Vinotology Wine Blog

What Does Precept Growth Mean to Washington Wine Industry?

Anyone who has been paying attention to the ways of the world in the last few decades could tell you that the times, they are a changin'. There has been a steady move away from the locally owned mom and pop businesses in favor of larger corporations. In some industries this comes in the form of big box retailers moving into an area, displacing the locally owned stores, and in some cases it is in the form of the larger companies buying out the smaller ones. The wine industry has certainly not been an exception to this trend, and we have seen an acceleration of this trend in recent years, with brands like Constellation growing ever larger in their holdings. The state of the economy over the last several years has certainly contributed to this, as more and more people are becoming value conscious with their wine purchasing decisions.

Washington State has long been the home of smaller production wineries, with the exception of a couple of juggernauts. One of the larger companies in the state is Precept Wine Brands. This week Precept announced two purchases that are expected to push their production up to around 900,000 cases this year. With the acquisition of Canoe Ridge Vineyards and Sageland Vineyards, Precept builds on the large purchase of Corus Estates and Vineyards (which included Alder Ridge and Sawtooth wineries) last year. In addition to the wineries, the acquisition of Canoe Ridge Vineyards has brought the vineyard holdings of Precept up to approximately 3000 acres.

One representative from a winery contacted me this week and posed some questions about what affect the growth of Precept will have on the smaller wineries in the state. The concern that was implied in the questions was that the purchase of heritage brands and subsequent lowering of the price of the wines could be potentially damaging to producers who must charge a higher price for their boutique and small production wines.

A counter argument was presented almost a year ago by Paul Gregutt on his blog. Gregutt had interviewed Precept Brands Founder/CEO Andrew Browne, and his take on the issue was that the growth of Washington owned companies was a positive thing for the state's wine industry, potentially aiding in establishing Washington wines in other markets. His point, as I understand it, is that the growth in the sub-$15 wine market from Washington and increase in production are likely necessary to make Washington a true player in the global wine marketplace. He sums up his point in the comments when he says that, "...a rising tide floats all boats."

So what is the overall effect of the consolidation of wine brands under larger corporations? It's hard to say at this point. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for locally owned business. I generally avoid Starbucks in favor of local options, and I'll always shop at a locally owned option over a big box store when possible. I certainly think that, at least in the short term, the trend can make it harder for smaller brands to compete. Having heritage brands on the market for $15 a bottle is bound to move some sales away from brands that are in the $30+ price point. The question is how large this move is going to be, and how many brands will be able to weather the storm. The centralizing trend will likely only accelerate as some brands aren't able to remain profitable and join the other labels that have been purchased by larger companies. That being said, Paul Gregutt has a point. When I lived in Texas, the only Washington wines that were readily available to me were Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest and Hogue. These wines were all of high quality for their price point, but didn't give me very much choice when it came to Washington wines, which hurt the state's ability to grab my attention overall. Having more options for Washington wine in markets around the country (and globe) does seem like it would help to more firmly establish the state's wines in the minds of consumers around the country.

Ultimately, the questions won't really be answered until we've had several years to observe the trends. I would definitely be interested to hear the thoughts of those in the Washington wine industry on the question (either on or off the record.) I would also be interested in hearing some thoughts from producers in California, who have already had to deal with these kinds of issues for some time.

10 Out of 10 Doctors Agree - Skylite Cellars Makes Good Wine

One of the best parts of running this humble little wine blog has been all of the great people that I have had the opportunity to meet through it. Most of these people have been connections that I have made through Twitter, and I recently had the opportunity to meet another person that I have gotten to know through my online life, Cheryl Hodgins of Skylite Cellars.

I had actually become familiar with Skylite during the Wine Bloggers' Conference last year. During an after hours downtown tasting that was associated with the conference, I had the opportunity to meet Skylite winemaker Robert Smasne, and taste some of Skylite's wines. The wines were on the shortlist of wines that stood out in my mind from the trip, so I had been looking forward to my first visit to the winery since moving to Washington.

Since my first visit to their downtown Walla Walla tasting room, I have talked with Cheryl quite a bit on Twitter. Skylite (@SkyliteCellars on Twitter) has one of the most engaging and interesting Twitter presences of any Washington winery that I follow. She sends interesting pics and information, she jumps right into conversations online, and she never over-promotes. Because of this, she has always been one of the wineries that I most enjoy talking to online. When I last scheduled a trip out to Walla Walla, she was one of the people that I made sure I connected with. Turns out that Cheryl is every bit as engaging in person as she is online.

When you first meet Cheryl Hodgins, there is absolutely no ice to break. She is one of those people who can leap into animated conversation with you, even immediately after meeting her. When the topic turns to her winery, her love for the business kicks the conversation up to the next level. It is clear that she is passionate about her wines.

When starting the winery, Hodgins had the great fortune of getting connected with winemaker Robert Smasne, and the results has been outstanding. The wines have consistently performed well in competitions across the country, including the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Fingerlakes International Wine Competition, the Seattle Wine Awards, and the Tri-Cities Wine Festival. When the Renaud Society, a group of physicians with a love of wine, convened their annual wine competition in Walla Walla in 2009, the Skylite Cellars 2006 Reserve Columbia Valley was named "Best in Show". When the competition was held in Napa this year, Skylite again came out on top, this time with their 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon taking the honors. "They usually like the host state to take these kind of honors." Hogins told me, obviously taking a great deal of pride in her Walla Walla winery beating California wineries on their home turf.

The Wines

I tasted three different wines while I was visiting Skylite. Here are some brief notes on the wines:

2006 Syrah - Columbia Valley - $28

Along with their Malbec, which they are in between vintages of right now, the Syrah was one of the wines that I remembered from the WBC10 tasting. A smokey, meaty nose with dark fruit, and possibly at the suggestion of the taste card I got a touch of beets, leads into a soft, elegant palate. Nice dark cherry and earth notes, as well as some black pepper. 

2007 Skylite Cellars Reserve - Columbia Valley - $47

This Bordeaux blend (51% Malbec, 16% Carmenere, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon) has consistently been one of their top wines. The nose has great red fruit, cherries, black pepper, vanilla, leather, and some coffee. The palate is well balanced, with wonderful raspberry and coffee notes, with some nice spice. Really nice blend.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Walla Walla - $24

Lovely dark fruit on the nose, with floral components, toffee and mocha showing up as well. The palate is well balanced with good structure. Raspberry, with some nice smokey spice character, great texture and mouthfeel. Really reasonable price for a good Cabernet.

The Finish

Skylite Cellars has a great tasting room to visit, people who really have a love for their wines, and the wines are great. All of these reasons make this a stop to add to your Walla Walla wine touring itinerary. I would also recommend following Skylite Cellars on Twitter here. They will provide you with some great content, and Cheryl is just fun to talk to. I also wanted to note that Skylite Cellars is one of the wineries that are going to soon be occupying the new Nectar Tasting Room in Spokane, so Spokane residence will now be able to taste their wines locally.

Disclaimer: No doctors were actually consulted for this post. I just make the funny because of Skylite's back-to-back best of show awards with Renaud.

Feeling Rhônely in Walla Walla: Rôtie Cellars

What can I say, I'm a sucker for wines made from Rhône varieties, and I'm also, unfortunately for you readers, a sucker for Rhône-based puns. When I was originally out in Washington last June for the Wine Bloggers' Conference, one of the wineries that really stood out for me was Rôtie Cellars, a winery located in Walla Walla that specializes in wines based on the traditional Rhône varieties. Nary a Cabernet will you find in the Rôtie repertoire, but you will find some fine examples of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. Recently I was able to make a trip out to Walla Walla for some tasting, and to meet with winemaker Sean Boyd.

I was greeted for our morning appointment by Sean Boyd in the stairway outside of the downtown Rôtie Cellars tasting room. I had managed to work out my visit to avoid the truly hectic part of harvest, but there was still plenty of wine work being done, and Sean was kind enough to fit me into his schedule. The tasting room is all business, spartanly furnished with only the tasting counter to break up the space of the room. Unlike many Washington tasting rooms, Rôtie Cellars production is very focused, meaning that they don't have rows of different varieties to choose from when you are tasting. Their lineup features their Southern White blend, the Southern Red blend, a Northern Red blend, and their VDP blend of Syrah and Mourvedre.  

It doesn't take long talking to Boyd to catch his passion for these varieties. His wine path followed the normal trajectory, starting with Zinfandels from Paso Robles, and working it's way to Pinot Noir, and his true love, the Rhônes. His eyes light up when he talks about how much more Mourvedre he'll be producing in 2010 (I think my eyes might have lit up too). This focus on the Rhône varieties has been helped along by Boyd gaining access to some Grenache and Mourvedre when other producers backed out on contracts for the grapes.

The Rhône focus isn't the only way that Boyd goes against the flow that you find most places in Washington. He has also eschewed the common fixation on single vineyard designate wines, preferring to use blending to achieve the flavor profiles that he desires. "Single vineyards are great, but blends give you a broader palate to work with." Boyd told me. "The key to winemaking is to put yourself in a position to be lucky." he said in regard to blending. Part of this is getting fruit from different sites, instead of banking on the fruit from a single location. Another piece of this equation is selecting variety appropriate locations. Rather than go for vineyard designations, Boyd chooses to get fruit from the locations that really grow the varieties well. That means that he might be getting Syrah from Walla Walla, while his Grenache and Mourvedre come from the Horse Heaven Hills. 

Sometimes quality isn't the only consideration when it comes to what fruit goes into the blend. When Boyd was working on the 2008 Northern Blend, he found that the Pepper Bridge Syrah, which was the most expensive fruit that they had sourced, didn't fit the flavor profile that they were looking for. Rather than the kind of dirty profile that they were looking for in the Northern blend, the Pepper Bridge Syrah had a much fruitier profile. The fruit was great, but just wasn't what they were looking for in the blend. They ended up taking the Syrah and blending it with Mourvedre to create their VDP blend. The wine is outstanding, which makes for more supporting evidence to Boyd's theory about putting yourself in a position to be lucky.

When it comes to his overall approach to winemaking, Boyd aims for low alcohol, and as natural as possible. He likes hand picked, whole cluster fermenting, no racking, and minimal additive wines. He likes his Syrah with a little funk, and his wines with good acidity.

One of the cool things that Rôtie Cellars is doing is their wine club, which features a great hook right now and a cool name for club members. Sean told me that he wanted his club members to get something special, so he came up with the idea to give people who signed up to become "Rotiesians" during the first year of the club a lifetime pricing special. When you sign up for an allocation of Rôtie Cellars wine, you lock in the price of your wine. Given the fact that Rôtie wines are priced pretty reasonably to begin with, this is a great opportunity to lock in the price on some wine that seems likely to escalate in the future. This special is only going to be going on through the end of the year, so you should contact the winery soon if you are interested.

If you are a Rhône enthusiast, Rôtie Cellars is a must stop on your next Walla Walla trip. Also, there is a great interview with Sean Boyd on Ken Payton's Reign of Terroir blog, so you should check that out as well. I will be giving some tasting notes on the wines that I tried in the near future, so keep your eyes open for that if you would like to know more about the wines that Rôtie produces.

Wrapping Up Movember, With Mourvedre: 2008 Knight Hill Mourvedre

As most of you already know, I spent the month of November growing a mustache for the Movember fundraising effort. Since I write a blog about wine, and not facial hair, I decided that I would add a little twist to the effort and make it my goal to taste several Mourvedre based wines from Washington state during the month as well. That part of the project didn't really take off as much as I would have liked, but I did decide to commemorate the end of Movember with a little Mourvedre.

Recently I went to a tweetup at the Yakima Visitor Information Center, where they were showing off their new wine sample dispenser. The Visitor Information Center is a great stop if you need information about the different wine activities available in the Yakima Valley, including the different appellations that are found within the borders of the Yakima Valley AVA. Not only that, but it also doubles as a great gift shop, complete with a great selection of wine from around the Yakima Valley. One of the wines that was being poured at the tweetup was the 2008 Knight Hill Mourvedre. I was so impressed with the wine at the tweetup, that I easily decided that I had to take a bottle home with me to taste for my Movember project.

Knight Hill is located in Zillah, but the fruit for the 2008 Mourvedre is from the Wahluke Slope AVA. The alcohol comes in at 14.7%, and a bottle will only run about $17.

When I first open the bottle, I am immediately hit by a nose of berries and meaty, earthy, goodness. The blackberry and raspberry notes were mixed in with some juniper, chocolate, as well as the meat and earth notes. The palate has delicious dark berry flavors, with black pepper, and more earth components. My wife's comment on this wine was, "I could make a meal of this wine." I tend to agree with her. With its well balanced acidity and alcohol, this wine begged my wife and I to polish it off in a single sitting, which we gladly acquiesced to.

I am very pleased with my first experience with Knight Hill, and I'm not kicking myself for not picking up more of this wine when I purchased this one. I guess that just means that I will have to take a trip out to Zillah to visit the winery soon, and stock up. The $17 price tag on this wine seems like a real value, as this wine seemed to be a favorite of many at the tweetup that I attended, and my wife and I both loved it. I will definitely be purchasing some more of this one soon, and I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a varietal Mourvedre here in Washington. Although I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, I know that this is a fairly low production wine, so if you can't find it, contact the winery.

Washington: Getting to Know You Tour Stop 8 - The Rattlesnake Hills

One of the things that I knew that I would need to get a handle on when I moved to Washington, was the layout of the various American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). This can sometimes prove to be more difficult than you might think, as the AVAs here have this tendency to overlap, or possibly to be contained within the boundaries of another AVA. Let me show you what I mean.

As you can see, Eastern Washington is a mess of overlapping appellations. Aside from the Puget Sound AVA, the rest of the appellations in the state are situated in the Eastern portion of Washington. The largest of these is the Columbia Valley AVA, which stretches into Oregon. Within the borders of the Columbia Valley AVA, you will find the Yakima Valley, which in turn contains at least portions of the Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs. Hopefully you've got that, because I'm not repeating it.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a few spots in the Yakima Valley AVA, and specifically a couple of wineries in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. The Rattlesnake Hills has been its own appellation since 2006, and includes land between the north bank of the Sunnyside Canal and the southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills.

Two Mountain Winery

Two Mountain Winery is owned by brothers Matthew and Patrick Rawn, whose family ties to the Yakima Valley go back over 100 years, and who have been involved in agriculture in the area for over 50 years. The Rawns started converting some of their land from orchards to vineyards in 2000, planting Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Lemberger, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional. 

When I showed up at the winery, Matthew and Patrick were actually out of town, but I was met by Jay Spurlock, owner of Severino Cellars, who was pressing some grapes at Two Mountain. This is one of the things that I love about visiting smaller production wineries within the different winemaking communities. I love to see the cooperative spirit that you will find among businesses that are technically "competition" to each other. With the Rawns out of town, Spurlock and one of the men who was assisting with the pressing duties were only too happy to pour me some wine.

Hidden Horse VII - Red Blend - $15

This non-vintage blend is comprised of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah, 4% Lemberger and 1% Malbec. The nose has lots of dark fruit, vanilla, and oak, as well as a touch of tea leaves. On the palate I found lots of blackberries, plums, and black pepper. An interesting table wine for $15.

2006 Merlot - $22

Slightly vegital aromas, cherries, and toast stand out on the nose of this wine. The palate is full of red fruit, vanilla, and a touch of juniper. Nice long finish. Not my favorite Washington Merlot, but you should definitely try it for yourself if you make it by their tasting room.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - $28

The nose on this Cabernet Sauvignon is showing some complexity, with aromas of leather, tea leaves, and cigar box aromas, as well as some nice dark fruit. The tobacco notes surface again on the palate, along with dark fruit, vanilla, and a nice finish. Not a bad Cab for the price, and definitely worth a try.

Severino Cellars

Since I had met Jay Spurlock at Two Mountain, I decided to make a stop at his winery while I was in Zillah. Severino Cellars has a great location in Zillah, located in a charming little house right off the highway. When I arrived at the winery, I met with Spurlock's daughter Nikki Samaniego. Severino Cellars is another family operation. The winery is named after Spurlock's son-in-law, Severino Samaniego, who is also the winemaker and operates a vineyard. The winery is still young, the tasting room just opened it's doors in 2007, but they seem to be off to a good start.

2009 Viognier - $19.99

The nose on the 2009 Viognier is floral and fruity, with citrus, tangerine and stone fruit all showing up. The palate is chewy, with honey, apricot, and some nice minerality. This dry Viognier is made from Severino estate fruit, and pretty much gives you what you want from a Viognier.

Severino Red Lot #3 - $15.99

This non-vintage blend is made up of 66% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose gave me some nice red berry and cherry aromas, as well as some baking spice notes. The palate offers more red fruit, some black pepper, and chocolate. A very nice table wine for $15.

2007 Merlot - $21.99

On the nose I got some of the same tea leaf notes that I got from some of the Two Mountain wines, which is probably because some of the same fruit was used to produce this Merlot. I also was getting cherries, vanilla, and some mineral notes. The palate had some nice berry flavors, spice, and tobacco.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - $24.99

Red fruit, tobacco, and spice drive the nose on this wine. The palate has some nice spicy raspberry, blackberries, and chocolate. The well balanced acidity in this wine seems to suggest a very food friendly Cab. A found this one to be a good value at $24.99.

The Finish

Although I didn't really spend enough time in the Rattlesnake Hills to fully get to know it, I did enjoy the two stops that I made. The entire Rattlesnake Hills AVA is contained in a fairly small area, and the visits that I made had a very tightly knit community feel, although I have heard that the relationships in this area are not without their strife, but that's a bigger topic than I want to tackle in this post. The countryside in the Zillah area has a rugged beauty to it that begs for exploration, and I look forward to getting a deeper look soon.

20something - Washington Sets Sights on Reaching Millennials

Last week I risked life and limb to make the drive across the Snoqualmie pass in the snow, although Mrs. Vinotology and I chickened out and took a longer route with less snow coming back, and thereby avoided the kind of mess that this video captures (courtesy of a tweet from my friend Claire McCool). Anyway, my trip was due to my desperate attempts to recapture my misspent youth by attending the 20something: The New Vintage event being held in Seattle. Fortunately for me, nobody told the Washington Wine Commission that I am no longer in my twenties, so I was able to sneak in.

Now in its fifth year, 20something is an event focused on grabbing that coveted Millennial market that everyone is so anxious to attract. The event features food and wine from some of the top chefs and wineries in Washington state, with 75 different wineries and 15 local chefs participating. In addition to the food and wine, the event also offered attendees the opportunity to engage in some educational activities, including a sensory analysis booth, and one demonstrating TCA affected wines. The event was also a very social media centered event, with two huge screens displaying the Twitter chatter that used the event's #20wine hashtag. Of course, what event for the young folk would be complete without a DJ? Spinning tunes at this year's event was Darek Mazzone.

Even in the Twitter chatter leading up to the event, it was clear that this was an event with an educational mission. The goal of helping to push Washington Millennials into the next stage of wino evolution was even present in the core branding on the website, with sections titled "hip2spit" and "hip2taste" highlighting some of the less commonly observed elements of the Millennial wine experience. Here are a couple of the tweets that I saw leading up to the event -

@seattlewinegal: Quick tip for young wine tasters: Don't wear perfume wine tasting. It's a distraction!

@20somethingwine: Our theme 2nite is that it's Hip2Spit. Make sure that you taste these wines responsibly.

Despite the best efforts of the event's organizers, I am relatively confident that there was very little spitting that took place, hip or otherwise, and I saw the dump buckets being used as trash receptacles at many tables. Still, this kind of event seems like the perfect way to start the education process and to encourage younger wine drinkers to get more serious about wine in the future. The "hip" atmosphere at the event seemed like a perfect way to appeal to a market who might view wine as stodgy or pretentious. Giving Millennials a venue that puts wine into a more comfortable frame of reference seems like a great approach, especially when done in a way that it doesn't feel like the event was organized by a bunch of us old 30something farts who are trying to make a hip, young event.

In the long run, I think the key to capturing this market will be education. Moving Millennial wine drinkers into the wine enthusiasts category will be what will have the most long term effects, especially for the wineries who are producing wines that exceed $20 a bottle. This is where I think the organizers are really excelling. I heard several really great conversations taking place at the educational tables in the "Geek Lounge", proof that the efforts were having some effect. The participants seemed to be genuinely interested in learning about how to taste wine, or to find a fault in a wine. I also overheard discussions about wine and food pairing, as well as someone questioning a winemaker about malolactic fermentation. These are all good signs that the message is hitting its mark with at least some in this group.

But the goal of this event for organizers in the Washington Wine Commission is not simply to create more educated wine drinkers, but specifically to create more dedicated Washington wine drinkers. Although it is difficult to measure how effective the event was in this respect, I think that it is certainly a good thing to get more Washington wines in front of this younger audience, and hopefully the 20something attendees will follow up with future purchases and tasting room visits. I think that there are definite benefits to the individual wineries that poured at the event. Rather than have wineries stand behind a table and pour to people who walked by, the winery representatives walked around the event, giving them the opportunity for more focused one-on-one interaction. Some wineries made better use of this opportunity than others. I think that there was a significant portion of the people attending the event who were just looking for something to fill their glass, but there were many who were paying attention to what they were drinking, asked questions, and who will remember the wines that stood out.

In the final wash, I think that the event was a big success. Everyone is trying to court this emerging consumer group, but the tactics taken in many cases demonstrate a lack of understanding of the target group. 20something managed to be educational, without being condescending. The food and wine was great, and was presented in a way that maximized the opportunity to personally connect with the wineries and restaurants involved. Every comment that I heard from the crowd was very positive, aside from some people complaining about having to stand in line outside in the cold while entering the event. The use of social media to promote and discuss the event was also well executed, driving the event to be sold out beforehand and to become a trending topic in Seattle during the event. In an industry that often seems to be scrambling to figure out how to reach out to this age group, 20something provides a good model for how to do it right. Now I'll just have to wait to see if I am able to sneak my ever more 30something self into the event again next year to see how they improve on that model.

Washington: Getting to Know You Tour Stop 7 - AVA Wine Rooms

It isn't often that you get a truly unique experience at a retail wine establishment. Sure, there are lots of stores that I have their niches, but for the most part you always come away with an experience that you have had a thousand times before in other shops. Last week I visited AVA Wine Rooms, a local wine room that really felt like it had a personality all its own.

AVA Wine Rooms is owned by Dean and Whitney Maldonado, and is located in the South Ridge area of Kennewick. The shop focuses exclusively on small production wineries from around Washington state. Whitney Maldonado told me that she likes to find the wineries with production in the 4000 cases a year or less range, the places that often have no tasting room and are in the middle of nowhere, and focus on those. The feel of the store is very open, with none of the clutter that you sometimes find in wineshops. Much more tasting room than retail store, the decor is tastefully modern, but inviting. 

In addition to the local focus, one of the other elements that makes AVA feel unique, is the personality of owner Whitney Maldonado. A quick conversation with her about the wines that she caries will demonstrate the advantages of such a focused inventory. Madonado is able to exclusively carry products from producers that she really believes in, and the excitement that she has about those wines really shows. When you hear her talk about a Sheridan Vineyard Cabernet, it's like listening to an illicit account of a romantic affair. Maldonado is also passionate about educating her customers on the wines that she carries. Twice a month AVA hosts a blind tasting and a separate guided tour of some of the wines that they stock. Both of these are great opportunities for visitors to learn more about wine in general, and specifically about the wines and different terroirs of Washington.

If you are in the Tri-Cities area and would like to experience some of the great small production wines from around the state, a visit to AVA Wine Rooms is definitely a must. They offer wines by the glass and by the bottle. The Tasting Blind and Guided Wine Tour events take place on Saturdays, twice a month. The cost for these guided tastings is $20 (refundable with bottle purchase) and requires a reservation. You can contact AVA Wine Rooms for dates and to make reservations. For more information, visit their website.

Images taken from AVA Wine Rooms website

Robert Smasne, an Undersheriff, and a Wood Cock Walk Into Bin 20...

When you think of fine dining, where is the first place that you think of? A trendy downtown restaurant? Maybe even some obscure and off-the-beaten-path place that is cool enough to make people go search for it? What about a hotel? While the hotel used to be a destination for fine dining, that association has long since dissipated, but the people at the Red Lion Hotel in Pasco are trying to change that with their hotel restaurant, Bin 20.

With the help of Executive Chef Charlie Reed, the Red Lion Hotels is attempting to make dining at a hotel cool again. They realize that this is an uphill battle, but they seem to be up to the challenge. "If you walk into almost any hotel in America, you find the same food." Chef Reed told me. "Our goal was to position the hotel with a better product. We wanted to get good food in here and build a reputation for the restaurant." The restaurant has made a push to get fresh quality ingredients to go into the food, and have created the menus to showcase those ingredients.

Chef Reed has been cooking most of his life. He told me that his culinary training started when he was only 10, and continued into his time as a student at Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado. He has been an American Culinary Federation certified chef since he was seventeen. While in the Denver area, he worked in the kitchen of a local country club. Over the years, his love of food has taken him around the United States and Europe, and he has held positions with restaurants, country clubs, and hotels, including being the Executive Chef with Hilton and now Red Lion Inns. During that time he has been able to work in a variety of styles and environments. In talking with Chef Reed, his love of food was evident. "I hope I die in the kitchen, just fall over dead into something I'm cooking."

The new endeavor only started this June, but already they have started to build a solid reputation. One way that the restaurant has been able to increase its exposure is by hosting a series of monthly winemaker dinners, featuring a 6 course meal, paired with the wines from one of Washington State's many great wineries. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a recent dinner featuring the wines of Robert Smasne. The theme of the night was "Farm Boy", named for one of Smasne's wines. The food was a great mix of game meats and delicious vegetables. Every dish was delicious, but I especially enjoyed the Colorado Lamb Lollipop on Buttermilk Blue Cheese Polenta, and the Roasted Duck and Wood Cocks. Not only was the last dish very good, but it also helped spark a little off-color dinner conversation with a nice couple seated at our table, one of whom was an undersheriff whose name I will withhold to shelter from being connected to such conversation. One of the benefits of these dinners is that you will be seated at a table with other diners, and will have the opportunity to meet some of your fellow wine lovers.

The winemaker dinner events make for a great opportunity to enjoy some wonderful food and great wines. I was very impressed that the Bin 20 people were able to get Smasne to participate, right in the middle of harvest. There were a couple of moments where he was called away to attend to some winemaking duties, but the people who attended were able to get the stories behind some of the vineyards that produced the grapes that go into Smasne Cellars wines, as well as hearing about the wines themselves. The effort that went into selecting the pairings was also evident, as each wine was perfectly suited for the dish that it was served with. Bin 20 is taking a hiatus through the holidays on the winemaker dinners, but will be resuming them in January. Although some might shy away from the $60 price tag for these dinners, I found the price to be very reasonable. The food is definitely gourmet fine dining, and through the course of the evening you will rarely see the bottom of your wine glass. You will have the opportunity to try a number of different wines, and meet with the winemaker who produced them. You can stay up to date on the upcoming events at Bin 20 by looking at their website. In addition to the events that they offer, they also have a wonderful daily menu, as well as some great wines and Scotch flights.

Farm Boy bottle image credit to Sara Nelson Design

Mourvèdre Movember - 2008 Alexandria Nicole Members Only

Over the last several years we have seen almost everything subjected to the public experiment that is known as crowdsourcing. These efforts have had mixed results, ranging from big successes to massive failures. There have been previous efforts by wine brands to leverage their customer's ideas to incorporate into their brand, and there have even been previous attempts at crowdsourcing the blend of wines. On my recent trip to Woodinville, I tasted the results of a crowdsourcing blend created by the wine club members of Alexandria Nicole Cellars.

The 2008 Members Only blend from Alexandria Nicole Cellars is a southern Rhone blend comprised of 40% Mourvèdre, 34% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 10% Counoise, and 2% Viognier. The collaborative blend is made from Destiny Ridge Vineyards fruit, and retails for $42 a bottle to club members.

The wine has lots of dark cherry aromas and some meaty notes, coffee and chocolate also making an appearance on the nose. The palate is dominated by peppery red fruit, with a velvety mouthfeel. The wine is a pleasant pour, but the $42 price tag seems a bit steep. This is by no means a crowdsourcing disaster; the members did a pretty decent blending job, but there are better values at that price point.

Mourvèdre Movember - This was my first profile of a Mourvèdre based wine for my Mourvèdre Movember series. Mourvèdre Movember is part of my efforts to raise money to combat prostate cancer. In 2010 more than 32,000 men will die as a direct result of prostate cancer, and your donation to the cause will help to save lives in the future. Visit my Mospace page to donate, and to see how my mustache is progressing.

Washington: Getting to Know You Tour Stop 6 - Woodinville

One of the great things that I am finding about Washington is that there are so many different experiences within an easy driving distance. The East side of the state, where I am currently living, is all high desert. The desert has its own kind of beauty, with the rolling hills and rivers flowing in every direction, but drive a few hours West and you will cross over the mountains and be in the middle of the evergreen forests and coastal areas. Last weekend I took a trip to Woodinville and Seattle to hang out with my friend Andrew Lazorchak, who was up from Napa visiting some of his Wine Soiree clients. Although a single day in Woodinville isn't enough time to fully experience the area, we did enjoy some great wines and beautiful scenery.

Woodinville is a unique wine enclave within the Seattle metropolitan area. Despite being only 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, Woodinville feels very secluded from the big city. When Chateau Ste. Michelle set up shop in Woodinville a little more than 30 years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine what the area would become. There are now over 70  wineries in the area, both primary locations and satellite tasting rooms for wineries in other parts of the state. The area also offers great lodging, shopping, and dining. If you visit Woodinville and are looking to pack as many winery stops as possible into a day, the Warehouse District gives you access to over 35 wineries within easy walking distance. A tour of this area would give any visitor a nice snapshot of wines produced from fruit from around the state.

The majority of the wines being sold in Woodinville are produced from fruit sourced from different areas of the Columbia Valley. The Western side of Washington does grow some grapes, primarily whites, but the majority of the fruit production is done in the more arid and warmer Eastern side of the state.

The Wineries

During the time that I was in Woodinville, we decided to visit only a handful of wineries, rather than blowing through as many as possible. It was release weekend for several wineries, so we had the opportunity to taste some wines that were just hitting the streets. I met up with my friends Margot Savell, Shona Milne, Andrew Lazorchak, and Barbara Evans, and we started our tour. 

Ross Andrew Winery

The tasting room for Ross Andrew Winery is right in the heart of Woodinville. We had the opportunity to meet with Ross Andrew himself, and he introduced us to his new release 2009 Celilo Vineyard Pinot Gris, which was a lovely aromatic white with floral notes and pears jumping out on the nose, and some nice crisp mix of fruit and minerality on the palate. We also tasted the 2008 Boushey Vineyard Syrah, also a new release. This Syrah has the quality that you expect from a Boushey Vineyard Syrah, with earthy dark fruit and smoke aromas on the nose, and great dark fruit, a touch of citrus, and a velvety texture on the palate. The new releases from Ross Andrew were my first exposure to his wines, and I am looking forward to my next opportunity to try them again.

Alexandria Nicole Cellars

Alexandria Nicole was one of the many standouts that I remembered from my trip to Washington for the Wine Bloggers' Conference in June. They produce an astounding number of different varieties of wine from the grapes grown at their Destiny Ridge Vineyard. The wines that I have tasted have consistently been of high quality, and the tasting room in the Woodinville Hollywood School House makes for a great visit. Alexandria Nicole produces so many wines, that I can't really do justice to them in the space that I have here, but look for a more detailed post coming up soon about their 2008 Members Only blend. The blend is a Mourvedre based blend of Rhone varieties, which makes it a perfect wine for my Movember Mourvedre project.

Brian Carter Cellars

Brian Carter Cellars is known for their European-style blends. They currently offer one white blend, and red blends that range in styles of blends from the Rhone, Bordeaux, and Tuscany, just to name a few. They also have begun to produce a handful of single varietal wines, although the focus is still primarily on blends. We tasted several great wines, but I was especially enamored with the 2007 Corrida, a Spanish-style of blend that featured Tempranillo. I will be doing a more detailed tasting of this wine in a future post, but suffice it to say that the dark fruit and cedar notes that stand out on this wine were enough to draw me back for another tasting.

Sparkman Cellars

Although we didn't spend much time in the Warehouse District, Barbara took Andrew and I to visit one of her favorite Warehouse stops. Sparkman Cellars is a small production winery that has been producing wine since 2004. The winery features some cool branding, with wines named Ruckus, Darkness, and Kingpin. The juice is nice as well. One of my favorites was their Ruckus Syrah, which had some really great dark fruit and smoky character. I will definitely be making my way back to Sparkman Cellars on future trips to the West side.

The Finish

Whether you are looking to tour the beautiful Chateau Ste. Michelle location, or work your way through the smaller artisan winemakers that can be found in the area, Woodinville is a destination that has the be experienced. The sheer density of the wine population in this area make it a unique stop, as you won't have to spend half your time driving to see everything that you want to see. The easiest way to maximize your time would be to visit the Warehouse District, but don't neglect all of the great stops that the rest of the area have to offer. You won't be able to see everything in a single day, so make sure to plan where you would like to go before hand, or do what I did and enlist the help of one of the locals. Oh, and beware of the roundabouts.