The Wine Knows

I'm reading the new book Wine Politics, and it's a rather fascinating look at the business side of the wine industry and answers a lot of questions about why things are the way they are.

We recently got out in the vineyard with Charlie Hoppes, owner/winemaker for Fidelitas Wines on Washington's Red Mountain. In this wide-ranging interview, we talked about the state of the vineyards after a cool spring, Goose Ridge Winery's latest project, Charlie's move away from Syrah and the upcoming harvest.

Over the past few months, we've been working on a better way to provide information on Northwest wineries. Our old Web site had a searchable database, but it was difficult to maintain. Our new system will provide a way for site visitors to provide updates, which then will be easy for us to upload.

We know we're missing a fair bit of information in this first release, which is why we're counting on all of you to take a look at your favorite wineries and provide us with any updates you might have.

Take a look:

Since first sip, we've been fans of Joie Wines in Naramata, British Columbia. In the next few weeks, patrons of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., will have the opportunity to discover the joy of some of the finest wines to come out of the Okanagan Valley.

You might recall awhile back that I posted a list of Northwest wine shops, wine bars and wine clubs, seeking feedback on which I might be missing. I received information on more than 50 places I didn't know about.

As a follow-up to last week's blog item about how interest in Syrah appears to be waning in the marketplace, I got the following note from Chuck LeFevre, owner of Esquin Wine Merchants in Seattle.

A few weekends ago, Columbia Crest marked its first quarter-century with its "Silver Solstice" celebration. On hand were such folks as Doug Gore, who was Crest's winemaker for many of those years, and Kay Simon of Chinook, who hired Gore when she was with Ste. Michelle.

According to reports, rosés have surpassed whites in total production in France. Taken at face value, I'd find that difficult to believe, but serious rosés have long been favorites in France.

But could it be possible that rosés are outpacing Chardonnay (Chablis, Burgundy), Sauvignon Blanc (Bordeaux), Semillon (Bordeaux), Riesling (Alsace) and Viognier (Rhone)?

On Saturday evening, the Washington wine industry honored Stan Clarke by inducting him into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame in Prosser.

Clarke, who died unexpectedly last fall, was a grape grower, winemaker, educator and wine writer in his more than 30 years in the business.

A now-former reader recently sent me the following email:

Please unsubscribe my email address. You have done a great job with the weekly newsletter. However, the wine industry in Washington state has changed so much - and not to my tastes. Basically, I am tired of hearing about yet another boutique winery opening (started by a retired doctor, etc.) with the accompanying sky-high prices. The book, Families of the Wine: Seasons Among the Winemakers of Southwest France, had an interesting line about boutique (garage) vintners. In an interview with a full-fledged winery, the winemaker noted how easy it was to make great wine from only the best grapes and for only a few cases. The real skill was creating wine from varying quality grapes in larger amounts. I agree.