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I've spoken to a half-dozen winemaker in the past two days and asked each how the grapes were looking. I heard a lot of long sighs followed by concerns about when - or if - the grapes would ever ripen in the Northwest.
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates’ operating profit rose 30 percent to $14.8 million in the second quarter, according to a securities filing by its Connecticut-based parent company, UST.
This week: Capitello Dolcino, feds consider new Washington AVAs, North-Central Washington spring barrel weekend, cook with Bobby Flay, AgriVino, Wine Knows blog.
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May 13, 2008
Vol. 9, No. 20
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
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Welcome to NorthwestWineShop.com, a Web site that features some of the best Northwest wine-related products, including books, gifts, food, games and more.
https://www.northwestwineshop.com
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Capitello Wines 2006 Dolcino
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Owner/winemaker Ray Walsh created a faux ice wine with Gewürztraminer by freezing then pressing perfectly ripened grapes. Known as a "cryogenic" wine, this method is very successful in regions that don't normally get cold enough to make a true ice wine. This is a gorgeous dessert drink with aromas of baked apples, apricots dripping with honey, cloves and lychee, followed by luscious flavors of poached pears, honey, apricots and jasmine. It's a mouth-coating wine with a memorable finish. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $20.
Cases produced: 240 cases . Look for this in wine shops or groceries or order directly from the winery.
Food matches: Pair this with mild cheeses, fresh fruit and nuts. Or enjoy on its own as a memorable meal ender.
Capitello Wines, PO Box 11694, Eugene, OR 97440, 541-520-3092, http://www.capitellowines.com
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-- Frenchman's Gulch 2005 Ketchum Cuvee, Washington
-- L'Ecole No. 41 2006 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
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-- Stemilt Creek Winery 2004 Stemilt Hill Red, Washington, $15
-- Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2006 Private Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $15 CDN
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Ray Walsh is a New Zealand native who worked with some of that country's finest winemakers before moving to Oregon. He started at King Estate near Eugene as cellarmaster and later became winemaker of the large Oregon operation. Today, he and his son Desmond are partners in Capitello.
In addition to the dessert wine featured as today's Wine of the Week, the Walsh boys also makes a superb Pinot Noir, a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc. Appropriately, the latter wine uses grapes from Walsh's homeland.
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The federal government is considering proposals for two new American Viticultural Areas, or appellations, in Washington.
-- The first is Snipes Mountain, a 4,143-acre region in the Yakima Valley near the city of Sunnyside, just west of Prosser. The petition was filed by Todd Newhouse of Upland Winery in Outlook. It notes that there are 535 acres of vineyards in the proposed area. This would be the third appellation inside of the Yakima Valley. The other two are Red Mountain (the state's smallest AVA at 4,040 acres) and Rattlesnake Hills, which was approved two years ago.
-- The second is Lake Chelan, a 30,440-acre region in Chelan County. This is a growing winery region, and some exciting wines are coming from vineyards in the Lake Chelan region.
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The wineries of the burgeoning North Central region of Washington state are inviting visitors this weekend for their annual Spring Barrel Tasting weekend.
The bulk of the wineries are in Chelan, Leavenworth and Wenatchee. Wineries in the towns of Oroville, Omak, Wilbur and Quincy also are participating.
More information at:
http://www.columbiacascadewines.com
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The annual Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting weekend unofficially marks the beginning of the wine-touring season in the Pacific Northwest. Here's a quick rundown so you can begin mapping out your strategy:
May 16-18: North Central Washington Barrel Tasting
May 24-26: Willamette Valley Memorial Weekend in Wine Country
May 24-26: Olympic Peninsula Spring Barrel Tasting
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Celebrity chef Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest are teaming up for a recipe contest called "Flayvors of Washington." All you need to do is come up with an original recipe that uses ingredients from an approved list and pairs with a Columbia Crest Grand Estates wine.
The winner gets a trip to New York to cook with Flay and dine at one of his restaurants. The contest runs through May.
More information, including the list of approved Washington ingredients:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/834
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John and Judi Stuart turned three grain silos in Carlton, Ore., into a unique and charming B&B operation on the Abbey Road Farm. Now, they've transformed horse stables into the AgriVino Wine Center, which features Willamette Valley wineries and the Enomatic preservation system from Italy.
The soft launch was May 5. The grand opening is July 5, which will feature a concert by Kenny Rankin. Managing editor Eric Degerman toured the fascinating facility in late April.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
http://www.winepressnw.com/video/vodcast/
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressNW
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The Wine Knows, Wine Press Northwest's blog, is getting updated almost daily (and sometimes more than daily). Recent highlights include:
-- Is Riesling the greatest white wine grape?
-- A problem with Rieslings
-- Breadth of Northwest Riesling production
-- How to break Riedel
-- Rieslings and the state of alternative closures
-- Hellams Vineyard
-- Lack of corked wines in Riesling judging
-- Tony Rynders out as winemaker at Domaine Serene
-- New Washington AVA under consideration
-- And more.
Be sure to check out the blog daily to read updates on the Northwest wine scene. If you are into RSS feeds, you can easily get blog updates throughout the week.
http://community.winepressnw.com
If you are into RSS feeds, you can easily get blog updates.
The URL for the RSS feed is:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/feed
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ELLENSBURG WINEWORKS
** We Ship Wine! **
509-962-8463
http://www.EllensburgWineWorks.com
GEORGE'S WINE SHOPPE
521 156th Ave SE Bellevue, WA in Lake Hills.
Customer friendly; wines for every taste! Open Mon.-Sat.
425-644-7723
http://www.georgeswineshoppe.com
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