AlmaTerra Wins at Seattle Uncorked

We’ve talked a lot of late about AlmaTerra wines. Well, now others are talking, too.

David LeClaire and Seattle Uncorked held an event at Ray’s Boathouse called “Rosé Revival and Other Cool Whites” on June 3. Club members converged on the venue to try a slough of wines, and the proceeds of the event went to support the Ryther Child Center.

This was a judged event, evaluated both by professionals and attendees. The professional judges awarded AlmaTerra’s Coéo Viognier first place among the whites.

WINO Haiku Contest Winners

This week, we held a contest to see who could write some of the best wine-related haikus. We read them all today, and it was tough to pick favorites. These poets are competitors.

We ended up choosing two winners, and would like to offer our congratulations to Amber Agne and Kimberly Cook. Here are their haikus:

Congratulations to Our Sponsors

The Seattle Wine Awards medalists were announced in this month’s issue of WINO Magazine. Among those who did not receive a medal, there were still many that achieved an “Outstanding” nod from the esteemed adjudicators of the SWA.

While we congratulate all the wineries in the State who received recognition by the SWA, we wanted to take a minute to salute those wineries that have sponsored WINO Magazine over the past year. Our hats are off to you, good sirs and madams.

Cabernet Franc
$35.01 – Up
GOLD	2006 Basel Cellars Estate Winery Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla
$20.01 – $35.00
BRONZE	2006 RioVista Wines Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
$20.01 – $35.00
BRONZE	2007 Coyote Canyon Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, HH Estates Reserve Big John
BRONZE	2006 Saint Laurent Estate Vineyards Cabernet, Wahluke Slope
$20.00 – Under
SILVER	2006 San Juan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley
BRONZE	2006 Ginkgo Forest Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope
Outstanding	2007 Coyote Canyon Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills
Chardonnay
$20.00 – Under
GOLD	2007 RioVista Wines Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
SILVER	2007 Saint Laurent Estate Vineyards Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope
Outstanding	2008 Jones of Washington Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope
Gewürztraminer
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2008 Ginkgo Forest Winery Gewürztraminer, Wahluke Slope
Pinot Gris
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2008 Kyra Wines Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley
Red Bordeaux Styles
$35.01 – Up
SILVER	2006 Cave B Estate Winery “Cuvée Du Soleil,” Columbia Valley
BRONZE	2006 Basel Cellars Estate Winery “Merriment,” Walla Walla
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2006 Basel Cellars Estate Winery Claret, Walla Walla,
Outstanding	2006 San Juan Vineyards Cabernet Merlot, Yakima Valley
Red Proprietary Blends
$20.01 – $35.00
BRONZE	2006 Harbinger Winery “A Point,” Sagemoor Vineyard, Columbia Valley
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2005 RioVista Wines Loony Red, Columbia Valley
Red Varietals
$20.01 – $35.00
SILVER	2007 Cave B Estate Winery Barbera, Columbia Valley
BRONZE	2007 Kyra Wines Pinot Noir, Washington State
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2007 Kyra Wines Dolcetto, Wahluke Slope
Riesling
$20.00 – Under
GOLD	2008 Cave B Estate Winery Riesling, Columbia Valley
GOLD	2008 NHV (Naches Heights Vineyard) Riesling, Columbia Valley
Rosé
$20.00 – Under
BRONZE	2008 Coyote Canyon Winery “Life is a Rosé,” Horse Heaven Hills
Outstanding	2008 Whidbey Island Winery Rosato, Yakima Valley
Sangiovese
$20.01 – $35.00
Outstanding	2004 Coyote Canyon Winery HH Estates Reserve Sangiovese, Yakima Valley
Syrah
$20.01 – $35.00
GOLD	2006 Hollywood Hill Vineyards Syrah, Rattlesnake Hills
BRONZE	2005 Hollywood Hill Vineyards Syrah, Yakima Valley
Outstanding	2006 Saint Laurent Estate Syrah, Wahluke Slope
$20.00 – Under
Outstanding	2006 Ginkgo Forest Winery Syrah, Wahluke Slope
Viognier
$20.00 – Under
BRONZE	2008 Jones of Washington Viognier, Wahluke Slope
White Proprietary Blends
$20.00 – Under
SILVER	2008 Coyote Canyon Winery “Downtown White,” Yakima Valley
BRONZE	2008 Hard Row to Hoe “Edelzwicker,” Columbia Valley
White Rhone Style
$20.00 – Under
DOUBLE GOLD	2008 Coyote Canyon Winery Roussanne, Horse Heaven Hills
GOLD	2007 Whidbey Island Winery Roussanne, Yakima Valley
White Varietal
$20.00 – Under
DOUBLE GOLD	2008 Kyra Wines Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley
GOLD	2008 Coyote Canyon Winery Albarino, Horse Heaven Hills
Outstanding	2008 San Juan Vineyards Siegerrebe, Puget Sound

Edi Simiii 2005 “Duet” Red Blend

*Bottle #66: Edi Simii 2005 “Duet” Red Wine Blend
*Price Tag: Misc. Hungarian Dollars
*Running Tab: $893

Listen here, kids, do not drink and write. Drinking and writing can cause hand-cramps and reckless composition, which can ultimately escalate at a rapid speed to illegible scribbles and notes you can no longer deter the following day when attempting to blog, function and/or continue drinking.

Drinking and writing is a serious offense.

So is bad wine. Here is one such story… The following is based on true events, the names have not been changed for the sake of privacy because I want to exploit my friends as much as possible.

I have this friend and fellow blogger, Miss Vivvi, who has traveled the world to spread fine English dialect to eastern European children, eat amazing food and drink amazing wine. In her globe-trotting, she has rested her head most securely in Hungry. According to her last post, that is where her heart lies. Also because she has taken a lover there…

WWA Says Goodbye (Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?)

In 2003, the Washington Wine Ambassadors program came onto the scene, and now, six years later, it’s curtains for the WWA.

Founded by Barbara Shotwell, the WWA was developed under the umbrella of the Washington Wine Commission after she convinced the Board of Directors that volunteer winos could be the key to getting the word out about Washington Wine. The sort of grassroots campaign envied by politicians everywhere.

Organic Labeling

There are new rules about labeling wine as “organic,” according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). By agreement between the TTB and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)–a subsidiary of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)–the new labeling rules will ensure full disclosure to the consumer.

See, it turns out that wine drinkers who look for organic wines actually expect them to be organic. Sometimes, wines will say “Made with organic ingredients,” but that’s not to say that all the ingredients are organic. So, now, they have to be more clear, and can choose from these options:

• “Made with Organic and Non-Organic Grapes”;
• “Made with Organic [variety] Grapes and Non-Organic [variety] Grapes”;
• “Made with _% Organic Grapes and _% Grapes”;
• “Made with _% Organic [variety] Grapes and _% Non-Organic [variety] Grapes”

There are some other technicalities being called for, and you can view them in the announcement on the TTB’s website. All of this is part of the TTB’s mission to ensure truth in labeling, looking out for the consumer so they know exactly what they’re getting into with no confusion. If you’re into organic wines, this just may come as good news.

Vinum XL Wine Glass Seminar Pt. 2

As I reported on Monday, I went to a Vinum XL Wine Glass Seminar with Victoria Odell of Seattle Swirl. It was conducted by Georg Riedel, who was not only knowledgeable about wine and stemware, but was also really entertaining. He explained right off to the skeptics that we’d be able to discern more differences with his stemware than just the difference between wine and dog shit.

We started with the Sauvignon Blanc glass, filled with, of course, Sauvignon Blanc. We smelled, we tasted, and Georg described what he was getting out of the wine, guessing accurately that it was blended with Semillon. OK, great. Then he had us pour the wine into a plastic cup just like the ones you get on commercial airlines. As you would expect, it killed the nose on the wine, but oddly, the flavor profile and mouth-feel changed dramatically as well. Trickery? Power of suggestion? We’ll see about that.

Haiku Contest

Calling all winos
Here is a contest for you
Write us a haiku

Want to attend the Seattle Wine Awards for the price of your creativity? Then tap into your inner poet and write us a wine-related haiku. (Not very creative? It’s OK! Tickets are available for purchase online.)

Your haiku must be a traditional 5-7-5 format about wine. It can be serious, funny, beautiful, scary, whatever your thoughts are about wine, but you’ve got to stick to the rules: three lines consisting respectively of five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables, just like you see at the top of this post.

The submission of the best haiku will win a pair of tickets to the Grand Awards Tasting (that’s a $170 value!). You and a guest can be sipping on some of the best wines in the State, and shaking hands with the geniuses who made them.

Send your submissions to contact@winomagazine.com with “Haiku Contest” in the subject line. Entries must be submitted by9:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12. Be sure to include your name and phone number so we can contact you. Also, a range of the best submissions will be posted at winomagazine.com.

Now sharpen your pencil, get a fresh piece of notebook paper, and go!

Unlikely Pairings: Paella & Sangria

Welcome to the first posting for Unlikely Pairings! (applause and cheers from the crowd). Much fun will be had, I can promise you.

Although hardly an unlikely pairing, I have to talk here about paella and sangria. I own a surprising amount of paella-related equipment for what is basically a specialty dish. But oh, what a specialty dish it is!

So Memorial Day found a select group of about 14 on the back deck drinking sangria and watching me craft this Spanish specialty. Yes, I own a dedicated paella pan (two, actually) and I also bought the handy outdoor burner (propane tank not included) that allows me to make this an outdoor performance. If you’re in Seattle, check out The Spanish Table in the Pike Place Market for all your paella needs, including the ones you don’t know you have yet.

Vinum XL Wine Glass Seminar

There are some who hold the nearly religious belief that particular wines require particular wine glasses. This goes beyond just red, white and flute. A pinot/burgundy requires a pinot/burgundy glass, a bordeaux needs a bordeaux glass, a reisling must have a reisling glass…you get the idea. So they say.

I’ve always been of the mind that this is mostly a social custom more than anything. I’d drink wine out of a quart jar if needs be, and I’d be willing to bet that I could still get a sense of the nose and the palate of the wine. I’ve heard the arguments of the shapes of stemware, and they sound pretty good. The idea is some kinds of wine have a tighter nose, and the shape of the glass can channel those aromas into your nose. Other wines are big and lush, and it’s best to let those aromas build cloudlike in a round bowl-shaped glass. Not that you can’t smell a wine otherwise, but they argue that the shape of the glass helps you experience it best.

Well, tonight I’m going to find out. My friend Victoria Odell, owner of Seattle Swirl, invited me to go with her to the Vinum XL Wine Glass Seminar featuring the famous Georg Riedel tonight at the Washington Athletic Club. I can nearly hear the announcer’s voice, “VINUM!…XL!…WINE GLASS SEMINAR! You pay for the whole seat, but you’ll only need the edge!”

I imagine we’re going to be tasting the same wine out of different glasses, noting the differences we experience. We’ll be tasting out of four Riedel glasses, and with the admission price of $64.95, we’ll get to take the glasses home with us. Sweet.

So, will the wines taste remarkably different in different glasses? I’ll report back.

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