The Wine Knows - red wine

Kiss French, drink Northwest

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:09:25 -0500

Saturday afternoon, I traveled to Walla Walla, Wash., where the good folks from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates put on an event that was, shall we say, rather interesting.

It also was the hardest ticket to get in town.

On the sorting line

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:46:19 -0400

I stopped by at J. Bookwalter this morning to chat with owner/winemaker John Bookwalter. He was, quite literally, on the sorting line going through 10 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from McKinley Springs Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills.

In fact, as I write this, John and his crew likely still are sorting that fruit, as they can go through about a ton to a ton-and-a-half of fruit per hour, double-sorting for leaves, sunburned grapes, etc.

Pulling a Bordeaux fake with Washington wine

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:19:29 -0400

Lettie Teague of Food & Wine mag has written a delicious article on how she created a counterfeit '82 Mouton to fool snooty wine people. The wine used: Andrew Will from Washington's Vashon Island.

Words of wisdom

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:03:46 -0400

This evening, I was grilling tri tips and Peruvian purple potatoes grown in Eltopia, Wash. This called for a robust red wine, so I went to the cellar and picked out a Fidelitas Wines 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley.

More evidence that interest in Syrah is waning

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:41:23 -0400

I've written on a number of occasions recently that demand for Washington Syrah would seem to be slowing down. This comes from retailers who see a greater interest in blends, as well as winemakers who have decided to stop making it.

Northwest Italian reds

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:17:35 -0400

A few weeks ago, Wine Press Northwest collected about 75 Northwest Italian reds, wines that use traditionally Italian varieties such as Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Zinfandel, Primitivo and Dolcetto.

More on Syrah's softening with wine lovers

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:26:08 -0400

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.

Is interest in Syrah fading

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:44:26 -0400

I've begun to wonder what has happened to all the buzz about Syrah, that luscious red grape whose ancestral home is France's Northern Rhone Valley?

In the past decade, interest in Syrah has skyrocketed in the Pacific Northwest, with more than 200 different examples coming out of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

A tasting of Northwest Italians

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:44:39 -0400

I could not be more jazzed about our big judging Friday for the Fall issue of Wine Press Northwest. We've gathered about 70 Italian red varieties from throughout the Northwest.

I figured we'd end up with a lot of Sangiovese and a bit of Zin and the odd Nebbiolo. Here's how it stands at the moment (with a couple of more wines showing up Thursday morning:

More perfection for Quilceda Creek

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:53:28 -0400

Doug Charles of Compass Wines in Anacortes, Wash., announced in an email blast to customers today that Quilceda Creek Vintners in Snohomish, Wash., has earned another perfect 100 from The Wine Advocate, Robert Parker's publication.

What to do when you didn't mean to order Leonetti

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:49:36 -0400

A guy in our office endured a faux pas a couple of weeks ago that I'm certain will make you squirm.

This guy - we'll call him "Joe" - doesn't know a lot about wine. He was in a very nice Thai restaurant with his girlfriend. This particular restaurant has a reputation for its great wine list.

RainForest Red a lush wine

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:05:32 -0400

Last night, I opened Lost Mountain Winery's 2004 RainForest Red, a Bordeaux-style blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc. It went perfectly with the grilled flank steak I was preparing.

Thanks, I'll stick to writing

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:30:33 -0400

A number of folks out there think that just because I love wine, write about it, collect it and even grow wine grapes in my backyard, perhaps someday I'd like to make my own wine, perhaps start a winery.

If I'm alone, I laugh it off with a line I heard from wine writer Bob Woehler: "I learned long ago that I'm better at drinking the stuff than making it."

If I'm with my wife, I shout: "No way! I'd never take on such an endeavor!" before she has the chance to give me the hairy eyeball.

Wine to boot

Wed, 21 May 2008 19:12:40 -0400

As a journalist, I get a fair number of pitches from public relation types for stories and/or coverage. Via email, I'd say they number two dozen per day. I receive two to four daily by mail and an occasional phone call.

What arrived today was easily one of the most bizarre. The fact I'm writing about it probably proves it served its purpose and perhaps its expense.

Tasting two Charlie wines

Tue, 20 May 2008 19:02:19 -0400

Over the weekend, I opened two bottles of wine made by Charlie Hoppes, longtime Washington winemaker.

The first was a Fidelitas Wines 2002 Optu, a Meritage-style red. The second was a new release, Goose Ridge's 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.