What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

I love a wine with a good story behind it, especially when it is shared directly on the bottle's label. There is nothing more effective at connecting you to the people and places behind a wine than a label that shares something about the who, what and/or where.

I found this and more in the Fidelitas 2005 m100 Columbia Valley ($20), a bottle given to me by my father-in-law, Bob (a.k.a., Pappa Rosso). What immediately captivated me about this wine was the winemaker notes on the bottle's back label:

Let’s raise a glass to our Grandmother Mary. Standing strong at 4’8”, this passionate, stubborn, loving, opinionated, caring, tough, God-fearing, Lawrence Welk-lovin’ gal passed away at 100 in December 2005. In her honor, we continue to make this captivating red wine—wine that’s every bit as authentic as she was.

What a great way to celebrate the life of a loved one by dedicating a wine to them, in this case the winemaker, Charlie Hoppes' centenarian Grandmother Mary or m100. And what better way to highlight this wine and the person it's dedicated to than to coincidentally blog about it on Mother's Day.

Honestly, until deep into writing this post, I had yet to realize the connection between a wine dedicated to a grandmother and this being a day celebrating mothers. There are several other wines we've enjoyed at our table these last two weeks, but for some reason the m100 was the one I chose to blog about today. Funny how things work out that way.

The Fidelitas 2005 m100 (13.8%) is a blend of 54% merlot, 28% cabernet sauvignon, 14% syrah and 4% cabernet franc, sourced from eight different vineyards in the Columbia Valley region. After 7 days of fermentation, the wines were immediately barreled, whereupon it was put through malolactic fermentation, and then aged for 18 months in French and American oak.

This prolonged exposure to oak certainly comes through in the wine, which might be the reason for the muted black cherry fruit. And the m100's lower alcohol came as a pleasant surprise, as anything under 14% seems to be the exception to the rule with many Columbia Valley red wines.

Nonetheless, the m100 opened up over time and provided a food-friendly match to the Korean-style grilled flank steak, sliced hot house cucumbers, and shredded carrot salad we served for dinner with friends. It was a lot of fun wrapping the thinly sliced flank steak in soft leaf lettuce, adding rice, scallions and then dressing it with the spicy sauce Kari crafted.

Overall, it was an absolutely amazing meal, which we will definitely add to our grilling repertoire this summer. If you enjoy Korean BBQ, then you'll love the recipe above.

Even though the m100 did not wow us as the food did, the story behind the wine remained thought provoking, for it encouraged me to reflect on the impact one's life has on those around us. It's one thing to craft wine as a way of creating a lasting presence in people's lives. But it is entirely a different matter to live one's life in a way that that someone would want to dedicate a wine to you.

A cynic might suggest the story behind the m100 label was a convenient marketing device, yet I would like to think it is in keeping with how Charlie Hoppes and his wines are described on the Fidelitas web site:

"He’s a roll-up-your-sleeves type of guy, fair and authentic—and that authenticity comes through in the wines he crafts. Faithful. Loyal. True. That’s Charlie. And that’s Fidelitas."

I like Charlie's approach to his craft and the emphasis he places on celebrating the lives of those around him. As a result of my experience with the m100, I am eager to visit the Fidelitas winery in Benton City to sample more wines and connect further with the people and places behind their wines.

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere, including Grandmother Mary.