STOP! It’s oyster time.

French, Latin and Greek etymologies all attest to the origin of the word “oyster.” This being the common name of a group of bivalve calcified mollusks that anchor and harbor their livelihood in a marine habitat, such as the Pacific Northwest.

You might be familiar with them.

Some locals might say crustaceans, bivalves and salmon flourish in the Pacific Northwest during the months that end with “r,” leaving many with no choice but to have some colossal merrymaking to celebrate such harvest and seafood prosperity.

Cue Elliott’s Oyster House. A Seattle favorite for more than 35 years, residing on Pier 56 that sits on the very water the majority of their shellfish spawn in. That very water, the Pacific Northwest, spawns nearly 80 million pounds of oysters and is one of the largest oyster growing regions in the world.

Nick Jones, owner of Sweetwater Shellfish Farms, compared the Northwest oyster harvest to the dependability of our beloved Washington grape harvest. “Like wine does in this grape growing region, there are storms, maybe a red tide, but this is shellfish grounds,” Jones said. “It has been for 10,000 years and that won’t change.”

To celebrate the awesome and constant supply of mollusks, and in its 18^th year of doing so, throughout the month of October, Elliott’s focuses on the pairing of local seafood, wine and beer and ending with a bang for their “Oyster New Year” on November 6^th.

Gård Fall Release Party (Ellensburg)

November 5, 2010
5:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Join us for November’s First Friday Art Walk to celebrate the photography of Royal City Native, Annie P. Warren. Gård will release five new wines, including our new vintage of our Don Isidro Red Blend and our new Riesling Ice Wine. Admission is FREE! 5-9 PM. 509-925-1095

Gård Ellensburg Tasting Room
311 N. Pearl Street
Ellensburg, WA 98926

Seattle Magazine’s “Party of the Decade”

There is perhaps no publication more ubiquitous at Washington wine events than Seattle Magazine. Seriously, whenever we have been filled with glee to see our swank little WINO logo among the sponsors on a program at a wine gig, it’s not more than an eye-flutter away from the recognizable logo of Seattle Magazine. In the society of media, we’re like débutantes at a high tea that Seattle Magazine has been attending for generations. We’re in good company.

Seattle Magazine–not to be confused with Seattle Metropolitan–has immersed themselves into the Washington wine scene, which makes sense. Part of it may be local pride, since Washington has exploded onto the world wine stage in recent years; and part it may also be more practical–81% of their readership has imbibed in the vino in the past 30 days, according to a media audit in the Fall of 2009. With a distribution of 70,000 magazines monthly (not even counting their online readers), that’s at least 56,000 winos leafing through their pages. Good on ‘em.

This time, rather than sponsoring a killer event, Seattle Mag is throwing a party of their own. Dubbed “The Party of the Decade,” this soirée is centered around the unveiling of the Best of 2010. The “Best Of” parties have become an annual tradition, earning it’s place among the premier events in the Seattle area. And for good reason. Check out this video of their Best of 2006 Party:

The Best of 2010 Party promises to be nothing short of spectacular. Held in the Seattle Design Center on November 18 (FYI: that’s also my birthday), it will feature twenty-eight of Seattle’s best restaurants, over twenty Washington wineries, beer by Trumer Pilsner, coffee by Caffé Vita, and live performances by Teatro ZinZanni. The current roster is impressive, and will grow over the next month before the event:

Nefarious Cellars 2007 Estate Syrah, Defiance Vineyard

 

Slightly evil if consumed in one sitting, solo.

*Bottle #102: Nefarious Cellars 2007 Estate Syrah, Defiance Vineyard

Long time, no write. I have a whole alphabetical Rolodex of excuses if you’re interested but more importantly, I’d like to pick up where I left off… Washington Syrah. Remember, the stuff I said I wasn’t the fondest on? Try, try again!

This time, we’re moving from the greater regions of the Columbia Valley to the freshly established Lake Chelan AVA.

How to identify newly active winos in the biz:

1. The Web sites are atrocious.
2. The wineries still do complimentary tastings (and God bless them!).
3. The names reflect the area (i.e. Tsillan Cellars, Chelan Estate Winery, Chelangr’La Winery, Lake Chelan Winery, etc.).
4. Everyone still likes each other and recommends visiting neighboring competition.

Aged day-tripper venues have picked up a smidgen of jadedness in Washington’s 20+ years of tourism in the wine industry but Chelan (although it has been producing grapes for over 10 years now) is still so fresh and so clean-clean that it has become one of the most popular wine tasting regions in the state.

One of my personal favorites (see this little number) is Nefarious Cellars, home of one of the most panoramic views on the lake and home to one of the most amiable couples in the trade, Dean and Heather Neff. Esteemed wine writer Paul Gregutt had been there tasting with the grape-crushing, nuptial-ed duo the week before and they were just as animated to see this nobody last summer who wanted to write a diddy on them too. 

If You Can’t Finish The Bottle, You Can Still Use The Wine

“What do you do with leftover wine?”
“What’s leftover wine?”
-The Washington Post

We’ve all been there at one point or another: It’s usually that fourth bottle we shouldn’t have opened the night before, and now it sits there, taunting us, that last few ounces on the counter that we can’t bear to throw away, but also can’t bear to think of drinking. Not with this headache, this cotton-mouth. So what to do with it?

Well, as you know, we here at WINO provide all kinds of wine-related services, and our service doesn’t stop once you crack that bottle of wine. We’ve shown you how to choose wine, drink wine, dance with wine, read with wine, and now, we help you avoid wasting wine.

As I’ve previously stated, the best wine is one shared with friends. The use of leftover wine is no exception. So call up some friends and set aside five nights for epicurean indulgence, because it’s time for the virtual “First Annual Progressive Wine Dinner Party,” also known as “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Leftover Wine.”

Night 1

Let’s start simple, shall we? But we can still impress, and build the anticipation for future nights. The first night is, of course, the most challenging, because, while you want to use wine, you haven’t really planned on having so much left over. So in the following recipe, the wine you use won’t matter! I use Port, but any wine will do. Understand, of course, that the flavor will be affected. It just depends on what you’re in the mood for. Put another way, buy some Port, cheapskate!

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

1. Butterfly 1 (4 lb) beef tenderloin by cutting lengthwise about 2/3 through. Open onto a flat surface, and use a meat mallet to pound to 3/4 inch thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. Place 1 (10 oz) package of thawed frozen spinach into a colander, and squeeze to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Combine in a bowl with 8 oz Goat Cheese, 1 Tbsp. each chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. Set aside.
3. Top beef with 1 (12 oz) jar of roasted red peppers, drained, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around the edges. Top with 1 bunch whole basil leaves.
4. Spoon the cheese mixture on one end of the peppers and basil. This will be the very center of your roll. Begin rolling the beef tightly, like a jelly roll, and secure using butcher string or bamboo skewers. Refrigerate for at least an hour to set.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add tenderloin, and brown on all sides. Move beef to a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 30-40 minutes.
6. In the same pan used to brown the beef, cook 2 minced shallots until just softened. Add 1/4 cup port wine and reduce by half. Add 1 cup beef broth and bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 Tbsp. corn starch in 1/4 cup beef broth; add to pan and stir until thickened. Add 1/3 cup tomato paste and 1 tsp. fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Remove tenderloin from oven. Take the rack out of the pan, and allow the beef to rest for at least ten minutes.
8. Set the roasting pan over medium high heat. Deglaze with 1/4 cup beef stock, stirring to loosen browned bits. Add port wine sauce, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat, and swirl in 2 Tbsp. butter.
9. Cut the tenderloin into 1-inch slices. Pour sauce onto each plate, and top with the beef. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with fresh green beans, or other seasonal green vegetable.

Crack open the Cabernet, baby! It’s time to get the food, companionship, and wine off to a good start! It’s time to bask in the compliments and genius of your culinary skills. But don’t tell the secret, as you surreptitiously slide that partial bottle of wine into a safe spot. You’re going to need it for the next round!

Click & Mortar: The Birth of the Nectar Tasting Room

A year ago, our good friend Josh Wade over at DrinkNectar.com embarked on a mission–to shed light on the coffee and wine scene in Spokane, Washington, which boasts eighteen wineries including some of the oldest in the state: Latah Creek and Arbor Crest.

Since then, Josh has run headlong into the social media scene with the Nectar Wine Blog, and building an impressive following on Facebook and Twitter. But now, the clicks are turning into mortar.

The other day, Josh Wade announced that the Nectar Tasting Room is opening on the corner of Stevens and Main in Spokane, and will house the operations of five Washington winery satellite tasting rooms.

“Spokane has established itself as a wine tasting destination,” Josh said, “The addition of other regional wineries will enhance the wine experience for local residents and increase the spotlight on the quality Spokane wine producers.” The 2000 square foot space will be a place to taste wine and also enjoy wine by the glass. Nectar Tasting Room will be open Thursday through Saturday and plans on live music for the weekends.

Chinese Market Thirsty for Washington Wine

Economists at Washington State University are investigating ways to market Washington wine to the growing Chinese consumer market.

The research consists of examining Chinese preferences for wine from different countries coupled with economic experiments, said economics professor Jill McCluskey.

“It is important to understand Chinese consumers’ preferences so the United States can enter this growing market,” McCluskey said. “There is great potential within this market.”

China is one of the most populous nations in the world, and currently, per capita wine consumption within China is at 0.3 liters. This is meager in comparison with France and the United States, which are set at 59 liters per year and 12 liters per year, respectively.

“If per capita wine consumption in China rose by just 0.1 liters per year, that would mean consumption would rise by 100 million liters,” said Hainan Wang, a graduate student who assisted McCluskey in the study. “There is so much potential to create incredible profits by marketing wine to China.”

Currently, Chinese consumers perceive wine as stylish and prestigious. The Chinese prefer imported wine, and there is a preference for French wine among consumers, McCluskey said.