Wine Spectator named Columbia Crest’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as wine of the year. If their wines were popular before, their popularity skyrocketed after the news. Many a wine rack proudly featured a bottle of Columbia Crests’s best. Seattle’s Palace Ballroom will be hosting the release of their latest Vintage: the 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with the expectation that this will do as well as the 2006, especially since proceeds from this event will help the hungry of Seattle.
     $40 gets you samples of fine food, wine, music, and a chance to win some great prizes. I wonder if Bobby Flay will attend? His recipes and pairings grace Columbia Crest’s website. In fact, this is where I get my information about what food to pair with the CS. If you like these ideas, thank Mr. Flay.
His suggestions include a Roasted Port Tenderloin with Fig Cabernet Sauce and Black Pepper Crusted Grilled Shell Steak with Mint Chimichurri. Say that five times fast. Recipes are provided online for the courageous.
     As for the Palace Ballroom, the event takes place August 5th from 4:30-7:30pm. Purchase your tickets and feel good knowing that a/will taste a possible first-place Cab and b/you helped Food Lifeline just a little by having a good time.

Recently, a friend and I thought it would be great to start an ethnic evening, inviting other couples and families to contribute themed dishes and host the event once a month at someone’s house on a rotating basis. Last week our theme was Greek: souvlaki, Greek salad, tzatziki and pita were served to much success. We were also at the beach, so the many kids (five? ten? twenty-seven? Who knows, they seem to multiply before your eyes) enjoyed swimming in Shuswap Lake.

     Next time, I’m hosting the event. I asked my cousin what her favorite foods are. She mentioned Parisian and Vietnamese. Trust her.  I thought she’d say Chinese, Italian, Mexican, but no. She had to get fancy.

     Turns out that’s fine. I like the look of Vietnamese food which is very light and fully of veggies, perfect at this time of year. Parisian would be better suited to the heavier meals of a colder month, so I guess I’m cooking Vietnamese.

     Meals like Pho Bo (Noodle Soup) and Chili dipping sauce ( to go with Spring Rolls) are very spicy. Hot and Sour Tofu Soup – yep, more spice here. Also, buy a lot of tofu if you expect to serve Vietnamese food: plenty of tofu recipes.

     The Slanted Door recommends a crisp white wine to pair with all of that spice. Nothing too dry, while reds would be a disaster. Their recommendation: Riesling. Their comments imply that an off-dry or medium Riesling would be suitable.  If you don’t already have something suitable on your wine rack, Clos du Bois of California  gets a mention among the best Rieslings according to Novus Vinum. Others to try (at a price under $20) include Drylands from New Zealand, Helfrich from France, and Yalumba from Australia. Remember: Riesling can be quite dry, so reading labels carefully is important.

     Happy eating and drinking.

There was a time when Blue Nun had a reputation for making very poor quality wine. In the 1980s and 90s their wine was a Liebfraumilch, very popular in the UK as a cheap glass of white for the undiscerning. I drank a glass or three way back when and I have to say I have passed over Blue Nun on the liquor store’s German wine rack numerous times since. I can still taste it.
     The brand now contains more Riesling and is called Qualitatswein. Their line has also diversified to include two kinds of Merlot, a Zinfadel, Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. They make a rose, a pink and a pink ice, two types of white sparkling, four kinds of Riesling and a Pinot Grigio. Things have really changed.  

     Do I have the courage to try again? Yes, and soon. Kind of like white water rafting: I had to build up to that. Maybe this will be the same, and perhaps the Blue Nun will also make a splash.

Most white wines will fit nicely on a lovely wine rack and, until being poured into your glass, will go nowhere else. You wouldn’t usually consider cellaring a white, or so I thought. Turns out it depends on the varietal, what vintage, and who made it.
     For example, certain Chardonnays and Rieslings are deemed suitable for the cellar. The Domaine d’Auvenay 2002 Chardonnay is given a drinking threshold of 2035. Clemens Bush Rielsing, 2001, should be good until beyond 2060. Chenin Blanc features prominently among cellar-worthy examples (I’m back in my ‘1001 Wines’ guide by the way). One bottle, the 1989 Didier et Catherine Champalou, will apparently serve well until 2030. I wonder what bottle openers will look like in twenty years.
     I also wonder how hard it would be to select a bottle left sitting for so many years, like a family heirloom, growing in value exponentially, then finally open and drink it. One day it provides a talking point for below-ground gatherings and Halloween parties in the dungeon; the next, it’s gone.
     One can only hope that another bottle is still aging somewhere in that cellar, worthy of drinking some time soon, and another for a few years down the road. In fact, my suspicion is that anyone who can afford that 1989 Chenin Blanc and has a house big enough to build a cellar probably has a few good bottles hanging around in a dark, cool lair of wines.

Along with certain weekly and month events happening throughout Oregon and Washington State, there are numerous special happenings to take note of if you like to combine wine with other activities such as socializing, eating and listening to music. You can even help out a good cause, thanks to your favorite drink, and wineries get pretty specific.

     At least one does, anyway. Saturday July 31st from 12-4 in Portland, stop in at Irving Street Kitchen for Pinot Noir tasting. Twelve wineries including Anam Cara, Argyle and Elk Cove will have their offerings on hand, so save space on your wine rack. Tickets cost $35 to include a pig roast dinner along with tastings, plus live Blues music. Proceeds will benefit the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Call 503-343 9440 for information or to reserve your seat.

     That same day at 6pm, Duck Pond Cellars hosts a five course tasting meal prepared by Sub Terra Restaurant. This Dundee event costs $85 ($65 for club members). Call 800-437-3213×21.

     Maryhill Winery is hosting a Summer Concert Series, this July 31st (busy day, lots of choices) featuring Jackson Browne and David Lindly. 

     Dipping into August just a smidge, consider booking space at the Square Meal Wine and Dinenr at Arbor Brook Vineyard August 7th, 6 pm. Adam Sappington will prepare food carefully paired with wines and served in the riding arena. Your view takes in the vineyard. Watch square dancing demos then get up and try yourself, no matter what level you are at. Tickets cost $100 for club members, $125 for non-members.

Some of the oldest wineries in Europe resemble castles and stately homes. If you have ever been inside a palace, you may have noted art collections such as statuary, oil paintings and tapestries. Though business was surely transacted in palaces, and guides might show tourists the rooms where critical letters were written, mainly it is difficult to view them as places of work. Mind you, there was business in the slightest social gathering, made to look like a good time. Diplomacy and all that.

     Castles and stately homes belonging to wineries therefore stand out. A winery is the site of much bustle and work. The business of wine makers is not in diplomacy (though sales are important); their business is the grape, the cellar, barrels and bottles.

    Visitors might still see fine art collections inside these buildings,while their architecture constitutes an art form in itself.

    Examples include Chateau Palmer in Bordeaux. Built in 1856 it represents a mix of styles: Baroque, Renaissance and Classical. Though lacking the columns familiar to late eighteenth century neo-classicism, the chateau still reflects balance in its overall appearance and arragement of windows, shutters etc. Blue shutters against white provide a sunny disposition to the facade, while two conical towers, one at either side, remind one of Cinderella’s castle. Park, topiaries, and flowerbeds indicate that precision on the outside is mimicked on the inside, where wine is discussed.

     Chateau Giraud was first known as ‘La Maison Noble du Bayle’, taking the name Guirard after its new owner in 1766. It’s imposing facade is approached by a long, hedge-lined drive. This wide, three story building takes on that same symmetry of classical proportions, but is magnificent if flat and stern in the Baroque fashion. The photo I am looking at depicts the chateau on a sunny day, yet I could easily imagine this as a Gothic mansion of darkness were the sky black and threatening, nearby trees bending over against a strong wind.

     Chateau Pape Clement takes its name from the future Pope Clement V, Bertrand de Goth, who gave the property to the Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1309. Different views show a number of qualities:  turreted square tower with wide circular turreted tower above. A pointy peaked roof combines with these, adding yet another layer to a style perhaps influenced by one of the Gothic phases. Painted white and quite beautiful amid its grounds (pictured above), it suggests liveliness, welcome, being less foreboding than the angular Giraud.

     The study of vineyards is not, after all, just about filling your wine rack with the best wines. This is a look at history, reminding me that this much loved drink has been popular for a long time and will continue to be.

Perhaps it is hard to imagine a wine coming from a volcanic region, thriving on ash-rich soil. The reason I say that is I’m not familiar with a lot of volcanic activity in Napa, the Medoc or Niagara. Needless to say, the subject is fascinating.

     Besides, would you risk establishing a vineyard in the path of an active volacano, knowing that vines need to mature, then the bottles have to spend time in barrels and bottles, making the process from planting to selling years long? Your efforts could end up under a pile of lava or ash if scientists get their data wrong.

     ‘Oh, sure, you can plant now. This volcano isn’t due to erupt for at least a century.’ Boom!

     Then again, volcanic ash provides the perfect base for certain grapes like the Aglianico. This is an ancient variety, among those thought to have been rescued from extinction by Antonio Mastroberardino. Others include Piedrosso and Sciascinosa (aka Olivella). Charles Scicolone wrote on i-Italy about the wine master’s fascination with Mount Vesuvius and ancient cultivating techniques. Wineries in the area of Campania in southern Italy have clearly benefited from volcanic soil.

     On its own, Aglianico produces moderately priced wine (high for my budget, nothing compared to some varieties coming straight out of Pompeii where Mastroberardino started growing six foot vines a few years ago). Some cheaper bottles are around, but if you want to get the fullness of the grape’s complex flavors on your wine rack, consider paying the price. Notes include chocolate, coffee and leather. Modern techniques are helping to bring ready-to-drink wines to the table, though in certain cases, cellaring 5-10 years is considered ideal.

Among the 1001 wines one should probably drink before it’s too late, Stuart Walton notes the 2004 Dry Red from Chateau Margaux.  This vintage is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

     The history of Chateau Margaux spans centuries, and though not every owner loved wine or the estate as much as every other, the vines enjoyed relatively consistent management. One early note in the history of this vineyard is the end of the 100 years war when Bordeaux fell to France. This was when French wine could enter the market in France. Later, the English grew to love French claret. Revolution in the late eighteenth century led eventually to an end of family control and passion for the place when Laura Fumel, concerned for her head, sold the estate to a Spaniard, Bertrand Duat. From then on, Chateau Margaux belonged to the next buyer, no longer a of any great family of wine makers. Then again, some important ones came along, like Andre Mentzelopouos from Greece. He made many improvements such as an underground chai or barrel cellar. Earlier innovations on the site included the vinifying of vines during the eighteenth century when Berlon was estate manager and divided white from red.

     I found the architectural notes interesting. During the twelfth century a mound held a fortified castle, replaced by a Gothic manor at some point and producing wine. At first, grain was the predominant crop, until the early sixteenth century when vines were planted in earnest. Just being situated on a mound was of importance, since the Medoc is flat and elevation leads to better drainage. Duat professed little interest in wine and more in social elevation. Still, he replaced the Gothic manor with the structure modern visitors see: a neo-Palladian style featuring the clasical symmetry popular in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century art including architecture, music and fine art. Columns at the front remind one of antique structures in Rome and Greece. Whether Bertrand Duat knew it or not, he was announcing the continued longevity and supremacy of Chateau Margaux wine via this implied connection with antiquity.

    If you have something with the name ‘Chateau Margaux’ in your wine rack, drink it thoughtfully, contemplating the centuries of history that went into bringing you this glass of wine.

Going to Lattin’s really got me thinking about how self sustainable they are.  The owners live right there on the farm and all of their employees are family members.  In their little store they sell home baked goods and vegetables and cider that they made.  They have some of the very best pies I have ever eaten and they make it so convenient for the consumer.  You have about 15 varieties of homemade, frozen pies to choose from.  All you have to do is pick your favorite, take it home and bake it!  Now, if only they made apple wine too so I could stock up my wine rack as easily as I can fill up my belly with their pies…

As soon as I saw if, I ran over to the cooler and picked out 2 of the juices and a couple of the teas too.  I am always on the lookout for new juices and teas because I seem to be one of those people who are always parched and sometimes water just doesn’t cut the mustard.  I can’t wait to try some tonight!  Although it isn’t alcoholic wine, you’d never know the difference once I put the beautifully purple merlot juice in a wine charmed glass.  Just fancy enough for burgers on the BBQ tonight!