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The way things are going in Washington these days, the above headline needs a bit more information - because it seems like a Walla Walla winery is opening a second tasting room in Woodinville about every other week.
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — Northwest wineries fared well at the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, an international wine competition staged by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine.
Sangiovese, pronounced "san-jio-vai-zee," is a new red wine for the Pacific Northwest with a melodic-sounding name and a mellow taste.
The most popular red grape in Italy often used to blend for Chianti-style wines or with cabernet sauvignon for super Tuscans is generally regarded as a lighter, inexpensive red wine with smooth, fruity flavors suitable for a number of pasta dishes.
In the Pacific Northwest, the style is across the board from heavy and rich to light and quaffable. However, the price is a bit upscale in the $20 to $30 range compared with many fine Italian sangiovese, which often are priced in the $10 to $15 range.
Joel Tefft of Tefft Cellars of Outlook, Wash., likes the variety, saying it's an easy-drinking cheerful red with lots of varietal character.
Walla Walla Vintners 1999 Walla Walla Valley, $25 - Smoky tar aromas with a cherry jam finish.
Leonetti Cellar 1997 Walla Walla Valley, $50 - Beautiful mouth feel loaded with cherries and a great tannins finish. Aromas of tar and oak.
Yellow Hawk Cellar 1999 Walla Walla Valley, $16 - Good bright cherry aromas and flavors, a touch of raspberries, delicious, nice finish.
Tefft Cellars 1998 Yakima Valley, $21.50 - Perfume aromas, lean fruit but a nice balance of fruit and acids, smooth.
Tefft Cellars 1999 Yakima Valley, $20 - Youthful with lots of cherries, inviting fruity aromas and good tannins.
Andrew Will 1997 Washington State, $35 - Great spaghetti wine, mellow, delicious berry flavors with a soft, quaffable finish.
Maryhill Winery 1999 Columbia Valley, $20 - Fruity with refreshing raspberries. Clean and toasty aromas with a tart, long finish.
Cavatappi Winery 1997 Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley, $35 - Ripe raspberry aromas, a bit of tar but nice fruit on the palate and finish.
Thurston Wolfe 1999 Columbia Valley, $20 - Smoky aromas, dark fruit and a long finish.
New releases
Hyatt Vineyards 2000 black muscat ice wine, Yakima Valley, $29 - Syrupy sweet with burnt sugar touches and a rich candied fruit farewell.
Terra Blanca 1999 syrah, Block 8, Red Mountain, $20 - Smoky oak aromas followed by dark fruit and a touch of tar. Big and chewy.
Walla Walla Vintners 1999 merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $25 - There's a lot going on here, bittersweet chocolate backed by oak vanilla, cedar, good balance and nice, manageable tannins.
Sagelands Vineyard 1999 merlot, Columbia Valley, $15 - The former Staton Hills offers a very drinkable red with touches of dried herbs, smoke and vanilla berries and a bit of chocolate in the finish.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 merlot, Canoe Ridge estate vineyards, $22 - A very approachable smooth red wine with outstanding qualities including cedar, chocolate and vanilla. Easy drinking and supple. Great with lamb.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 merlot, Indian Wells Vineyard, $31 - A big, juicy merlot with almonds and vanilla aromas followed by cherries and chocolate flavors with a satisfying long finish. Try lean roast beef slices with rich au jus.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 reserve merlot, Columbia Valley, $37 - Outstanding; a bit expensive but worth it. Wonderful balance of fruit and oak. Cocoa, cinnamon and cloves along with rich cherry flavors lead to a mellow smooth finish. Simply tasty.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 cabernet sauvignon Columbia Valley, $15 - The baseline for Chateau Ste. Michelle cabs. Smooth with sweet oak touches, tobacco, chocolate and lots of flavors and a lingering finish.
Bunchgrass Winery 1999 Founders Blend red, $20 - Composed of 53 percent cabernet franc, 43 percent merlot and 6 percent cabernet sauvignon, it produces a quite quaffable red with red currants flavors and bits of herbs.
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