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« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »

October 31, 2007

Time to Visit a Few Wineries

With today being the last day of October, I turned my attention to the topics covered in this month's posts. With the exception of an Oregon winery review, a book report, and a shout out to other Washington wine bloggers, most of October's writing was focused on what my wife and I ate and drank at our dinner table. I had not realized until now how much of the past month had focused on "What I Drank With Dinner" (WIDWD). It is definitely time to visit some wineries! I am going to try to get out to Woodinville or south...

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Posted by Thad at 03:09 PM | | Comments (1)

WIDWD: Woodward Canyon 2005 Dry White Riesling Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) With teriyaki chicken thighs on the grill and chow mien noodles (with egg, shaved carrots and green onions) sautéing on the stove last night, I opened a bottle of Woodward Canyon 2005 Dry White Riesling Columbia Valley to pair with our spicy Asian meal. Not only did this wine complement our food, but it just about stole the show, as I enjoyed it so much. I absolutely love this wine and can't wait to have another glass tonight. It has a beautiful, floral bouquet and the initial taste brings to mind fresh, summer...

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Posted by Thad at 01:04 PM | | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

WIDWD: Brian Carter Cellars 2004 Tuttorosso Yakima Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) After several delicious dinners paired with less than inspiring Washington wines last week, I was starting to feel like the Rockies in their World Series struggle against the Red Sox. Although the Rockies were swept in four games, I had more bottles of Washington wine to try even after going 0-4. I couldn't have asked for a better way to get out of this wine slump than opening a Brian Carter Cellars 2004 Tuttorosso Yakima Valley. It was an absolutely fantastic wine. We opened the Tuttorosso last night while celebrating a friend's birthday...

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Posted by Thad at 09:05 AM | | Comments (2)

October 27, 2007

WIDWD: Sapolil 2003 Syrah Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) While enjoying a grilled flank steak with a bottle of Syncline Subduction Red wine on Thursday night, I decided to open the Sapolil 2003 Syrah Columbia Valley as well. The bottle, given to me earlier in the year, had been on my cellar shelf for some time, with obvious marks indicating an attempt at opening. You see, I had tried opening it once before, but the wax dipped top was like a chastity belt; a very cumbersome, if not dangerous, packaging option which I abhor with any bottle capped in this manner. The...

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Posted by Thad at 09:58 AM | | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007

WIDWD: Syncline 2006 Subduction Red Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) This week in Seattle has been interesting weather wise. We went from summer-like temps on Tuesday to cold, rainy fall weather on Wednesday, and then back to sun, but this time cold temps on Thursday. With the break in the weather last night, we fired up the grill and cooked a flank steak that had been marinating the last 2 days in anticipation of good weather. Kari marinates the steak in a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chile oil, brown sugar, and fresh shaved ginger. The more it marinates, the...

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Posted by Thad at 01:35 PM | | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007

WIDWD: J Christopher 2005 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) After several weeks of cold rainy weather, we got a nice surprise with a pristine summer-like day yesterday with clear skies, warm breezes, and a late afternoon temperature around 70 degrees. Kari went to the market and picked up a fresh whole chicken, ingredients for a Greek salad, some Greek yogurt and pita bread. With a beautiful summer-like day gifted to us, we were going to live as if it were still August: roasting a chicken on the grill, accompanying it with Greek side dishes, and dining al fresco during sunset. To complement...

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Posted by Thad at 07:23 PM | | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007

WIDWD: Evesham Wood 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) It's becoming rare these days to find a bottle of Oregon pinot noir under $20 that stands out not only in terms of taste but also in its ability to connect you to the people and places producing it. Such is the story with the Evesham Wood 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13% alcohol), a delicious wine with a terrific story. This young pinot noir retails for $18.95 and would offer a wonderful complement to any meal. We popped a bottle last night to accompany grilled pork chops and had the remainder tonight...

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Posted by Thad at 03:05 PM | | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

WIDWD: RiverAerie 2005 Sangiovese Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of my favorite Italian dishes and no one makes it better than my wife, Kari. She crafts this wonderful comfort food in the traditional way, as opposed to the cream-based dish found in most Italian-American restaurants. Kari's carbonara starts with diced onions sauteed in oil and white wine, while another pan fries up the pancetta which has been sliced into small pieces. After cooking these ingredients, they are set aside as the spaghetti is prepared. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, she drains it and then adds...

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Posted by Thad at 01:10 PM | | Comments (2)

October 19, 2007

Review: The Emperor of Wine

I am no fan of Robert Parker, but am better off as a wine enthusiast for having read Elin McCoy's biography, "The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste". As the title suggests, McCoy's book is divided into two parts: the incredible rise of Parker as a wine reviewer and then his role leading the American influence over the global wine industry. In addition to educating me about the man, I also learned a ton about the wine industry in general, especially the history and culture of the Bordeaux and...

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Posted by Thad at 12:16 PM | | Comments (0)

October 18, 2007

WIDWD: Chinook 2005 Cabernet Franc Yakima Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last night, I arrived home from Portland right at dinnertime. Kari, my wife, had everything ready to cook, with a couple of beef tenderloin steaks reaching room temperature and seasoned rice in the steam cooker. Even with rain threatening, we decided to grill the steaks, which ended up being the right call as the rain held off and the beef tasted much better cooked outside. Kari also prepared a beautiful fresh arugala salad topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese, sliced vine ripe tomatoes, and dressed with olive oil and vinegar. My in-laws, Bob...

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Posted by Thad at 03:27 PM | | Comments (0)

Review: Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards

While on a business trip to Portland earlier this week, I decided to break away in the afternoon and visit a few wineries in the Dundee/Carlton area. I had planned to stop by several wineries, but due to traffic, stoplights, and slower speed limits in the Willamette Valley, found the common 5:00 pm closing hour quickly approaching. My primary target had been Carlton, where the Anne Amie winery is located, but upon arriving Dundee at 4:30 pm, I realized that time would allow for just one visit. Fortunately, a signpost appeared pointing the way to the Lange Estate Winery and...

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Posted by Thad at 12:47 PM | | Comments (2)

October 10, 2007

How Every Winery Should Blog About Crush

As you may recall from a previous post on Craig Camp, I am a big fan of The Wine Camp Blog. Besides being one of the few, if only, bloggers in Oregon, Craig also happens to be president of Anne Amie Vineyards. Since joining Anne Amie in 2004, he has been working to transform this estate winery into a leading producer of Oregon pinot noir. Along the way, it's clear Craig is going to change the way wineries connect to their customers online. Over the past month or so, I have been following Craig's posts on crush at Anne Amie...

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Posted by Thad at 06:06 PM | | Comments (4)

October 08, 2007

WIDWD: Isenhower Cellars 2002 River Beauty Syrah Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Yesterday's forecast called for heavy rain and gusty winds all day here in Seattle, therefore my wife and I planned for a hearty meal and a full-bodied wine for Sunday dinner. Although there was some rain and a few gusts of wind, the predicted storm never materialized. No matter, for we were still glad to have been influenced by the forecast to prepare a slow-cooked lamb stew paired with a fantastic bottle of Isenhower Cellars syrah. The Isenhower Cellars 2002 River Beauty Syrah is a delicious expression of Columbia Valley syrah, marrying two...

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Posted by Thad at 12:46 PM | | Comments (1)

October 06, 2007

Where are the Washington-based wine bloggers?

I've been blogging about wine for over five months now and am surprised that there aren't more folks like me based in Washington state doing the same. There are plenty of bloggers around the country (especially in California) who blog about Washington wine, but it seems there are only a handful of us in the state doing this on a regular basis. Based on my latest count, these bloggers include: Andy of The Wine Knows; Catie of Through the Walla Walla Grapevine; Gene of Seattle Wine Blog; Margot of Write for Wine; and Paul of Northwest Wine Insider. Again, these...

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Posted by Thad at 11:36 AM | | Comments (8)

October 05, 2007

WIDWD: Amavi 2006 Sémillon Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last night, my wife crafted a delightful linguine alle vongole (pasta with fresh clams) which I paired with the Amavi 2006 Sémillon Columbia Valley. The wine was a delicious complement to both the seafood and our red leaf lettuce salad with fresh radishes. The sémillon had a nice floral nose, crisp pear/citrus and mineral notes in the mouth, and a balanced creaminess from the oak. I can't wait to have another glass of this superb wine tonight. The Amavi sémillon reminded me why I enjoy Washington white wines so much (maybe more than...

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Posted by Thad at 07:18 AM | | Comments (0)

October 04, 2007

Washington and Oregon vineyard ranking

Andy Perdue at Wine Press Northwest has put together an interesting ranking of the top ten vineyards in Washington and Oregon. For the Washington ranking, Andy surveyed several winemakers who had at least 15 Washington vintages behind them and source their fruit from several vineyards. For the Oregon list, it is unclear how he came up with the ranking, but nonetheless it serves as a very useful guide for wine from that state. In reading the list, you may not find one of your favorite estate vineyards, as Andy only covered those places that primarily sold fruit to other wineries....

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Posted by Thad at 07:40 PM | | Comments (0)

WIDWD: Novelty Hill 2004 Red Wine

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last night my wife prepared a wonderful dinner that included pork shoulder slow cooked in an amazing tomatillo sauce served over basmati rice and garnished with shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, and fresh cilantro. After tasting a spoonful of the sauce, I headed down to the cellar and started looking around for a bottle that would complement the meal. As I was searching around for a tempranillo or garnacha, I happened to pull out a bottle of Novelty Hill 2004 Red Wine. I remembered purchasing this bottle when visiting Novelty Hill a couple of...

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Posted by Thad at 10:09 AM | | Comments (0)

October 02, 2007

WIDWD: Andrew Rich 2005 Pinot Noir Cuvée B

This is the inaugural post of What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD), a regular feature to share the local wines enjoyed at my table during the previous night's meal. With a break in the rain yesterday, my wife and I decided to fire up the grill and cook a steak dinner. I was in charge of grilling the filets while my wife oversaw cooking the caramelized onions, pommes frites and tossing a red leaf lettuce salad with apple wedges. I chose the Andrew Rich 2005 Pinot Noir Cuvée B. Here's the description of the 2005 Pinot Noir Cuvée B...

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Posted by Thad at 07:59 AM | | Comments (4)

October 01, 2007

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

Every night, my wife crafts a wonderful dinner while I do my best to choose a wine to complement it. It's a role I clearly relish, for there is nothing that makes a meal more enjoyable than matching her cooking with the right bottle of wine. Fortunately for us, we live in a region where grapes are abundant and wine is plentiful, thus making us a bit spoiled in terms of readily pairing our meals with a wine from Washington or Oregon. Even still, there are times when our dinner calls for a wine from outside our region, therefore we...

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Posted by Thad at 07:49 PM | | Comments (2)

Why I like the 3 Wine Guys

It was with some reluctance that I first subscribed to the 3 Wine Guys podcast on iTunes, as I didn't know what to expect with the "explicit" label and all. But after noticing that they had done two shows focused on Washington blends and Oregon pinot noir, I just had to download and listen. Boy, am I glad to have experienced what these guys are doing, for they have set themselves apart from the rest of the podcasting crowd by connecting you to the who, what and where of what they are drinking. First of all, the 3 Wine Guys...

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Posted by Thad at 06:33 PM | | Comments (2)