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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.
The turning of the leaves and the scent of sweet spices signal the changing of the seasons as Northwest cooks welcome autumn's cornucopia: pumpkins, squash and root vegetables; apples and pears; hazelnuts and wild mushrooms; native fin- and shellfish; and meaty treats.
We welcome autumn's cornucopia with Gray Monk Estate Winery 2004 Pinot Gris ($15 Canadian) from the Okanagan Valley. This fresh, clean wine has intense aromas and flavors of citrus (pink grapefruit!), pineapple and apricot, with a touch of petrol and a rich mouth feel. Since it's a versatile food wine, I like to pair it with Smoked Sablefish with Spiced Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette, a recipe from David Hawksworth, executive chef at West Restaurant in Vancouver, B.C.
In a large, nonreactive bowl, mix five tablespoons each of saké, mirin and soy sauce plus the juice from half a lime. Add four five-ounce sablefish (black cod) fillets and marinate six hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-proof skillet, sauté half a diced onion, a clove of minced garlic and a tablespoon of minced ginger until soft. Add one tablespoon ground turmeric and one teaspoon each ground coriander and star anise. Add one teaspoon fennel seed and half a cinnamon stick and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes. Add one pint of cherry tomatoes and one tablespoon of tomato paste and stir well.
Transfer to the oven and cook 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very soft and slightly caramelized. Pass through a fine sieve and season to taste with sea salt. Now broil the sablefish fillets five minutes, until golden brown and opaque. Spoon the vinaigrette in the center of a plate and arrange the sablefish over the top. Garnish with baby greens.
Argyle Winery 2004 Pinot Noir ($20) from the Willamette Valley is a succulent wine, with generous black cherry and ripe raspberry aromas. Black cherry preserves, cedar, a touch of chocolate, finely structured tannins and a supple mouth feel complete the silky sense of proportion.
Such an intriguing wine deserves an equally enjoyable dish, which I experienced at Seattle's Madison Park Café when I tasted Chef Brian O'Connor's Micro Cheese Ravioli with Basil Pistou and Foraged Mushroom Jus. Imagine eggy hand-rolled pasta stuffed with a fresh Swiss cheese/parsley filling and pressed into miniature ravioli shapes. Organic baby turnips, Chioggia beets and rutabagas, along with local foraged mushrooms - matsutakes (the favorite mushroom of Japanese cooks) and fall chanterelles (trumpet-shaped and delicately nutty tasting) - were bathed in a savory mushroom broth swimming with those enticing ravioli pillows. A final swirl of Basil Pistou (French for "pesto") completed this pairing of autumn tastes and textures.
Covey Run 2001 Reserve Merlot ($22), from the Yakima Valley, is all about dark fruit flavors that play along with hints of leather and dry earth. With structured tannins, the wine is muscular without being overpowering.
At 67 in Seattle's Edgewater Hotel, I enjoyed the wine alongside Filet Mignon with Roquefort Butter and Red-Wine Sauce. To make the butter, whip eight ounces of unsalted butter with an electric mixer for five minutes. Add two tablespoons whole grain mustard, one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, half a teaspoon Colman's Dry Mustard and eight ounces high-quality blue cheese (such as Rogue Creamery Oregonzola). Whip until blended, then salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Red-Wine Sauce by lightly sautéing one tablespoon each chopped shallots and chopped garlic and one sprig each thyme and rosemary. Deglaze with one cup good-quality dry red wine and reduce by half. Add four cups veal or beef stock and simmer until reduced by half. Just before serving, swirl in four tablespoons unsalted butter and season to taste. To serve, place several tablespoons of sauce in the center of a dinner plate. Arrange garlic mashed potatoes on top and a grilled beef tenderloin astride the potatoes. Dollop the meat with Roquefort Butter and dive in.
Our autumn feast concludes with Thurston Wolfe 2003 Sweet Rebecca ($15) from the Yakima Valley. With its intoxicating aromas and flavors of orange water, tangerine and jasmine, silken texture on the tongue and perfect sugar-to-acid balance, Sweet Rebecca lives up to its name.
It's a seductive pairing with fall fruit desserts, such as Roasted Bosc Pears with Minted Cream, a recipe from The Art of Sooke Harbour House. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together three-quarters cup maple syrup, half a cup of melted, unsalted butter and two tablespoons lemon thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest) for one minute. Add three peeled, halved and cored Bosc pears and toss until well coated. Place the pears cut side down in a 9-by-11-inch baking pan and pour over the maple syrup mixture. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, flipping the pears every 10 minutes, until the pears are tender. Cool to room temperature. For the cream, whisk one-half cup whipping cream, one tablespoon honey and two tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint until stiff peaks form. Top the maple-syrup roasted pears with the cream and give thanks for autumn's cornucopia.
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