Cheers To You

Brynn writes:

Just wanted to provide a quick update to all you wine lovers out there to let you know you over the next couple months you might notice this blog isn’t as busy as it usually is.

That’s because I’m out of the office on maternity leave. Yes, instead of tasting and enjoying wine, I’m doing more loads of laundry than I can count, wiping awat baby spit up and changing dirty diapers — and loving every minute.

Mary and I hope to continue our pattern of offering a wine pairing for Ann Vogel’s weekly recipes, which also appear in Friday’s Kitsap Sun, but if we skip a couple you’ll know why.

So no need to worry faithful readers, a silent Cheers to You doesn’t mean we’ve gone off in some drunken stupor, it just means I’m too sleep deprived to string together a coherent sentence.

I’ll be back in August, so you can expect to see everything pick up again then.

Cheers!

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Brynn writes:

I was searching our site for something when this story popped up in my search filed. I was shocked to read that there are some very serious thieves hitting vineyards in Southwestern Germany.

One winemaker estimated more than $130,000 in losses when all of his best red grapes were stolen in the night. Hard to imagine other winemakers going out in the cover of night stealing from their neighbors, but it sounds like that could be the case.

Read the full story here.

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Mary writes:

This week we’re drinking a California Cab from Dry Creek Vineyards.

This is one my favorite California wineries, and only because they do things in a fairly European style. And by fairly European style I mean they keep their alcohol-by-volume low, like the Europeans tend to do, which allows the fruit to speak instead of the alcohol, as is often the case with California wines.

Dry Creek Vineyards was founded in Healdsburg, Sonoma in 1972. They make one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in an old fashioned, balanced, Loire Valley style. The Cabernet is relatively new to the Dry Creek Valley. This AVA has a temperate climate, varied soils and rolling hills.

This Cabernet blend has the classic Bordeaux grapes, Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. It is wonderfully balanced with rich flavors, well integrated tannins and a great finish. 

It’s available for around $20. And let me just add, where can you spend $20 for an ’07? It’s a huge bargain for something that has age and is drinking so lovely.

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You might remember earlier this year we put ourselves on the auction block to help raise money for the Kitsap County Master Gardeners Foundation. We offered our wine expertise and of course an evening of wine and food pairings for up to eight people. We were quite happy when our item brought in $275 for the foundation.

If you didn’t get the chance to bid on us, or if you’re looking to support a good cause and want to spend time with us, we’re up for bid again this weekend at the Second Annual Vino Kitsap Scavenger Hunt, benefiting the Holly Ridge Center.

Once again we’re offering a wine tasting for up to eight people and that will include food pairings.

Over Labor Day weekend we made good on our Master Gardeners Foundation auction item for a couple on Bainbridge Island and six of their friends. While we don’t want to toot our own horns, we have to say the evening was a huge success and everyone walked away with full bellies and smiles on their faces.

Here’s the details on the scavenger hunt itself, which should also be a lot of fun. Tickets are still available and proceeds benefit children with special needs at the center.

When: Saturday, September 17, 2 p.m.

What: At last, a hunt for people who literally hunger for adventure and wine. Discover the gourmet delights of Kitsap while sampling treats and solving mysteries along the way. Sharing some of the best cheese, appetizers and wine you’ve ever had. Options to suit your taste and diet. Live entertainment by Seattle Guitarist, Chris Hyde.

The wine tasting scavenger hunt will be held at LeGarmache Catering Cedar Springs (Address: 7354 Bethel Burley SE RD, Port Orchard). Cedar Springs is a beautiful park-like setting with an octagon pavilion, ponds, dressing facilities, free parking, and seating for 200.

How it works: Teams or individuals will receive their passport with clues for the hunt, that needs to be stamped at each wine tasting booth. At the end, each couple will receive a bottle of the signature event wine “Vino in Kitsap Scavenger Hunt” from Silverlake Winery, as a complementary gift. During the ending ceremony the winner of the scavenger hunt will win a case of wine curated by Cheers to You blogger Mary Earl. (Mary asked local wine aficionados to dig deep in their cellars and donate to fill the case).

Ticket info: Advance purchase required, $50 per person, must be 21. Call 360-373-2536 for ticket information or visit www.hollyridge.org.

The auction, where we’re up for bid, will follow the hunt. We hope you can make it, but if you can’t and you still want to donate, we’re pretty sure Holly Ridge would love your support. Visit their website for more information about how to contribute.

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Brynn writes:

I just love when people share their wine-drinking experiences with us, and I love being able to pass their recommendations on to fellow wine lovers like all of you.

I had an email this morning from Jim G. letting me know about a great wine he just tried. Not only does it sound delicious, but for the price it sounds like a steal.

Here’s his email:

I picked up a nice bottle of Australian Shiraz at Trader Joe’s last week.  Cost $4.99, label Banrock Station, screw top, year 2009, lots of plum and black cherry, very smooth. Hard to beat a less than $5.00 wine that good.

I might have to make a special trip to Silverdale to see the new Trader Joe’s (yes I admit I haven’t been there yet), and grab a bottle. If you have a favorite wine or one that you just tried that you’d drink again, we’d love to hear about it! Post it here, or send me an email: bgrimley@kitsapsun.com and I’ll share with everyone else!

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Mary writes:

A group of friends got together last month for our occasional Thursday night wine tasting. We have been meeting — occasionally — for over five years. We pick a theme and everyone brings a dish and a bottle of wine. Sometimes we blind taste and sometimes we meet new wines that are perfect for the food theme.

Last month was a pizza party. I “made” the dough and the red sauce and asked all the others to bring their favorite toppings. Everyone made a pizza to their liking. We had pepperoni, chicken, mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions — in other words the works.

One of the guests brought the Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2008, an old friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. This wine was perfect with all the pizzas because it was so well balanced; not over the top in any one area.  The aromas were of plums and berries and sweet herbs and the flavors had the herbs, red fruit and licorice with a long, sweet finish. Alcohol 13.5 percent.

Did I mention the superb balance?

Isole e Olena is located in the Chianti classico region of Tuscany. Olena is a tiny village just on the other side of Castelina. Owner winemaker Paolo di Marchi tends his vines naturally on his 100-acre estate with an aim to make wines that best reflect his vineyards and the weather Mother Nature gives him.

In great vintages, Isole e Olena can be powerful; the other vintages are aromatic and elegant. Paolo relies on the traditional grape, Sangiovese with a little help when needed from Canaiolo and Syrah. It’s around $15 a bottle.

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Brynn writes:

I follow a blog that offers daily tidbits on wine and today’s e-newsletter quickly caught my attention when it said there’s a bill before Congress that could prohibit the direct sale and shipping of wine from wineries to you, the consumer.

I’m not familiar with the bill, so I don’t want to try and act like I know what I’m talking about, but the New York Times recently ran an Op-Ed piece about the bill written by wine blogger David White.

White explains what this bill could mean to local wine drinkers — especially those of you who love to order wines from out of state, say from that favorite winery you recently visted while on a trip Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The article is an opinion piece, and White is cleary against the proposed bill, which he says would hurt the wineries and benefit the wholesale liquor industry.

Read his piece here at the NYT website.

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Brynn writes:

Since we started Cheers to You last summer I’ve tried to expand my reading to include wine blogs, or anything that might be wine-related. That includes websites selling great wines at discount prices.

While I haven’t purchased anything yet, I do enjoy reading about the wines coming through these sites to expand my knowledge about what’s out there. I also hope through repetition I’ll start to remember some of the big name winemakers in the world.

Two sites I’ve come across recently that I’m enjoying include Lot 18 (an invite-only site that when you go to register will give you an invite code. It offers great deals on wines that normally fall well out of my price range. In fact, some of the discounted wines are still out of my range, but one can dream, right?).

The other site a coworker recently directed me to. It’s associated with woot.com, which many of you may already be familiar with. But this is wine.woot!, and on it daily wine deals are offered.

Here’s how the woot.com geniuses describe the site: “Like our uncouth, barely-civilized older stepbrother, woot.com, here you’ll find one-time-only prices that put the rest of the Internet to shame.”

The site’s been around since 2006, so yes I’m definitely late to the party, but hey I just started this whole wine appreciation thing so give me a break.

I’m always looking for wine-related topics and sites — I recently subscribed to the Sediment Blog, which is written by two people in England. Their humor’s awesome and being overseas they get better access to wines being made in nearby countries, i.e. France.

I’d love to hear about other trusted wine sites out there, or wine blogs people subscribe to that they think are worth sharing. I’ll continue to pass along sites we use to improve our wine know-how, and hope you all will do the same.

Cheers!

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Brynn writes:

This week I thought I’d use our regular drinking post to highlight one of Kitsap’s own winemakers: Dave Prigmore of Liberty Bay Cellars.

Specifically, I’m writing about his Stillwater Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. (He has two, a Stillwater Creek Cab and a Conner Lee Cab).

I first tasted Prigmore’s Cab while at the Bainbriddge Island wine weekend last fall. While I was supposed to be tasting a Syrah, he slipped the cab in my glass instead. And boy was I glad he did.

I brought a bottle home, and have since devoured it — it paired perfectly with spaghetti and meatballs. The balance of this wine is even and the finish has a hint of Carmel, again from the time spent in French oak barrels. It’s well-rounded and goes great with food, but I also enjoyed a solitary glass without anything to accompany it.

Prigmore makes his wines at his Poulsbo home — actually he built a large barn-like shop behind the house where all of his wine is made and stored. He gets his grapes from four well-known Eastern Washington vineyards: Conner Lee Vineyards, Stillwater Creek Vineyard, Elephant Mountain Vineyard and Sugarloaf Vineyards.

For more on Prigmore and his bio — he passed the Court of Master Sommelier certificate exam and spent 12 years as one of the top sommeliers at the Metropolitan Grill — check out his website.

Here’s what he has to say about his Stillwater Cab:

A core color of clean, rough ruby leads to a lucent coppery edge. Aromas of stellar black cherry and caramel reveal a classic nose. Palette mirrors nose and finishes with a lengthy refrain.

Released in January 2009.  34 months in new French, Seguin-Moreau followed by 5 months in bottle. 175 cases produced.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Stillwater Creek Vineyard.

Because Liberty Bay is an artisan winery, and Prigmore’s the only guy running the show, the price of his wines are a little steeper than the $8 to $12 range we usually suggest. Prigmore’s website lists the wine at $32.50. I’m not sure if that’s the most recent price or not, but I can say the wine I tried it worth it — especially if you plan to save it for a special meal.

You can purchase Prigmore’s wines by contacting him through his website — he’ll probably even give you a tour of the place if you ask nicely.

Cheers!

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Brynn writes:

OK, I’m not specifically off work to drink wine (not this time at least, my Napa Valley trip isn’t until May), but I do plan to enjoy some crisp white wine while on vacation.

Just want our faithful followers to know that while there will be posts going up on their regular days over the next week, there won’t be anyone at the helm of Cheers to You to manage comments and answer questions.

You all have been a quiet group so far — we gotta work on that people! — so I doubt there’s going to be any comments while I’m away, but I want you to know if you don’t see your comment it’s because I’m not at work, and not because I don’t value your feedback. For those who post while I’m away, I’ll make sure to get your comments up as soon as I return to work March 7.

Until then, I’ll take notes on the wines I sip while relaxing on the sunny island of Maui and report back with my findings.

I wonder if they make a pineapple wine?

Cheers!

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