PROSSER — Albariño, an intriguing Spanish white grape with characteristics of pear and melons, is the star of Coyote Canyon Winery of Prosser.
The winery is in a small corner of the Winemaker's Loft at the Prosser Vintners Park and is part of the Andrews family, which has huge grape vineyard holdings in remote parts of the Horse Heaven Hills.
Mike Andrews is owner and winemaker of Coyote Canyon Winery and partner in the 1,135-acre vineyard that supplies grapes to a number of other wineries — including McKinley Springs — operated by another branch of the Andrews family.
Andrews says he makes the Coyote Canyon wine along with consultant John Gabriel and is aiming for a modest 3,000 cases next year. That would be a 50 percent increase from 2009.
I was delighted to find a new white wine grape with such charming characteristics. Albariño (also sometimes seen as alvarinho, from the Portuguese) is the premier white wine in Spain and comes on like a cross between a Pinot Gris, Riesling and Viognier with outstanding aromatics of almonds, apples and flowers and flavors of citrus, peach and melons.
Its bracing acidity makes it a perfect match for seafood such as tempura shrimp. The 2008 Coyote Canyon, at $18, is sold out for now, but Andrews says he'll have more from the 2009 crop in the spring.
"We were growing a tiny amount of Albariño for a client and decided to make use some of the grapes for ourselves," he said.
Most of the Coyote Canyon wines are well made and bargain priced below $20.
2008 Downtown White, Horse Heaven Hills, $12 -- A clean Pinot Gris that's very fruity with nectarines and peach, just right for clams and mussels cooked in the wine.
2008 viognier, Horse Heaven Hills, $18 -- Creamy orange and vanilla with honeysuckle overtones. Rich and delicious. Any kind of halibut would do.
2008 Life is a Rosé, Horse Heaven Hills, $18 -- A cocktail wine that's easy-drinking and shows strawberries and a hint of rhubarb. Perfect for barbecue.
2004 Sangiovese, Columbia Valley, $14 -- A spicy cherry and raspberry delight that's supple and just right for a bruschetta appetizer.
2006 Tres Cruses, Horse Heaven Hills, $18 -- A Rhone blend with plenty of Syrah offering berries and black pepper and graceful tannins.
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* Bob Woehler has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines since 1978. E-mail him at bwoehler@charter.net or check out his past columns at www.winepressnw.com.
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