This week: Smasne Cellars Muscat Ice Wine. Washington Wine Month. Bargain Bob digs around for favorite Cab-Merlot blends. Great Northwest Wine Country B&Bs. Upcoming wine events. What we're reading. Where in Northwest Wine Country. Orchard House.
July 27, 2010
Vol. 11, No. 30
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
Advertisement
Auction of Washington Wine
The 23rd annual Auction of Washington Wines is Aug. 19 through 21. This must-attend weekend will be filled with award-winning wines, gourmet food, entertainment and incredible auction lots - all to benefit Seattle Children's Hospital and the Washington Wine Education Foundation.
Order your tickets today.
Smasne Cellars 2008 Upland Vineyard Muscat Ice Wine
Appellation: Snipes Mountain
Robert Smasne is quickly becoming one of Washington's most prolific winemakers. Based in the Yakima Valley, Smasne crafts wines for 14 different labels, including his eponymous winery. The grapes for this blend of Muscat of Alexandria and Orange Muscat come from Snipes Mountain, one of Washington's newest and smallest appellations. The resulting wine opens with aromas of yellow pears, honey, lemon zest and a hint of nuttiness, followed by rich flavors of Elberta peaches, roses, vanilla, pears, honey and tangerines. The 21% residual sugar is expertly backed with beautiful acidity. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $28.
Cases produced: 48 cases.
Food matches: This is a dessert by itself, or pair with fresh fruit, blue cheeses and nuts.
Smasne Cellars, 19495 144th Ave. N.E., Ste. B-240, Woodinville, WA 98072, 509-305-1007, www.smasnecellars.com
Recent wines of the week
-- David Hill Vineyards & Winery 2007 Black Jack Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
-- Heymann Whinery NV Cranberry Wine, Washington
Best Buys
-- Maryhill Winery 2008 Winemaker's Red, Columbia Valley, $14
-- Scatter Creek Winery NV Peach Breeze, Yakima Valley, $13
More about Smasne Cellars
If you spend much time in Washington's Yakima Valley, you're bound to run into a member of the Smasne clan, which has been farming in Washington for four generations.
Robert Smasne owns and operates Smasne Cellars in Grandview and operates a tasting room in Woodinville. He has made wine for such wineries as Alexandria Nicole, Amavi, Pepper Bridge and Covey Run and now is the consulting winemaker for AlmaTerra, Upland Estate and a couple dozen other brands in Washington.
Washington Wine Month
This year, Washington Wine Month has returned to August after a one-year change to September. Thus, some great bargains on Washington wines begin next week.
Here's a glance at some of the best buys:
By percentage:
Sagelands Riesling: $6.99, or 47.25% off.
Canoe Ridge Merlot: $14.99, or 45.44% off.
Randall Harris Merlot: $6.99, or 43.72% off.
Columbia Winery Merlot: $7.99, or 42.89% off.
Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon: $7.99, or 42.89% off.
By price:
Washington Hills Rainier Red: $4.99
Washington Hills Syrah: $4.99
Washington Hills Chardonnay: $4.99
Rainier Ridge Chardonny: $4.99
Pine & Post Merlot: $4.99
Rainier Ridge Merlot: $4.99
All of the wines above come in normal 750 ml bottles. Here are some wines that come in different formats with their price and their price per 750 ml.
1.5 liters (equivalent of two bottles)
Stimson Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: $9.98 ($4.99)
Stimson Estate Chardonnay: $9.98 ($4.99)
Stimson Estate Merlot: $9.98 (4.99)
3 liters (equivalent of four bottles)
Washington Hills Cask Chardonnay: $14.99 ($3.75)
Washington Hills Cask Riesling: $14.99 ($3.75)
Washington Hills Cask Merlot: $14.99 ($3.75)
Washington Hills Cask Pinot Grigio: $14.99 ($3.75)
Download the entire list of Washington Wine Month bargains.
Bargain Bob digs into favorite Cab-Merlots
This week, Bob Woehler talks about dessert wines made from Muscat Canelli and Orange Muscat grapes at Barnard Griffin in Richland, Wash.
Listen to it now on winepressnw.com.
The Bobcast is a weekly audio podcast. You can subscribe to it at no cost through the iTunes store. Simply search for "Bob Woehler" and click "Subscribe." Each week's episode will automatically be downloaded, allowing you to listen to it on your computer or your iPod.
We also post it each week on our Facebook Fan page.
Great Northwest Wine Country B&Bs
The cover of our Summer issue of Wine Press Northwest features "100 Great Northwest Wine Destinations." We created 10 categories of destinations (wineries, restaurants, etc.) and featured 10 businesses to spotlight. Each week, we will highlight one category to provide you with ideas to consider as your travel through the Pacific Northwest.
Wine Country B&Bs: A bed & breaKfast might be the perfect way to enjoy a leisurely vacation in wine country. Oregon's Yamhill County boasts about 20 B&Bs, and you'll find many others throughout the Pacific Northwest. Prepare to be pampered with the 10 inns we've highlighted here.
Read more.
Upcoming wine events
Each week, we highlight an upcoming wine event in the Pacific Northwest.
Explore the world of Oregon Pinot Gris with the folks at The Cellar on 10th in Astoria. They will taste through several styles of Pinot Gris during a three-hour event.
To see more events (or submit yours at no cost), go to our calendar. We currently have 90 upcoming events on our calendar.
What we're reading
Here are links to stories and blog posts we think you'll find interesting. In most cases, the stories are related to Northwest wine, though on occasion we will include stories on cuisine or specialty foods.
Here are this week's stories:
Charles Smith goes small. Pokemon small.
B.C. farmer feeds cows red wine prior to slaughter.
The notorious HoseMaster of Wine takes down Albarino, Arneis and Trebbiano
See what else we're reading.
Where in NW Wine Country
Last week's mystery photo was a bit more difficult to figure out.
In fact, just 28% of you correctly guessed it showed the view of Skaha Lake from Blasted Church Vineyards near Okanagan Falls, B.C., while 44% of you thought it was from Tsillan Cellars in Chelan, Wash. Meanwhile, 18% guessed Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland, B.C., while just 10% wondered if it was Benson Vineyards Estate Winery near Manson, Wash.
This week's photo was found on flickr.com (credit: "hawleyjr").
Click to vote
Orchard House
This week, Managing Editor Eric Degerman travels to the Orchard House, a fantastic restaurant in the heart of Idaho's Snake River Valley to explore regional food and cuisine.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
http://www.winepressnw.com/
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressNW
Find Northwest wine events
Looking for a wine-related event? Click here for our Northwest wine events calendar.
Wine Press Northwest e-edition
We have loaded up the past eight issues of Wine Press Northwest in a freely available e-edition format, with a goal of eventually posting a complete archive of the magazine, going back to 1998.
Facebook, Twitter
Can't get enough of Northwest wine? Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Go to our Facebook Fan page by clicking here.
Follow us on Twitter.
Print
E-Mail
