Northwest Cork & Fork

Roast Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables

2012-02-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Few things say comfort to me like a roasted whole chicken. Traditionally, roasted chicken is served with mashed potatoes and some sort of vegetable. In his cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home,Thomas Keller presents whole roasted chicken a bit differently. He roasts it on a bed of root vegetables; including leeks, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, yellow onions & red potatoes. I altered the recipe a bit, my bed of veg included rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and onions. An important tip that Keller gives is to let the chicken stand at room temperature for 1.5 hours before you roast it. After you peel and cut up your vegetables you create a bed on the bottom of your cooking vessel, in this case a Le Creuset dutch oven. Keller recommends a cast iron skillet, but mine was not big enough. Next, season your bird. Generously season the cavity of the bird with salt and pepper, garlic and sprigs of thyme. Rub the outside with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Nest the bird in the center of the veg. You roast this puppy at 475 degrees for 20 min and then reduce the heat to 400 degrees for 45 min. This results in a juicy chicken with gloriously caramelized vegetables.

I paired this with a 2010 Marsanne from Cooper Wine Company. The floral nose and medium weight of this wine melded beautifully with the caramelized root vegetables. This is a great food wine because it has a nice mouth feel and can stand up to rich flavors. It also has very little acid which makes it a great pairing with herbs and poultry.

Calle - Tacos & Tequila

2012-02-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

To say that Skagit County is lacking in restaurant options is an understatement. So, when I heard the buzz about a new Mexican restaurant in downtown Mount Vernon that wasn't like the other Mexican cuisine in the valley I was excited to check it out. The buzz was right, the atmosphere here is not like your typical Mexican restaurants. No sombreros, Mariachi band or chips and salsa on the table.

Meaning "street" in Spanish, Calle offers traditional Mexican cuisine, including small taco truck style tacos on homemade tortillas. The bar boasts over 60 tequilas. They offer tequila flights ranging from $15 to $40 for 3 tastes. I seriously had the best margarita here. There is not a blender in sight, all their margaritas are on the rocks. I had their cucumber margarita, made with fresh lime, cucumber infused tequila and agave syrup. It was excellent. They also have some spicy margarita concoctions like mango habanero.

With great service, excellent drinks and good authentic food; Calle should stick around for a long time. They are active on their Facebook page, posting updates and specials regularly. Please support local and check them out!

A Spanish Feast

2011-12-04T14:56:00.001-08:00

Spanish was the theme for this year's wine dinner. We love to eat tapas and have developed a love for Spanish food. So, this year we decided to tackle this cuisine. I think we succeeded.

As always we start our guests off with bubbles. We went with a Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava. Light and dry, it was a perfect start to our evening.

Cold Tapas

Tuna belly on toast with capers and preserved lemon
Anchovy and piquillo pepper suffed green olives
Iberico jamon (ham)

Wine pairings: 2010 Fillaboa Albarino, 2010 Dusted Valley Ramblin Rose.

Both wines paired exceptionally well with the course. The Albarino complemented the lemon in the tuna as well as the salty anchovies and olives.

Vegetable Course

Spaghetti squash, black lentil, chanterelle and golden raisin gratin with a pine nut sauce
Peas with mint and romesco sauce

Wine pairings: 2006 Cougar Crest Estate Golden Legacy Syrah, 2007 Flying Trout Old Vines Malbec.

The malbec was the winner here. You may not think malbec for a vegetable course, but the gratin stood up to it with the earthy lentils and mushrooms.

Hot Tapas

Goat cheese croquettes

Herbed goat cheese croquettes
Piquillo peppers stuffed with farmers cheese topped with balsamic and toasted pine nuts
Empanadas x 2 - Ground lamb and pear, blue cheese & walnut
Potato Bravas with garlic aioli

Wine pairings: 2007 Tero Estates Windrow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 Wineglass Cellars Les Vignes De Marcoux Cabernet Sauvignon.

Both of these wines sang with this course. The strong flavors from the goat cheese and the lamb went great with the bold earthy flavors of the Tero Cab. The smooth silkiness of the Wineglass Cab complemented the piquillo peppers well.

Meat Course

Baked chorizo and egg with garbanzo beans
Roast Iberico pork loin with marinated vegetables. Smoked date and fig purees.

Wine pairings: 2008 Walla Walla Vintners Cuvee, 2007 JM Cellars Longevity

Seafood Paella

We got to play with our new paella pan on a large scale. We prepared this traditional Spanish dish consisting of mussels, prawns, clams, chorizo and vegetables stewed together in saffron rice. It turned out perfectly.

Wine pairings: 2006 LAN Rioja Crianza, 2008 Castillo De Feliciana Rosebud Tempranillo, 2008 Gramercy Cellars Inigo Montoya Tempranillo.

The Gramercy Temp really stole the show for this round. It was so smooth and well balanced, especially for such a young wine.

We ended the night with fig, chocolate & marsala dessert empanadas and homemade sea salt caramels.

We are so pleased how our wine dinner turned out this year. It was our best year yet. Now, they question is how to top it next year?

I have to give a huge shoutout to The Spanish Table in downtown Seattle. They have an amazing selection of Spanish products and they were very helpful in helping us pick out the Spanish wine we were looking for. Also Ocho in Ballard, where many inspirational meals were had to help us develop our menu this year.

Taste of Tulalip - Are You Ready?

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Had my first taste of "Cristal"

I mean, are you really ready? Are you ready for a weekend filled with extraordinary culinary delights, celebrities of the food world, and live cooking challenges? All of this along with award winning wines from not only Washington, but California and Italy? If you are then make sure you are in attendance at the Taste of Tulalip November 11th & 12th.

The weekend kicks off with a tasting reception, celebration dinner and VIP afterparty at the Oasis pool on Friday night. Saturday includes a seminar and demo with celebrity chef Carla Hall, a Private Magnum Tasting hosted by star chef Cathy Kasey and Tulalip Resort sommelier Tommy Thompson and then capped off with the Grand Taste from 2:30-6:30.

Chef Nikol Nakamura making
Nitrogen Ice Cream!

The preview tweet up I attended last week offered a sampling of what to expect at the event. Believe me, the Tulalip Resort has spared no expense. At the preview, sommelier Tommy Thompson poured some exclusive wines including 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne, 2008 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet Burgundy, 2006 Leonetti Reserve Red Blend and ZD Abacus Cabernet Sauvignon XII. I was also able to taste a some tidbits of the amazing food that will be at this event. I am constantly blown away by the culinary talent of the chefs at the Tulalip Resort. Get your tickets now so that you can share in this food and wine extravaganza!

Wineglass Cellars - Pioneers of the Rattlesnake Hills

2011-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Wineglass Cellars was founded in 1994 by David & Linda Lowe, with their first release in May of 1995. Their philosophy of wine making is hands on, keeping production low and quality high. Their production is 2200 cases a year. Because of this, they are able to take advantage of smaller parcels of grapes available from some of Washington's premier vineyards, including Red Willow. I am a huge fan of Wineglass and have been since I first got into wine. Since the late 90s, I have visited them at least a half dozen times and every single time I am blown away by the quality of their wines.

Back in March, we stopped by Wineglass on our way to Walla Walla. At that time, they were bottling a yet to be named Syrah/Grenache blend. On our way east this past weekend, I was eager to stop by and see what came about of this wine. Enter Two Friends, 50% Syrah 50% Grenache blend. With the perfect balance of fruitiness from the Syrah and the earthy acidity of the Grenache, this wine is drinking so well right now. It isn't being released until October, so definitely keep this one on your radar.

The next time you are on your way to Red Mountain or Walla Walla, I urge you to bail off of I-82 in Zillah, make your way through the dusty farm roads, and stop by Wineglass Cellars. Sample some amazing wines, talk to some great down to earth people and take it all in.

2011 Auction of Washington Wines Picnic & Barrel Auction

2011-08-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

The 24th annual Auction of Washington Wines Picnic and Barrel Auction (#AWW11) has come and gone. I stand by my opinion that this is one of the best events of the year for Washington wine. More importantly, this year the entire 3 day event raised 1.5 million dollars for Seattle Children's uncompensated care program.

Rebecca Gunselman of
Robert Karl Cellars

With the temperature in the mid 70s, I seemed to gravitate towards the white and roses. Rebecca Gunselman from Robert Karl Cellars offered me a wonderful, crisp Sauv Blanc that was a welcome respite from the heat of the day.
I also loved the big selection of Roses to choose from. Some of my favorites from that table were the Dusted Valley Ramblin Rose and the Kaella Winery Rose of Sangiovese.

This is not to say that I did not sample any reds. I especially enjoyed chatting with Erica Blue from Adams Bench and tasting their fabulous Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon.

White Chocolate Cremeux & Passion Fruit
Gelee Golden Eggs

Once again the Tulalip Resort and Casino wowed us with their culinary creations. They really outdid themselves with dessert this year setting up the "Adult Sugar Ride", which was in a separate dessert tent. This Willy Wonka-esque escape included homemade supersized Oreos, edible wallpaper, and three huge chocolate fountains.

I thoroughly enjoyed this year's picnic. I highly encourage both wine and food lovers alike to put this event on your radar next year. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Auction of Washington Wines, so you know it will be special and not to be missed!

Bubbles on a Weeknight? Pop That Cork!

2011-06-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

Arugula Anyone?

So, I have a bit of a problem. Summer his finally come in the Pacific Northwest and unbeknownst to a lot of people we deal with quite a bit of humidity on the west side of Washington State. So the mild temps combined with higher humidity mean that we can grown a pretty mean garden here. The balance is trying to stagger your plantings so that you are not inundated with a lot of one crop at once. That's something that apparently I still need to work on, because I have an abundance of lettuce and greens.

In my pondering what to make for dinner, which will include of course mixed greens, my mind always wanders to the the question "What do I want to drink with my dinner?" Due to the warm weather, I rule out a heavy red wine. Now I am racking my mental inventory of white wines. And then there is the fact that I don't just want salad for dinner. I open the fridge and what is staring back at me? I nice chilled bottle of Domaine Ste Michelle Brut sparkling wine. Hmmmm, but it's a Monday, and it's not a special occasion! Gasp! Do I dare? Absolutely! There are no rules, pop that cork. So I did. Then I grabbed the eggs, half n half, some onion, and bacon and whipped up quick frittata (it sounds a lot fancier than it is). Eggs are a sure bet when I comes to sparkling wine, think of mimosas with brunch.
So the next time you are you are holding the bottle of sparkling wine for a special occasion....Don't! Pop that cork!

Dusted Valley Ramblin' Rose' - New World vs Old World

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

A basalt rock from Stoney Vine Vineyard

Stoney Vine, Dusted Valley's newest estate vineyard, was planted in 2007 with primarily Rhone and Mediterranean varietals. It's located on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley in the world famous "rocks" just outside of Milton Freewater. It's with much excitement that they present their inaugural release from this vineyard - 2010 Ramblin' Rose'. The folks at Dusted Valley were nice enough to send me bottle to sample along with an actual rock from their Stoney Vine Vineyard. How cool is that? A new world Rhone blend of 34% Mourvedre, 28% Cinsault, 26% Grenache, and 12% Syrah. Their notes on this wine call it "Rose' as it was intended to be".

I thought it would be interesting to taste an old world French Rose' composed of the same grapes and compare the two. I chose the 2010 Domaine le Clos des Lumieres. It's blend breakdown is 45% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah.

Color - Right off the bat the evident difference between these two wines is the color. The DV Rose' is dark pink, almost hot pink vs the Lumieres which is pale salmon in color.
Nose - On the nose the DV Ramblin' Rose' was very expressive with bright cranberry and cherry as well as some cinnamon and smoky notes. The Lumieres has a much more subtle nose of almond, coconut and apricot with some floral hints.
Taste - The DV Ramblin' Rose' explodes in your mouth with cherry and plum, with an incredibly lingering earthy finish with just a hint of minerality. Light to medium bodied wine. Once again, the Lumieres sip is more subdued and light bodied, honey, smooth, flat mid-palate, nice finish.

I paired these wines with a few different foods to see how they would do. The DV Rose' sang loudly with grilled prawns with strawberry salsa. Of course the strawberries paired well, but the surprise was how will it meshed with the mint in the salsa as well. I struggled with the Lumieres to find a good food pairing. It's such a light wine that almost everything I tried to pair it with overpowered it. I did find some success pairing it with spicier foods.

Even though these two Roses are comprised of the same grapes (albeit different amounts), they are strikingly different. The Dusted Valley Ramblin Rose' is a fabulous wine, full of flavors and a food pairing dream. Conversely, the Lumieres is more of a summer afternoon deck sipping wine.

Tero Estates - One To Watch In Walla Walla

2011-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

On our visit to Walla Walla last month, we visited with Jan Roskelley of Tero Estates. They had just opened up their new tasting room in the lobby of the Marcus Whitman Hotel. I was impressed with Tero's offerings then, scooping up a bottle of the '07 Tero Red Wine.

Fast forward a month - Tero is the featured winery for April at Village Wines in Woodinville. All month, my best laid plans to stop by and meet Doug Roskelly (the RO half of of TeRO) kept falling through. Finally on Saturday, 4/30 I had an opportunity! Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet Doug, but I did get to meet his business partner and long time friend Mike Tembreull (the TE half of TEro). Mike poured us the new releases which included the '09 Tero Red, '08 ST (Super Tuscan), '07 Walla Walla Cab Sauv, '07 Estate Windrow Vineyards Cab Sauv. While all of Tero's wines were impressive, the ST and the Windrow Cab were standouts.

The ST (Super Tuscan) is 51% Sangiovese, 49% Cab Sauv and for a 2008 it is smooth. The Cab, sourced from Horse Heaven Hills, takes the sharp edges off the Sangio; but not too much. You still have the great acidity that would make this a wonderful food wine.

The Windrow Cab is Tero's shining jewel. It's sourced from their estate vineyards in Milton Freewater, OR. Full and robust, smooth black fruits with a hint of acidity and herb. Really, really great wine. At 268 cases, this one won't last. In fact, all of Tero's wines have been selling out before their next release.

If you are heading over to Walla Walla for Spring Release this weekend definitely check out Tero Estates. They will be pouring all these fabulous wines and you can see for yourself - Tero is something special.

Taste Washington 2011

2011-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Another Taste Washington has come and gone and I can wholeheartedly say "The best year ever". The Washington State Wine Commission really has fine tuned this event into a well oiled machine. The media blitz before the event whetted our appetite and Taste Washington did not disappoint. Let's see if I can summarize my experience.

Adams Bench never ceases to amaze me. Tim and Erica Blue are just truly genuine people. They were sampling their '07 and '08 Reckoning, a Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc blend. It was lovely to taste the two side by side. The '07 had bright red fruits - strawberry and cherry, while the '08 was much more brooding with dark fruits - plum and blueberry. It was great to spend some time chatting with Erica.

Bartholomew Winery was on my list of must visit wineries. I am sure glad I did. Bart Fawbush prides himself on going "against the grain" and from what I can tell, it's working. I was blown away by the '07 Reciprocity, 50/50 Cab Sauv/Carmenere blend. As you know I have mad love for Carmenere so I was intrigued to say the least. Reciprocity had the best of both worlds, the spicy earthy kick of Carmenere balanced perfectly with the smooth dark fruits in the Cab Sauv. Bart is a down to earth guy who knows what he's doing and is doing it well.

Betz Winery doesn't need to market their wines. They are mailing list only, which there is a waiting list for. However, there is Bob Betz pouring the yet to be released '09 La Cote Patriarche (Syrah) which is so smooth already that I had to do a double take to make sure it was '09. Charming and warm as always, Bob's daughter Carmen poured for us.

The food this year was impressive. The standout bites were the cones of charcuterie from Cured by Visconti, the smoked paprika salumi and landjager were my favorite. Urbane had maple glazed confit of pork belly....nuff said. Smash Wine Bar offered wagyu beef sliders with smoked cheddar, bacon, and onion aioli that were on a soft bun. What a great nibble while you are drinking wine. For dessert, The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co had an assortment of mini cupcakes including a pancake and bacon cupcake that was amazing.

I was also very pleased at the social media presence at the event this year. Not only by the Wine Commission, but also the individual wineries. From Facebook to Twitter, I even saw some QR Codes available to scan. It's great to see wineries embracing social media and marketing technology.

I had a wonderful time at Taste Washington this year. I feel so privileged to live in a state producing wine at such high quality and the future is so bright, I can't wait to see what's next!

Walla Walla Wine Weekend - Ready, Set, Go!

2011-03-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Up and at 'em, we had a full day ahead of us of great wine. We couldn't have asked for better weather, partly sunny and about 55 degrees.

The view of the Blues from Walla Walla Vintners

One of our first stops of the morning was Walla Walla Vintners. This was a must stop for me, as I still have fond memories of stopping there on my bus tour at the Wine Blogger's Conference last year. Bonded in 1995, Walla Walla Vintners is one of the oldest wineries in Walla Walla. This is the winery that made me fall in love with Cab Franc. So you can imagine my sadness when I found out they were sold out....of 750s. They did have magnums (1.5L) available for purchase so one had to come home with me. WWV is one of those wineries that have perfected what they do, everything is good here. A standout for me was their '07 Walla Walla Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon.

Right next door to Walla Walla Vintners is a'Maurice Cellars. Adam poured for us here and offered some great info on how the winery got it's name. We tried a lot of Malbecs on this trip and a'Maurice had one of our favorites. Also impressed with their Chardonnay, slight oak and a great mouth feel.

Rulo Winery is located south of town. Kurt and Vicki Schlicker are the owners and when we arrived Vicki was pouring and Kurt offered us the tour. I'd had their Syrah before and was impressed especially for the price ($20). Equally impressive was their Syrca blend (77% Syrah/23% Cab Sauv). Smoky, earthly and complex; this wine had all the components of a wine double it's price. Exceptional value at $15. It was great to meet this down to earth couple, their passion for wine is evident.

Enjoying a glass at Waters Winery

The last stop of the day was Waters Winery. They have a beautiful facility south of town. They were tasting the Interlude blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Forgotten Hills Syrah (Yay!) This Syrah screams Walla Walla to me, with it's earthy funky goodness. I was so happy they were tasting it, I am now the proud owner of a couple of bottles. Waters has created an amazing space nestled in the shadow of the Blue Mountains. They have these great rocking chairs in the breezeway between the tasting room and the production building that make for the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine and take in the scenery.

So there are the highlights of day one in Walla Walla. We had such an incredible time! I can't wait to share day two with you, so stay tuned!

Walla Walla Wine Weekend - On Our Way!

2011-03-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

Finally the day had arrived. All the planning had been done, reservations made, money saved, the car was packed and we were ready to go. We also were taking Walla Walla newbies with us and that made even more exciting. After an uneventful (thankfully) trip across the pass we were soon in wine country. We wanted to stop at a few wineries on the way.

Cleverly tagged "Syrache" Wineglass' Syrah/Grenache Blend

Our first stop was Wineglass Cellars in Zillah. The handwritten sign on the tasting room door directed us to building in the back as they were bottling today. Winemaker David Lowe greeted us and enthusiastically brought us back to show us what he was bottling. It was a yet to be named Syrah Grenache blend that even straight out of the tank was drinking fabulous. Back in the tasting room our favorites were the Zinfindel, Sangiovese and the '05 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hamilton Cellars' mascot Milton greets you at the bar

Next, was a new winery in Richland - Hamilton Cellars. I love discovering new wineries. I had read all the things they were doing with Malbec, plus Charlie Hoppes (Fidelitas) is their winemaker so I knew I couldn't go wrong. It's a very nice tasting room, with a great curved solid surface bar that has their mascot "Milton" laser etched and illuminated in it. Great touch. I absolutely loved the Rose' of Malbec, summertime in a glass! An added bonus to our visit was meeting Ben Simons, a recent transplant to Washington and the author of Vinotology.

Back on the road, our last stop before we hit Walla Walla was Cougar Crest just west of town. As we entered the tasting room, we were greeted with a Jimmy Buffett concert playing over the sound system. I am diggin it already. Their everyday blend called Dedication 4 (Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv) is lush and a spectacular value at $20.

It was a great start to our wine-filled weekend. Stay tuned for the rest of the highlights!

My Love Affair With Carmenere

2011-02-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

One of the most enjoyable things about wine tasting is discovering new varietals and expanding my palate. Lately, I have been really loving some Washington Carmenere. Carmenere is often used as a blending grape, as it adds deep color and spiciness to a red wine. Recently though, Carmenere has been showing up in Washington on it's own; commanding it's own spot front and center on the label.

Characteristics of Carmenere are it's deep dark red color, flavors of cherries, spice and earth. Tannins are usually fairly muted on this medium bodied wine. Here are 3 of my favorite ones from Washington:

Reininger Winery Carmenere - This is the one that started it all for me. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. Dark berry compote finished off with a healthy dose of black pepper that smacks you in the face on the finish. 100% Carmenere from Seven Hills Vineyard.

Trio Vintners Carmenere - The hubby picked this one up last summer while I was slaving away at the Wine Blogger's Conference (Hmmmm...). So I hadn't had a chance to try this until last weekend. Slightly more subtle then the Reininger. An elegant wine, well balanced with smoky, earthy, cherry notes. I served this to a dinner party last week with a beet, grapefruit and chevre salad. It was the hit of the evening! Sad to say, this is sold out at the winery. I am glad I have a bottle left.

Smasne Cellars Carmenere - A few months ago before heading out to dinner we hit up Woodinville for a few winery stops. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Smasne had a Carmenere in their lineup. Sourced from Phinney Hill Vineyards in the Horse Haven Hills, this wine exhibits all the lovely aspects of a great Carmenere. Upfront spice and pepper that smooths into awesome dark fruits. I'm looking forward to cracking this one open with friends. I am also excited to taste the 2008 - Robert Smasne posted a note on his Facebook regarding the 2008 and I can't wait to try it!

I am officially hooked on Carmenere! I know there are more to try and I will always have my radar on for more. What is your favorite Carmenere?

Are You A Planner?

2011-01-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Melinda and I am a planner. That's right, I fully admit to making lists, mapping routes, planning itineraries; especially when it comes to wine touring. With an upcoming Walla Walla trip in the works, I am well....giddy. I almost enjoy the planning as much as the trip....almost. I have learned over the years that having a plan is good, but sometimes the best laid plans don't pan out and thats ok too.

When planning, it helps to have some resources to draw upon to help you. Fortunately, there are an abundance of them ("would you say there are a plethora of resources El Guapo?") available on Washington wine touring.

Washington Wine Commission - This is a great place to start planning your wine tour. It has the most up to date news and events, plus you can read winery and grower profiles. There is also a itinerary planner to help you map out your course. This is a great place to start. From here you can visit some regional websites more specific to where you are going.

Walla Walla Valley - You can learn about the history and terrior of this region. Not only is there a great PDF winery map, but there is also info on lodging, restaurants, transportation & recreation. Everything you need to plan your trip.

Yakima Wine Association - This site has a great interactive map, not only for wineries but also growers, accomodations, activities, dining, and picnic facilities. For those who are interested in visiting and/or learning about the vineyards and growers there is a great section with profiles on growers and their vineyards, complete with a map showing where they are. Very informative website.

Cascade Valley Wine Country - The CVWC encompasses the areas of Lake Chelan, Wenatchee Valley and Leavenworth. These three areas make for a great wine tour in one of the most beautiful areas in Washington State. This site provides you with winery information and locations. It also keeps up to date on the events in the region. It can be fun to time you wine tour with one of the many fun events throughout the year.

There are just a few of my favorite websites that I use when planning a wine touring trip. They make it easy to fine tune your plan as well as build excitement for your upcoming trip. Happy planning!

New Year, New Blog Design

2011-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't dropped off the planet or quit blogging. After a year and half of tediously trying to maintain a blog exclusively in HTML code format, I was burnt out. But I realized I wasn't really burnt out on blogging, I was burnt out on how labor intensive it was just to put up a post. Hence, I was barely posting 2-3 times a month for the last 6 months. So, I have spent the last month redesigning and migrating my blog to a new much easier to manage platform. I look forward to posting more often. I have so many exciting things on the horizon including a wine touring trip to Walla Walla and Taste Washington. As well as many recipes to experiment with and wines to taste. Thank you for reading!

Impressive New Releases from Dusted Valley

2010-12-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

I was invited to a sneak peak of the new releases from Dusted Valley, so the hubby and I went down to their Woodinville tasting room to check it out. We were greeting warmly by winemakers, Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel, as well as the enticing aroma of some good food cooking.

I have always been impressed with Dusted Valley’s offerings and this year is no exception. Here is a rundown of what we tasted:

2009 Old Vine Chardonnay – 100% Chardonnay from Kestrel View Estate Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, one of the oldest blocks of Chardonnay in Washington. Naturally fermented in neutral French oak, it did not go through secondary malolactic fermentation, which allowed the fruit and acidity to shine through. We both thought this Chard had great acidity, something that is sometimes missing from Chardonnay.
2009 Grenache – 91% Grenache, 9% Petite Sirah from Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. Delightfully peppery and full, especially for a wine as young as this. I am excited to follow this wine and see how it develops with time.
2008 Tall Tales Syrah – 93% Syrah, co-fermented with 7% Viognier from their estate Minnick Hills and Birch Creek Vineyards in Walla Walla. Named for Corey’s Grandpa Fred who told big stories, this wine offers rich aromas of anise on the nose and has a distinct Walla Walla flavor and a nice long finish with good balanced acidity.
2008 Malbec – 96% Malbec, 4 % Cabernet Sauvignon from Birch Creek and Stone Tree Vineyards. Dark fruits, pepper, earth are all aspects of a great Malbec . This one has all those things, it gets it. It was amazing with the beef skewers with chimichurri sauce and beef empanadas served that evening.
2008 Cabernet Franc – 96% Cab Franc, 4% Merlot from Stone Tree, Minnick Hills & Birch Creek Vineyards. Great floral nose with a nice minerality and soft tannins. This is a great food wine and ready to enjoy now.
2008 Petit Verdot – 75% Petit Verdot, 17% Cabernet Saugvignon, 8 % Merlot from Stone Tree Vineyard. Yowsa! This is a huge wine. Inky, tannic, peppery but with awesome structure. Needs to lay for a few years and it will rock it! Only 75 cases produced, so it will not last long folks. Get some!

Many thanks go out to the folks at Dusted Valley for your great hospitality and as always amazing wines. Check out Dusted Valley either at their winery in Walla Walla or at their tasting room in Woodinville right next to the Purple Wine Bar. They are also up on their social media. Follow them on Twitter @DustedValley as well as on Facebook to keep up with the lastest goings on at Dusted Valley.

Taste of Tulalip

2010-10-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

The second annual Taste of Tulalip is November 12 & 13. This event is a must attend for all foodies, winos, culinary artists etc. It kicks off Friday, the 13th with an incredible 5 course dinner inspired under the direction of Executive Chef Perry Mascitti, and paired with wines carefully selected by Sommelier Tommy Thompson. Saturday, the 14th is packed with wine seminars, culinary stations, quick-fire challenges, plus numerous opportunities to sip and taste from over 60 Washington and 20 Napa Valley wineries.

I was invited to attend a Taste of Tulalip preview dinner tweet up last week where I received a sneak peek at the delights in store to those attending the event. For anyone who has not dined at the Tulalip Resort, you really are missing out on something special. The culinary team, headed by Executive Chef Perry Mascitti, work together seamlessly to provide you with the best experience possible. I was able to sample some of the dishes from both the Celebration Dinner and the Grand Taste.

Some of the highlights for me were: Chanterelle, Smoked Boar Bacon and Aged Cheddar Soup. It was rich, thick, and smoky and was complemented by the Betz Besoleil that Tommy Thompson excellently paired with it.

Next are the Wagyu Beef Short Ribs and Certified Angus Beef Tenderloin with Bleu Cheese Potato, Sundried Cherries, and Cabernet Demi Glace. Dean Shinagawa, Tulalip Bay Chef, is a master at preparing protein. The flavor combination of the rich fatty short ribs, blue cheese, and tangy cherries just sing in your mouth. Paired with the 100 pt Charles Smith “The Skull” Syrah, this was the perfect course.

Pastry Chef, Nikol Nakamura’s skill shines thru with her dessert offerings. Passion fruit macaroons, Beignets, and Chocolate Ganache filled Raspberries just to name a few. Tickets are still available for all of the Taste of Tulalip events. If you appreciate good food, good wine and amazing hospitality than this is the event you want to be at.

Cooper Wine Company Grand Opening

2010-09-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you get to feel as if you are part of something special. It’s a feeling that you belong, a feeling that you are where you need to be at this exact moment. That is the feeling my husband and I felt last weekend at the grand opening of Cooper Wine Company on Red Mountain.

We first met Neil Cooper last spring at the Fidelitas wine club event in Seattle. I had read a little about him online - I knew that he had bought the old Seth Ryan location on Red Mt and that he had enlisted the help of his neighbor, winemaker Charlie Hoppes. Neil was helping pour for the Fidelitas event and we introduced ourselves and had a great conversation. What struck me first about Neil is the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about his project. His enthusiasm is contagious.

Throughout the summer, I read Neil’s Facebook updates about the progress being made on the winery and when he announced his Grand Opening date I was ecstatic. It was the same date as our wedding anniversary. I knew exactly what we were doing; we were going to Red Mountain!

Saturday morning we awoke to perfect wine country weather. We hadn’t been to Red Mountain for three years and when we turned onto Sunset Road, we were blown away. The location looks amazing. The big red building is a fitting welcome to Red Mountain.

The grand opening was such a resounding success. At one point I witnessed people parking up on Sunset Road. This was the event to be at. With good reason, the wines speak for themselves. Included in the lineup are two whites: a Pinot Gris and an estate grown Chardonnay, and three reds: a Bordeaux style blend called L’inizio (which fittingly means “the beginning”), a Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon. All of them are fabulous; however my favorite is the Walla Walla Cab. It is lush with a perfect balance of oak and fruit and a lingering finish reminiscent of Walla Walla.

We both agree that this was one of the best anniversaries we have had. We ate
fantastic food, drank amazing wine and even busted a few moves on the dance floor. Most importantly we forged some genuine and lasting friendships. A huge thank you goes out to Neil, Cyndy, Tim, Cheryl and LeAnn. Thank you so much for making our anniversary memorable!

“World-Class Wine In Your Own Backyard”

2010-09-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Washington State Wine Commission has done a tremendous job at the promotion of Washington State wine. From amazing charity events like the Auction of Washington Wines to Taste Washington, an event showcasing the bounty that Washington has to offer.

Well, they have done it again. They just announced their first ever locally focused promotional campaign.

More than 70 Washington restaurants, over 50 winery tasting rooms and 9 retail stores are participating in “World-Class Wine In Your Own Backyard”. Consumers can download and print the World-Class Value Pass from www.washingtonwine.org/backyard and use it to save on Washington wines as many times as they like for the next two months. There is even a mobile version of the pass that you can download to your mobile device (how cool is that?!).

The timing on this couldn’t be better with the Wine Advocate releasing their scores and 469 Washington wines scored 90 points or higher, up nearly 40% from 2009. Washington wine just keeps getting better!

The values to be had from this pass are immense. From waived tasting fees at wineries to 50% off a bottle of wine with dinner! So hurry and check out www.washingtonwine.org/backyard for a complete listing of participating locations.

Auction of Washington Wine Barrel Auction & Picnic

2010-08-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

The Barrel Auction and Picnic with the Winemakers is the kickoff event for the Annual Auction of Washington Wines. This is an annual event, now in its 24th year, that benefits the uncompensated care program at Seattle Children’s Hospital as well as the Washington Wine Education Foundation.

The iffy weather turned out to be perfect once the picnic started. Not too hot, not too cold. Chateau St. Michelle did a wonderful job transforming their grounds for the picnic. The layout worked well, I liked how the silent auction items were scattered throughout the various food tents. Speaking of food, the Tulalip Resort did a fantastic job providing some scrumptious food. The favorite among the crowd was definitely the star anise braised lamb with macadamia nut dried cherry rice. With good reason, this dish exploded with flavors and was extremely wine friendly. The desserts were all miniature versions of your retro bake sale favorites. Lemon whoopee pies, peanut butter chocolate bars and strawberry poptarts, I was like a kid in a candy store!

Each year the Auction honors two of its own for their outstanding contributions to the Washington wine industry. This year’s Honorary Grower is Dr. Wade Wolfe of Thurston Wolfe and the Honorary Vintner is Rob Griffin of Barnard Griffin.

The Barrel Auction was the main attraction at the picnic. 20 wineries donated a barrel of yet to be released wine. Each barrel contains 5 cases of wine. Some excellent wines were showcased in this year’s barrel auction. Most notably for me were the Fidelitas Red Mountain Red, Reynvaan “In the Rocks” Syrah and Adams Bench Red Willow Cabernet.

The Barrel Auction and Picnic was followed the next evening by 13 winemaker dinners at various private homes around Seattle. With the grand finale of the weekend being the Gala Auction that featured a six-course gourmet dinner and live auction.

The entire weekend was a resounding success. The Barrel Auction and Picnic alone raised $60,000 between the picnic games, silent auction and barrel auction.

Cider Braised Cold Smoked Salmon

2010-08-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

This recipe was an attempt to recreate a dish that I had at Trellis, the restaurant at the Heathman Hotel in Kirkland, WA.

Cold Smoking is used to add a touch of smoke flavor. Unless the food properly cured, it should be cooked after cold smoking either by grilling, braising etc. First, I need to create a brine. My brine consisted of:

6 cups Water
3 cups Apple Cider
1 ¼ cups Pickling Salt
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Maple Syrup
2 tlbs Peppercorns (cracked)
2 Garlic Cloves (smashed)

Bring all ingredients to a boil and then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat,
cover and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate the brine for 6-10 hours. You want it to be between 35-40 degrees. Take your fillet and score the skin and immerse in the brine. Depending on the size and thickness of your piece(s), let them brine for 6-12 hours. After the brining, rinse the fillets thoroughly. Now the fillets need to dry. I am planning on braising this salmon after it’s smoked, so I am fine leaving these fillets out on a rack on my counter to dry. However, if you were making lox you would need to dry them in the refrigerator. After a couple of hours, the fillets should be glossy looking and tacky to the touch.

We are ready to get our smoke on! I have a Smokin Tex electric smoker with the cold smoke plate accessory. I loaded up the smoke box with a small piece of apple wood, slid in the cold smoke plate, placed a metal pan with ice cubes on the plate and put the fish on the upper rack. I turned the smoker on to 150 degrees for 20 minutes, shut it off, and let it sit for an hour. The goal is not to cook the fish, but to generate enough smoke to penetrate the food and the cold smoke plate and ice keep the heat from reaching the fish.

I braised the salmon on the grill. I made a foil packet and put in the fish, apple cider and apple slices, placed on the grill over indirect heat for 10-12 minutes. The result was a moist flavorful salmon with a full smokiness. My only criticism was that the thinner sections were a bit salty, which tells me I need to cut the salt in the brine or possibly shorten the brining time.

I selected the 2008 Cougar Crest Grenache Rose to serve with the salmon. I fell in love with this wine at WBC and it is one of my top 3 Roses’ produced in the state of WA. This dark pink wine has a nice full mouth feel with an earthiness and acidity that matched perfectly with the smoky, rich salmon.

I’d say my first attempt at cold smoking was a success! I am looking forward to smoking all kinds of foods now.

WBC 2010 Part 2 - A Sumptuous Feast

2010-07-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

WBC for me was a bit like a multi course dinner with 300 of your best friends, most of whom you are meeting for the first time in the flesh. A dinner that you prepare, save and anticipate for months.

The “amuse bouche” was on Friday with the incredibly generous goodie bag filled with books, wine, jump drives, CDs and magazines. Just like an amuse bouche before a meal, it was a wonderful surprise. I want to thank all the generous sponsors for that gift. I was grateful that I was staying there at the motel, that puppy was heavy and I was able to take it back to my room and not have to carry it around like some did.

Every good meal should be accompanied by good wine. At this feast, great wine was abundant. It was wonderful to see and talk to many great winemakers and representatives from Washington State and beyond.

Like a good appetizer course, the speed tasting on Friday and Saturday provided a fun, exciting way to sample an array of amazing wines. Also, just like an appetizer course you have to be careful not to overindulge in order to have room for the incredible dinner waiting for you.

The bus tours to the vineyards on Saturday morning were what I would call the main course of the conference. Included were all the aspects of a good meal – incredible scenery, abundant information to soak in and digest, and of course great people to share it with! Our bus was fortunate enough to have Dr. Kevin Pogue, geologist and expert in Walla Walla Valley terroir, as our tour guide. The first stop was Forgotten Hills vineyard, just south of town. Here Christa Hilt from Waters Winery met us with tastes of their single vineyard syrah sourced from Forgotten Hills. Kevin was a wealth of knowledge with regards to how climate, elevation, & water tables make a difference in the fruit from each vineyard.

Next, we headed northeast of town to the home of Walla Walla Vintners. We were met by Myles Anderson, winemaker at WW Vintners as well as Jason Magnaghi, viticulturist for Leonetti Cellars. After receiving a glass on Myles’ exceptional Cab Franc (a personal favorite of mine) we followed both him and Jason out to Leonetti’s Millcreek Upland Vineyards. This vineyard is completely dry farmed. It was fascinating learning about the history and farming methods from Jason. Viticulture is truly a labor of love. We all were treated to the fruits of that labor. Jason brought the 2005 Reserve, sourced 100% from the Millcreek Upland Vineyard, for us all the sample. Chillin out under the trees with a lovely breeze, sipping some premium WA wines, I could have stayed here all day. But alas, lunch awaits at our final stop of the day, Cougar Crest.

Cougar Crest rolled out the red carpet for us with a tour and a great lunch of chicken and veggie kabobs, and tabboulah salad that paired wonderfully with their Rose.

Now I know what you are thinking – What about dessert? Every good meal has to have dessert. Of course it does and for me just like a sweet treat, dessert was meeting all of my wonderful fellow bloggers and wine writers. Many of whom I have been conversing with online for a couple years now and have finally met in real life. I enjoyed networking and meeting new people and hearing their stories and passions. That is what it is all about, passion. Most of us don’t make a dime doing this, we do it because of the passion we have for wine.

WBC 2010 Part 1 - Half the Fun is Getting There

2010-07-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

The anticipation had starting building weeks before. I started June with a calendar chock full of both work and play, with the climax being the Wine Blogger’s Conference I would be attending the last weekend. Finally the time had arrived. Although I live within driving distance to Walla Walla, I still had a long day ahead of me. But you know it is a lot easier to get up at 5:00am when you are excited to go! I was accompanied by my husband and our best wino friends. The 4 of us loaded up the SUV and we were off.

Our first stop was a treat. I was invited to attend one of the stops on the WBCorBust bus at Cave B Winery. The Cave B Inn & Winery is in a word – Breathtaking. We had the opportunity to taste from some of the smaller wineries in WA, including Barrister Winery, Boudreaux Cellars,
Syncline, Arbor Crest, Col Solare, Fielding Hills and Hard Row to Hoe. The standouts were:

Barrister Cabernet Franc is their signature wine and there is good reason for it. Layers of earth and dark fruits plus very nice complexity.

Cave B Saignee’ Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon has one of the best noses on a Rose that I have smelled ever. I stood there and sniffed this wine for a couple minutes before I even tasted it. It smelled like candy, good candy. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t overly sweet. I had a good amount of acid which would make it an excellent food wine.

Hard Row to Hoe was pouring their yet to be released Pinot Noir. A full and earthy Pinot that was not too tannic. Winemaker, Judy Phelps, explained to me that it was made in a gravity fed process which prevents the juice from sitting on the skins as long; therefore making the wine less tannic.

Fielding Hills Cabernet Sauvignon has jammy fruits, incredibly full mouth-feel, balanced out with a long lingering finish. I first had this wine at Taste WA in March and I fell in love with it then.

From there we ventured into Walla Walla and had an incredible dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen. I highly recommend it for dinner. Todd had one of the biggest pork chops I have ever seen in my life! Make sure you make reservations; they are a small place and are very busy. For good reason!

Have Wine, Will Travel

2010-06-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ah, camping in the Northwest. It can be risky this early in the year. You’d better have your tarps and waterproof matches at the ready. Armed with a positive weather forecast and low tides, we loaded up our gear and headed to Dosewallips State Park on the Hood Canal. Of course, just because you are “roughing it” doesn’t mean you can’t have wine.

I knew we would be grilling steaks one night so I packed a bottle of Dusted Valley Vintners BFM, their monster red blend. No corkscrew needed here – it’s a screwtop as all their wines are. As the steaks were grillin’, my mouth was watering. I tossed some asparagus in some olive oil, salt, and pepper and laid them on the grill as well. Add in some fresh, shucked off the beach that morning, fried oysters and French bread and we were set!

The Dusted Valley 2006 BFM (Blow yer F***ing Mind), yep not kidding, is a Merlot dominate blend that packs a punch. It was my favorite out of their extensive line up that I tasted. Tons of dark fruits, cedar, leather with a long, slightly hot finish. Full and rich, this wine paired perfectly with the grilled steak. Even out of my ghetto plastic drinking class this wine was easy drinking.
So, don’t let your surroundings deter you from enjoying your favorite juice. Whether you are sitting around the campfire or sitting at your dining room table, pop a cork (or twist off a screwcap) and let the wine flow!

Vintage Party 2010

2010-05-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

We hosted our Vintage Party, a blind tasting wine dinner for a few of our close friends, this past weekend. I love doing a blind tasting, as it promotes great conversation. Plus, since there are no wrong answers, people feel free to express what they are seeing, smelling, and tasting.

We pulled some of our best bottles out of the cellar for this event. All the wines had been decanted for 6 hours. We invited six guests, and assigned each guest to a bottle. Starting with wine #1, we asked the assigned person to taste and describe the wine to the group. Then we poured tastes for the remainder of the group and discussed the wine. This format worked well and made for a nice pace in tasting as well. For the tasting we provided a range of appetizers that included lamb popsicles with cherry demi –glace, mushroom and gorgonzola crostini, and smoked oysters. Also, I tried my hand at homemade crackers with wonderful results. I made plain baking soda ones, as well as parmesan and thyme crackers. Additionally, I had done some quick pickled veggies. Butternut squash, beets, and fennel all turned out great. The beets especially were a bit hit! The apps were rounded out with a cheese and meat plate. Whew! Did you get all that? Now on to the wine:

2006 Quilceda Creek Galazine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - Even after a 6 hour decant, the nose was still pretty closed up. There were hints of raspberry, marionberry, and anise on the nose. Tastes yielded pepper and tobacco. This wine was not the favorite during the tasting. However, it moved up the list as the evening progressed and with food. The consensus was that it was outstanding with fatty cheeses and the T-bone steak we served with dinner.

2007 Adams Bench Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon - 100% Cab all from one of the oldest vineyards in WA, Red Willow in Yakima Valley. A spectacular nose on this wine - vanilla, cardamom, perfume, Crème Brule, tobacco, and fig. An array of flavors with this wine including currant, pepper, fig and date. A very well balanced wine, with an excellent tannin structure that will make it a great keeper for a few years.
2007 Buty Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – Soft floral nose with notes of caramel and earth. The taste had classic Champoux characteristics – smoke and earth, plus a wonderful rich berry component from the 20% Cab Franc. This was a definite favorite amongst the tasters.

2005 Goose Ridge Reserve Syrah – The one and only Syrah in the tasting line up. There are smells of raspberry, blackberry, tobacco and smoke. It tasted like it smelled – smoky berries with a bit of pepper. This wine would be awesome with some BBQ ribs or smoked chicken.
2007 Fidelitas Red Mountain Red - The inaugural release of this wine for Fidelitas, a red blend all from Red Mountain grapes. On the nose – vanilla, cherry coke, pepper, floral, cherry yogurt, and grapefruit. Tart cherry, plum, and cedar explode off the palate.
2007 Betz Clos De Betz – Dark and brooding in color. Hints of cigar box, oak, dark fruits and slight dustiness on the nose. This wine grabs your palate immediately and
takes it for a ride with a good amount of oak balanced with plum, cherry and chocolate. Seamless and balanced with an incredibly silky mouthfeel.

The tasters voted and the Betz was the winner with the Buty coming in a close second. We ended the evening with a scrumptious dinner of T-bone steak cooked over charcoal, creamed spinach, potatoes au gratin, and honey cumin glazed carrots.