The Wine Knows

How would you like to hang with celebrity chef Bobby Flay in New York City? Flay and Columbia Crest are teaming up with a contest called "Flayvors of Washington." All you have to do is come up with an original recipe that uses ingredients from Washington state and is inspired by a Columbia Crest Grand Estates wine.

The contest runs through the end of May.

Crest winemaker Ray Einberger and Seattle Times food writer Nancy Leson will narrow the contestants to five, then Flay and Food Network executive Robert Bleifer will judge the final five and announce a winner. The winner will be flown to New York City to prepare the dish with Flay and have dinner at one of his restaurants.

Here's the list of Columbia Crest wines:

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Pinot Grigio
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Riesling
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Sauvignon Blanc
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Shiraz

Here's the list of Washington state ingredients. The recipe must feature at least one of these:

Apples
Asparagus
Beef
Blackberries
Chanterelle Mushrooms
Cherries
Clams
Cucumbers
Dungeness Crab
Halibut
Hazelnuts
Hops
Lamb
Lentils
Melon
Morel Mushrooms
Mussels
Oysters
Peaches
Pears
Peppers (hot and sweet)
Pork
Potatoes
Poultry
Raspberries
Salmon
Spot Prawns
Strawberries
Sweet Onions
Tomatoes

For more info on entering, go to:

www.foodnetwork.com/columbiacrest