Winter Kill

Central Washington’s biggest viticultural problem can be winter kill from severe arctic outbreaks.  These tend to occur on average two out of every ten years.  During the winter of 1995-96 we had two weeks of severe cold and our thermometer here in Trinidad (an old ghost town above Crescent Bar between Quincy and Wenatchee) registered -10 F.  Many vineyards throughout the state were severely damaged although we only experienced two percent bud damage.  In the winter of 2002-03 we had a very brief two day arctic outbreak which damaged some vineyards, mostly those planted in flat locations and here on our hillside we were once again fine.

Happy Holidays from WINO

3 Sixty Cellars Oro Red Wine Blend

*Bottle #44: 3 Sixty Cellars Oro Columbia Valley Red Wine Blend
*Price: $30+?
*Running Tab: $530

Sometimes free is better simply because it is free.

There’s a partner that will go unnamed of 3 Sixty Cellars, a Tri-Cities, Washington bed n’ breakfast and now winery. Seemingly unwed and flirtatious was this co-owner of his overnight wine escapade who gave me this bottle of Oro, a red blend from 3 Sixty Cellars after I attempted to avoid him during a tasting. I did a little research and found out the guy’s not only been married for a while but he owns the business with his wife. He’s the second creep I’ve ran into on this wine blog who either hit on me or a friend over wine.

Wine, Chocolate and Tea Make Us Smart

Here’s yet another study about the positive effects of wine, and also chocolate and tea. According to an article in the International Business Times, those who regularly consume these things showed significantly higher results on test scores, and showed lower prevelance of poor cognitive performance. Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics conducted the experiments, and published the results in the Journal of Nutrition. They think it’s due to flavanoids, but they have to do more tests to be sure. Evidence pointed especially to wine having pronounced effects.  Three cheers for science!

Wine & Charity

I’m often surprised by the level of generosity and social consciousness among the wine community. Not only are there scads of charitable events put on by the wine industry like the Auction of Washington Wines we attended earlier this year, but there are also wineries that keep charity as their business model, like Heaven’s Cave Winery that we wrote about in September.

Well, there is a new philanthropist on the block.  Matt Albee over at Eleven Winery has made a big decision about his winery.  According to his Winemaker’s Blog, he and his wife have decided that Eleven will always donate all of their profits to charity, focusing on organizations that aim to end the cycle of poverty. His winery is not yet profitable, and won’t be until sometime in 2009, so in the meantime, he’s donating $1,000 a year to World Bicycle Relief, an org that provides bicycles to communities in Africa.

There’s also Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson at O Wine Company, who use a portion of their proceeds to fund scholarships for underpriveledged girls, funding their education and thereby stopping the cycle of abuse that occurrs with women without opportunity.

For most winemakers in Washington, it seems that making great wine is paramount. According to many winemakers we’ve talked to, making a living at it is less important than making a great profit, it’s all about the love. It’s heartwarming to see that for some, making the world a better place is also high on their list of objectives.

Herdade Dos Grous 2006 Tinto/Red Wine

*Bottle #43: Herdade Dos Grous Vinho Regional Alentejo 2006 Tinto/Red Wine
*Price: $18
*Running Tab: $530

Possibly the coolest element of the Herdade Dos Grous Red Wine was the label’s Webpage. Not a complete 180 from last week’s criticism but Herdade Dos Grous has various translation options (Dutch, please?), a silhouette of their elusive grouse (two, to be exact) and a Google map of their exact location, (latitude, longitude and something else?). How hip.

Cellaring Woes

I keep hearing people talk about the wine they have collecting in their “cellar” (closet, cupboard, wine rack, whatever). Some people are so proud of their collections, that they create inventory catalogs and spreadsheets to keep track of them, carefully noting how many bottles are collecting dust. I just can’t seem to do it. And I’ve tried.

A couple of weekends ago, we took a trip through Woodinville on their annual St. Nicholas Day Open House.  I came home with several bottles: the elusive Alexandria Nicole 2006 Grenache, Brian Carter Cellars 2005 Byzance, and Senoj Estates 2006 Syrah. I got home and found a good spot to keep them; three bottles looked like the beginning of a collection, and I intended to add to it. I bought a bottle of Bonair Winery 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon for a whopping $10 at the new Vino Verité wine shop at the owner’s recommendation (very high QPR), and added it to the growing family of wines in my library.

That was the end of it.  Some friends came over for a wine tasting, and the Bonair didn’t make it through the evening unscathed. The next day, the Senoj Estates was the next to go. A couple of days later, the Brian Carter joined the empty bottles in my recycling bin. The last man standing is the Alexandria Nicole, only because of my reluctance to drink it since the winery has sold out, and it can’t be replaced until next vintage. I’m sure, however, that temptation will get the best of me.

I’ve added a bottle of the Camaraderie Cellars 2005 Elegánce, the wine that recently wone the prestigious Jefferson Cup in the red vina fera category, and I even got it signed by winemaker Don Corson at an appearance at The Tasting Room, but that too is counting down to doomsday.

The fact that I even intended to cellar some wines demonstrates that I can appreciate the notion. But it pains me to see great bottles of wine staring me in the face, unopened.

In a conversation the other day with Jameson Fink (WINO contributor, wine steward, and wine writer for Seattle Metblogs), he told me about how he keeps a storage locker for his wine collection–a locker outside his home. The idea here isn’t necessarily to gain extra space for your wine collection, but to keep you away from it. The inconvenience of grabbing a bottle of wine or two is enough to keep your grubby mitts off of it.  I may just have to try that.

Falling Prices & Bailout Wine

If you’re like me, you sometimes grow weary of daily credit-crunch reports and industry bailout news. Much better to gather friends and enjoy a bottle of wine. But, all of this financial stuff does having a bearing on the wine world.

According to an article in Forbes, prices on tradeable fine wines have been falling drastically. The Live-Ex 100 Fine Wine Index fell 5.5% from last year in November (the index tracks 100 tradeable wines), and then another fifth since then. Some wines are even available at half of last year’s value. If you’re sitting on a stockpile of investment wines, this will come as bad news. But, if you’re looking at buying some investment wines, now may be a great time to browse.

Current events have also inspired another clever gimmick from Crushpad, the makers of the Fusebox that WINO reviewed in November’s First Impressions. According to a press release, Crushpad has begun to sell futures on a 2007 Cab Sauv called Bailout from Napa Valley. The novelty here, though, is the price.  Bailout sells for $39 per bottle, but for every 100-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Index between the date of purchase and the bottling date (projected in August 2009), Crushpad will drop the price $2, and issue refunds to purchasers. Sounds like a safe bet for wine speculators.

Chelan Estate 2004 Reserve Red Wine

*Bottle #42: Chelan Estate 2004 Reserve Red Wine Stillwater Creek Vineyard
*Price: $30
*Running Tab: $512 (Free for me, again…)

I complain a lot. I’m aware of that. But I do have some signature pet peeves that I fuss over more than most things. For those who know me, I swear this becomes endearing after many years of tuning me out…

A classic no-nonsense vex of mine is bad business Web pages. If you have enough money to run a sufficient business and launch a Web site, you should have the sense or means to find someone with the sense to create a page that looks decent. I have a very difficult time taking businesses serious whom own poorly designed sites. I know this is faintly over-scrupulous, but come on! How hard?!

Wine & Weed to Ward Off Alzheimer’s

Two recent studies suggest that both red wine and marijuana could have health benefits that include the warding off of Alzheimer’s Disease. 

One study at Ohio State University suggests that THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) may not only reduce inflammation in the brain, but encourage the growth of new brain cells. Another study at UCLA found that polyphenols in red wine reduce toxic plaques that damage brain cells.

Ain’t science grand?

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