Archive for the ‘Review Washington State wine’ Category

Well, I think I just found “the horse’s mouth.”

You may know that I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of the “cork vs screw cap” issue, and I just spoke with  a true authority on the subject — someone who’s run some very rigorous trials on the viability and age-ability of natural cork, synthetic corks and screw caps.

And the verdict is in! Well, there’s not just one verdict: it turns out that (as usual) the truth is not black and white. Here’s the whole scoop and nothing but the scoop…

This winemaker and his associates at an award-winning Washington State winery compared the performance of natural cork, synthetic cork and screw caps on both red and white wines (Merlot and Chardonnay) and for periods ranging from 3 – 12 months, 12 – 24, 24 – 36, and long-term. They found that:

A – Synthetic cork is too permeable: it allows too much oxygen to enter the bottle, which speeds up the wine’s aging process. For white wines, this means that they lose their fresh flavors too quickly and have a very short shelf life. For reds, the effects of aging are usually desirable, but only in a controlled, predictable, timely way. Winemaker and company decided synthetic was not useful for any of their wines.

B – Natural cork was running at an average 15% failure rate, which meant that 15 out of every 100 bottles (or about two bottles in every single case of wine) were contaminated by TCA cork taint (if you want to know more about TCA, watch my YouTube video, Cork vs Screw Caps). On top of that, they found that corks are like snowflakes: each one is unique and just a little different from every other cork. That meant that test results were not totally consistent for any time period. But for permeability, natural cork generally allowed less oxygen into the wine than synthetic, but more than screw cap.  They concluded that for reds that are meant to be drunk within three years, natural cork’s permeability is like Baby Bears’ bed: not too long, not too short, but just right. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all seen it happen: you’ve got the status quo going nicely in your company, your school, or your neighborhood. Everyone knows where they stand in the pecking order: who’s the boss and who are the supporting cast. So when someone new moves into town, you expect them to work their way up the ladder, and pay their dues along the way.

But what if they don’t? What if they just come storming into the neighborhood, acting like they own the place. Or not acting at all – just taking charge by doing what they do very well.

If you’ll pardon the long-winded analogy, that’s exactly what’s happening in the wine world with the so-called “emerging wine regions.” Countries such as Spain, Argentina and Chile are taking American wine markets by storm.

Of course, they’re “emerging” only to us North Americans. These countries have a much stronger wine-drinking heritage than North Americans and have been producing wine, and lots of it, for centuries. But much of it was relatively low quality stuff. That’s all changed in the last five to 10 years with significant improvements in vineyard practices, grape quality and winemaking technology. We’re now seeing lots of good, better and best quality wines from these countries – and often at bargain prices. They’re giving domestic producers a run for their money. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s something I hear way too often: “I don’t like blends. I drink only varietal wines” (usually accompanied by a disdainful sniff). Now where did folks get the idea that a blended wine is somehow second-class? Haven’t they heard of Bordeaux or Meritage? Don’t they know that  most of the wines they drink have a little something added to spice-up/soften-up/beef-up their varietally labeled wine?

The wine I’m writing about today, Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red 2007, is testament to the wonders of blended wines. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen quite so many grapes and vineyards in one bottle (I counted eight grapes, each from as many as six appellations). And many of these appellations are known for producing premium red grapes.

Did I mention that this wine is from Washington State? I’m featuring that state in this week’s wine reviews because so many Washington reds knock me out! This one is no exception. It’s big on aromas and flavors (which I’ll get to later), but more important, it’s got that wonderful Washington State balance. If you’ve caught my recent reviews, you’ve already read my Hymn of Praise for the accident of climate and topography that’s created a veritable Wine Grape Heaven in eastern Washington State. But here it is again: the Cascade Mountains create a rain shadow in eastern Washington, and because the region is at a northerly latitude, there are longer-than-average daylight hours to ripen the grapes. Even better, there’s a 30 degree Diurnal Temperature Shift (that’s techie talk for “a really big difference between daytime and night-time temperatures). What this creates is good acid in the grapes, which balances the very rich, ripe fruit. Now that’s my kind of wine! Read the rest of this entry »

Some red wines are so rich that you could have them for dessert. I don’t mean actual dessert wines: I mean a wine with so much fruit that it tastes like a yummy dessert. Actually, we paired this wine with a chocolate raspberry dessert. And it was really yummy.

Bergevin Lane Columbia Valley Calico Red 2006 is the wine I’m reviewing today. It’s made in Washington State wine country, and if you’ve been reading my posts, you know I really like Washington State reds. But Bergevin Lane is especially cool. Read the home page of their website and you’ll see why. Bergevin and Lane are the two women you see here, and their passion for good wine is real and obvious. Many other critics have agreed — Wine Spectator, The Wine Advocate, Wine & Spirits and others have already given their wines a boatload of 90+ ratings and rave reviews, and they’ve only been around since 2001! They’re also located in the town of Walla Walla, Washington — that’s just too much fun to pronounce, and makes me want to go visit there soon. Read the rest of this entry »

OK, I admit to a prejudice for Washington State wines. I had a “Come to Jesus” moment after I’d tasted several reds and realized there wasn’t a clinker in the bunch. Even the cheap(er) stuff was good! In a recent article I told you what makes Eastern Washington State such great wine country. The quick recap goes like this: Eastern Washington lies in a rain shadow created by the Cascade Mountains. The rain drops on the range’s western flank (i.e. Seattle), leaving the Columbia River Valley region dry and warm. Another happy benefit of geography is that the state is at a northerly latitude, which gives them longer days during the growing season, or more daylight hours to ripen the fruit. A wine grape couldn’t ask for more!

Columbia Winery was a pioneer in the Washington wine industry. Ten guys decided back in 1962 that they had faith in the region’s potential, and set out to make premium wine. Their efforts have been rewarded: over the years they’ve won plenty of “Best Buy” ratings and high scores.

But you can’t drink a score. So do these wines really measure up?

Speaking for the Cabernet Sauvignon, the answer is “yes.” In fact, the Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2007 is a great expression of Washington wine. The fruit is intense, with lush dark berries on the front. There’s sweet, toasty oak in the middle, and then the acid stands up and salutes. This is the classic Washington balance — the acid created by cool nights (that 30-degree diurnal temperature shift) counters the richness of the fruit, so the wines are never “flabby” or too soft on the finish.

I was drinking this with a red sauce dish (Eggplant Parmesan, I think), and I loved every minute of my meal. Try it yourself and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Columbia Winery Columbia valley Cabernet 2007

$14.99

We’ve all had bad sweet wine — stuff that tasted like table sugar or, worse yet, chemical sweeteners, and left a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. Yuck… So what do you do for good sweet wine?

Meet the Riesling grape. It’s native to Germany, which is one of the coldest places in the world where wine grapes are grown. The grape likes cold — in fact, it needs cool temperatures to develop the acid that makes the wine crisp and clean. Why is “crisp and clean good”? Because in a sweet wine the “crisp” keeps it from tasting syrupy or cloying. Read the rest of this entry »