This week: Canyon's Edge Winery Sagebrush Red. Washington wine harvest still a week behind. Corvus moving into Walla Walla incubator. Washington winery owner passes away. Washington vineyards wary of destructive pest. Bob Woehler talks Sauvignon Blanc with Jeff Gordon. Great Northwest Wine Country Espresso Places. Upcoming wine events. What we're reading. Where in Northwest Wine Country. Wine funnies. Stag's Hollow's remarkable rose.
Aug. 17, 2010
Vol. 11, No. 33
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
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Order your tickets today.
Canyon's Edge Winery 2006 Sagebrush Red
Appellation: Horse Heaven Hills
John Haw's winemaking talents helped launch Maryhill to fame, and his control of the program at this Prosser-based winery is beginning to show. This blend of Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), Syrah (15%) and Cabernet Franc is supreme and opens with blueberry soda, mincemeat pie, cherry, milk chocolate and cedar aromas. Your mouth may mistake it for chocolate raspberry ice cream with a cherry on top and a sprig of mint. Structurally, everything is in its place. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $18.
Cases produced: 1,800 cases.
Food matches: Enjoy this smooth red wine with grilled meats or hearty Italian fare.
Canyon's Edge Winery, 10 Merlot Drive, Ste. D, Prosser, WA 99350, 509-786-3032, www.canyonsedgewinery.com.
Recent wines of the week
-- Tualatin Estate 2009 Semi-Sparkling Muscat Frizzante, Willamette Valley
-- Angel Vine 2008 Stonetree Vineyard Zinfandel, Columbia Valley
Best Buys
-- Scatter Creek Winery 2007 Daves Rajin' Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $15
-- Upland Estates 2008 Gewurztraminer, Snipes Mountain, $14
More about Canyon's Edge Winery
Canyon's Edge is the estate winery for Aldercreek Vineyard in Washington's Horse Heaven Hills. Aldercreek sells grapes to more than a dozen top wineries. Eight varieties are grown on the 300-acre vineyard, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.
John Haw, former winemaker for such producers as Maryhill and Sokol Blosser, oversees the winemaking, and his deft touch is amply evident in each bottle.
Canyon's Edge has two tasting rooms: The first is at the Vintners Village in Prosser, and the second is in the Southridge area of Kennewick (just off Highway 395 coming into the Tri-Cities).
Washington harvest still about a week behind
I got word today from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates that confirms ripening in Washington's Columbia Valley is running seven to 10 days behind the historical harvest dates. Rick Casqueiro, head winemaker for Domaine Ste. Michelle, reports he is likely to start harvesting Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for sparkling wine about the middle of September.
This has been echoed throughout Washington, as well as a few reports I've received from Western Oregon.
In my own little backyard vineyard, veraison - when grapes begin to change color - has just started in my Sangiovese. Typically, I will see this around Aug. 7, so this confirms the seven-day delay. Temperatures in the heart of Washington wine country have been steadily in the high 80s to low 90s, which are near perfect for this time of year. A long, warm late summer and autumn will help the '10 vintage to turn out perfectly.
Corvus moving into Walla Walla incubator
Corvus Cellars, owned by Red Mountain grape grower Randall Hopkins and Whitman Cellars winemaker Steve Lessard, will move into an incubator building at the Walla Walla Regional Airport. The building became vacant this summer when Trio Vintners moved to a new facility.
More info on Corvus Cellars.
Our feature in the Summer issue on the incubators.
Washington winery owner passes away
Bud Mercer, whose family has been involved in Eastern Washington agriculture and viticulture for decades, passed away last week. Mercer, 71, was co-owner of Mercer Estates in Prosser, Wash. He passed away after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis.
Mercer opened Mercer Estates in 2008 with longtime friend Mike Hogue and son Rob Mercer. He also was co-president of the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center Board in Prosser.
Read more.
Washington vineyards wary of destructive fruit fly
A destructive species of Asian fruit fly has moved into Washington wine country but hasn't yet gotten into any wine grape vineyards, according to WSU.
The spotted-wing drosphila, a red-eyed vinegar fly, was found this summer in a cherry orchard on the Wahluke Slope, as well as fruit trees and Concord vineyards in the Prosser area. The pest can lay eggs in and feed on ripening fruit, which will cause it to rot. It is known to attack cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums, grapes and nectarines.
Read more.
Bob Woehler talks Sauvignon Blanc with Jeff Gordon
In this week's podcast, Bob Woehler catches up with Jeff Gordon, owner of Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards and longtime wine grape grower. They chat specifically about Sauvignon Blanc and its place in the Washington wine industry.
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 espresso places
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 espresso places: You're in the Northwest, so good coffee is an essential part of the local diet. Remember to avoid drinking coffee or tea immediately prior to tasting wine, as they can mess with your palate.
Read more.
Upcoming wine events
Each week, we highlight an upcoming wine event in the Pacific Northwest.
This Saturday is the second annual Forest Grove Uncorked. The streets of this town west of Portland play host to a fun event featuring wineries, microbreweries, food and live music. Cost: $10.
To see more events (or submit yours at no cost), go to our calendar. We currently have 93 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:
Blogger Sean Sullivan comes up with the superb idea of Riesling popsicles.
Good primer on sparkling wines.
See what else we're reading.
Where in NW Wine Country
Looks like last week's mystery photo was a slam dunk.
In fact, 81% of you correctly identified the photo as showing Cave B Estate Winery near George, Wash. Ste. Chapelle in Caldwell, Idaho, garnered 11% of the vote, while Gehringer Brothers in Oliver, B.C., received 6% and Domaine Serene in Dayton, Ore., brought in just 2%.
This week's photo was found on flickr.com (credit: "vsz").
Click to vote
Wine cartoon of the week
We have added a new cartoon to our "wine funnies" gallery.
Check it out.
Stag's Hollow Winery and its remarkable rose
Larry Gerelus and Linda Pruegger founded Stag's Hollow Winery in 1995 just south of Penticton, B.C., in the Okanagan Valley. Their 2009 Syrah Rose captured attention on both sides of the 49th parallel this spring by winning the "Best of" category in both the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival and the Northwest Wine Summit. Soon after, Managing Editor Eric Degerman visited with Gerelus and his winemaker Dwight Sick to talk about that remarkable pink and the rest of their program.
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.
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