When I got invited to the Hightower Winemakers Dinner at Picazo 7Seventeen by Craig Sutton, I jumped at the opportunity! Chef Frank always makes divine food, and since I hadn’t had Hightower wine before I of course wanted to try it.

We started the evening with light appetizers; almonds, olives, and mussels, among other things. To accompany the appetizers, we drank the Murray Cuvee, a wine dedicated to their late dog, Murray. It paired nicely, and I might have gone back for a second glass. After chatting a bit and meeting some tweeters, we sat and got ready for the meal I’d starved myself all day for.

Stories filled the table and soon we were wrapped around Kelly & Tim Hightower’s wine finger. They are such great people and with amazing wine, it’s hard to not love them. My favorite Kelly quote of the night was “I used to live in a convent, and yes, my dates picked me up from there.” If you weren’t listening to her stories before, that one line perked a few ears.

First course was a beautiful salad with seared duck. I’d never had duck before, but liked it, and was proud of myself for maybe possibly growing out of my picky eater phase. After the salad, we had a spicy gazpacho with bread made from Hightower grape yeast, which I didn’t know could be done. The next thing I enjoyed was a mushroom gnocchi and once again, loved every bite. I even had the mushrooms which is again me growing out of my picky eater phase.

Now here it is – the best wine and the best food! Hightower brought their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with Frank Magana’s fillet of beef tenderloin and it was absolutely magnificent. The cabernet had a beautiful color, big spicy nose and the taste … ahh, heavenly. One of the people at the table described the wine as “cured peppered meat” and for me that meant a very classy, in no way offensive, peppered beef jerky. Imagine that – in a glass of wine! It had slight tannin which I love and it left my mouth wanting more, something that I think every wine should have. The tenderloin was so tender; it didn’t even need a steak knife. I tried eating slowly and with small bites, but it came to an end and I had to eat dessert, chocolate crème’ brulee paired with Hightower Merlot.
It was a rough night full of gourmet food, delicious wine, fabulous conversation and new friends but I survived it. I want to give an enormous thank you to Frank Magana, Trina Cortez, all of Picazo7Seventeen’s staff, Kelly & Tim Hightower and Craig Sutton. As always, I look forward to another wine maker dinner.

Cheers!

2008 L'Ecole Semillon

On the road by 11am, ok 11:15, we put on John Mayer and hit the road. First stop – L’Ecole 41 right outside of Walla Walla. The story is fun and I’ll give you the basics: old schoolhouse transitioned to a winery in 1975-1980 and was most recently named Regional Winery of the Year in 2009 by Wine & Spirits Magazine. I figured it was a good place to introduce Kendra to wine tasting because it has a rich background, the staff has always been very friendly towards me and they have a wide selection of wines. She ended up buying their 2008 Columbia Valley Semillion ($13) and our tasting room attendant(s) were very helpful in pointing us in the right direction for food and wine, even drawing unknown locations on our map. Yes, we had a map. Yes, I felt very touristy.
We had planned on eating at Aloha Sushi, one of my favorites in Walla Walla, but since our next winery was only open until 2pm, we had to get there quickly so lunch was put on hold. Besides, who needs lunch when you have wine!?

With map in hand and wine on the mind, we headed out in the country to Rulo. Thank goodness for our drawn in map because this is a winery you do not want to miss! They have 3, almost 4, white wines (Viognier, two Chardonnays and a Sauvignon Blanc that isn’t quite finished) and 4 reds (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrca – 70% Syrah 30% Cab, and Silo – which is another Syrah). These are wines you must try when you go to Walla Walla. The owners/winemakers/distributors/tasting room attendants Kurt & Lisa are wonderful and make you feel like you are a part of the process. The wine pairing they mention is fun also; their Viognier with “a spoonful of Jif extra-crunchy peanut butter- – no bread involved.” I got to taste their Sauvignon Blanc out of a beaker and wow, it is so interesting. Key word – interesting. It smells so beautiful and floral but then when you drink it, kind of kicks you in the ass. It has typical Sauvignon Blanc taste multiplied by 10. Very acidic, very lemon and very much a food wine. My favorite of theirs is most definitely the Syrca. I’m a huge fan of Syrah, and this is blended with Cabernet and just has such richness to it, I felt I was drinking 70% gold and %30 diamonds. Cheesy, yes. Delicious, yes.

After many thanks, and 4 more bottles to add to our case box, Kendra and I were sent down the road to Isenhower Cellars. I was happy right away, because I saw that they had Syrah and also a Roussanne/Viognier blend called Snapdragon. Roussanne is a varietal you don’t see too often, but is one I enjoy so I started there, with Kendra right behind me. It had a great aroma full of mandarin orange mixed with bright floral notes, and the taste was right there to match. Very smooth and we both really enjoyed it and went down the whole list, still on an empty stomach. The tasting room attendant, Dary (sp!?), was very sweet and if you go in there, I’m sure she will treat you right.

We found our way to meet up with Toni, where she was the lucky recipient of the Snapdragon and she sadly informed us that Aloha Sushi closes for a few hours on Saturday and we were in that few hour period. Disappointed but still hungry, and desperately needing wine we took her advice and headed to T. Maccarones for lunch. We had a beautiful cheese and meat plate, macaroni and cheese, and obviously wine, red for me, white for Kendra. Our server was great and compiled a list for us to hit in our last hour-ish before the dreaded 5pm when things shut down.

Walla Walla Wine Works

We went to one of our final destinations, a wine shop downtown, Walla Walla Wine Works. The great thing about this place is that you can taste from a bunch of wineries, without having to go to each of them. Their list changes regularly and it is organized very well, guiding you through your tasting. Our tasting room attendant was full of coffee and ready to help us drink; I mean taste, a bunch of wine. Since I was the driver and had already been to several wineries, I skipped the whites and went straight for the good stuff. We had a great Temperanillo and several yummy Syrahs before skipping to a tasting I’ve never even done before, sparkling wine. I’ve had sparkling wine before, but never done a tasting with it. I just buy and say “Hope it’s good!” The sparkling wine was from Covet, made in the Columbia Valley and they have a Riesling, Syrah and another wine that I cannot for the life of me remember but we walked away with 2 bottles of sparkling Riesling, and 1 sparkling Syrah. I also took home a bottle of 2008 Originals Syrah and Kendra picked up a 2008 Originals Riesling.

Last place, Otis Kenyon. If you love history, wine, and good stories, this is the place for you. Otis Kenyon, the man, burnt down a dental office, had his family abandon him, and generations later, his grandkids found him living on the Oregon coast, reunited and now his great granddaughter, Muriel, runs the tasting room. They give out matchboxes instead of business cards, and their red blend is called Matchless Red. They have some delicious wines, in fact, I’m drinking the Matchless Red right now and it is full of dark cherry, with a nice structure and some light tannin in the back jaw area.
Heading home at around 630pm, we had bought 11 bottles of wine and were ready to fill our wine rack. On the drive home, I thought about all the stereotypes of Walla Walla, and how I find them mostly false. The wine ranged in price from $15-$40 and hardly anyone had their nose in the air. Maybe it’s the places I chose to go but Walla Walla is a great place for any wine drinker, beginning or old.

As always, remember to enjoy every glass and every taste, because the bottle empties quicker than you think.

Cheers!

The idea of 20something is perfect – lots of wine, phenomenal food, awesome DJ, and wine education all in the cool downtown Fremont community in Seattle, WA.  This was my first big wine event outside of Tri Cities. I was bringing Palatebomb to something other than my local tasting rooms, bars and restaurants.  The flashing lights and line for will-call made me realize I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.  Big city – big event – and I had work to do.  I had done a bit of research beforehand and knew that both my favorite wine (Jones of Washington 2006 Cabernet) and Pikes Brewery would be there, and that I would be more than satisfied with the food selection (Picazo 717, Muckleshoot Casino, Rays Café).

As we walked in and got our glasses and notepad necklaces – a great idea from Seattle magazine – I was ready for action.  First mission – wine! But where? Soon a man appeared from Balboa Winery, with bottle in hand and asked if I would like some wine.  It took a second for me to realize the set up – the winery reps were walking around and pouring, making it a great social event.  I chatted with him a bit, tried the red blend and unfortunately didn’t care for it.  I poured it into Bens glass (he’s so helpful) and went on my way to find the next wine to try.

I decided to try the whites first, while eating, moving on to red wine later.  The next person to come up to me was from Cave B Winery right outside of George, WA. They were pouring a Riesling that met my white criteria.  It had great bright fruit without being extremely sweet, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice holiday wine, as a gift or to drink.  With wine in glass, I made my way to the main room to find some grub.

Frank Magana, his wife Trish, and Claire

The first thing that caught my eye was Executive Chef Frank Magana of Picazo 717 and his chorizo stuffed prawns, a favorite.  We snagged some prawns, chatted with Frank and his wife, Trish, then continued on the food journey.

I would have never thought to eat at a casino, but after reading the menu online the night before, I was ready to try Muckleshoot Casino’s food. Their burrata mozzarella cheese wrap with hamachi or big eye tuna on a shoyu pipette were phenomenal! I was a little intimidated at first but remembered that I was in a big city and had to eat like a city girl.  So in it went and the sauce in the pipette was quite the experience.  I can’t write about it without it sounding dirty, so you’ve been warned.  The first sensation I had was the slimy, tender feel of the fish, and then the creamy taste of the mozzarella and right as it was about down, you squeeze the pipette and this burst of flavor is shot into your mouth.  It was a bit tangy but so so good! I tried both of the flavors, the big eye tuna and the hamachi, and although I preferred the hamachi, I would have either any day.  Feeling proud of myself for eating so grown up, I went back to what I know and love – wine.

I found a winery/wine I know and love with Jenna from Mercer Estates and got back on track with my white wine adventure.  The 2007 Pinot Gris ($15 a bottle) is full of peach and pear nose and palate – a wine I recommend to anyone.  It went well with the seafood I was having and would also pair nicely with chicken.  This wine would be good to take to the sensory booth in the Geek Lounge.  There was a husband and wife team there; he was a sensory scientist and wine maker and she was pouring the wine.  He had about 20 dixie cups out on the table, each full of a certain object (grapefruit, oak, black pepper, currant, tobacco, etc) and you brought your wine over and smelled the cup, and then smelled the wine.  It really helped me pull out certain flavors, and for people who are new to wine, it would be a great experience.

The only frustrating thing about this event is that half the time I didn’t know what I was drinking.  I could tell red or white, and sometimes the varietal, but people would came up and continually kept my glass full then dash off to fill the next glass.  My notebook necklace was used in the beginning, but then it got darker and louder and it faded out, as did my soberness.

One very smart winery, Northwest Cellars in Kirkland WA, made business cards with the wine description, awards won/points scored, price point and a coupon for a complimentary tasting. The wine was fantastic and the man pouring it talked about the wine like he knew what he was doing – what a relief!

Lucky me, one of the sponsors of 20something was Fiji water, and I snagged bottles throughout the night.  One of the themes of this event was ‘hip2spit’, suggesting people spit some of the wine as to not get too toasted throughout the night.  You generally need spit buckets to be able to spit, and I counted five. At the entire event. And placed in the middle of tables, where people were sitting or standing.  “Excuse me as I spit over your shoulder and try to not spill all over you.”  Although I didn’t spit as much as I probably should have, I had water, food and a sober ride all lined up.  If I hadn’t made prior arrangements, the taxis were lined up for blocks, so I would have had another way to get home safely.

Taxi or no taxi, wine or beer, seafood or elk, I had a blast! For the avid wine lover or for someone just starting out, I would recommend this event.

I had a few realizations as I walked in the door.  1: There was no way I would even try half of the wineries there, let alone a quarter of them.  2: I was in trouble. Big trouble.  3: I absolutely and positively love my job, the industry, the people in it and that I am part of such a great community in the Tri Cities.

I first went to wineries based on recommendations, and if I had tasted a wine before, I steered clear of their booth – this event was about discovering new wines from the beautiful northwest and I didn’t want to throw myself under the barrel by sticking to what I knew.   Also, if the label was attractive, I was stopping in.

I started off my evening with Abacela, alphabetically the top of the list, and was pretty impressed.  They are an Oregon winery, and I chose to drink their Malbec.  This wine is full of dark fruit and the nose just intrigued me to the point of no return.  I brought the glass up to my mouth and as soon as you could say “Cheers!” my first sip was down the hatch.  I was glad he had a heavy hand, because one ounce of this wine was not quite enough.  After I finished the wine, I found myself giving the thumbs up sign, something I do fairly often.  You can buy this wine online (http://www.abacela.com/) for $25 plus the cost of shipping and handling.

One of the next wines I had was from Barrister Winery located in Spokane, WA.  This winery was founded in a garage by Greg Lipsker and Michael White.  They are attorneys by day, winemakers by weekend, and what started out as a hobby has become a well known and well respected winery.  I had the pleasure of trying their wine several months ago, (I know, I broke my rule about not trying wines I already had), but this wine is so good! I couldn’t be there and not have just one teensy tiny taste of Rough Justice; their red blend consisting of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cab franc and syrah.  It has a complex nose, full of dark jammy fruit.  I got a huge aroma of raspberry and cherry and the mouth was just what I expected; nice tannins with a long finish.  They will be in Kennewick in early December for a wine tasting event at Zinful Panini Grill & Wine Bar (509.586.6100) and I know I’ll be there!

My favorite wine of the night was a big shocker.  It wasn’t a syrah, or red blend – my current favorites.  This wine caught my attention with its label, which is a hand-drawn chicken and tractor on a muted green and yellow label.  Jones of Washington has some standout wines, was my wine pick of the night, and the booth I sent everyone to.  They had two cabernet sauvignons that were out of this world, insta-tweet worthy.  Winemaker Victor Palencia poured both of them for me; the sexy cab and the bold cab.  The sexy cab is their 2006 Estate Cabernet and, wow, does it live up to its name.  It is so smooth and has this sensuality to it that is decadent.  The shocker, it sells for only 16.99! You can find it in local Yokes Stores, or on the Jones of Washington Website.  Their bold cabernet, Jacks Reserve, was my favorite of the night.  It is exactly what the winemaker called it, bold! It was full of dark fruit, and the tannins were enough to let me know they were there but nothing that knocked me on my ass.

As the night came to an end, and my wonderful boyfriend picked up Dan and me, I gave one last look into the room I had been so excited by and realized it wasn’t simply the wine or the food that gave so much excitement.  It was the fact that they all came together for the love of wine and competition (two of my favorite things!).  Tri City Wine Festival 2010, I look forward to your arrival.

Sobon Old Vine Zinfandel 2007

While listening to Bob Marley’s “Red, Red Wine” and drinking the Old Vine Zin, I realized that my days of sitting on the deck with a cool glass of Chardonnay were over (everyone sigh in sadness with me). I have to start drinking the more fall appropriate red wines, and this Zinfandel from Sobon Hills is a nice little transition.  Goodbye Viogniers, ciao Chardonnays, au revoir Sauv Blancs, and too-da-loo all other white wines I have re-fallen in love with this summer.  Hello spice, beautiful colors, tobacco, and dark fruit!

One of my favorite things about Zinfandels is that they are jammy, juicy and all about the fruit.  This particular Zin is interesting in the fact that the nose is a little peppery, and when you look for it, you can find a lingering hint of cinnamon, YUM!  The pepper turned me off at first, but once I closed my eyes and took a nice big gulp, I was pleasantly surprised. It has nice oak tannins, but is not overbearing.  It has dark fruit and the ones I really picked out were plum, blackberry and has a nice long finish especially for a young wine.  Another surprising factor is that it stood up well (lasted a long time) for an organic wine.  Usually with an organic wine, which has no sulphites, it goes bad in 1-2 days.  But by the end of day 2, this wine tasted just as fresh as when I first unscrewed it.  Lucky me.

Looking back on this drinking adventure, I would definitely recommend this wine to almost anyone.  A beginning wine drinker would probably like it because of its fruit forwardness and jamminess.  The Zin aficionado would appreciate how true to form it is and the everyday wine drinker would appreciate its approachability.

Lucky for me, this wine was sent to me at no cost, but retails at $13.  It is distributed through Grape Expectations (206.763.4632) and is produced from Sobon Hills in Plymouth, California.

A little education is a good thing...

Marchiez-vous jamais dans une pièce où ils parlent dans une langue étrangère ? Vous a-t-il faits se sentir malaisé et vouloir partir?

If you don’t speak French, you will have no idea what this says. That’s how it can feel when you walk into a tasting room and they are speaking of acidity, tannins, body, palate, brix, clones and so many other wine specifics. Some wine vocabulary you can figure out by context or by word association, but others will leave you wondering.

Here is a list of the top words and terms you should know when starting out in wine.

1. Acidic: or tart, sour. All wines contain some acids, predominantly tartaric. Raw, young wines are generally more acidic than older ones. Improperly balanced wines may taste sour because of an abnormally high acid content.
2. Bouquet: is the burst of scents that fill your nose when you first smell a wine. It is the odor derived from the fermentation process, from the aging in wood, the bottling process, and other changes independent of the grape variety used. Example – The bouquet reminds me of Grandpa’s cigars.
3. Complex: a wine that is many-faceted; it contains not only acids, alcohols, tannins, but more. Each sip brings another flavor.
4. Crush: the time of year when the grapes are picked and processed.
5. “Let the wine breathe”: is simply maximizing your wine’s exposure to the surrounding air. By allowing wine to mix and mingle with air, it will typically warm up and the wine’s aromas will be released, the flavors will soften and mellow out a bit, and the overall flavor characteristics should improve
6. Palate: the sense of the tongue. Example – This wine dances on my palate.
7. Tannin: a bitter-tasting ingredient, partially responsible for preserving wines during their sometimes long aging periods. A wine can often be described as tannic.
8. Varietal: term used to describe wines made totally or predominantly from a single variety of grape.
9. Wine: the fermented juice of grapes, made in many varieties, such as red, white, sweet, dry, still, and sparkling, for use as a beverage, in cooking, in religious rites, etc., and usually having an alcoholic content of 14% or less. Example – Let’s quit the lesson and start drinking wine!

These nine words are the building blocks for wine knowledge. Before long, you will be sipping away, swirling like a pro, and talking about wine as if it’s your first language.

Claire McCool - Wine 101 - A Beginners Guide - Chapter 1

This quote is beyond true in my experience! While at a family barbecue several years ago, I tried a taste of my cousin’s wine, was disgusted, told my family they are nuts for drinking wine and I’ll just stick with beer, thank you very much. They all laughed and said, “Just wait a few years. By 22, you’ll be one of us.”

They were right; I now consider myself a wine-lover. And how did I get here – from college beer ponger and vodka tonics, to loving a good bottle of cabernet? I jumped in with both feet. There is no better way to start drinking wine than to do just that – drink and enjoy!

Remember to have an open mind to the possibilities of wine; this is supposed to be fun! When you go into tasting rooms, tell the attendants that you are just starting out and would really like to learn from their knowledge. They will be thrilled to teach you the building blocks of wine; which ones to start out with, how to taste wine, wine vocabulary, and what to pair with it. In this series, I will be the attendant, and give you my hints and suggestions.

If you have never enjoyed wine before, I suggest starting with a sweeter wine. A chenin blanc, riesling, viognier, gewurztraminer, or even a late harvest or ice wine will be your best bets to success. These wines are not going to knock you on your butt, because they have more of a fruit forward nose (smell) and palette (taste). Sweeter wines should be chilled to about 50degrees. If they are cooler than that, the flavors of the wine could be destroyed.

After you open the bottle and pour a glass, give it a little swirl. This allows the wine to breathe and will open up the aromas. Stick your nose in the glass, literally, and take a big whiff. For most of the above mentioned wines you will get a floral or fruity scent. After your nose has had the pleasure of the wine, let your taste buds in on the action. Take a drink and wash the wine all around your mouth. It will surprise you how it tastes different in the front of your mouth than in the back of the your mouth.

When this is all done, you are victorious! You have successfully tasted your first wine and are hopefully excited to move onto the next one.

My tip of the day: Take your time and enjoy wine; the bottle empties quicker than you think!