Bottleology – Winemaker Jamie Brown of Waters Winery

“Forgetaboutit is like if you agree with someone, you know, like Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass, forgetaboutit. But then, if you disagree, like a Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forgetaboutit! You know? But then, it’s also like if something’s the greatest thing in the world, like mingia those peppers, forgetaboutit. But it’s also like saying Go to hell! too. Like, you know, like “Hey Paulie, you got a one inch…?” And Paulie says, “Forgetaboutit!” Sometimes it just means forgetaboutit.”—Donnie Brasco

The Forgotten Hills in Walla Walla Washington, is an estate vineyard to Waters Winery, and it had me thinking  “Donnie Brasco.”  When I tasted the Syrah produced from this vineyard, I searched to find the boss who was making this stuff. Come to find out, he’s a friend of ours and he goes by the name Jamie Brown.

Stand-up guy: Jamie was exposed to handcrafted, boutique and international wines while working in restaurants, which gave him the ability to finance his enjoyment for playing music. He said, “At the same time, a wine movement was budding in my hometown of Walla Walla, so it only seemed natural to move home and pursue wine.” Jamie commented about wine and music’s unique relationship to one another and of the creative process found in both. For me, the relationship is as complimentary as spaghetti and meatballs—that’s amore!

The Ghost of 413 Riesling

So fitting is a name for a wine that it is borderline obnoxious.

For a larger-produced and consumer-friendly priced wine from Giant Wine Co., you can’t find this phantom of a libation anywhere. Crafted by Woodinville heavyweight fermenters Chris Gorman and Mark McNeilly, these boys know how to put notoriety and exclusivity behind their grape juice – Gorman’s facility is only open two days a year and after 10 private years, McNeilly has just recently celebrated the grand opening of his tasting room.

The sub-par Web site does give a eight month outdated (but kind of useful frame of reference) restaurant and retail guide to buying their wines. Esquin is always a far bet when it comes to locating mystery wines. Whole Foods seems to reign ownership over the label but it sells quickly and quietly.

Portteus 2007 Bistro Red

*Bottle #88: Portteus 2007 Rattlesnake Hills Bistro Red
*Price Tag: $6.99
*Running Tab: $1,211
*Retailer: Cost-Plus World Market, Seattle (Market location)

Once upon a time in an era, long, long ago called “The 70′s,” Yakima was the place to be. People did more than summer there on the river, the local government was starting to base itself in the area and the supple soils of the land were the bees knees into maintaining farmer status yet still gaining innovation credentials through a crazy little thing called wine.

After the boom hit California, a few guys caught on and starting planting some dead-stick-like looking things into that unique soil in Eastern Washington resulting into today’s classy chic shtick on alcoholism: a Washington Wino.

Cabs in Napa

Like the yellow ones with insolent, cheap and LA-minded drivers… I saw two of them in the small town of Napa, California.

Yes, life goal achieved: I went to “the land of food and wine,” according to the Terminator, I mean, Governor Schwarzenegger. And Napa, California, has two taxi cabs and a shit ton of wine and food.

First stop on this too-short, jammed “vacation” weekend: San Francisco aka the Golden Gate City, Frisco or simply, “The City.”

First stop goal: Eat, drink and be merry – in the most literal (and somewhat biblical) sense that we can be. We had approximately 19 hours in the city to blast through an itinerary placed loosely for us by a local friend of a friend, noting all of the “not to miss” yet anti-tourist regional joints. Mentioning a few…

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