Waterville Chamber Slates Wine Tasting and Art Auction March 13

The Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Wine Tasting & Art Auction at 6:00 PM, Saturday, March 13, at the Hilton Garden Inn at Levis Commons in Perrysburg. Tickets are $45 per person. Reservations are required and payment is due upon reservation. Checks should be made payable to WACC. Reservations may be made by calling (419) 878-5188 or e-mail at admin@watervillechamber.com.

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Washington Wines: An Inside Look

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Dave Pirwitz of DJP Selections is a distributor specializing in Northwest wines, almost entirely from Washington. TWAV interviewed Dave to get an insider’s view of the Washington wine scene.

TWAV: What do you like about Washington wines?

Pirwitz: Generally, Washington wines tend to be of high quality, especially relative to their price point, and offer very broad, very well balanced and distinctive taste profiles, when compared to wines from other regions.  Like wines from any other region, though, Washington wines are not all created equally. 

My particular favorites, many of which are the wines we are bringing into the state, are those that are made in small quantities, by winemakers that are passionate and true to the fruit and the terroir of the areas where the fruit is sourced.  These artisanal producers use the simple, traditional approaches of growing or sourcing the highest quality fruit available, treating that fruit with kid gloves during crush and fermentation, and using well thought out aging regimes in high quality tanks and barrels.

With these wines, you don't usually see the manipulation of the fruit through the use of high tech additives or short cut techniques that are frequently employed in the production of high volume wines.  The resulting limited production wines are beautiful, expressive, complex, well structured and very, very tasty.

TWAV: Have you noticed an upward trend in sales or interest in Washington wines?

Pirwitz: Absolutely, and we hope that we are helping to drive that trend by focusing almost exclusively on these limited production wines from Washington state.  I think the interest was always there but very few of these wines were making it to Ohio.  Partly because there is not a lot of wine available for distribution and partly because the lower volumes and variability of supply are not attractive to larger distributors. 

When we started our market research a couple of years ago, though, the industry told us that they were hungry for wines of this quality at reasonable prices.  Our book focuses on those wines that are under $30 with a large portion under $20 retail, but that drink like ones that cost twice as much from France, Italy or California, for example.

TWAV: What makes the wines of Washington unique?

Pirwitz: While we are blessed with a large number of dedicated, innovative and passionate winemakers here in Washington, a great wine always starts with great fruit.  The unique geographic aspect, climate and soils of Washington create the perfect environment for growing above average wine grapes.
 
Even within Washington, there are unique microclimates and soil profiles that create ideal conditions for different grapes.  As to the question of why so many uniquely great values come out of Washington, I've been told it has to do in great part with the cost of vineyard land.

Land values are relatively low because these growing areas don't attract large populations of people, as is the case in many of the other prime growing regions around the world.  These areas are in the high desert of Eastern Washington which is hot and dry during much of the growing season and ranges from cool, windy and dreary to outright tundra the rest of the year. 

TWAV: You mentioned  Washington wines getting more exposure and interest in the Toledo area. To what do you attribute that?

Pirwitz: Part of it is the national trend toward Washington wines in general.  Washington is a relative newcomer to many wine consumers and has nowhere to go but up;  at over 600 brands, Washington is still at only 1/16th the production level of California.  So as good press and market penetration continue to grow for Washington wines so do the general consumer's opportunities to taste and fall in love with these wines.  
Up until recently, the general consumer has mostly been exposed to wines made by Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia, Columbia Crest and the like and while those can be great wines too, most are high-production value wines (there are certainly some premium and reserve exceptions but these rarely make it out of the state), and do not define what Washington wines are anymore than Mondavi, Crane Lake, Gallo or the many Coastal brands define California wines. 

As consumers have more opportunities to taste the next level of quality, their perception of what Washington wine is becoming dramatically more favorable. 

That's where we come in.  For the last 2 years, Jan and I have been relentlessly combing the state of Washington, painstakingly sacrificing our palates (its a tough job but someone has to do it) to put together a book focused on some of the best small lot wineries in the state.
 
The local Toledo area market has been very welcoming and most all of the fine wine shops and a few select restaurants are now offering a large selection of these wines.  In addition to a number of wine shop tasting events, we were happy to also be asked to contribute to the benefit event scene in the Toledo area over the last several months where we poured a large number of all Washington wine lineups at the March of Dimes, Mobile Meals, Kidney Foundation and YMCA wine galas.  The wines were received to accolades and many of our retailers have reported a surge in sales and requests for some of the brands we featured.  It is very satisfying that my home town seems to be enjoying these wines as much as we do.

TWAV: Have you noticed any trends with Washington wines?

Pirwitz: I think the biggest trend is one of innovation in general.  More and more, winemakers seem to be experimenting with lesser known varietals, seeing what works best in which areas and where they can get the best expression of the fruit.  While the state is best know for its Rieslings, Chardonnays, Cabs, Merlots, Bordeaux Blends and Syrahs, we have a lot of wines in our book that fall into the more esoteric categories such as Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Blau Franc/Lemberger, Ice Wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Roussane, Marsanne, Viognier, Port blends, Rhone blends, Bordeaux blends, Tuscan blends, Piedmont blends, etc.
 
As we discussed, many think the next big Washington darling might be Malbec and there are some very nice examples of this hitting the market right now.  Most of these are at the $20 and above price point though, and as you might expect, are totally different types of wine than the South American Malbecs that have been popular over the last several years at the lower end of the market.  Though I have seen just a couple so far, I wouldn't doubt that we start to see even more along this vein with varietals like Albariňo, Grüner, Mourvedre, and Symphony.

TWAV: Do you have any favorite WA wine, varietal or producer?
 
Pirwitz: That's a tough one, it's like asking to pick a favorite kid, but lately I have been a big fan of a couple of the big, rich Cabernet Francs that have been coming out of the state's warmer areas.  Gilbert Cellars and Covington Cellars are two excellent examples. 

Technorati Tags: wine,Washington wines

Washington Micro-Wines Make Splash in Toledo Area

 

The room was jammed. Elbow to elbow, people tried to work their way toward the bar. A crackle of excitement ran through the crowd. An appearance by an American Idol contestant or maybe a headliner from the most recent Hollywood box office hit?

No. It was a tasting of wines from Washington State’s micro-wineries held recently at Corks in Rossford and the crowd was their largest ever, more than double the size of a typical tasting.

"Most people are absolutely stunned by the high number of quality wines coming out of Washington,” said Mike Gregg, Corks’ wine manager. “Few people realize that Washington is the second largest wine producing state in America (behind California).”

That’s something that could change with rapidity, according to distributor Dave Pirwitz of DJP Selections. During the recent winter charity season,  his company donated and poured 25 different limited-production Washington wines at four events.
 
Most recently, he poured at the YMCA's Four Your Y Scholarship event at the Belmont Country Club.  It was a themed event with four distributors each pouring based on one of the letters of YMCA.  DJP had C for Columbia Valley, and poured six Columbia Valley wines, all extremely well received. Columbia Valley, Washington’s  largest winegrowing region. is on the same latitude as Bordeaux, France.

The Corks tasting featured a lineup showing Washington winemakers’  impressive range.
The Covington  Cellars (Woodinville) Viognier was light honey and color with a somewhat grassy taste. Enjoyable, but the most remarkable thing to me was that Washington State producers make this wine.

The next taste was Gilbert Cellars (Columbia Valley) 2008 Gewürztraminer. This is the winery’s initial bottling of Gewurz. It casts off a great floral bouquet and finishes with trademark spiciness. It has 2.5% residual sugar (0% is bone dry) so it has sweetness but not overwhelmingly so.

Did someone say micro-wine? Cascade Cliffs’ Goat Head Red certainly fills the bill. This is a winemaker’s blend featuring Nebbiolo, Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon. As we were told, this is made from odd lots left from other bottlings, so the blend is different from year to year. Only 84 cases were produced. In fact, only 3,000 total cases of wine are produced annually by Cascade Cliffs. This is a highly drinkable wine, low in tannins.

The Smasne Cellars 2007 Phinny Hill Vineyard Carmenere is another small production wine with only 103 cases produced. Phinny Hill is a vineyard within the Horse Heaven Hills AVA with a different soil and can be subject to flooding. The wine is barrel-aged for 22 months imparting a nice oakiness. The wine has flavor notes of white pepper and smoke and can easily compare to a Napa Valley wine of $60 or more (although it retails for about $35).

We are big fans of Malbec and so were anxious to try the Gilbert Cellars 2007 Estate Malbec. This is made from grapes grown in the Gilbert vineyards on the south facing hillsides of the Wahluke slope. It has prominent dark fruit and a bigger structure than the other reds we sampled. Tastes of black pepper on the finish. This is a nice Malbec and, according to Mike, Malbec is the next big thing in Washington.

“Washington has been making great wine for a number of years, but is only recently starting to come into it's own,” said Gregg. “Add to that the high number of values and accolades and you've got a lot of consumers starting to take notice.” He said that when Columbia Crest's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was named Wine Spectator's 2009 Wine of the Year, it opened quite a few eyes to the quality of Washington wines.

We wrapped up our tasting with the Gilbert Cellars 2006 Allobroges, a Rhone blend of 60% Syrah, 22% Grenache and 18% Mourvedre. This wine (500 cases produced) is an elegant drink with rich flavors of black berries. It is a blend of grapes from four Columbia Valley vineyards.

The range of wines produced in Washington is really astounding – far beyond Merlot or Syrah. Explaining why he likes Washington wines Gregg says, “I like the unique microclimates of Washington. These little pockets of terroir allow winemakers the opportunity to grow a wide range of interesting and exciting varietals.” While most plantings are dedicated to Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah and the other Rhone varietals he sees an uptick along with some more obscure grapes.

“Recently I've had the opportunity to taste fantastic bottlings of Camenere, Malbec, Primitivo, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Rousanne, Marsanne, Barbera and Nebbiolo,” said Gregg. All of them were delicious and all were grown in Washington.”

Among Gregg’s favorites Washington wineries are Cayuse, McCrea, Syncline, Five Star Cellars, Owen Roe, and Alexandria Nicole.

Pirwitz sees the trend as “all good.” “We are 100% specialized in Pacific Northwest wines of which about 98% is Washington State,” he said. “So we don't just like Washington wines, we are staking our  business on them.”

Tomorrow: An Interview with Dave Pirwitz Focusing on Washington Wines

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March 6 Ian Stewart Concert Set at Lone Oak Vineyard

Welsh born Ian Stewart, an accomplished singer/songwriter/guitarist who has played venues, large and small, all over the world will return to Lone Oak Vineyard Estate, 8400 Ann Arbor Rd., Grass Lake, Michigan, to perform on March 6. Ian plays a collection of classics, current, and original music, bringing warmth, personality and fun to every performance.
This encore performance by Ian Stewart is scheduled 6:00 to 9:00 PM. There is a $5 per person cover charge.

A prixe fixe dinner menu is offered: Chicken with Rosemary Cream Sauce or Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Apricot Sauce. Each entree will be served with roasted vegetables, salad and bread. Cost for dinner is $14 per person. Enjoy your meal with a glass of our estate grown wine. If you would like to have dinner, you must reserve your meal by 3:00 PM on Thursday, March 4. If you do not wish to have dinner, appetizers are also available.

Seating is limited to just 42, so reservations are a must. Call (517) 522-8167 to make your reservation.

Wine Tastings & Events: Week of March 1, 2010

Image of Penfolds via Snooth

Wednesday, March 3
Anderson's Market, Sylvania, Wine Tasting. 6-8 PM. The Close-Outs continue. 1. Huntington Sauvignon Blanc, 2. Folk Machine Pinot Noir, 3. Bridlewood Reserve Syrah, 4. Frost Bitten Ice Riesling. Nominal fee.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM, Red & White Blended Wines. $15.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. 7:00 10 PM. Penfolds Wine Tasting. Special guest: Ed Macek from the Foster's Wine Group. 1. Koonunga Hill Chardonnay, 2. Thomas Hyland Riesling, 3. Thomas Hyland Shiraz, 4. Bin 2, 5. Bin 128, 6. Bin 407, 7. Bin 389. All tasters also receive cheese, bread, and a lamb chop lollipop drizzled in a reduced Penfold's Club Port. 20. RSVP requested.
 
Thursday, March 4
The Andersons, Maumee, Wine Tasting.  5-7 PM. American Red Blends (Meritages). 1. Hayman & Hill – Monterey County, California. 2. Stelzner – Napa Valley, Califonia – Claret. 3. Medlock Ames – Alexander Valley, California. 4. Estancia – Paso Robles, California. Nominal fee per sample or $8.50 per flight.


The Andersons, Talmadge Road. Wine Tasting, 6-8 PM. Return of the son of monster close-out tasting, 1. Fritz Windish Sparkling Riesling Trocken. 2.  A-Mano Soave. 3. Hedges CMS (Chardonnay. Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc). 4. Davis Bynum Pinot Noir. 5. Bridlewood Syrah. 6. Tractor Shed Red. 7.San-Juliette Syrah-Cabernet. 8. Rosemblum Black Muscat. Nominal fee per sample.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM, Red & White Blended Wines. $15.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM.  Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Live music scheduled 7:30 to 10:30 PM. Calen Savage will be playing the acoustic guitar.

Friday, March 5 
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Tuscan Tour: 1.Fattoria Montellori Chianti, 2.Poggio Amorelli Chianti Classico, 3.Piazzano Chianti Classico Reserva, 4.Ciacci Piccolomini Rosso di Montalcino$10 tasting.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM.  Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Saturday, March 6
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Tuscan Tour: 1.Fattoria Montellori Chianti, 2.Poggio Amorelli Chianti Classico, 3.Piazzano Chianti Classico Reserva, 4.Ciacci Piccolomini Rosso di Montalcino$10 tasting.

The Andersons, Woodville, Wine Tasting. 1-3 PM. 1. Huntington,Chardonnay. 2. Vino del Fratelli Moscato D’ Asti. 3. Longhop, Shiraz. 4. Aliwen Cabernet/Syrah. Nominal fee per sample or $2.50 per flight..

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Noon to 5:00 p.m. Non-Traditional Blends from around the world. Pay by the sample or flight. 

[Information on tastings can be sent to TWAV@ATT.NET.]

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Open That Bottle Night 2010 Report

The early evening of Open That Bottle Night 2010 found us at Poco Piatti, having tapas with friends. To go along with our small plates of hummus, Thai shrimp, falafel, stuffed mushrooms, chicken wraps and risotto we had  a bottle of Alamos Malbec. The restaurant was crowded and provided a warm, jovial atmosphere.

Returning to home base, our arrival wine was a wild card, a 2007 Viognier by North Carolina winery RayLen. I had saved this bottle for a side-by-side Viognier tasting that never actually happened. I thought OTBN might be a good time to try something exotic.

This wine is a beautiful honey-gold color with a luxurious silky mouth feel. However, this vintage was done in by oak. Viognier can have a beautiful, delicate slightly herby flavor, but this was swamped by too much oak. The French oak was not complimentary to the fruit flavors. Green Dragon is not an oak fan on a good day, and this combination just didn’t work for her.

We then moved to a bottle that has been aging for a few years, a nice Trius 2004 Cabernet Franc, from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. I picked this bottle up when we went to Stratford for the Shakespeare festival last year – one of the benefits of living so close to Canada.

As I poured this into the decanter, I had a blast of aromatic fruit as the cranberry colored wine swirled away. Spiderman and Glorious T enjoyed this wine, GT proclaimed it as stress relief in a bottle – something to be enjoyed while snuggled by the fire. The body is medium with a taste of well blended spices, including pepper on the end. OTBN was now off and running quite well.

To cap the evening, the cork was popped on a Lamoreaux Landing 2007 76 West (Finger Lakes). This is a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a deep, beautiful color, several shades darker than garnet. The approach is silky with the Cab Franc’s pepper being toned down by the Merlot. This is heartier than the Trius, but in a well-balanced way. This has an vanilla bean finish and is a beautiful sipping wine.

Technorati Tags: wine,Open That Bottle Night

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