It wasn't me! Or, was it . . . ?

I recently had quite a shock when a winning wine in a competition was revealed, a wine I had helped judge.

Before I go into the details I would just like to issue an apology to all my Willamette Valley Pinot noir-making friends. I am sorry about the judges' outcome. I can't quite explain it.

Ray's Boathouse is a Seattle dining institution. Great seafood, great location, loyal clientele, great wine program under the direction of Richard Kelsey. Every January Ray's Boathouse conducts its Retrospective of Northwest Wines competition and dinner. Now in its 22nd year, it is a signature Northwest wine event that has ended up showcasing new, small, and sometimes unexpected winners.

Wines are submitted and organized into a 2-day blind tasting. This year 400 wines were submitted, and the panel of judges included eminent regional wine writers, sommeliers, food writers, retailers, and wine professionals. Ok, so they had to have a token Oregonian, so they invited me again this year to judge.

On the second day I arrived early and so had my choice of varieties to judge. Straight to the Pinot noir table I went. Two other judges joined me, and the three of us tasted through and scored all the submitted Pinot noir wines. 

In my defense, I will say that my general impression was that the wines were mostly big and juicy in style (implying a 2006 vintage), with some that were more lean and elegant (implying 2005 or 2007). I will also say that no single wine stood out to me as particularly spectacular. Rather, my recollection was that it was a mixed bag of Pinot styles, tending toward a lush and oaked emphasis.

So, when I received the final results of the judging, I found myself flabbergasted (the Brits would say, gobsmacked) at the winning Pinot noir. Not only was it from Washington—and NOT Oregon—it was from the Wahluke Slope appellation of Washington . . . one of the 2 hottest in Washington, with growing degree days that average around 3,000. This is distinctly NOT a cool climate area and it is distinctly NOT the place anyone would expect Pinot noir to be grown.

How could I have let this happen??

Now please understand, I am not being disrespectful to the winning Pinot noir. I am expressing surprise (what would be a stronger word?) that a Pinot noir from such an indubitably warm, nay, hot climate, would have shown so well among a group of what I have to think were predominantly cool-climate Oregon Pinots.

Here's my theory: the other two judges were from Washington (that's a fact, by the way) and their palates are more calibrated to big and lush wines (that's the theory part) . . . which I have to believe such a warm-climate Pinot surely was. The winning warm-climate wine surely appealed to their tastes.

That would be two warm-climate palates against one cool-climate palate. In such a case, the big wine wins.

Am I rationalizing? Could be. I don't know what the winning wine tasted like (it was all blind and there were about 40 wines) so I have no idea how I scored it.

But that's, my theory and I'm sticking to it!

Oh, and what was the winning wine (besides being one I have to find myself a bottle of to conduct my own blind tasting with)? It was 2006 Pinot noir from Ginko Forest Winery, a boutique on the sparse and really warm loess soils of the Wahluke Slope (home to mighty fine merlot, cabernet, and syrah . . . if not at least one pretty danged respectable pinot noir . . .).

Good on 'em, I say. But let me taste that one again . . .

  

It is Up to Me. And That Means You.

Times are tough. You don’t need me to tell you that. We all feel it in one way or another. But the simple fact that I can take the time in my day to write a blog posting means that I am still decently well off. I’ve got a computer, electricity, a roof over my head, and I know where my next meal is coming from. At least for now.

And the simple fact that you can take the time in your day to read this posting means that you are still decently well off. You’ve got a computer, electricity, a roof over your head, and I’m willing to bet that you’re not concerned about where your next meal is coming from. At least not yet.

Not everyone in Oregon can say that.

Hunger is an omnipresent problem in our society regardless of the economic trends. When times are good, there are too many people who can’t afford to eat, but when times are bad—like today—there are many, many more people who need help from those who can give it

It is up to me to help. I can afford to give my help.

If we all said that to ourselves—if we all believed it in our souls and lived it with our actions—we’d have a better society, a more charitable culture, and far fewer people in need.

It is up to me to help. And up to you.

Here’s how: Click on the Blog For Food logo and contribute to the Oregon Food Bank. It is that easy.

The Oregon Food Bank is the hub of a network of 915 hunger-relief agencies through Oregon and Clark County, Washington, that are struggling to respond to the unprecedented number of requests for emergency food aid being precipitated by the economic downturn.

The Oregon Food Bank is extraordinarily efficient in their work. Less than 5% of their spending goes to administration—yet that administration moved 30.7 million pounds of food for hunger relief last year. Oregon Food Bank volunteers donated 650,500 hours of time to help feed the hungry (the equivalent of 793 full-time employees). And more than 200,000 people per month eat meals from emergency food boxes provided by Oregon Food Bank organizations.

Food bloggers around Oregon have been organized by Tami Parr (Pacific NW Cheese Project) and Kathleen Bauer (Good Stuff NW) to help raise a goal of $5,000 from the Northwest blogosphere to support the Oregon Food Bank.

Won’t you help?

Click on the Blog for Food logo and give what you can—please! 

On the donation page, please look for the "Tribute in Honor of:" section and enter "Blog for Food."

It is up to all of us to help—especially those of us who make the pursuit and study of food and wine in our region part of our avocation or vocation.

Thank you for helping!

His Own Private DDO

I envy David Millman his job. Before David, I envied Scott Wright his job, and before that I envied Bill Hatcher his job.

These three men have each been general manager of Domaine Drouhin Oregon, the iconic Willamette Valley/Burgundy bridge brand that helped bring international respectability to Oregon’s pinot noir. 

I first visited DDO sometime in 1999. The winery was not open to the public as it is today, and there was a huge air of Gallic mystique about the place. There was to be a wine country benefit auction at the winery, and those who had tickets would be allowed into the famous edifice. So, with prospect of access to the sanctum sanctorum, my wife and I bought tickets and made reservations at local B&B, The Mattie House. 

We drove up from our then-home in Southern Oregon, we dressed the part (it was a black tie affair), and we milled around with elite . . . and felt rather out of place. Still, we were inside DDO, and that was special.

Since then I have been involved with the Oregon wine industry in many ways, and have had innumerable opportunities to spend time at the winery. To me, it has always been a special place, and a true emblem of the character of Oregon’s pinot noir country.

And I do envy David Millman his job.

I thought of him during the big pre-Christmas whiteout that we had in northern Oregon, trapped in his own private DDO on top of the Dundee Hills, unable to do anything but look out at the beautiful expanse of snow-covered dormant vines. Or so I thought. I later learned that he was in Southern California during our incredible snow siege . . . but the image of him on top of the hill surrounded by vines and wines was all the romance I needed.

It has been some time since I’ve seen Veronique Drouhin, but years ago she was kind enough to spend time with me talking about her winemaking, the winery, and taking me through multiple vintages of DDO pinot. I have thought of her as the first “Oregundian” winemaker . . . or is it “Burgonian” winemaker? The fact that she brings a Burgundian sensibility to the making of New World pinot noir has always fascinated me. Wine is a cultural artifact, and Veronique herself is a bicultural phenom. 

When she is not around, DDO is purely in the hands of David and his team. David is an intensely easygoing guy (I know that sounds contradictory, but when you meet David you’ll see what I mean). He has a wicked sense of humor that is so dry and subtle that you find yourself nodding in agreement at some bizarrely oxymoronic statement of his . . . before you realize that he has taken you down the primrose path of his humor to the point where the joke is half on you for your gullibility, and half on him for the unconscious credibility of what he said.

But despite his humor, David is a serious man who well understands the depths of winemaking and the intricacies of the wine business.

Recently I had the opportunity to taste some of DDO’s most recent wines, and was firmly reminded of how good a winery they are.

The 2007 Arthur Chardonnay was absolutely beautiful. The nose was particularly rich and deep, and a delicious flinty minerality surrounded beautifully defined fruit. It was a singularly satisfying wine.

Later, I took a glass of the newly released 2005 Laurene Pinot noir down to the tanks and was able to compare it to the 2006 still in steel. I have always found the Laurene to be a profound pinot noir that simply takes what’s best about Dundee Hills fruit and amps it up several notches. I really felt both the 05 and 06 Laurenes were superb examples of the vintages as well as the estate. The 05 was leaner, had a touch more tannin, a bit of pleasing earthiness, and was rich with layered flavors. The 06 was broader, sweeter-seeming, yet deep and complex—quite luscious and rewarding (and seemed perfectly ready for bottling to me!).

Domaine Drouhin remains a signature Northwest winery. I think sometimes it gets a bit overshadowed by the more transitory fashion of new head-turning wineries, but when it comes to sustaining a stylke, a sense of place, and a level of pinot noir quality, there’s none better.

It makes me wonder a bit, though, about the future. Bill Hatcher was DDO’s first general manager, and after he left he went on to found A to Z wines, a success story of epic proportions in Oregon’s wine world, going from inception to the state’s largest winery in just a few years. Scott Wright left the same position at DDO to create his Scott Paul winery . . . and became for my money one of the absolute top winemakers in the state, with pinots that year after year define the term “elegant.”

But for David, it seems a fitting position to simply continue building his own private DDO. He has accelerated the upward arc of the winery and the brand, extending it into new markets, building a stronger flow of tasting room traffic, and enhancing the critical reputation of this great label. Nice work. Nice work, indeed.

PS . . . I don’t often specifically recommend individual wines, but if there was one pinot from the ’05 vintage that I would stick up on, it might well be the 2005 Domaine Drouhin Laurene. A great wine, IMHO.

Apologies

My apologies for the horrendously slow pace of recent blog postings. The holidays this year were particularly horrible with inclement weather, the flu, magazine deadlines, and the panic-inducing deadline of my book contract. But I am getting back in the saddle soon, and will have a substantive new post up in short order.

Thanks for hanging in there!

Getting in the Holiday Spirits

While the majority of my imbibing will always be northwest wines, this past year has seen a dramatic upturn in my spirits intake.

And why not? The craft distilling movement in Portland is impressively pouring out lots of new and highly flavorous libations, and the trend is increasingly spilling into Washington and British Columbia. Plus, a coterie of skilled cocktailians throughout the region are concocting all manner of creative cocktails with these spirits, from pre-prohibition classics to new wave constructions, all offering a dizzying selection of flavors. 

A hedonist like myself would be foolish to ignore what is happening in the Northwest spirits scene!

Lots of wine folks turn up their noses at spirits . . . how could one sink so low as to drink a cocktail? Too alcoholic . . . uncouth . . . unsophisticated, they say. Too bad for them, I say. They probably think of cocktails as something you knock back to build a buzz. That's simplistic and old-school thinking. Today's spirits and hip bartenders are using craft-made spirits to create a new wave of culinary-focused cocktails. 

When it comes to my libations, it's all about flavor, and I’ll not let a foolish fetish with stupid status get in the way of enjoying my imbibing—especially when the spirits and cocktails are so damn good!

I experienced so many top drawer Northwest spirits and spirit haunts (otherwise known as bars . . . still a word too loaded with unfortunate cultural connotations for me to use without some explanation) this past year that I wanted to share them with you. If you are among those who think spirits are crude and rude, you should try some of these . . .

Here’s my top 5 Northwest spirits of the year.

1) Apia Artisan Vodka

I am not much of a vodka drinker. Any product that is officially defined as a colorless, odorless, tasteless spirit is generally of no interest to me. But the Apia Artisan Vodka is an entirely different beast. Made by a team of young gents at Artisan Spirits Distillery in Portland, this vodka is distilled from mead. Yes, honey wine. The honey comes from Buzzing Canyon Apiary in Estacada, Oregon, the recipe comes from a family tradition going back to the Volga Basin in Russia, and the vodka . . . is sublime. 

Apia Vodka possesses an unusual weight on the tongue, with a silky density that is quite sensual. There are subtle flavors of, well, it has to be said, honey, but also an ethereal, nasal-cavity-echoing quality that hints at summer flower blossoms. This is a vodka to sip and savor—truly a special vodka! They also make a superb grape-based (most unusual) vodka that is well worth trying.

2) Marteau Absinthe

There is probably no more au courant spirit than Absinthe. Thanks to its long illegality,  its nearly mystical reputation as a muse to 19th Century artists and writers, and its undeserved renown as a source for insanity, every distiller around seems to be scrambling to make this legendary spirit, now that it is legal to do so.

The first North American version that I know of came out of California from St. George Spirits, and is a powerful and excellent anise-and-herbs formula. The second one I know about was produced in British Columbia by Okanagan Spirits, called Taboo (you can read about my problems getting a bottle across the border here), and is a very well made, herbal-accented style of the anise-driven absinthe. The third absinthe I am aware of came from Portland’s Integrity Spirits. Called Trillium, it has an overtly anise/licorice flavor, with little herbal depth and lots of sweetness.

And then comes Marteau. Formulated by Gwydion Stome, Seattle-based founder of The Wormwood Society, and distilled by House Spirits in Portland, this is unquestionably the best absinthe I have yet tasted. Complex, layered flavors of anise—certainly—but also many herbs that deliver many intriguing nuances, including mint, bay laurel, and other flavors I can’t begin to put a name to. 

I heartily recommend this absinthe . . . but I also suggest that you do a little research on the various ways of drinking absinthe before you open this bottle. When I took my first sip, it was straight—not the way to consume this spirit! The alcohol level was so high and the potency of the flavors so powerful, that I immediately went to the nearest kitchen sink to spit out my first sip! Not because it was bad, but because it was so overpowering. You need to drink this diluted. Here’s a good place to learn more about absinthe.

3) Sub Rosa Tarragon Flavored Vodka

Made by Mike Sherwood under his Sub Rosa spirits brand, this culinary-inspired vodka is wonderful to sip on its own, but is also excellent for adding an intriguingly herbal punch to mixed drinks. With so many aren’t-we-done-with-this-trend-yet, fruit-infusions of vodka out there, it is great to have a hand-crafted and distinctly un-fruity spirit to expand our taste horizons. Mike also makes a saffron flavored vodka that is quite good.

4) Oregon Ouzo

House Spirits distillery in Portland has become one of the nation’s leaders of the artisan distilling movement. Their newest enterprise is their Apothecary Line of small batch spirits. Their first release is an outstanding ouzo. Now, despite the inclusion of absinthe and ouzo on my list, licorice-flavored spirits are not at all my favorite kind. It is a flavor that I don’t actually dislike, but one I can only take in small doses. Even so, I cannot deny the excellence of these particular products. This ouzo has a great balance, with the licorice-anise notes being round and subtly sweet. There are other Apothecary Line spirits coming down the pike (all in a cool 375ml bottle and priced around $20) so I expect one of these future releases might make its way in to my 2009 list.

5) Victoria Gin

This fine sipping gin is made on Vancouver Island, British Columbia . . . and yes, I know, it is not available in the U.S. Never mind, it is a Northwest product and for American visitors to Vancouver or Victoria it is a treat that should be sought out (the U.S. dollar is back to making Canada a bargain again for U.S. visitors, by the way). 

Originated by Ken Winchester, Victoria Gin was introduced to the market at a gala event at the famed Empress Hotel’s Bengal Lounge in the spring of 2008. Since then Winchester has left the enterprise, and new distillers Bryan Murray and Peter Hunt are making the gin to the original formulation. Let’s hope they keep up the same level of quality! Victoria Gin is exceptionally smooth, with balanced flavors of juniper, coriander, citrus, anise, and other herbs . . . plus the requisite “secret ingredient” that the makers like to tout as so special. Whatever. It is still a great gin despite the “secret sauce” ballyhoo!

Runner Ups

There are so many other good products out there that I just wanted to give a shout out to a few more of my favorites:

>Clear Creek Douglas Fir. Everything Steve McCarthy makes is superb, and I love this eccentric eau de vie. It is not a new product, but it is a perennial favorite for me, especially around the holidays.

>Dry Fly Small Batch Gin out of Washington. An excellent product from Washington's first modern distillery. They also make a good vodka and a whiskey that I am eager to try.

>Taboo Absinthe from Okanagan Spirits. A very fine absinthe that stresses the herbal qualities in balance with the anise . . . something that can be difficult to find and that, to me, is a hallmark of a fine absinthe.

>House Spirits Rum. Okay, it isn't released yet, but watch out for it . . . I've been lucky enough to sample a variety of batches, and while I wasn't fond of their earliest attempts, these more recent rounds are superb.

Like many of the best Northwest culinary products, these spirits are made in small quantities and can be difficult-to-impossible to find outside of the Northwest. But if you are serious about sipping only the best, you should contact these producers and see what you can do to get yourself some. You'll be glad you did. And just in case the skeptical out there are wondering: I have no connection, financial or otherwise, with any of these producers. 

My Best Northwest Wines of 2008

It’s now officially the holidays, which always puts me into a contemplative state of mind. This year will be a bit different for me, since I need to devote every free minute (or perhaps every waking moment) to the manuscript of my book, which is due to the publisher in an uncomfortably short period of time.

Even so, the cold weather, warm hearth, smell of spruce, and romance of multi-colored strings of lights tends to mellow me into a slower gear where I savor 


everything a bit more intensely—including what I imbibe.

And I do seem to imbibe a bit more over the holidays, though I try to stick to my motto of “don’t drink less, just drink better.”

In that spirit, I wanted to pass along some of my personal picks for the “best of” 2008 Northwest wines that I’ve tasted in the past year (many of these were published in the 2008 Palate Picks roundup that appears in the November/December issue of Northwest Palate magazine). In my next post, I’ll point out the best spirits, as well.

Best Northwest Wines I Tasted This Year

Here's my list by varietal:

Pinot Gris: Anne Amie 2006 (Oregon, $19)

Pinot Blanc: Lake Breeze 2006 VQA (Okanagan Valley, BC, $16CDN)

Chardonnay: Columbia Crest 2005 Reserve (Horse Heaven Hills, $25)

Riesling: Anam Cara 2007 Nicholas Estate (Chehalem Mountains, $22)

Sauvignon Blanc: Mission Hill 2006 Reserve VQA (Okanagan Valley, $20CDN)

Viognier: Dobbes Family Estate 2005 (Rogue Valley, $20)

Rose: Le Vieux Pin 2007 Vaila Pinot Noir Rose, Stag Vineyard (Okanagan Valley, BC, $25CDN)

Pinot Noir: Scott Paul 2006 Audrey (Dundee Hills, $55)

Merlot: Woodward Canyon 2005 (Columbia Valley, $39)

Cabernet Sauvignon: Betz Family Winery 2005 Pere de Famille (Columbia Valley, $55)

Blend: Saint Laurent 2005 La Boheme (Wahluke Slope, $42)

Syrah: Gramercy Cellars, 2006 (Walla Walla Valley, $40)

Sweet: Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen, 2005 Riesling, Single Berry Select (Columbia Valley, $250 375ml)

So there they are: my personal picks of the best of 2008. Love 'em or ignore 'em, it's up to you!

And by the way ('cause I can see it coming): if any of you out there want to complain that you can't get the BC wines so why do I bother mentioning them . . . I say "get over it!" This is a Pacific Northwest imbibing blog and therefore a Pacific Northwest list . . . and just as the Internet knows no boundaries, so does the region called the Northwest. Hop in your car (or catch a flight) and get across the border to taste these great wines (that are as good as anything made in the U.S.). You will be amazed at the quality of wines you can get, as well as the quality of wine touring experience. 

Next up will be my list of the best Northwest-produced spirits.