Olivier Rivière 2008 Rayos Uva Rioja

*Bottle #85: Olivier Rivière 2008 Rayos Uva Rioja
*Price Tag: $18
*Running Tab: $1,179
*Retailer: Champion’s Wine Cellars, Seattle

When a eno-enthused Frenchman suggests a bottle of vino (regardless of its origin), you willingly accept. Even if the vintage isn’t listed, the varietals are unknown and the label is bland, you willingly accept. Especially when he is a client of yours…

Four hours later, with a failed cheese sauce (Harvati was a bad idea) for Trader Joe’s gnocchi that were accidentally boiled to a lovely soggy texture (don’t underestimate the recipe), any wine was needed.

Enter the Frenchman’s Spanish Rioja rec: the 2008 “Rayos Uva” from Olivier Rivière, Rioja made by a Frenchman… Getting the connection here…

Bottleology – Desert Wind Winery with Greg Fries

Whether it’s a trip to your local grocer, a voyage through the back roads of the Northwest wine country, perhaps the magnetic draw into your favorite wine shop, or an in-depth read of your favorite WINO Magazine blog entry (Bottleology!), I can pretty much guarantee that you will cross paths with Greg Fries—or at least have a run-in with his value driven wines.

Greg Fries is a really nice guy, but FAR more importantly, Greg Fries is a winemaker. He’s worked very hard to get to where he is today, and he has spent many years managing and making wine for his very own Desert Wind Winery.  With the help of one very influential woman (Ms. Mother Nature—strictly business), some great vineyard sites in Eastern Washington and Oregon, a degree from UC Davis and a pilot’s license, Greg has been able to contribute to the world of wine in a big way.

[Purple] HAZE-lnuts: Commonly referred to as “filberts,” these nuts can be found all over Oregon. I refer to them as Greg’s family’s “gateway crop,” a crop that they ultimately replanted into vast g rapevine vineyards (vitis vinifera). When Greg was younger, his family farmed cotton and tomatoes in Californ ia. Growing up in that kind of environment most likely sparked his interest in agriculture and also played a key role in Greg’s decision to go to school for Agricultural business.

You See!: Going to school and getting an education CAN be fun! At UC Davis, Greg earned a degree in Fermentation Science. He took a beer brewing course, and as luck would have it, while he was there, his family started a winery!  It’s called Duck Pond Cellars. JEALOUS!!!

“Lick My Lips” Syrah Release at Page Cellars

February 6, 2010
12:00 pm	to	4:00 pm

Please join us for the release of the “2007 Lick My Lips” from Noon to 4 pm.

Don’t forget to bring your Lips. Jilly Eddy the Seattle Lipsologist will be on hand to read and review your lip prints. Enjoy the new release along with “LIVE RAGGAE” by “Higher Vibes”. (Sorry, no dead raggae available).

No charge for the visit.

The Lick My Lips will sell for $21 from noon to 1 pm.; $23 from 1pm. to 2pm; $25 from 2 to 3pm; $27 from 3 to 4pm. Come early, enjoy the music and have a snack. Our other wines will also be available to taste and purchase.

Make sure to leave your lip print to enter them in the “Get your lips on the next bottle of Page Cellars Lick my Lips” contest ! (I just couldn’t think of a shorter name.)

Page Cellars
19495 144th Ave. NE B205
Woodinville, Washington 98072
253-905-6020

Pappas Wine Co. 2008 Pinot Blanc

*Bottle #84: Pappas Wine Co. 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc
*Price Tag: $16
*Running Tab: $1,161
*Retailer: Sixth Avenue Wine Seller, Pacific Place, Seattle

From what I’ve been told, husband and wife operated-companies can be the best of times and the worst of times. I would think the path to doom comes down to the fact that you take your work home with you and take your home to work with you.

However, when it comes to any type of relationship, be it with your business or soul mate, it all about the effort put forth that makes it a success.

Likewise, when husband and wife duo, Stewart Boedecker and Athena Pappas, couldn’t come together on winemaking styles, they did what any stubborn individual would do – go their own way and try to kick more ass than your opponent, er, partner, with an outcome of two critically-acclaimed styles. And that’s just about their Pinot Noirs.

23rd Annual Retrospective of Northwest Wines Competition Announced

Recently, Ray’s Boathouse Restaurant on Shilshole Bay in Seattle, conducted its 23rd Retrospective of Northwest Wines Competition. On January 5th and 6th, Ray’s wine director Richard Kelsey assembled a panel of judges consisting of sommeliers, wine writers and local wine experts (including WINO’s Dave Bender) to blind-taste Northwest wines released in 2009. The wines were submitted for judging by the winemakers and their distributors, and all Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia wineries that produce grape-based wines were eligible to participate.

This year, 479 wines were submitted in twelve categories. During the blind-tasting, the judges meticulously evaluated the wines for characteristics such as flavor, texture, aroma and finish. Each judge assigned a numerical score based on their evaluation, and the wines with the highest combined scores won.

The second half of the Retrospective event is the dinner. On January 29, the top-scoring wines will be artfully paired with a menu created by Ray’s Executive Chef Peter Birk and presented in Ray’s waterfront banquet room with the winning winemakers in attendance (information below).

“OK, OK, tell us the winners already!” All right, without further ado, here are the top five wines in each category:

Round Table: Walla Walla, Pt. 4

The last installment of the Walla Walla Round Table, we bring you the Syrahs (at long last!). Not nearly a complete list of everything Walla2 has to offer, our Round Table session with scads of bottles brought back from Walla Walla was a daunting one. But, with a panel rostered with seasoned and disciplined professionals, we studiously worked our way through the lineup to bring you a mere sampling of our long weekend in Onion Town. Now, you’ll have to get over there yourself to try these and the myriad other wines flowing through the land of many rivers.

The Syrahs

Saviah Cellars
2006 Syrah
Red Mountain
$30

On the nose, striking notes of dark fruit and smoked meats with floral characteristics peaking through. On the palate, it has even more sizzle and pep, with smoke, meat and intense, dark fruit seasoned with anise, while maintaining a surprising freshness. Expressive and complex, it’s the total package of Syrahs. An overall favorite of the panel.

Saviah Cellars
2006 Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$32

With less oak than you would expect, this WWV Syrah greets you with herbs and spices. Light and elegant on the palate, it’s a refreshing switch from the intensity of most Syrahs, while it still has enough oomph to go the distance on the finish with flavors of cherries, plums and olives.

Qupe 2007 Santa Ynez Valley Marsanne

*Bottle #83: Qupe 2007 Santa Ynez Valley Marsanne
*Price Tag: $18 (fortuitous luck with a half bottle for $6)
*Running Tab: $1,145

Spotted. Frozen in front of her laptop for an attempted non-work related typing sesh. Has Erin Thomas’ composition style hit a rough patch or has she just turned a lazy corner onto Excuse Street?

Some have tried to disparage with snarky Twitter remarks, explicit commentary by pissed-off industry folk have been posted and eye-rolls performed in perfect tween disposition were witnessed.

But despite criticisms and a recent 16 day absence, I am back. 2010 is my masochistic bitch and wine is my slightly sexy, slightly scary whip.

All of that excessive verbiage being said… With a vengeance, my resolution is to suck up my burnout due to job madness and still pump out some quality prose for your reading pleasure.

Wine Find: Angelo’s Ristorante

At Angelo’s, you’re more than a customer–you’re a friend

By Chris Nishiwaki

Angelo’s Ristorante

601 SW 153rd ST
Burien,WA 98166
(206) 244-3555
www.angelosofburien.com

Angelo’s Ristorante in Burien is the sort of Italian joint where the lady answering the phone relays a call to owner and wine director Frank Ricci with a hearty, “Hey Frankie! It’s for you,” for the entire dining room to hear.

It’s a family-owned, family joint. And Ricci treats his regulars, whom he refers to as friends, like family.

“They are good customers,” Ricci said. “I don’t know what else to call them.”

Ordering from the wine list is for the uninitiated at Angelo’s. Frank’s “friends” can pick the wines straight from the stable-temperature wine storage. The wine cellar features finds such as a verticals of Guado al Tasso (97 to 01), Ornellaia (97, 98, 00), 97 Sassicaia and 2000 Solaia. For the Washington wine drinker there are verticals of Leonetti Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon going back to 2000, verticals of Quilceda Creek (99 to 05), the entire portfolio from Long Shadows and boutique producer Soos Creek.

Corkage is $10 but waived if guests order a bottle from the list.

WINO Match-Maker: Branzino and Vino

Chester Gerl and Chris Lara Bring You the Perfect Pair

By Julien Perry

“What wine goes with this dish?” It’s a question WINO wants to help you answer by tapping into the wine libraries of those who know best. In this issue, chef Chester Gerl of Matt’s in the Market teams up with his wine director, Chris Lara, to bring you a knock-out dish with wines to match. From the bargain wine to the splurge, we’ve got you covered.

Roasted Branzino with Manila Clams, Spanish Chorizo, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes and Purple Tomatoes

This recipe has all the bright colors of spring, but is perfect for fall. Chef Chester Gerl took inspiration from Pike Place Market to create this dish, which he recently presented at the James Beard House in NYC. Almost everything in this recipe was purchased from the Market—from the signature spice blend courtesy of Market Spice, to the branzino and clams. The tomatillos, however, are from Chester’s personal garden. The apple-sweet fruit will be gone by the first frost, but can be found in most supermarkets year-round.

Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot

Ain’t Nothin’ Small About ‘Em

By Christine Go

Does size matter? Well, it does if you’re talking about grapes, namely Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. These varietals produce big, bold wines, so why are they called “petite?”  Give up? Because of the size of the grapes! Apparently both varietals have small berries, so they have a high skin-to-juice ratio. Since color and tannins come primarily from the skin and seeds of the grapes, more skin equals more color and tannins, which translates to tooth-staining wines with lots of structure.

So Petite Sirah isn’t petite, but is it related to Syrah? There’s been a lot of confusion about the origin of Petite Sirah, and it’s taken about a hundred years to figure out the answer to that question. If you check out the timeline on the “P.S. I Love You” website (an advocacy group for Petite Sirah), you’ll see that Syrah first came to California from France in 1878, but some called it Petite Syrah. Then, a few years later, a French varietal called Durif (named after the grape grower who propagated it) was introduced to California, and it was called Petite Sirah, since that was its common name in France.

We now know that Syrah/Petite Syrah is not the same as Petite Sirah/Durif, but they are related. In 1997, Carole Meredith, a professor at UC Davis, did a DNA analysis of Petite Sirah compared to Durif, and discovered that they are indeed the same. It turns out that Syrah and Peloursin, an obscure French varietal, are the parents of Petite Sirah. Syrah is prone to a fungus called “powdery mildew,” something familiar to gardeners in Western Washington, and originally Petite Sirah was developed to be resistant to it; but in humid climates, Petite Sirah is prone to another fungus called “grey rot.” This is why Petite Sirah does well in drier grape-growing regions. Today the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) recognizes Durif and Petite Sirah as synonyms for the same grape. And just to add to the confusion, some wineries label their Petite Sirah as “Petite Syrah” even though it is not the same as Syrah.

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