Arcadian Winery 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir

*Bottle #70: Arcadian Winery 2003 Santa Rita Hills Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir
*Price Tag: $30
*Running Tab: $973

What a holy hot awful mess is Seattle this whole week. I’m in my lovely non-air conditioned ’97 Nissan pick-up truck (don’t be jealous), dripping in sweat trying to get onto the freeway, cursing the weather and needing a drink more than anything in the world.

Ungrateful Northwesterner? Maybe. Poor and still driving the same truck she got at 16? Probably so. Lush by nature? Definitely.

To deter the heat, one might consume chilled white wines, alleviating heatstroke by instant intoxication because the sun is soaking out all energy and you’re replacing that with booze.

Wise decision, grasshopper.

I went the other direction, keeping it red but keeping it light. Keep it loose, keep it tight.

Workshop Slated on Hard Cider Making and Orcharding

August 22, 2009
10:00 am	to	2:00 pm

From colonial times until well into the 20th century hard cider was overwhelmingly the predominate beverage in the United States, consumed more than whiskey, wine, and beer put together. In fact, the U.S. apple crop was so devoted to the manufacture of hard cider that during prohibition many farmers cut down huge orchards of mature apple trees, because they were unable to come up with another profitable use for the fruit.

Washington State University Snohomish County Extension is sponsoring a workshop on what it takes to grow and maintain a cider orchard as well as providing a broad overview of the cider-making process. The workshop will be held on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ed’s Apples in Sultan. Ed’s Apples is located at 13420 339th Ave SE, Sultan, just off SR 2.

Participants will learn the steps necessary to create a quality hard cider product, a rapidly growing small farm niche product. WSU Tree Fruit Specialist Gary Moulton will provide an in-depth overview of the topic, including a discussion of varietal selection, growing and harvest information, as well as an informal look at the production steps from raw fruit to finished bottle.

Cost is $65 per person (early bird registration is $55 per person before Aug. 12) and includes a box lunch.

To register, download a form at www.snohomish.wsu.edu/ag/workshops/hardcider09.pdf and mail with your check, or contact Karie Christensen at 425/357.6039 or by e-mail at klchristen@cahnrs.wsu.edu.

For more information contact Andrew Corbin, corbina@wsu.edu or 425.357.6012.

Legislation: Washington Wine Labels

Taking effect today is a requirement that Washington-labeled wines have at least 95 percent of the grapes used in the production of the wine be grown in the state. Under former rules, the liquor control board allows a wine to be labeled with a note of its origin if at least 75 percent of its volume is derived from both fruit or other agricultural products grown in the place or region indicated.

National Wine Bloggers’ Conference Coming To Washington State

From our friends at the Washington Wine Commission

More than 250 wine bloggers to convene in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2010

SEATTLE (July 24, 2009) – The Washington Wine Commission announced today that the North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference – a new and wildly popular event held by and for wine bloggers and industry professionals, and held in California for the past two years – will hold its third annual conference in Washington State next summer.

Wine bloggers from throughout the United States and Canada will travel across Washington State to gather in Walla Walla from June 25-27, 2010. The Washington Wine Commission has been working closely with the organizers of the event to bring this conference to the state, and the entire Washington wine industry looks forward to welcoming more than 250 influential bloggers, traditional media, wineries and members of the trade to the Pacific Northwest.

Event organizer Allan Wright said, “Washington State is one of the premier grape growing and winemaking regions in the United States, and so a perfect location for the Wine Bloggers Conference. Additionally, the wine industry – led by the Washington Wine Commission – has been very energetic and forward thinking in helping us bring the conference to Washington. They understand the importance of bloggers and that makes holding the conference in Washington an easy decision.”

Washington Wine Commission Executive Director Robin Pollard added, “We’re thrilled to welcome the wine blogging community to Washington State. We think conference attendees representing this new and exciting form of media will feel right at home with our diverse and dynamic industry.”

A sponsor of this year’s conference in Santa Rosa, California, the Washington Wine Commission hosts attendees for a discussion of the 2010 conference on Sunday, July 26, 2009. The Commission will also post live updates throughout the conference, via Twitter, on its website – www.washingtonwine.org.

Washington State is the second largest wine producing region in the country, with more than 650 wineries and 33,000 vineyard acres, and an economic impact of $4.7 billion annually. More information on the Wine Bloggers’ Conference can be found at http://winebloggersconference.org/america. For more information on the Washington wine industry and its many unique regions, please visit www.washingtonwine.org.

1st Annual Woodinville Winemaker and Brewmaster’s Triathlon, as retold by yours truly.

EVENT RUNDOWN:
1 mile run – 3 mile bike ride – .8 mile kayak with .2 mile sprint to finish line
Comedy, nudity and booze ensues at all times.

5:00pm: The first flight takes off from Willows Lodge, with three more that follow. Running and biking down the Sammamish River Trail, finishing with a hand-off to the rowing portion of the triathlon which held most of the winemakers.

Sheer race entertainment to be noted:
- Tim Stevens of Stevens Winery shooting off the starting line by foot only to pass the baton nearly 20 feet after to his next teammate (a mile was too long for one person?).
- Donny Januik of Januik Winery standing on his bike for optimal speed while wearing a motorcycle helmet for protection.
- Mike Sharadin of Northwest Totem Cellars, laying on his stomach on a surf board and paddling down the Sammamish River, aka Slough, and commenting on the stench.
- Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery in pretty darn good shape and a loose-fitting tank top.
- Darren Des Voigne of Des Voigne Cellars shirtless with a coconut bra and hula skirt, backed up by an entire entourage matching him (one was in a princess costume).

5:45pm: All flights finish, commence the heavy beer drinking courtesy of Redhook Brewery and wine “tasting” on Willows/Redhook gray area property.

6:00pm: The party moves up to the host winery, JM Cellars, to celebrate a race well done for a mere $125 a person. All proceeds, every single one of them including $100 from each competing winery, were donated to Mitochondrial Research Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Wine donated from each of the 40+ wineries that participated poured like it will never run out, an endless keg of Redhook Slim Chance Ale was supplied, a grill firing up fresh brats and a wood-fire stove serving up delicious Neopolitan pizzas from Veraci Pizza all to the sounds of a string trio.

7:00pm: He’s a crafty one that John Bigelow of JM Cellars, who managed to earnestly and charismatically con almost every Woodinville winery into donating and participating in this event, with repeated visits to each tasting room until he got positive confirmation. He welcomes his attendees, thanks them profusely and congratulations them on helping to raise $15,000 (five grand more than he was hoping for).

Bigelow announces the runners-up, leading to Stevens Winery to take the gold. In this case, the gold is a huge trophy cup which Bigelow poured an entire pitcher of beer into, passed off to Stevens who proceeded to chug out of it on a deck and spill on a few happy/drunk watchers below.

Overall a successful event and a hell of a party. Congrats and thank you for letting me gorge myself on your food, wine and beer.

Starbucks to Sell Wine

Starbucks Coffee Company has announced that they will begin selling wine and beer at their Capitol Hill location on 15th Avenue and perhaps in locations in two other neighborhoods. According to an article in the Seattle Times, this is part of a larger experiment to localize their stores in some communities like so many of the popular semi-independent coffee houses like Victrola Coffee Roasters.

This Capitol Hill location will be renamed “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea,” shedding the iconic Starbucks logo. Even the bags of coffee beans sold in the store will have a new location-specific brand, and the remodel of the store will result in a metamorphosis from the pre-packaged Starbucks decor. The store will begin to host live music and poetry readings, and even the espresso machines are being traded out for manually operated ones rather than the automatic ones they’ve been using for a decade.

Basically, you’ll never know you’re at a Starbucks.

According to an article in the San Francisco Business Times, the baristas were certified in Washington to sell alcoholic beverages. Does that make them bartenders as well? Will Starbucks begin to hire sommeliers?

With the drive to localize, I’ll be curious to see how many local wines and beers are offered at this new incarnation of the Starbucks coffee shop.

Interestingly, The San Francisco Business Times points out that Starbucks was originally incorporated in 1971 under the name “Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices.” Perhaps the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea location is more of a throwback to the good ol’ days than it is a revolutionary new idea.

Stealing Champagne

What’s In a Name? Apparently Everything

In the world of wine we tend to believe that the place or vineyard that the wine comes from has an influence on quality.  In other words certain areas become more famous than others as their quality shows through. The most famous example in the United States is the Napa Valley; the most famous example in Washington State is the Walla Walla Valley.

In order to protect these place names from fraud and dilution of quality Europeans passed laws protecting these names with the so called appellation system (appeller is the French verb for ‘to call’, as in “that area is called Washington”). Here in the States we are creating more and more American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s) all the time. Currently in Grant County we have one AVA – the Wahluke Slope – and one in progress around Quincy to be called ‘Ancient Lakes of the Columbia Valley’. There will be at least one more AVA in Grant County before all is said and done, the Royal Slope.

For the nonce the AVA system differs from European appellations in that there are no quality laws. In European appellations grapes can only be planted in designated areas, grapes must reach certain ripeness levels, and so forth. American AVA’s may evolve in that direction one day but for the moment the only point of an AVA is to state that the grapes come from the designated region.

Junior 600 Night at Safeco Field

July 26, 2009
6:00 pm	to	8:30 pm

On June 9, 2008, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career home run amid a standing ovation of 16,000 fans in the Dolphin Stadium in Miami while he was playing for the Cincinatti Reds. He is only the sixth player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat, joining the ranks of Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa. Now that he’s back in Seattle, playing for the Mariners, the accolades keep coming. After all, 398 of those homers occurred during his previous tenure on the M’s from 1989-1999.

On July 26, the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation is hosting Junior 600 Night at the Safeco Field 1st Base Terrace Club to commemorate that 600th homer, and to benefit the Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Ken Griffey Jr. Family Foundation.

So, why are you reading about this at WINO? Well, Junior 600 night will feature the release of “Junior 600,” a limited-edition labeling of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Ethos 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 600 individually-numbered, autographed and authenticated bottles were produced.

There will also be a live and silent auction of autographed sports memorabilia from legends such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Grady Sizemore, and attendees can meet the man himself, Ken Griffey Jr. while munching on food & drinks.

To purchase tickets or to reserve a bottle/case, please call the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation office at 206-987-2837. Tickets are $350 per person, and all proceeds will benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Ken Griffey Jr. Family Foundation. Ticket price includes one autographed bottle of the Junior 600.

Grape Killers Lounge Opens at Waterfront Grill

In Octavia E. Butler‘s apocalyptic but hopeful novel Parable of the Sower, when times got tough, people began to walk up I-5 from California to Washington where they could prosper (stay alive, even), and along the way, natural collaborations were formed among like-minded people, who began to travel together, look out for one another, and act in the best interest of the whole group, which they called Earthseed–a fictional religion adhered to for practical purposes if not spiritual ones.

In much the same way, in this sour economy, we’re starting to see alliances form in the wine industry such as the new Winery Alliance of Bainbridge Island, who feel they can better get the word out about their wineries if they work together.

The newest collaboration comes in the form of Grape Killers, a veritable rat pack of wineries from the warehouse district in Woodinville. Grape Killers consists of Baer Winery, Darby Winery, Gorman Winery, Guardian Cellars, Mark Ryan Winery, Sparkman Cellars and Stevens Winery. So, what is it exactly? Chris Gorman of Gorman Cellars said, “We all have worked together very well for years and have formed this loose marketing and support group.” When asked why they joined Grape Killers, Paige Stevens of Stevens Winery told me, “Well, we’re all friends, so that’s a start.”

Like Earthseed traveling up the freeway, Grape Killers came across Highway 520 from Woodinville to Seattle seeking opportunity, and what they found was the Waterfront Seafood Grill on Pier 70. And, just as Earthseed established a commune when they got to Washington, at Waterfront Grill, the wineries of Grape Killers established the Grape Killers Lounge. The idea here is that the Waterfront Grill will own and operate the venue, which will be stocked up with wines from the Grape Killers member wineries. The wineries will organize events, be at the Lounge a couple of times a week, and pack the place. Not only is that good for them, but good for you, too, since Chris says the prices will be great on 3-oz, 6-oz pours and bottle sales.

On July 15, the Grape Killers Lounge held its grand opening, though “grand” is an understatement. When I arrived at the Waterfront Grill, the place was locked up and dark, and the sign on the door said they were closed for a couple of days. However, a sign on the wall of the building still announced the grand opening part for Grape Killers, and I was a bit confused. Some other shiny-faced winos arrived who had bought tickets for the event, and they were not about to be deterred. They headed around the corner toward the back of the building, and I followed. Good call, because as we arrived out on the pier, we saw a sandwich board with the unmistakable Grape Killers logo.

After checking in at the ticket table, I was stamped with a Jolly Roger, and I made my way in. Scads of people were glowing in the sunshine, glasses sparkling and wine flowing. Thirsty attendees were queued up in front of each of a string of tables lined up along the pier, as winemakers poured their juice from under umbrellas. Waiters circulated with trays of mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres created by resident chef Peter Levine, and tables were strategically located loaded up with a variety of cheeses. It was really a perfect day for a wine event on Elliot Bay, and the Grape Killers Lounge promises to be a great spot to get some Washington vino.

So, what’s next for the Grape Killers? There will be many more events at the Grape Killers Lounge, and according to Chris Gorman, “We will also be doing events outside of the wine bar to promote us and wineries that we feel think alike.” So, stay tuned.

The Grape Killers web site is still being developed, but for now, you can follow them on Facebook to keep abreast of their goings on.

Media “Tasting”

“Tasting” is in quotes because what I received at the Rhone Rangers Trade/Media Tasting down on Pier 66 yesterday afternoon were not “tastes.” These classically produced wines were getting dumped into my Riedel by the half-glassful.

Needless to say, spitting was a necessity and not exactly followed as instructed… However, I was a lady, with slightly stained teeth and a very bright, wine-influenced attitude on California/Rhone-style wines.

Sporting the WINO Mag title on my name tag, I made my rounds to over 40 wineries, all members of the Rhone Rangers, the non-profit promotion of American winemakers with the leverage of French/Rhone vines. All eager to hear about a new publication and all pretending to be interested in my personal pitch on the blog! I was forced by sobriety to limit myself to the unfamiliar, with a good portion of the wineries I tasted hailing from Paso Robles and the greater Santa Barbara County.

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