Cheers To You

Mary writes:

This week’s definition is: Kabinett.

Translated from German, it means cupboard.

But unlike the cupboard where you might keep your dishes or wine glasses, this kabinett has a different definition.

It’s a designation of quality wine with special attributes under the German wine laws.

In Germany, kabinett is in the lower tier of the wine classification system. Eiswein is the top tier. The special attributes used to classify these wines (and only Germanic law gets this precise) is the weight of the must or sugar content, where the grapes are grown, and the level of alcohol in the finished wine.

Kabinett is a wine that is made from fully ripened grapes from the main harvest which is typically picked in September. It is lighter in style and sweetness than a Spätlese. It can be be made dry (trocken) or off-dry (halbtrocken). If so, it will be noted on the label.

Share on Facebook

There are two ways to look at how to pair this “Swedish” dish depending on your taste buds.

Do you want something tart to pair with the acid of the lemon juice and red wine vinegar in the Sweet and Sour Chicken/Pork/Beef? Or do you want something sweet to pair with the sweeter side of the dish?

Regardless, we have a wine that will meet both requirements: Gewürztraminer.

It’s tough to say but easy to quaff. If you want to sound like you’re in the know, just say “Gah-vertz,” and leave the rest alone.

Gewürzt is made in many styles. Some have low acidity, some are dry and some are just the opposite. But the basic rule of thumb to remember when pairing Gewürzt with food is: How spicy is the dish?

If the meal is spicy, you should consider a wine that is sweeter and lower in acidity. If you like a little less heat, then choose a wine that is drier with higher acidity.

Look for wines from cooler regions like Mendocino in northern California. Navarro Vineyards has dialed into Gewürztraminer like no other winemaker.

Currently, they have five different Gewürztraminers available. The 2009 and 2010 are the drier versions with medium body and the typical intense aromas of lychee, pineapple, floral and spice with crisp acidity.

Their 2009 late harvest has 8 percent residual sugar and is sure to please those that prefer a hot, spicy sweet and sour dish.

Other styles available are a 2006 Late Harvest Cluster with 20 percent residual sugar. Probably not the best choice for this dish at $29 for a 375ml bottle.

And to cover all bases, Navarro makes a non-alcoholic Gewürztraminer that is pure essence of the grape at 20 percent residual sugar.

Navarro Vineyards is a family run winery that has been growing grapes and making wine since 1974. Because they are a small hands-on winery, their wines are sold only at the winery. Their website makes it easier to keep in touch navarrowine.com.

Share on Facebook

Brynn writes:

Well it took us long enough, but almost a month after attending the state’s largest wine tasting event we have finally transferred our thoughts from scribbles on pieces of paper to a coherent blog post. (Well at least we hope it’s coherent).

Going into Taste Washington we had quite the ambitious list of wineries we wanted to visit while attending the four-hour event at the CenturyLink event center.

Unlike last year, this year’s event was held over two days. We didn’t find out though until we received our press credentials the week of the event that we could attend both days. Unfortunately I had already scheduled myself for something Saturday afternoon, but Mary took advantage of the access and went Saturday and Sunday.

You better believe if they hold it over two days next year (which we’ve heard rumors they will) that I’ll be right there beside Mary maximizing my sips Saturday and Sunday.

Like last year we made sure to pace ourselves as we cruised through the aisles, stopping to nibble some of the delicious bites prepared by area restaurants. We also carried bottles of water with us to stay hydrated.

And while we had a list of where we planned to go, like any good wine taster with ADD, we often found ourselves sidetracked by a winery that caught our eye — sending us in crisscrossing through the event center. The good thing is we still had a blast, even if we didn’t hit every winery on our list.

One thing we did make sure to do was visit as many of the tables that we could that were pouring the most expensive wines of the day.

Seeing as I was eight months pregnant at the time of the event, my husband Jeff went as my designated taster. Before the event he read through the list and marked some of the most expensive bottles, figuring it might be the only time we’d get the chance to taste that many high quality wines at one time.

I was in charge of photography, but I did taste at almost every stop, followed by a lot of spitting. The reviews though are largely from Mary’s and Jeff’s comments and my summations of their responses to what we tried. Since my palate was still off from pregnancy, and because I was taking micro sips, I let them take the lead.

Without further ado, here are our thoughts on the day:

We’ll start with the most expensive wine we tasted.

It was the 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Boudreaux Cellars out of Leavenworth and it was $100. The cab comes from Champoux Vineyards (75 percent) and Loess Vineyard (25 percent) in Walla Walla. An interesting side note about this winery: it’s completely off the power grid, meaning winemaker Rob Newsom relies heavily on nature to get things done. My palate isn’t fine tuned enough to know whether I’m drinking a $100 bottle of wine or a $50 bottle of wine, but between this and the Bordeaux blend the winery was pouring the reserve was our favorite.

Speaking of favorites, the absolute favorite wine of the day for Brynn and Jeff came from Rotie Cellars. It was the winery’s Northern Blend, made up of 95 percent syrah and 5 percent viognier. The deep purple color exemplified what we’d expect from Rhone-style syrah and its meaty nose had a beautiful aroma. The midpalate was complex with a lot of flavors. This wine was reminiscent of France’s Rhone Valley syrah — something winemaker Sean Boyd was aiming to replicate. The finish is long lasting, leaving you time to think about how much you want a second sip.

Another favorite from Rotie was the winery’s Southern White, composed of 50 percent viognier, 30 percent roussane and 20 percent marsanne. It is a perfectly balanced, full-bodied wine with peachy fruit flavors and stony minerals. V.G.

Here are some other highlights from the weekend:

Robert Ramsey Cellars, 2009 McKinley Springs Mourvedre. We tried this at the Kitsap Wine Festival and really liked it then — tasting it a second time confirmed our first impression: it’s a great wine. It’s rare to see this grape without its partners in wine, Syrah and Grenache but that didn’t stop us. The color was dark purple red and stained the glass. Lots of complexity with leather, dark fruits and a pleasant earthiness.

Doubleback 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon This Walla Walla cab was one of the most expensive and therefore a must try.  At $89 it was probably the second most expensive wine we had all day. This wine reminded Brynn of a Napa Cab, with its in your face flavors. Winemaker Chris Figgins has created a complex wine that we wish we could have tried as it opened up over time — as recommended by winery owner Drew Bledsoe in his tasting notes. It was a little too up front for Brynn, but would be one we’d try again after letting it breathe for a couple hours.

Figgins Estate Red Bordeaux this 2008 estate blend came in at $85. It’s a mix of cab, merlot and petit verdot. The cab is heavy upfront, yet the nose hints at its merlot subtleties. It’s a wine that could be drunk now, or laid down for a little more time to age.

Brian Carter Cellars always has interesting blends. His Corrida is a Spanish style blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Garnacha and Cab. An unusual blend with the Cab and Merlot in there, but these grapes added a little more body and flavor to the Tempranillo.

Castillo de Feliciana’s Columbia Valley Micalato, another Spanish style from Red Mountain grapes is a blend of 68 percent Garnacha, 13 percent Tempranillo, 10 percent Syrah and 9 percent Counoise. Wine had ripe red fruit and herbal flavors and a really nice and round, smooth finish. Right next-door was bin on the lake with Pork belly tart tatin coins. Darn! Those were tasty!

Cave B’s Barbera was nice but what truly impressed us was the 2010 unoaked Columbia Valley Chardonnay. If you want to taste Chardonnay, no oak ageing, no barrel fermentation, no sur lies, this is it pure unadulterated Chardonnay.

Cascade Cliffs’ Barbera was awesome. Bob Lorkowski planted Piedmont grapes along the Columbia River in 1997. Mary likes to think she set him off on the Piedmont path when she tasted him on what she thought was the best Barbera on the planet at her Grape Expectations wine shop. Cigluitti Barbera d’Alba. He also has a very good Zinfandel.

Chandler Reach Vineyards from Benton City has a rich, smooth Cab called Parris. The wine was aged in American, French and Hungarian oak before blending and bottling. The complexity comes from the different blends of oak rather than the grapes. Another impressive wine.

Januik Winery 2009 Ciel du Cheval Petite Verdot is a rich with black fruits with hints of minerals, great balance and a weighty mouthfeel. The finish is smooth but will improve with some cellaring.

Kana Cellars 2008 Dark Star is a luscious blend of mostly Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache that is barrel aged for 3 years. V.G.

Long Shadows Vintners 2007 Columbia Valley Pedestal Merlot is a concentrated dark cherry, toasty oak-kissed wine made by Michel Rolland from Pomerol.

Marcus Sophia Winery is located in Graham. Winemaker Laela Cramer sources her grapes from Alder Ridge and Horse Heaven Hills, two very well known vineyards. Her 2009 Yakima Valley Merlot is a blend of 85 percent syrah and 15 percent cab franc aged in American oak. Well worth seeking out. She also makes a syrah in the traditional way, cold soaking to extract flavor and color and then co-fermenting with a bit of viognier. It’s earthier then most syrahs but impressive.

Michael Florentino 2008 Columbia Valley Monastrell. It’s rare to see this grape without its partners in wine, syrah and grenache. monastrell is the Spanish way for saying mourvèdre. It’s thick-skinned grape is the reason these wines are so inky purple and tannic. This monastrell has lots of black fruit flavors with spice, leather, and herbal nuances. A really good lamb sausage from the Hook & Plow restaurant was perfect with this wine.

Pondera Winery out of Woodinville 2008 Columbia Valley Consensio is a Bordeaux blend of 58 percent cab, 27 percent merlot, 10 percent cab franc and 5 percent malbec. This full-bodied wine is richly colored with flavors of cherries plums and hints of spice and mocha. The finish is long and smooth.

Saviah Cellars 2008 Walla Walla Petit Verdot is a rich, glass-staining-black red wine with black fruits with hints of leather and minerals, balanced, smooth and velvety. What a mouthful!

Sparkman Cellars 2009 Red Mountain Kingpin Cab. There’s a mouthful of wine. Rich with black currant and plum, tobacco, leather and spice. Smooth, rich with a long, long finish. Nicely paired with Assagio Ristorante’s Penne with wild boar ragu. Yum!

Syncline James and Poppy Mantone’s 2009 Blanc de Blanc has a fine bead and citrus flavors that paired very nicely with the chicken liver pate from RN74.

Treveri Cellars Sparkling Mueller-Thurgau. This grape is a cross of riesling and silvaner grapes. The citrus and mineral flavors balanced by 3 percent residual sugar paired very nicely with the shrimp seviche with dry cured chorizo and cucumbers from the Purple Café and Wine Bar.

Waters Winery out Walla Walla way has a fabulous 2008 Columbia Valley Cabernet. With dark fruits, leather and spice, it has depth and complexity. Sourced from Cold Creek and Pepper Bridge Vineyards.

Share on Facebook

Mary writes:

You might recognize this week’s wine review by its label, which features one of its oldest workers at the Yakima Valley vineyard and winery.

The Chandler Reach Vineyards 36 Red explains on its back label why a weathered, well-used truck is its signature image for this blend: “Reminded of the lifelong service our 1936 flatbed truck provided, 36 Red delivers…”

This wine is a judicious blend of cabernet and merlot with smooth and toasty juicy, ripe black fruit flavors and good concentration and balance.

Located on a north-facing slope overlooking Red Mountain, Chandler Reach is 42 acres of estate vineyards. A low crop yield insures high quality and intense flavors.

This everyday wine is available at Costco for $12.

Share on Facebook

Brynn writes:

Bainbridge Island’s Rolling Bay Winery was recently highlighted in Seattle Magazine.

Actually it was the winery’s 2008 Manitou Red that received the recognition. The wine was listed by the magazine as “10 Best New Washington Wines of 2012″.

As the article politely points out, Rolling Bay Winery isn’t new — the winery became bonded in 2007, but started years before that as a co-op between three mutual friends.

Winemaker Alphonse de Klerk continues to hit the mark with his blending skills — hence the regular recognition for the winery’s blends, specifically the Manitou Red, which is probably one of the better-known wines the small-scale winery produces.

I have a bottle of the Manitou Red sitting in our wine rack that I need to crack open one of these days, but I’ve been waiting for just the right occasion.

To read more about the 2008 blend read the Seattle Magazine piece here.

Share on Facebook

Mary writes:

This week’s wine term is: Jerez (pronounced Hair-eth). 

It is a prosperous little city in southern Spain and is also the birthplace of sherry.

It’s here behind the high, white, windowless walls of the bodegas in which sherry is made and aged.

Almost all sherries are made from the Palomino Fino grape, a fairly neutral, large-crop white grape that thrives in these vineyards.

The vineyards lie mostly to the west and southwest of the city nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Guadalete and Guadalquivir rivers. Pedro Ximénez and the Moscatel grapes are used in the sweet sherries.

Share on Facebook

Wow, with an assortment of ingredients to fill the refreshing summer cucumbers we sought to find the perfect wine recommendation that not only matches the varied flavors, but also compliments the light, refreshing treat.

Luckily we’ve got a wine that’ll work for three of the five suggested fillings — curried ham, lox and cream cheese and horseradish — and another pairing for the hummus.

The ingredients making up the ham filling — including the Dijon mustard, curry and ham — and the lox and horseradish recipes all lead our palates to Riesling.

These delectable bites deserve a wine from a region steeped in history. The boundaries for the Alsace wine region have been moved four times in 75 years, splitting the divide between France and Germany. As a result, it’s a wine that incorporates winemaking traditions of both nations.

France’s Alsace, where Riesling is grown, is located east of Champagne and just west of Germany in the Vosges Mountains. The area has little rainfall, especially during harvest. Local legend predicts a good vintage when it’s a “one shirt harvest.”

While it’s now a part of France, Alsatian wines carry the German tradition of listing the grape name on its label. Typically the names are Riesling or Gewurztraminer, because they’re the most commonly grown grapes in the region, with some Pinot Blanc.

In the French manner, every bit of the sugar is fermented out of the wine during the winemaking process. Because, as every French man knows, wine is more food-friendly when fermented dry and has sufficient acidity to make it refreshing.

The end result is floral and mineral wine with body and depth. In Alsace the wines are bigger, making them feel weightier and allowing them to pair well with heavier dishes.

With age, these wines grow more complex. In 1989, when the Hugel & Fils winery celebrated its 350th anniversary, dinner was served with Rieslings from 1900, 1934 and 1945.

One of the better-known producers, Hugel & Fils 2010 Riesling is dry with lively acidity. It is refreshingly quaffable. Aromas and flavors of apples, citrus, and spring blossoms abound, making it a great match for summer stuffed cucumbers.

If you’re looking to fill the cucumbers with hummus, we must suggest a different wine. It’s not that a Riesling wouldn’t go with it; it’s just that there is a better match.

And we had it the other night when we we’re tasting the wines from Okanogan Estate & Vineyards.

The 2009 Blue Lake Vineyard Pinot Grigio is a dry, stainless steel fermented wine that has flinty, mineral aromas with citrus flavors and full bodied. Look for it at your local grocery story — if you can’t find it, ask them to get it for you.

Share on Facebook

Mary writes:

Argentina’s Patagonia is historically known for its cool dry climate, but not so much for its wine. This has changed in recent years as growers have discovered the region’s large temperature variations and complex soils are perfect for planting Malbec.

The Ruta 22 Malbec is a dark ruby color with aromas of berries and vanilla. The fruit-forward flavors are all blackberry, plum and a fine minerality with a silky smooth finish.

This wine is a good bet for the start of the grilling season whether it you choose meat, fowl or fish.

Share on Facebook

Brynn writes:

This one’s pretty easy to figure out, but it’s a wine term stemming from the French — I know what a shock, right?

A Négociant is a wine merchant that works with small-scale grape growers and winemakers. The négociant takes the grapes and wine and sells them under his/her name.

Négociants aren’t always looking for a finished product. They’ll buy everything from grape must to wines that haven’t been finished yet. If they buy the juice or must, they’ll complete the winemaking process; if the wine is already fermented, the négociant will age the wine and may even blend other wines before bottling it and selling it.

The wine is sold under the négociant, not the original producer/grower.

Some well-known French négociants that are often seen on Washington grocery store shelves include Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin and Georges Duboeuf.

Share on Facebook

Brynn writes:

Looking for something to do next week, say on Wednesday night?

Well if you live on Bainbridge Island — or feel like making the trip depending on where you’re coming from — Doc’s Marina Grill is hosting a winemaker’s dinner featuring Joe Dobbes, who was named the “#1 Hot Small Brand of 2011″ by Wine Business Monthly Magazine.

Dobbes is the winemaker of Joe Dobbes Wines, located in Dundee Oregon. He’s been a winemaker for close to 30 years and has received national recognition for his wines.

Here’s part of the press release from Doc’s with more information about the dinner, including how to sign up:

Doc’s will be finishing its Winemakers Dinner series for the 2012 Season with Joe Dobbes from Dundee, Oregon. This is the most anticipated winemakers dinner of the year due to the national recognition Joe Dobbes has received for his fantastic wines. This will be a great opportunity for locals and wine enthusiasts alike to meet one of the most exciting American winemakers, and taste his wine. There is limited seating for this experience, and will be sure not to disappoint.

Established in 2002, Dobbes Wines has become one of Oregon’s most well-established wine companies.

Registration is available online at docsgrill.com, just make a reservation during the time of the dinner, or by calling (206) 842-8339.

Share on Facebook