This week: Namaste Peace, NW wines score well in California, 'It's not Napa, you know,' great things to do, Jefferson and wine, Wine Knows blog.
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March 6, 2007
Vol. 8, No. 10
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
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New Release VIP Month
March is an excellent time to make a trip to Columbia Valley wine country. The vines begin to emerge from their winter nap and wineries release many of their new wines this time of year. Our wineries invite you to join us throughout the entire month to experience our new releases with personal attention.
http://www.columbiavalleywine.com
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Pacific Northwest Wine Of The Week
Namaste Vineyards 2005 Peace White Table Wine
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Named after a Southeast Asian greeting in which palms are placed together, this winery melded Dijon Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer into a pleasing and expressive blend. Experience aromas of Juicy Fruit, dried mangoes, apples, pears, river rock, coriander and corn. On the palate, bright acidity hits you right away, followed by nice orange and lime sweetness on the midpalate. That acidity hangs on like an Elvin Hayes turnaround fadeaway jumper. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $12.
Cases produced: 243. Available from the winery and select wine shops.
Food matches: Pair with chicken or grilled halibut.
Namaste Vineyards, 5600 VanWell Road, Dallas, OR 97338, 503-623-4150, http://www.namastevineyards.com
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Recent wines of the week
-- Dusted Valley Vintners 2004 Barrel Thief Cab, Columbia Valley
-- Coeur d'Alene Cellars 2005 Chardonnay, Washington
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Best Buys
-- San Juan Vineyards 2003 Cab-Merlot, Columbia Valley, $12
-- Tucker Cellars 2005 Indian Summer Pinot Noir Rose, Yakima Valley, $9
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Shea Estate P.N. 05 is still available, and new releases include:
St. Innocent WV 05, Andrew Will Two Blondes 04 and Sorrela 04, ROCO Pinot noir 04 and Private Stash 04, a new Cabernet from Va Piano, and fun wine "Purple Hands" from Cody Wright, son of Ken Wright.
January Pinot Club shipped ROCO Private Stash 04 $75 and Boedecker Stewart PN 04 $30
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store@avalonwine.com
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NW wines score well in California
Northwest wineries won 23 double gold and gold medals last week at the annual Grand Harvest Awards in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, Wash., was the biggest winner, bringing home a unanimous double gold for its 2004 Proprietor's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and three gold medals.
Also winning double gold medals were Coeur d'Alene Cellars for its 2003 Syrah and Winter's Hill Vineyard for its 2004 Pinot Blanc.
Check out the entire list of Northwest winners at:
http://www.winepressnw.com/medals/
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'It's not Napa, you know'
Dan Berger, who writes a wine column for us called "A Distant Perspective," penned an interesting item based on a conversation he had with some wine travelers in California who came to Washington and were somewhat shocked at the price of wines, especially in Walla Walla.
Read more at:
http://www.winepressnw.com/berger/
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Great things to do
LOOK TO BLEND IN. Wonder how and why winemakers blend before bottling? Well, Bishop Creek Cellars in Newberg, Ore., offers wine-blending classes. For $30, they give you a blending kit (3-4 red wines in beakers), measuring paraphernalia, some background on tasting and some tips on blending and before you create a your own cuvée. Then you get to take your homework.
Call 503-476-8686 or go to http://www.urbanwineworks.com
What is your favorite thing to do in Northwest wine country? E-mail Eric at edegerman@winepressnw.com
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Jefferson and wine
There is little debate that, when it comes to wine, Thomas Jefferson was our greatest president. Jefferson did many great things: He wrote the Declaration of Independence, he sent Lewis & Clark out west, and he was America's third leader.
His love for wine, heightened while he was minister to France, made him our nation's first ambassador for wine, and that still resonates today. In this week's Winecast, we meet John Hailman, who authored the recently released book, "Thomas Jefferson on Wine."
The Wine Press Northwest Winecast (or video podcast) can be viewed online at:
http://www.winepressnw.com/video/vodcast/
Additionally, the Winecast is available via Apple's iTunes Music Store. Via this free software, you can subscribe (for free) to the Winecast, and it will automatically look for and download new episodes each week. Just go to the iTunes Music Store and search for "Wine Press Northwest."
TECHNICAL NOTE: If you have trouble viewing any videos on our site, you may need to download the latest version of the free QuickTime plug-in. It takes just a couple of minutes and you shouldn't need to restart your computer. Go to: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download
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The Wine Knows
The Wine Knows, Wine Press Northwest's blog, is getting updated almost daily (and sometimes more than daily). Recent highlights include:
-- Planes, (no) trains, automobiles and wine.
-- Screwcaps taking hold? Perhaps.
-- Northwest wines score high in California competition.
-- A ridiculous situation for B.C. wineries.
-- Drink 'em young, cook 'em rare.
-- Grape varieties: Touriga Nacional.
-- The List.
-- 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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Pacific Northwest Wine Shop Directory
CITY CELLARS FINE WINES
1710 N.45th St., Seattle.
Tues.-Sat.11-7; Sundays 12-5. Friday tastings 5-7. "In the heart of Wallingford."
(206) 632-7238
http://www.citycellar.com
OREGON WINE TASTING ROOM & Bellevue Market
Oregon's original wine tasting room!
- Tasting Room open daily, 11 am - 5:45 pm
- Bellevue Market open daily, 9 am - 6 pm
7 mi SW of McMinnville on Hwy 18 at Bellevue
503-843-3787
owtr2003@yahoo.com
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