This week: Griffin Creek Syrah. New winemaker at Desert Wind Winery. Seattle's Urban Wine Tour. A visit to the Columbia Gorge Hotel. Great Northwest Wine Country activities. Wine events. What we're reading. Where in Northwest Wine Country. Hogue sticks with screwcaps. Wine funnies.
Aug. 31, 2010
Vol. 11, No. 35
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
Griffin Creek 2007 Syrah
Appellation: Rogue Valley
Lakeside and Fortmiller vineyards have some history of producing worthy Syrah, and this continues the tradition. Aromas include black cherry, cassis, pomegranate, vanilla bean, anise and Dr Pepper. Cassis and supple blueberries fill the front of the drink, and there's skilled weight to the tannin/acid balance. Suggested pairing includes lamb with a blackberry compote. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $38.
Cases produced: 248 cases.
Food matches: This luscious Syrah will go with a variety of grilled or braised meats. For something exotic, try lamb with a blackberry compote.
Griffin Creek, 8800 Enchanted Way S.E., Turner, OR 97392, 503-588-9463, www.wvv.com.
Recent wines of the week
-- Covey Run Winery 2008 Fume Blanc, Columbia Valley
-- Canyon's Edge Winery 2006 Sagebrush Red, Horse Heaven Hills
Best Buys
-- Arbor Crest Wine Cellars 2007 Four Vineyards Merlot, Columbia Valley, $15
-- Mercer Estates 2008 Riesling, Yakima Valley, $14
More about Griffin Creek
Griffin Creek is a second label for Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner, Ore. Since its inception in the mid-1990s, Griffin Creek's focus has been on grapes from Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley, particularly Syrah.
New winemaker at Desert Wind Winery
Desert Wind Winery, one of Washington's largest family-owned wineries, has promoted Mark Chargin to head winemaker.
Chargin, a graduate of Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, worked for Golden State Vintners, Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard and Kirigin Cellars prior to moving to Washington's Yakima Valley.
Owner Greg Fries, who has served as winemaker for the Prosser winery, will oversee Desert Wind's winemaking, viticulture and business operations.
Seattle's Urban Wine tour
No time to cross the mountains for a visit to Washington wine country? Check out the Seattle Urban Wine Tour.
It's a three-hour tour that starts at the 106 Pine wine bar near the Pike Place Market and visits several wineries.
Read Braiden Rex-Johnson's article on the tour.
Bob Woehler visits Columbia Gorge Hotel
In this week's podcast, Bob Woehler stops by the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel and chats with Paul Robinson, general manager, about his time in Washington wine country and the hotels menu and wine list.
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 activities
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 activities: When you've had enough wine, it's time to check out what else you can do in wine country. Here are 10 diversions from tasting rooms.
Read more.
Upcoming wine events
Each week, we highlight an upcoming wine event in the Pacific Northwest.
This Labor Day weekend, learn more about the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs in the northern Willamette Valley during its free "Explore, Tour & Taste" event.
To see more events (or submit yours at no cost), go to our calendar. We currently have 85 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:
Why machine harvesting Pinot Noir is bad, even evil.
Are kangaroo testicles an impossible wine pairing?
Wine makes women smarter.
See what else we're reading.
Where in NW Wine Country
It would seem last week's mystery photo was a slam dunk.
In fact, 84% of you correctly identified the photo as showing Columbia Winery in Woodinville, Wash. Just 11% thought it was Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland, B.C., while almost nobody guessed Domaine Serene in Dayton, Ore., or Pend d'Oreille Winery in Sandpoint, Idaho.
This week's photo, from our upcoming issue of Wine Press Northwest, was taken by Jackie Johnston of Wine Country Creations.
Click to vote
Wine cartoon of the week
We have added a new cartoon to our "wine funnies" gallery.
Check it out.
Five years later, Hogue still screwing around
This week, we talk with Co Dinn, director of winemaking for Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Wash. It's been five years since Hogue switched most of its production to screwcaps from corks - and Dinn isn't looking back. During the visit, we tasted a five-year vertical of screwcapped Rieslings and a 2003 horizontal of Hogue reds, just to see how the wines were aging.
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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