I suck and Kiona’s JJ Williams is the master.

I was fidgety and couldn’t focus on the camera but JJ Williams, Kiona Winery sales n’marketing virtuoso, stole the show and hyped up his family’s Red Mountain colonizin’ winery at Sunday’s Taste Washington 2010. Only the biggest wine event of the year. Duh.

Bottleology – Sleight of Hand Cellars with Trey Busch

One of the most complicated things to do in the wine business is to convey the intended message of a wine.  This task of describing a wine’s flavor profile, articulating that flavor into words, and delivering truthful content able to be translated by the reader clearly, is forever challenging.  There are no photos to explain the flavors. No maps or illustrations. Just words. Respectfully, my role is to do the wine justice–for better, or worse.

Now that’s just wine! Certainly a more delicate subject is the challenge of describing a human being and giving them the accolades they deserve.  As I ponder my attempt, I start by telling you that his name is Trey Busch, and his wine is called Archimage. I’m about to try and do them both some justice.

Classifieds: Trey Busch–wine maker and co-owner of Sleight of Hand Cellars in Walla Walla–quickly set the tone, “I am 40 years old, a Scorpio, and I like the color blue, the smell of fresh rain, and 70’s Heavy Metal….just kidding. Not really. Anyway, I own the winery with Sandy and Jerry Solomon, and we started it about 3 years ago.”

Record Label: I’m certain that Trey will be quick to tell you that he LOVES music. After all, his wine label, “Sleight of Hand,” is named after a song from his favorite band of all times: Pearl Jam.  He claims (and I won’t argue) that, “We have the best tasting room in Washington State! Where else can you walk in and choose your own music…on Vinyl of course! I think music is a great ice breaker, and it relaxes people. It makes them feel less intimidated about the tasting experience if they’re not used to wine tasting. We are very laid back and want people to enjoy themselves and have a good time, and of course we hope they like the wines.”

Fidélitas 2007 Columbia Valley Semillon

Three Rivers Winery. Chateau Ste. Michelle. Canon del Sol. Gamache. Goose Ridge. Fidélitas. With the past and present intermixed in the above listed, some might assume winemaker/entrepreneur extraordinaire Charlie Hoppes might have too many irons in the fire. Considering he has successfully passed from one to the other and back again, Charlie Hoppes obviously doesn’t think so.

After some trial and error in the job world after college graduation, Charlie’s wife encouraged him to pursue his fervor in wine. From the cream of the crop for wine school, Charlie received his B.A. in Agricultural Science & Management, Viticulture & Enology in the late 1980s from University of California Davis.

He kicked off his wine career as assistant winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle for three years then made his way into the head red winemaker position for another six. From there he jumped ship to Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla to lead the cellar for a few years before launching Fidélitas, his pride and joy.

Wino Interviews Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars at Taste Washington

We got a chance to spend some time with Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars at Taste Washington this weekend. Have a look.

Wino Interviews Darren Des Voigne at Taste Washington

We got a chance to spend some time with Darren Des Voigne of Des Voigne Cellars at Taste Washington this weekend. Have a look.

Taste Washington TV

Watch Live video from Taste Washington

We’re heading to Taste Washington today and tomorrow for all the festivities. The Washington Wine Commission is broadcasting live video throughout the weekend. Watch here, or head over to their Ustream channel to view.

Streaming live video by Ustream

Ivar’s Salmon House 3rd Annual Washington Wine Celebration

I was an hour later than I said I would be (shock).

Pulling up to Ivar’s Salmon House – a cedar-planked, traditional replica in respect to a Northwestern Native American longhouse – I realized I wasn’t the only one trying to find parking on this beautiful Tuesday afternoon down on North Lake Union. The street was swarming as the early-birds were maneuvering to their Cadillacs, full of fried fish and tartar sauce, and the UW college kids were bustling to the walk-up fish-bar in the front end of the restaurant.

Past the hustle in the private events room in the back, there lied the familiar smell of Washington wine – with 30+ wineries representing for the third annual Washington Wine Celebration hosted by Ivar’s.

This all-inclusive event offered hors d’oeuvres prepared by Executive Chef (and certified sommelier) Jason Bray, matching to many odds n’ends varietals as well as a vast array of Washington Cabernet.

The #WaMerlot Twitter Tasting And You

Recently, Josh Wade over at DrinkNectar.com had a big idea. Using the power of Twitter (which just celebrated its fourth birthday and has already taken over the world…twice), he decided to hold a simultaneous, nationwide tasting of Washington Merlot. Along with ten other prominent writers/bloggers (Seattle Wine Gal, Washington Wine Report, WineChatr and more), he put together the Washington Merlot Twitter Tasting, to be held across the nation on March 25.

Here’s the idea: people everywhere will sip on glasses of Washington Merlot–in their homes, in tasting rooms, in wine bars and restaurants, wherever), and publicly discuss what they’re drinking via Twitter, using the hashtag #WaMerlot. As of today, seventy-nine wineries have officially signed on to participate, many having events in their tasting rooms, or offering special discounts on their Merlot for winos to enjoy during the event.

The #WaMerlot event has become somewhat of a sensation already. Even Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV fame did an episode on three Washington Merlots last week, and the Wine Library ran specials on those three wines so that wine drinkers around the country could access some Washington Merlot for the tasting.

It’s an exciting time for Washington Merlot, which has been making a comeback over recent years since it took a hit in 2004 upon the release of Sideways and that infamous line, “I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!”

So, how do you participate? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Buy your favorite bottle of Merlot from Washington State, or a bottle you’ve been meaning to try. We at WINO Magazine encourage you to support your local wineries and retailers by buying local, but if you can’t, visit your favorite online wine retailer.

2. Drink it.

3. Share your thoughts on the wine on Thursday, March 25 from 5-7 PST, and read about what others are drinking. You may learn something about the wine in your glass, or about wines you haven’t tried yet. Hell, you may even make some new friends.

While it’s perfectly acceptable to pop a bottle of Washington Merlot from your desk at home (I do it all the time) for this taste-and-tweet, it may be more fun to head out to one of the scads of events taking place around the state. Here are just a few of them.

The Local Vine

Sommelier Cole Sisson has put together a lineup of Washington Merlots to try during the event. Joining in will be several highly respected Washington wine bloggers including Bean Fairbanks of Wine and Beer of Washington State and Sean Sullivan of the Washington Wine Report. People from around the country will be tasting and tweeting about some of Washington’s best wines. Join the celebration at TLV where the event will feature the wines of Dusted Valley, which was just named Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest and several other top Washington Merlot producers with glass and flight specials availabe all night. The #WaMerlot Twitter conversation will be projected up on the big screen, so you can follow along while you’re tweeting away.

The Tasting Room Seattle

The Tasting Room will be holding a Washington Merlot Twitter Tasting party at their Post Alley location in Pike Place Market. Voted “Best Tasting Room in the West” by Sunset Magazine, you’ll be able to try Merlots from Camaraderie Cellars, Latitude 46 N, and Wilridge. They’ll be opening up their wi-fi for the event so you can tweet away on any of your mobile devices. We at WINO Magazine will be stopping by, so come say hello.

Otis Kenyon Winery

Otis Kenyon is hosting a #WaMerlot party in their Walla Walla location, and other wineries in the area will be converging on the Otis Kenyon tasting room. From the looks of it, L’Ecole No. 41, Woodward Canyon, and Pepperbridge will be among them. If you’re in the Walla Walla area, this is a must-stop on Thursday night.

Lone CanaryWinery

Lone Canary winery in Spokane will be offering fee samples of their 2006 Merlot and 2005 DuBrul Vineyard Reserve (66% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon) for discussion via Twitter. Bring in your cell phone or laptop and follow the live Twitter feed projected onto a big screen. Josh Wade of DrinkNectar.com will be in attendance, so stop by and say hello.

Full Pull Wines

Full Pull will be having an invitation-only event in honor of #WaMerlot, and we at WINO Magazine will be stopping by. While it may seem silly to plug a private event here, I wanted to give Full Pull a shoutout, because they’re a fantastic way to get your hands on great Washington wines at a great price, and they’re super cool people. If Full Pull isn’t on your radar, they should be.

There are countless other events going on around the state (and around the country, for that matter), so check your local wine listings for places where you can participate. Or, if you prefer, snatch up as much Washington Merlot as you can, and chill at home with the interwebs, and follow along. We’ll be seeing you on Twitter.

Spring Valley Vineyard 2004 Frederick Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

*Bottle #90: Spring Valley Vineyard 2004 Walla Walla Valley “Frederick” Cabernet Sauvignon-Blend
*Price Tag: $55
*Running Tab: $1,211

Call it a small world. Call it a relationship. Even call it incestuous. But in the wine industry, there are family lines that cross, vineyard borders that merge, production facilities that are shared all the way to one-time bartenders gone distributors to making their own wine. The wine industry just doesn’t go full-circle with its members, it does loops.

Marriages, book clubs or job opportunities, one position comes from another, from some connection within the industry and it’s a tough one to leave (the booze is so often free!). Many operations are owned by couples or family members. Everyone knows everyone, even if only by a name or a face. You could easily link a winemaker in Finger Lakes to a wine blogger in Phoenix and somewhere recognition will apply.

Likewise with the founding members of Spring Valley Vineyards in Walla Walla. The Corkrum and Derby families have been farming in the area since the late 1800s. Shari Corkrum, daughter of the region’s initial family, ended up marrying one of the other first families’ sons, Dean Derby.

Nightmare Dept: The Spotted Menace

When I was a kid, I had a morbid fear of “killer bees,” legions of nasties that would attack out of sheer spite, ending your life by way of thousands of small, painful attacks. Living in Washington State, it was an irrational fear, and probably ill-informed, but it’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.

Now that I’m an ostensibly level-headed grown-up, replete in what I’d like to think of as wisdom, reason, maturity and sophistication (hey, you in the back, stop sniggering, wise-ass!), I had a similar reaction when I read of a new little monster that attacks not innocent children, but worse, wine grapes.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer via the Associated Press, the spotted wing drosophila (what BugGuide calls an “exotic pest”) has migrated from California into Oregon, and has been detected in Western Washington. This little monster is a unique fruit fly that ruins fruit, and according to the report, “Growers worry it could spread to the states’ valuable cherry crops as well as pears, prunes and plums – not to mention wine grapes.”

There are a bunch of facts you should know about the spotted wing drosophila, aside from the spots on the male’s wings helpfully rendered and notated on the image to the left. Most fruit flies are attracted to rotting produce, but this one goes after ripe and ripening fruit. The females (the fairer sex?) have a saw-toothed ovipositor (a biological hypodermic needle loaded with eggs), which it uses to make tiny incisions in the skin of fruit, and inject its eggs just underneath the surface. You don’t even notice until the larvae start to hatch and eat everything around them, causing the fruit to collapse in a gooey mess. Also, these little bastards are virile as all hell, producing up to ten generations of flies per single growing season.

Some farmers have reported losing up to 20% of their crops because of the spotted wing drosophila. What scares the bejeezus out of me is the potential for the spotted menace to go after our wine grapes. Their prolific reproduction means that they could be adaptive to pesticide measures, spread quickly, and in my mind, take over the world. What also scares me is a quote by Vaughn Walton, who is heading a research project at Oregon State University, “The fruit looks great when you buy it, and it would totally disintegrate within three days.”

What if you ate it??? Would you be eaten from the insides, or worse, go through a Kafkaesque metamorphosis, destroying your chances of success, love and happiness? I shudder.

There’s plenty of fruit in Washington to worry over, of course, but I’m most frightened for our vineyards. Even if farmers take measures in the field, the flies can thrive in the background in the blackberries that grow wild everywhere, just waiting for their chance to pounce on our most beloved of fruit. I might have a predilection toward hyperbole, but given a choice, I may rather die of a thousand bee stings than to lose our Washington wine.

Fortunately, entomologists in Washington are keeping a keen eye on the bug, according to the Washington State University Extension Center in Prosser. Help us, Obi Wazzu Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

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