Why we have become fans of wine tourism
Mark Ryan Winery is several hours away in Walla Walla, but a beautiful tasting room awaits visitors in Woodinville, north of Seattle.
One of our earliest wine tourism experiences came when we visited California for a holiday in the late 1980s. We flew to San Francisco and signed on for a day tour that would take us out to the Muir Woods and the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Three winery visits were included, as was the chance to wander around the town of Napa and have lunch.
The most memorable visit was to a winery whose name no longer comes to mind. There we got a short but very informative talk about wine tasting and I can still remember it feeling it was a revelation. After that trip we started making short detours whenever we drove to Vancouver so that we could drop into wineries along what became known as The Golden Mile. Gehringer Brothers and Divino were among our favourites. Two key reasons kept us going back for more. First, we could buy wines that weren’t available in government liquor stores, the only other place a British Columbian could make purchases at that time. More important was that we inevitably left a winery feeling positive about the future of the industry and about the role it was playing in making BC an even more exciting place to live in.
Our less-than-positive experiences in visiting wineries over the decades have been rare. So it came as a surprise when we felt disappointed as walked out of a tasting room on a visit to Woodinville, north of Seattle, last month. Later that night I sat in our bed and breakfast and sent the winery the following message:
This afternoon my wife and I visited your Woodinville tasting room. I made a point of opening our visit with a mention that we had been enthusiastically referred to Mark Ryan Winery by our server at the Barking Frog. We shared a tasting (I am a wine writer and also the driver, so I spit all samples) and thoroughly enjoyed each of the wines. The hostess, a blonde with what seemed to be a Russian accent, could not have been more disinterested in our presence. She rarely smiled or made eye contact and did not offer information, answering curtly when I asked questions. Between samples she seemed to drift off and, although she was only a few feet away, failed to notice when we had finished our samples. For most of the brief visit we were the only people in the room. We made a purchase and left, commenting that we had just experienced one of our poorest experiences from among the perhaps 250 wineries we have visited throughout North America and Europe. I rarely complain as a customer--I know that service people have their down moments and off days. Your excellent wines deserve much better representation than we witnessed today, though. We are British Columbians and try to visit Walla Walla and area annually. I look forward to visiting the Walla Walla winery.
Admittedly, we walked into the tasting room with high expectations. Our restaurant server had been effusive in her praise. And we knew that Mark Ryan Winery has been named one of the Top 100 in the world by Wine Spectator. I just couldn’t let our negative experience go without letting the winery know.
The next morning I opened my email and found the following response:
Thank you very much for your message. Being in the service industry, it is important to us to receive feedback on the experiences that customers have in our tasting rooms. I am so sorry that your experience was negative. I know the employee you are referring to. We have never had any complaints about her before, and so I can only imagine that you are correct in your assumption that she may have been having a bad day. Regardless, that should not affect the way customers are treated. I will pass this information on to the tasting room manager and we will make a better effort at training all staff in customer service to better represent the Mark Ryan brand.
I am happy that you enjoyed the wines. If you do choose to visit us in Walla Walla, or back in Woodinville again, please let me know. I would be happy to set up a private tasting for you. If you ever have any questions about our wines or our program here, please feel free to email me directly.
The content and tone were almost exactly what I expected from a winery with a great reputation. In the few minutes the writer, who identified herself only as Kyra, took to respond, she complete turned around our unfortunate visiting experience, leaving us with a very positive feeling about the winery. Remember, we had truly enjoyed the wines we sampled, so all it took was some good service in the form of a written message to push the poor service in the tasting room further back in our minds.
The experience once again served as a reminder about why we like winery visits and people in the wine industry. Mark Ryan will be the first winery I want to visit on our next trip to Walla Walla.
September 11, 2013 - La Dolce Vita
The most memorable visit was to a winery whose name no longer comes to mind. There we got a short but very informative talk about wine tasting and I can still remember it feeling it was a revelation. After that trip we started making short detours whenever we drove to Vancouver so that we could drop into wineries along what became known as The Golden Mile. Gehringer Brothers and Divino were among our favourites. Two key reasons kept us going back for more. First, we could buy wines that weren’t available in government liquor stores, the only other place a British Columbian could make purchases at that time. More important was that we inevitably left a winery feeling positive about the future of the industry and about the role it was playing in making BC an even more exciting place to live in.
Our less-than-positive experiences in visiting wineries over the decades have been rare. So it came as a surprise when we felt disappointed as walked out of a tasting room on a visit to Woodinville, north of Seattle, last month. Later that night I sat in our bed and breakfast and sent the winery the following message:
This afternoon my wife and I visited your Woodinville tasting room. I made a point of opening our visit with a mention that we had been enthusiastically referred to Mark Ryan Winery by our server at the Barking Frog. We shared a tasting (I am a wine writer and also the driver, so I spit all samples) and thoroughly enjoyed each of the wines. The hostess, a blonde with what seemed to be a Russian accent, could not have been more disinterested in our presence. She rarely smiled or made eye contact and did not offer information, answering curtly when I asked questions. Between samples she seemed to drift off and, although she was only a few feet away, failed to notice when we had finished our samples. For most of the brief visit we were the only people in the room. We made a purchase and left, commenting that we had just experienced one of our poorest experiences from among the perhaps 250 wineries we have visited throughout North America and Europe. I rarely complain as a customer--I know that service people have their down moments and off days. Your excellent wines deserve much better representation than we witnessed today, though. We are British Columbians and try to visit Walla Walla and area annually. I look forward to visiting the Walla Walla winery.
Admittedly, we walked into the tasting room with high expectations. Our restaurant server had been effusive in her praise. And we knew that Mark Ryan Winery has been named one of the Top 100 in the world by Wine Spectator. I just couldn’t let our negative experience go without letting the winery know.
The next morning I opened my email and found the following response:
Thank you very much for your message. Being in the service industry, it is important to us to receive feedback on the experiences that customers have in our tasting rooms. I am so sorry that your experience was negative. I know the employee you are referring to. We have never had any complaints about her before, and so I can only imagine that you are correct in your assumption that she may have been having a bad day. Regardless, that should not affect the way customers are treated. I will pass this information on to the tasting room manager and we will make a better effort at training all staff in customer service to better represent the Mark Ryan brand.
I am happy that you enjoyed the wines. If you do choose to visit us in Walla Walla, or back in Woodinville again, please let me know. I would be happy to set up a private tasting for you. If you ever have any questions about our wines or our program here, please feel free to email me directly.
The content and tone were almost exactly what I expected from a winery with a great reputation. In the few minutes the writer, who identified herself only as Kyra, took to respond, she complete turned around our unfortunate visiting experience, leaving us with a very positive feeling about the winery. Remember, we had truly enjoyed the wines we sampled, so all it took was some good service in the form of a written message to push the poor service in the tasting room further back in our minds.
The experience once again served as a reminder about why we like winery visits and people in the wine industry. Mark Ryan will be the first winery I want to visit on our next trip to Walla Walla.
September 11, 2013 - La Dolce Vita
Spokane's Nectar Tasting Room an example of economic development
Nectar Tasting Room in downtown Spokane is a warm and inviting spot for wine lovers.
I’m a big fan of innovative thinking in the wine industry, where new approaches add economic development value to communities.
My first thoughts on the topic immediately jump to Walla Walla WA, which we have visited a couple of times in recent years. Incubator wineries, airport development and about two dozen tasting rooms in the downtown core have all been the result of careful planning by the public, private and academic sectors.
In Summerland, the Okanagan Crush Pad has given small startups the chance to gain entry into the very costly wine business by offering a complete range of services. The early results have been remarkable.
In Spokane recently we got another look at how wineries can introduce wines and expand their markets.
Nectar Tasting Room, downtown on Stevens, is a partnership of sorts. While the owner is a young blogger and wine enthusiast, we learned on our visit that the building’s rent is paid by five wineries that supply the tasting room with wine. Wines on site are part of each winery’s inventory until they are sold.
Spokane’s downtown core, like those of most North American cities, has had its challenges over the years. Shopping malls and big box stores have drawn away a huge percentage of people, lured by selection and free and easy parking.
The city is fortunate to have a terrific park just to the north of the downtown core, where an exposition many years ago left a legacy of facilities and green space. Falls on the river, created to generate electricity, are also a great attraction. A downtown mall, several large hotels and a vibrant entertainment industry have helped to draw people back to the city. Renovations to treasures of old, like the Davenport Hotel, the Fox Theater and the Steam Plant have show the region has entrepreneurs who are keen on the city and the opportunities that exist.
Several wineries have chosen to locate in Spokane’s inner city and Nectar is not the only wine bar in the area. It’s the partnership of five distinct wineries that make it unique.
Anelare is a small, family owned winery in Kennewick.
Hard Row to Hoe, whose label and marketing plan was created by Vancouver’s Bernie Hadley-Beauregard (of Blasted Church, Laughing Stock and Dirty Laundry fame), is a Lake Chelan winery.
The highly acclaimed Northwest Cellars is in Kirkland.
Walla Walla is the home of Skylite Cellars, which is owned by a former radio guy and his wife.
Finally, Terra Blanca Winery calls Benton City home, where its Red Mountain vineyard takes advantage of heat and higher altitudes.
Visitors to Nectar can buy wine by the glass or bottle or, as we did with friends who introduced us to the place, pay $5 to sample five different wines. The sample fee is waved with purchases.
There are more than 40 different wines available, so recurring visits will offer new tasting selections, which are changed regularly.
We enjoyed our tasting, which included surprises. Our first, a Sauvignon Blanc, did not taste like a Sauv Blanc from cooler climates like the Okanagan or New Zealand. In fact, I thought it tasted more like a Viognier which, coincidentally, was our second taste, albeit a blend.
The unquestioned highlight was a red blend from Northwest Cellars called Intrigue. Silky smooth and very full-bodied, this was a $40 wine in a $28 bottle. Northwest also makes a Malbec and Carmenere and I look forward to sampling those on another visit.
A 2009 Zinfandel from Hard Row to How was also a surprise, not being the typical fruit bomb that one gets in most American bottles. The Zin is not listed on the winery web site—but a 2010 Primitivo is. Maybe there is a story in there somewhere as Zinfandel and Primitivo are the same grape.
Since our visit, I’ve been wondering if this winery partnership model for a tasting room/wine bar can work in BC, or even Alberta. Wouldn’t it be great, for instance, to walk into a nice wine bar in a city and find a complete selection of Naramata Bench, for example, wines available?
April 2012 - La Dolce Vita
My first thoughts on the topic immediately jump to Walla Walla WA, which we have visited a couple of times in recent years. Incubator wineries, airport development and about two dozen tasting rooms in the downtown core have all been the result of careful planning by the public, private and academic sectors.
In Summerland, the Okanagan Crush Pad has given small startups the chance to gain entry into the very costly wine business by offering a complete range of services. The early results have been remarkable.
In Spokane recently we got another look at how wineries can introduce wines and expand their markets.
Nectar Tasting Room, downtown on Stevens, is a partnership of sorts. While the owner is a young blogger and wine enthusiast, we learned on our visit that the building’s rent is paid by five wineries that supply the tasting room with wine. Wines on site are part of each winery’s inventory until they are sold.
Spokane’s downtown core, like those of most North American cities, has had its challenges over the years. Shopping malls and big box stores have drawn away a huge percentage of people, lured by selection and free and easy parking.
The city is fortunate to have a terrific park just to the north of the downtown core, where an exposition many years ago left a legacy of facilities and green space. Falls on the river, created to generate electricity, are also a great attraction. A downtown mall, several large hotels and a vibrant entertainment industry have helped to draw people back to the city. Renovations to treasures of old, like the Davenport Hotel, the Fox Theater and the Steam Plant have show the region has entrepreneurs who are keen on the city and the opportunities that exist.
Several wineries have chosen to locate in Spokane’s inner city and Nectar is not the only wine bar in the area. It’s the partnership of five distinct wineries that make it unique.
Anelare is a small, family owned winery in Kennewick.
Hard Row to Hoe, whose label and marketing plan was created by Vancouver’s Bernie Hadley-Beauregard (of Blasted Church, Laughing Stock and Dirty Laundry fame), is a Lake Chelan winery.
The highly acclaimed Northwest Cellars is in Kirkland.
Walla Walla is the home of Skylite Cellars, which is owned by a former radio guy and his wife.
Finally, Terra Blanca Winery calls Benton City home, where its Red Mountain vineyard takes advantage of heat and higher altitudes.
Visitors to Nectar can buy wine by the glass or bottle or, as we did with friends who introduced us to the place, pay $5 to sample five different wines. The sample fee is waved with purchases.
There are more than 40 different wines available, so recurring visits will offer new tasting selections, which are changed regularly.
We enjoyed our tasting, which included surprises. Our first, a Sauvignon Blanc, did not taste like a Sauv Blanc from cooler climates like the Okanagan or New Zealand. In fact, I thought it tasted more like a Viognier which, coincidentally, was our second taste, albeit a blend.
The unquestioned highlight was a red blend from Northwest Cellars called Intrigue. Silky smooth and very full-bodied, this was a $40 wine in a $28 bottle. Northwest also makes a Malbec and Carmenere and I look forward to sampling those on another visit.
A 2009 Zinfandel from Hard Row to How was also a surprise, not being the typical fruit bomb that one gets in most American bottles. The Zin is not listed on the winery web site—but a 2010 Primitivo is. Maybe there is a story in there somewhere as Zinfandel and Primitivo are the same grape.
Since our visit, I’ve been wondering if this winery partnership model for a tasting room/wine bar can work in BC, or even Alberta. Wouldn’t it be great, for instance, to walk into a nice wine bar in a city and find a complete selection of Naramata Bench, for example, wines available?
April 2012 - La Dolce Vita
Casting long shadows, indeed
“Thank you for including us in your visit! We are delighted to have you join us.” My request to Long Shadows winery in Walla Walla for a tour and tasting received a reply within a half-hour after it was sent. It included available times on the day we would have to tour outside the city. This, I thought, is an indication of a winery that knows how to market its extremely good products.
We first visited Long Shadows last fall and were incredibly impressed with the winery concept and its wines. Last month, we planned a return trip to Walla Walla with our oldest son and his wife, and I thought that it would be great to introduce them to this by-appointment-only winery. They weren’t disappointed.
We arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule and were greeted at the door with glasses of wine and invited to have a seat until our tour guide was available. He arrived a short time later. Bring your glasses, he advised, we’ll do some barrel tastings.
Long Shadows is the dream project of Allen Shoup, who has long been an acknowledged visionary in the wine industry. After retiring as head of a group that owned Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest and others, Shoup, according to the Long Shadows website, “retired to pursue a personal dream. For years he had envisioned a joint venture with highly acclaimed winemakers from different regions of the world. His goal was to bring their expertise to Washington to create some of the most special wines ever crafted from the region’s top vineyards; wines that would stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best.”
Shoup built a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art winery on an acreage to the west of Walla Walla and went about attracting winemakers to partner in the project. Winemakers now making wine with Washington grapes and selling them under distinct labels include Randy Dunn, the famed California Cabernet Sauvignon maker whose resume includes a decade with Caymus Winery; Agustin Huneeus Sr., who helped Chile move onto the world wine stage with Concha Y Toro; Phillippe Melka, a University of Bordeaux graduate who worked with Petrus and Haut Brion before moving on to the Napa Valley; Michel Rolland, whose base is in the Pomerol region of France and who consults to more than 100 wineries around the world; Armin Diel, one of Germany’s most respected Riesling makers; Gilles Nicault, who might be described as the winemaker in residence, living in Washington and once a top winemaker with Woodward Canyon; Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, who continue a family tradition in Tuscany that dates back to the 1700s; and John Duval, an Australian who spent 16 years with Penfold’s, helping to develop Grange into one of the most highly sought after wines on the planet.
Our barrel tastings were a treat, giving some insight into how several of the wines are doing after nearly a year in oak barrels. After a half-hour in the huge, partly underground winery (which helps to moderate temperatures), we moved back to the reception room, where plates of cheese, sausage and crackers were presented along with the first of 10 wines we would sample over the course of an hour. Three hosts kept busy serving and educating about 20 people in different groups scattered around the room.
Tasting at Long Shadows (so named because its winemakers are giants in the industry, casting long shadows wherever they go) is a remarkable experience, with wine after wine having a rating of 90 points and higher from magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. Each sip elicited an “Oh, my” moment as we savoured the aromas and flavours of wines that were never less than superb.
As I did in 2011, I walked out with my purchase, a six-bottle selection of reds in a wood case, destined to spend a year or two more in the cellar before we begin to open the bottles for special occasions involving special company.
Long Shadows varieties, under names like Feather, Pirouette, Pedestal, Poet’s Leap, Chester-Kidder, Saggi and Sequel, are made in small quantities, but can be found in wine shops in Washington. A larger quantity of Nine Hats, a blend of wines from the different makers, turns up in places like Costco, and is a terrific value. If you are in Washington, these wines are definitely worth seeking out.
September 2012 - La Dolce Vita
We first visited Long Shadows last fall and were incredibly impressed with the winery concept and its wines. Last month, we planned a return trip to Walla Walla with our oldest son and his wife, and I thought that it would be great to introduce them to this by-appointment-only winery. They weren’t disappointed.
We arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule and were greeted at the door with glasses of wine and invited to have a seat until our tour guide was available. He arrived a short time later. Bring your glasses, he advised, we’ll do some barrel tastings.
Long Shadows is the dream project of Allen Shoup, who has long been an acknowledged visionary in the wine industry. After retiring as head of a group that owned Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest and others, Shoup, according to the Long Shadows website, “retired to pursue a personal dream. For years he had envisioned a joint venture with highly acclaimed winemakers from different regions of the world. His goal was to bring their expertise to Washington to create some of the most special wines ever crafted from the region’s top vineyards; wines that would stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best.”
Shoup built a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art winery on an acreage to the west of Walla Walla and went about attracting winemakers to partner in the project. Winemakers now making wine with Washington grapes and selling them under distinct labels include Randy Dunn, the famed California Cabernet Sauvignon maker whose resume includes a decade with Caymus Winery; Agustin Huneeus Sr., who helped Chile move onto the world wine stage with Concha Y Toro; Phillippe Melka, a University of Bordeaux graduate who worked with Petrus and Haut Brion before moving on to the Napa Valley; Michel Rolland, whose base is in the Pomerol region of France and who consults to more than 100 wineries around the world; Armin Diel, one of Germany’s most respected Riesling makers; Gilles Nicault, who might be described as the winemaker in residence, living in Washington and once a top winemaker with Woodward Canyon; Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, who continue a family tradition in Tuscany that dates back to the 1700s; and John Duval, an Australian who spent 16 years with Penfold’s, helping to develop Grange into one of the most highly sought after wines on the planet.
Our barrel tastings were a treat, giving some insight into how several of the wines are doing after nearly a year in oak barrels. After a half-hour in the huge, partly underground winery (which helps to moderate temperatures), we moved back to the reception room, where plates of cheese, sausage and crackers were presented along with the first of 10 wines we would sample over the course of an hour. Three hosts kept busy serving and educating about 20 people in different groups scattered around the room.
Tasting at Long Shadows (so named because its winemakers are giants in the industry, casting long shadows wherever they go) is a remarkable experience, with wine after wine having a rating of 90 points and higher from magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. Each sip elicited an “Oh, my” moment as we savoured the aromas and flavours of wines that were never less than superb.
As I did in 2011, I walked out with my purchase, a six-bottle selection of reds in a wood case, destined to spend a year or two more in the cellar before we begin to open the bottles for special occasions involving special company.
Long Shadows varieties, under names like Feather, Pirouette, Pedestal, Poet’s Leap, Chester-Kidder, Saggi and Sequel, are made in small quantities, but can be found in wine shops in Washington. A larger quantity of Nine Hats, a blend of wines from the different makers, turns up in places like Costco, and is a terrific value. If you are in Washington, these wines are definitely worth seeking out.
September 2012 - La Dolce Vita
Great idea, better execution in walla walla
wine star facility
As we drove through a vineyard along a tree-lined road to the ultra-modern winery, then entered a reception area filled with glass sculptures with world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly, it struck me that Long Shadows Vintners makes great promises. But could it deliver?
Long Shadows is the love child of Washington’s godfather of wine, Allen Shoup, who earned his reputation (and fortune) through wineries like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest. A decade ago he lured Italy’s Piero Antinori and German’s Dr. Ernst Loosen to Washington to make wine with his home state’s grapes.
When Shoup retired, he took his dream even further. He created a multi-million dollar winemaking facility to the west of Walla Walla, then went about attracting world class vintners to invest in their own small businesses. Each “winery” within the facility, is individually owned and managed as a separate entity and each is partially owned by the winemaker.
Our tasting took us on a virtual tour of some of the world’s great wineries, each wine made in the winemaker’s style but using Washington grapes.
We started with Poet’s Leap, an off-dry Riesling made by acclaimed German winemaker Armin Diel. It had a perfect balance of acidity and burst with flavours of grapefruit, minerals and pear. I’m a big fan of Rieslings but I’d be hard pressed to name another that I liked better than this one.
Our small group (tastings are by appointment only) moved on to reds, with a Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Saggi, the creation of Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, father and son team from Tuscany. This elegant blend, in the style of Super Tuscans, spent 18 months in small oak barrels. The result is a wine high in tannins but with a cherry and raspberry flavours, a bit of smoke and nutmeg completed a very complex wine with a most satisfying mouth feel and finish.
Feather is a Cabernet Sauvignon made by Randy Dunn, one of Napa Valley’s best. Tasting notes provided by Long Shadows describe it as “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” Beautifully, and accurately, said.
By this point, we weren’t wondering if we would like the next wine. Our thoughts were more about just how good they could possibly get. And then came the 2007 Pirouette, a Bordeaux blend made by Bordeaux-educated Philippe Melka, who once worked at Petrus, and Agustin Huneeus Sr., who has more than 40 years of experience in Chile and California. Pirouette is a Petit Verdot-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend that would be the envy of even the very best of Bordeaux winemakers. If I could only drink one wine from now on, this one would be my choice.
Chester-Kidder is the partnership of Shoup and Gilles Nicault, who made wines in Cotes du Rhone, Provence and Champagne before coming to North America. He now makes wine for Woodward Canyon. Chester-Kidder is a blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. Beautiful aroma, wonderful, complex flavours.
We thoroughly enjoyed Sequel, a Syrah made by the Australian John Duval, whose work helped make Penfold’s Grange one of the world’s great success stories. I love Syrah, especially ones from Washington and Sequel has everything I look for in these luscious, deep purple wines.
Our final red was Michel Rolland’s Pedestal. Rolland is renowned enologist from the Pomerol region of Bordeaux and he consults all around the world. Blueberries, plum, cedar and spices come to mind in this nicely balanced Merlot.
We completed our tasting with a sip of another Poet’s Leap, a botrytis affected wine that was named number 7 among Wine Enthusiast magazine’s top 100 wines in the world. It was a fitting finish for the best tasting of wines I have ever had at a single location.
As we made our way down the tree-lined road, my only regret was that, because I was driving, I had spit out each of the wines I sampled. The consolation was in a box in the trunk. I had purchased a collector’s set featuring each of the six red wines we had sampled. In a year or two or three, I have no doubt that when each of these bottles is opened we will be immediately transported back to that wonderful Saturday afternoon experience at Long Shadows, which truly did deliver what it promised.
November 2011 – La Dolce Vita
Long Shadows is the love child of Washington’s godfather of wine, Allen Shoup, who earned his reputation (and fortune) through wineries like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest. A decade ago he lured Italy’s Piero Antinori and German’s Dr. Ernst Loosen to Washington to make wine with his home state’s grapes.
When Shoup retired, he took his dream even further. He created a multi-million dollar winemaking facility to the west of Walla Walla, then went about attracting world class vintners to invest in their own small businesses. Each “winery” within the facility, is individually owned and managed as a separate entity and each is partially owned by the winemaker.
Our tasting took us on a virtual tour of some of the world’s great wineries, each wine made in the winemaker’s style but using Washington grapes.
We started with Poet’s Leap, an off-dry Riesling made by acclaimed German winemaker Armin Diel. It had a perfect balance of acidity and burst with flavours of grapefruit, minerals and pear. I’m a big fan of Rieslings but I’d be hard pressed to name another that I liked better than this one.
Our small group (tastings are by appointment only) moved on to reds, with a Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Saggi, the creation of Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, father and son team from Tuscany. This elegant blend, in the style of Super Tuscans, spent 18 months in small oak barrels. The result is a wine high in tannins but with a cherry and raspberry flavours, a bit of smoke and nutmeg completed a very complex wine with a most satisfying mouth feel and finish.
Feather is a Cabernet Sauvignon made by Randy Dunn, one of Napa Valley’s best. Tasting notes provided by Long Shadows describe it as “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” Beautifully, and accurately, said.
By this point, we weren’t wondering if we would like the next wine. Our thoughts were more about just how good they could possibly get. And then came the 2007 Pirouette, a Bordeaux blend made by Bordeaux-educated Philippe Melka, who once worked at Petrus, and Agustin Huneeus Sr., who has more than 40 years of experience in Chile and California. Pirouette is a Petit Verdot-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend that would be the envy of even the very best of Bordeaux winemakers. If I could only drink one wine from now on, this one would be my choice.
Chester-Kidder is the partnership of Shoup and Gilles Nicault, who made wines in Cotes du Rhone, Provence and Champagne before coming to North America. He now makes wine for Woodward Canyon. Chester-Kidder is a blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. Beautiful aroma, wonderful, complex flavours.
We thoroughly enjoyed Sequel, a Syrah made by the Australian John Duval, whose work helped make Penfold’s Grange one of the world’s great success stories. I love Syrah, especially ones from Washington and Sequel has everything I look for in these luscious, deep purple wines.
Our final red was Michel Rolland’s Pedestal. Rolland is renowned enologist from the Pomerol region of Bordeaux and he consults all around the world. Blueberries, plum, cedar and spices come to mind in this nicely balanced Merlot.
We completed our tasting with a sip of another Poet’s Leap, a botrytis affected wine that was named number 7 among Wine Enthusiast magazine’s top 100 wines in the world. It was a fitting finish for the best tasting of wines I have ever had at a single location.
As we made our way down the tree-lined road, my only regret was that, because I was driving, I had spit out each of the wines I sampled. The consolation was in a box in the trunk. I had purchased a collector’s set featuring each of the six red wines we had sampled. In a year or two or three, I have no doubt that when each of these bottles is opened we will be immediately transported back to that wonderful Saturday afternoon experience at Long Shadows, which truly did deliver what it promised.
November 2011 – La Dolce Vita
WITH A LOAF OF BREAD AND JUG OF BARRISTER WINE
We almost waited too long, realizing only a few days before that the da Vinci exhibit in Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture would come to an end on Labour Day. Described by friends as too good to miss, the exhibit consisted largely of creations made from da Vinci’s many sketches of ideas for machines. We made the drive south on Saturday and were not disappointed.
With the museum tour behind us, we set our sights on a Spokane favourite, Barrister Winery, which is located in a downtown alley called Railroad Avenue. Barrister was founded, not surprisingly, by two lawyers who cut their winemaking teeth on a five-gallon home kit back in 1997. What became a hobby eventually spun out of control and in 2001 Greg Lipsker and Michael White took out a winery licence. The results have been outstanding and the partners have the medals and awards to prove it.
We hadn’t been to the winery for about a year, so we accepted the offer of a tasting, making our way through samples of Sauvignon Blanc, Rough Justice, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Other popular reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, have sold out.
The Sauvignon Blanc was a surprise, and not only because Barrister has built its reputation on red wines. This first white release is anything but a typical Sauv Blanc, a wine that can be austere and even a tiny bit off-putting with its aroma, which British wine writer Jancis Robinson describes as "cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush". When we talked about the wines later, Angela said the wine had none of the aromas that she usually doesn’t enjoy. I thought the slightly off-dry wine had characteristics that one expects in Riesling or Pinot Blanc. It was a decidedly pleasant wine with a nice, full body.
Rough Justice is a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Cab Franc and it has been one of our favourite wines for several years. Complex, with a bit of smokiness to it, Rough Justice has a beautiful, long finish. With plenty of tannins it is a great match with grilled red meats and tomato sauces. As we expected, the Merlot and Cab Franc were up to the usual high standards. To put it simply, these guys know how to make great wine. I also took the opportunity to get some suggestions for our upcoming trip to Walla Walla from Lipsker, who is very familiar with the area because Barrister Winery sources most of its grapes from the area.
We left with a bottle of Cab Franc to enjoy in our hotel room later (we were staying only one night, so we couldn’t bring any back to Creston with us — curses on our archaic B.C. liquor laws) and headed for our next destination, Riverfront Park. By pure coincidence, we had arrived in Spokane on the weekend that features Pig Out in the Park, an annual food and music fair that extends for six days and evenings.
Three music stages, more than 50 food vendors and lots of other display and handicraft booths make the event a great destination. We wandered through the food alleys, checking out the dizzying array of dishes available, then settled in to enjoy some music. Later we once again made our way through the throngs lined up for dinner and snacks. I was struck by how pervasive the smell of hot fat and oil was. Completely overwhelmed were the typically aromatic Asian and Mexican foods. One of the popular dishes was what one booth called Man Fries, an enormous serving of curly french (or is still “freedom”?) fries. A single serving, I estimated, could probably satisfy a half-dozen normal appetites, and the thought of one person (we saw many, actually) sitting down to eat the entire mound, completely put me off food for a bit.
Eventually, we opted not to eat at the fair and repaired to our hotel room, where our bottle of Cab Franc would pair nicely with a loaf of sourdough bread that we had, courtesy of an overly enthusiastic restaurant manager at lunch.
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou, I told Angela. We sat on our bed and watched a PBS presentation of Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival and the bread and wine made a perfect ending to a very pleasant day.
September 2011 – La Dolce Vita
With the museum tour behind us, we set our sights on a Spokane favourite, Barrister Winery, which is located in a downtown alley called Railroad Avenue. Barrister was founded, not surprisingly, by two lawyers who cut their winemaking teeth on a five-gallon home kit back in 1997. What became a hobby eventually spun out of control and in 2001 Greg Lipsker and Michael White took out a winery licence. The results have been outstanding and the partners have the medals and awards to prove it.
We hadn’t been to the winery for about a year, so we accepted the offer of a tasting, making our way through samples of Sauvignon Blanc, Rough Justice, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Other popular reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, have sold out.
The Sauvignon Blanc was a surprise, and not only because Barrister has built its reputation on red wines. This first white release is anything but a typical Sauv Blanc, a wine that can be austere and even a tiny bit off-putting with its aroma, which British wine writer Jancis Robinson describes as "cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush". When we talked about the wines later, Angela said the wine had none of the aromas that she usually doesn’t enjoy. I thought the slightly off-dry wine had characteristics that one expects in Riesling or Pinot Blanc. It was a decidedly pleasant wine with a nice, full body.
Rough Justice is a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Cab Franc and it has been one of our favourite wines for several years. Complex, with a bit of smokiness to it, Rough Justice has a beautiful, long finish. With plenty of tannins it is a great match with grilled red meats and tomato sauces. As we expected, the Merlot and Cab Franc were up to the usual high standards. To put it simply, these guys know how to make great wine. I also took the opportunity to get some suggestions for our upcoming trip to Walla Walla from Lipsker, who is very familiar with the area because Barrister Winery sources most of its grapes from the area.
We left with a bottle of Cab Franc to enjoy in our hotel room later (we were staying only one night, so we couldn’t bring any back to Creston with us — curses on our archaic B.C. liquor laws) and headed for our next destination, Riverfront Park. By pure coincidence, we had arrived in Spokane on the weekend that features Pig Out in the Park, an annual food and music fair that extends for six days and evenings.
Three music stages, more than 50 food vendors and lots of other display and handicraft booths make the event a great destination. We wandered through the food alleys, checking out the dizzying array of dishes available, then settled in to enjoy some music. Later we once again made our way through the throngs lined up for dinner and snacks. I was struck by how pervasive the smell of hot fat and oil was. Completely overwhelmed were the typically aromatic Asian and Mexican foods. One of the popular dishes was what one booth called Man Fries, an enormous serving of curly french (or is still “freedom”?) fries. A single serving, I estimated, could probably satisfy a half-dozen normal appetites, and the thought of one person (we saw many, actually) sitting down to eat the entire mound, completely put me off food for a bit.
Eventually, we opted not to eat at the fair and repaired to our hotel room, where our bottle of Cab Franc would pair nicely with a loaf of sourdough bread that we had, courtesy of an overly enthusiastic restaurant manager at lunch.
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou, I told Angela. We sat on our bed and watched a PBS presentation of Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival and the bread and wine made a perfect ending to a very pleasant day.
September 2011 – La Dolce Vita
WInery incubators at the Walla Walla airport. Walla Faces photo.
My fascination with the impact the wine industry can have on the economic health of a community actually started when we stopped for lunch in Lewiston, Idaho on the way to Walla Walla, Washington last month.
The precipitous drop in elevation as we wound downward into the city reminded one of Osoyoos. Lewiston is known for its mild climate that allows golfers to enjoy the game year-round. But, as we wandered around downtown, searching for a place to have lunch, it was clear that Lewiston suffers from much the same problem as many small North American cities—the retail economy has migrated to malls, leaving empty storefronts to remind visitors that a thriving downtown is now a thing of the past.
A few hours later the contrast was apparent as we parked in downtown Walla Walla. The sidewalks were busy and I honestly don’t remember seeing an empty space in the city’s core. Downtown Walla Walla has a lively, energized feel to it. I learned in the few days we were there that this hasn’t always been the case. Only 15 or 20 years ago, I was told, Walla Walla’s downtown looked like Lewiston does today. Then the local wine industry began to take off and so did the downtown area.
What really happened? Well, the state of Washington has long been a leader in economic development, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it succeeded in translating what might have been a rural success story into an urban boost, too. In British Columbia, the location winery tasting rooms/retail outlets is largely restricted to the vineyard. In 2011 Walla Walla, visitors wander — on foot — the downtown core, free to drop into one of about 30 tasting rooms.
“Isn’t it expensive to pay downtown rents to operate a tasting room?” I asked one owner. No, I was told, because the tasting room is their only retail outlet. That particularly winery leases space and equipment at another winery, then sells its product through distributors and its city store. The once moribund downtown is alive with people — visitors and locals alike — thanks to officials who understand the value of wine tourism. Of course, the city kicked in once the winery business began to take hold — a revitalization project widened sidewalks and planted trees to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
The economic development story didn’t end there, though. On a Saturday afternoon we drove out to the airport to make a few more winery visits. The airport? Yep. It turns out that older airports often have lots of empty buildings that once housed ancillary businesses that have migrated to larger centres. Today, 20 wineries are located in the airport’s industrial park,
But wait, as the old TV commercials used to say. There’s more! The Port of Walla Walla has actually created an incubator program, constructing five purpose-built winery buildings, each complete with a concrete crush pad out back where grapes are pressed to release their juice. The complex is practical and cute as a button, too.
In one of the those incubators, we spoke with Kontos Cellars winemaker and part owner Cameron Kontos, who started the winery with his brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Kelli. Kontos explained that wineries in the incubator complex can stay a maximum of six years at the location, paying annually escalating rents that start at only about $1100 a month. The young brothers, whose father owns Fort Walla Walla Cellars (located downtown, of course) were able to get into the wine business because they only had to purchase their wine-making equipment ($150,000 estimate), buy grapes and rent the facility. Starting a winery from scratch — purchasing land, growing the grapes, building a facility and equipping it — is a multi-million dollar investment. The incubators help young folks get into the business with a relatively small investment. And, whether they sink or swim, the new businesses have to leave within six years to make room for another startup.
I often complain about the archaic B.C. laws — designed, apparently, to annoy everyone — that regulate wine and liquor in the province. Premier Christy Clark would do well to glance southward and see what Washington has done to cash in on this very important industry.
October 2011 – La Dolce Vita
The precipitous drop in elevation as we wound downward into the city reminded one of Osoyoos. Lewiston is known for its mild climate that allows golfers to enjoy the game year-round. But, as we wandered around downtown, searching for a place to have lunch, it was clear that Lewiston suffers from much the same problem as many small North American cities—the retail economy has migrated to malls, leaving empty storefronts to remind visitors that a thriving downtown is now a thing of the past.
A few hours later the contrast was apparent as we parked in downtown Walla Walla. The sidewalks were busy and I honestly don’t remember seeing an empty space in the city’s core. Downtown Walla Walla has a lively, energized feel to it. I learned in the few days we were there that this hasn’t always been the case. Only 15 or 20 years ago, I was told, Walla Walla’s downtown looked like Lewiston does today. Then the local wine industry began to take off and so did the downtown area.
What really happened? Well, the state of Washington has long been a leader in economic development, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it succeeded in translating what might have been a rural success story into an urban boost, too. In British Columbia, the location winery tasting rooms/retail outlets is largely restricted to the vineyard. In 2011 Walla Walla, visitors wander — on foot — the downtown core, free to drop into one of about 30 tasting rooms.
“Isn’t it expensive to pay downtown rents to operate a tasting room?” I asked one owner. No, I was told, because the tasting room is their only retail outlet. That particularly winery leases space and equipment at another winery, then sells its product through distributors and its city store. The once moribund downtown is alive with people — visitors and locals alike — thanks to officials who understand the value of wine tourism. Of course, the city kicked in once the winery business began to take hold — a revitalization project widened sidewalks and planted trees to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
The economic development story didn’t end there, though. On a Saturday afternoon we drove out to the airport to make a few more winery visits. The airport? Yep. It turns out that older airports often have lots of empty buildings that once housed ancillary businesses that have migrated to larger centres. Today, 20 wineries are located in the airport’s industrial park,
But wait, as the old TV commercials used to say. There’s more! The Port of Walla Walla has actually created an incubator program, constructing five purpose-built winery buildings, each complete with a concrete crush pad out back where grapes are pressed to release their juice. The complex is practical and cute as a button, too.
In one of the those incubators, we spoke with Kontos Cellars winemaker and part owner Cameron Kontos, who started the winery with his brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Kelli. Kontos explained that wineries in the incubator complex can stay a maximum of six years at the location, paying annually escalating rents that start at only about $1100 a month. The young brothers, whose father owns Fort Walla Walla Cellars (located downtown, of course) were able to get into the wine business because they only had to purchase their wine-making equipment ($150,000 estimate), buy grapes and rent the facility. Starting a winery from scratch — purchasing land, growing the grapes, building a facility and equipping it — is a multi-million dollar investment. The incubators help young folks get into the business with a relatively small investment. And, whether they sink or swim, the new businesses have to leave within six years to make room for another startup.
I often complain about the archaic B.C. laws — designed, apparently, to annoy everyone — that regulate wine and liquor in the province. Premier Christy Clark would do well to glance southward and see what Washington has done to cash in on this very important industry.
October 2011 – La Dolce Vita
