Name: Shrimp cooked in bacon fat with cheesy grits
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup yellow grits; 4 cups of water; Salt; Pepper; 3 tbs butter (unsalted); 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese; 6 slices of bacon; ½ lb peeled, deveined shrimp; ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; 3 green onions chopped; 1 clove of garlic minced; ½ lemon juiced

Chenin Blanc from L’Ecole No. 41 – Old Vines and breakfast for dinner

May 18, 2021

“French toast, it’s really good with French toast…with like some fresh berries on it…”
Marcus Rafanelli winemaker L’Ecole No. 41

Well with that kind of recommendation how can you not?!

So we did. While I couldn’t find challah, I did find a big fluffy loaf and cut it thick and made a beautiful French toast with cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey. But we will get to that later.

We have been working with L’Ecole No. 41 this year. Monthly we gather with Constance, Marta, and Marcus on Zoom with some other writers and we talk about the wine for the month.

This wine was received as a media sample. No other compensation was received and all opinions remain our own.

This month’s wine is the 2020 Chenin Blanc Old Vines from the Yakima Valley

Yes, this is a little further off from their Walla Walla Winery than usual and there is a story behind it.

The history of Chenin Blanc in the US and Washington

First, you must know that in Washington in the late 70s and early 80s there was quite a bit of planting going on. People were trying out multiple varieties trying to see what would stick. In the 80s this grape was very popular as a high acid and high yield variety that could be blended, often into jug wines some of which were actually labeled “Chablis” (of all things LOL)! As palates changed many of these vines were ripped out.

Jean Ferguson of L’Ecole No. 41 loved Chenin Blanc, in particular the style from the Loire Valley in France known as Vouvray. In the 70s many thought the climate in Washington would be suited to Chenin, due to their similar latitudes (The Yakima Valley is 46.32° and Vouvray in the Loire Valley is 47.41°) and many vineyards in the Yakima Valley were planted to Chenin Blanc.

So in 1987 they sourced fruit and made their first Chenin Blanc at L’Ecole. This wine has become a standard at L’Ecole, sourced from old vines planted in 1979 in the Yakima Valley.

These old vines come from Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA as well as Willard Farms and Phil Church Vineyard both of which sit high into the foothills of the mountains north of the Valley.

Here is a shot of the old vines from Willard Vineyard.

Willard Vineyard - 1979 Old Vine Chenin - photo Courtesy LEcole No 41

As vines age, their roots dig down into the subsoil and find water. At this age, they don’t stress easily. Older, wiser, they can take loads more than their younger siblings when it comes to weather or drought. You have considerably less vintage variation, these old vines are consistent. They are also putting out fruit with more balance and concentration.

The love affair with Chenin Blanc in this country and Washington has changed. Once a darling, it fell out of favor for Riesling and Chardonnay. I went to look for a list of Washington State White wines to see where Chenin Blanc ended up. Chardonnay is the most planted white wine grape with 7,403 followed by Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. Then you get to “Other Whites” with Pinot Gris (1,779 acres), Gewürztraminer (222 acres), Viognier(115 acres), and Semillon (95 acres). Chenin Blanc comes in under the next sub-category of “More:” so I am assuming there is not much. I found a 2017 report that had it listed at 67 acres.

So these are vineyards that are cooler due to altitude and it allows the grapes to ripen slowly and retain their acid. This is a late-ripening variety and it’s often mid to late October before they harvest the Chenin Blanc.

Jean Ferguson, is surely responsible for saving some of those Chenin Blanc vines from being pulled out. L’Ecole No. 41 currently has 14% of the market share for Chenin Blanc in the State of Washington. Thanks, Jean!

2020 Chenin Blanc Old Vines Yakima Valley

The 2020 Vintage was ripening during the fire season. While there were no fires in the Yakima Valley, they did see smoke. Luckily the Gulf Stream pulled the smoke out over the Pacific before pushing it back over this part of Washington.

What does that mean? Well, smoke taint comes from early smoke. Once it has been in the atmosphere for a while and blown around over the ocean, you still have air that is not the healthiest for humans, but no longer holds those volatile compounds that will mess up the grapes.

The haze from the smoke meant less sunlight which extended the growing season and the hang time. So when it was clear and safe for the vineyard workers to get back out there, the grapes were ripe and happy and ready to be picked.

This wine did partial malolactic fermentation to round out this high acid wine, giving it just a bit of roundness in the mouthfeel.

The wine has notes of nectarine, honeysuckle, citrus zest, yellow apple, elderflower, and chalk. On the palate, it adds some tropical notes like kiwi (which informed one of our toppings for our French Toast).

They made 3,200 cases of this wine, it sits at 13% abv and it sells for an amazing $17 per bottle!

L'Ecole No. 41 2020 Chenin Blanc Yakima Valley

On to the pairings!

So as we mentioned, we took Marcus’ mention of French toast as a challenge! But we wanted to do something savory also. Riffing on the breakfast for dinner theme we ran with shrimp and grits.

French toast with honey thymed ricotta and fresh fruit

So our French toast was topped with ricotta mixed with honey and fresh thyme then raspberries, kiwi, white peach, and nectarine then a wee sprinkle of powdered sugar.

So you might wonder about this sweet dish with this wine. Constance did when Marcus mentioned this in our chat. But we did not over-sweeten the dish and the eggs, bread and fresh fruit were lovely with this wine. (Thanks Marcus!)

L'Ecole No. 41 2020 Chenin Blanc Yakima Valley with french toast topped with honeyed ricotta and fruit

Shrimp cooked in bacon fat with cheesy grits

On to the Shrimp and grits. Our grits were adorned with butter and cheddar. I know, seafood and cheese? Yep, in this case, it really works. We first fried up some bacon, then cooked the shrimp in the bacon fat and finished it with chopped parsley, green onions, garlic, and lemon juice. That bacon gets crumbled and sprinkled on top.

The dish is just gorgeous to look at and it is delicious. With the wine, the shrimp are sweeter. Not a wow moment pairing, but comfortable and delicious.

L'Ecole No. 41 2020 Chenin Blanc Yakima Valley with cheesy shrimp and grits

You can find this Chenin Blanc on their site, or…if you are ready to travel, you can head to Walla Walla (the city so nice, they named it twice) and visit the beautiful L’Ecole No. 41 tasting room in the old schoolhouse just outside of Walla Walla.

41 Lowden School Road, Lowden, WA 99360 | 509.525.0940 | [email protected]

Check before stopping by on their hours and requirements for reservations as these things are changing as we open back up.

L'Ecole No. 41 Schoolhouse (photo courtesy L'Ecole No. 41)

More on the Wines of L’Ecole No. 41 and on wines from the Yakima Valley

Shrimp cooked in bacon fat with cheesy grits

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Breakfast? Dinner? Who cares, it's delicious. The grits get a good dose of butter and cheddar cheese and the shrimp cook in bacon fat to really amp up the flavors. We do add a little green with some green onions and parsley.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow grits
4 cups of water
Salt
Pepper
3 tbs butter (unsalted)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon
½ lb peeled, deveined shrimp
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 green onions chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
½ lemon juiced

Instructions

First things first, start the grits.
Get 4 cups of water boiling in a medium pot.
Add salt and pepper then add the grits.
Give this a good stir so it doesn’t clump.
Cook 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally with a kitchen mitt (this will blurp and burn you if you are not careful!)
While that is cooking
Crisp up the bacon in a skillet
Pull this out to drain on a paper towel
Add the shrimp and cook in the bacon fat until it is pink.
Add the parsley, green onions, and garlic, cook for about a minute.
Pull off the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice and stir.
The grits should be ready, add the butter and cheese and stir it to its happy gooeyness!
Put this in a bowl, top with the shrimp mixture, and sprinkle with the chopped bacon.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 335Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 144mgSodium 952mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 22g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

French toast with honey thymed ricotta and fresh fruit

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

Breakfast, brunch, or even dinner. French toast is simple, delicious, and filling. Top it with a honey thymed ricotta and loads of fresh fruit!

Ingredients

½ cup ricotta
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp honey
½ cup fresh raspberries
1 kiwi sliced
½ nectarine
½ white peach
½ lemon
½ loaf fresh French loaf (use challah if you can find it) about 8 thick slices
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 tsp honey
1 tbs butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbs powdered sugar

Instructions

Mix the ricotta, honey, and thyme leaves stripped from the stem. Set aside.
Slice the kiwi, peach, and nectarine mix with the raspberries, squeeze the lemon on top and cover with a wet paper towel. Set aside.
Mix the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey and whisk until blended.
Start the butter and oil on a griddle pan on medium-high heat.
Dunk the bread and brown on the griddle on both sides.
Pop it in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
Top with the ricotta and then the fruit mixture and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 215Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 204mgSodium 134mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 3gSugar 11gProtein 11g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Sources & Resources

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Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

Mar 12, 2021

The Yakima Valley is one of my favorite wine regions. We visited a few years ago and were enamored by the wine and the people.

This month I’m leading the intrepid writers of the Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) group on a virtual trip to the Yakima Valley AVA. You can read my preview post here.

With the help of Wine Yakima Valley, many of the writers received wine from different wineries that source from this Valley. While you may expect to see Cabernet Sauvignon, I expect you will find our writers wrote about a variety of wines sourced from all over this valley. You will find links to each of their pieces at the end of this post.

We will be gathering on Saturday, March 13^th to discuss this region, its wines, soil, climates, and people. You can join us by heading to Twitter at 8 am Pacific time (11 am ET) and using and following #WinePW.

*The wines in this post were received as media samples. All opinions are our own.

I received two wines, both from wineries outside the Yakima Valley AVA, but who source from the Valley. The Yakima Valley is revered fruit, so this is unsurprising. But these wines each have stories, one deeply tied to the history of this Valley.

They also have another thing in common. These wineries are not solo operations. They are groups of people, friends of like minds, who came together over their love of wine. Together, they did the hard work and founded a winery. Here are their stories.

Pearl and Stone Co. the whole gang! (photo Courtesy Pearl and Stone Co.)

Pearl and Stone Wine Co.

Pearl and Stone Wine Co. is located in North Bend, Washington. If that name sounds familiar, it might be from the famous cult classic TV show that was set in this place some 30 years ago. This is the town that David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” was set in.

The town sits 30 minutes from Seattle in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley. It’s a small town of around 7000 people at last count.

Erika Ribary, Laurie Wesorick, and Wendy Stone were teachers at Fall City Elementary School in North Bend. They would gather with their husbands, Paul, Rob, and Chris (respectively), typically over a bottle of wine.

In 2013 they were celebrating Paul’s Birthday and they decided they should make their own wine. Collectively, they had the knowledge to put together a winery, Chris is the VP of Marketing and Communications for the Washington Wine Commission. Paul owns a commercial construction company and Rob works for Microsoft.

They bought some equipment and sourced fruit from Two Blondes Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Chris Camarda, the Winemaker for Andrew Will Winery, owns Two Blondes Vineyard and pointed them in all the right directions. It’s never a bad start to get your initial advice on starting your winery from one of the 50 most influential winemakers in the world. Chris Camarda worked with them for their first 5 years, while they got their legs under them.

I had a chance to speak with Chris Stone about how they got started:

“…I have been working in the WA wine industry since 1999 and had made a couple of barrels over the years with colleagues/friends, so I knew enough to be dangerous, but was smart enough to recognize what I don’t know. Rob and Paul both work in other industries and brought other skills. Enter Chris Camarda to teach us how to not mess things up!”

The Pearl and Stone Co. Tasting Room in downtown North Bend Washington

What’s in a name?

Well, the name is a composite anagram of their names Pearl is P for Paul, E for Erika, A (for and), R for Rob, and L for Laurie. Stone is Chris and Wendy’s last name. So “Pearl and Stone Wine Co.” It has elegance don’t you think? There is also a symbolism that they have found in these names with Stone representing a “strong foundation, and a grounding sense of place” and Pearl representing “something of value – there is nothing more valuable than friends and family”.

In November of 2019, they opened their tasting room in Downtown North Bend. It sits catty-corner to the famous Twede’s Café, the real-life version of the “Double R Diner” on Twin Peaks, home of Twin Peaks cherry pie and “A damn fine cup o’coffee!”. Of course, the tasting room was just getting ready for its first peak season, when COVID hit. They are open again at a smaller capacity with a few tables for tasting.

Pearl and Stone Wine Co. 2017 Mailbox Peak

47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.

13.3% abv – $36 SRP

This wine is sourced from Two Blondes & Pollard Vineyard

Two Blondes is located in Zillah Washington and is owned by Chris Camarda. This 30 acres site sits at about 1150 feet in clay and loam soils. The vineyard is planted to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec, all own-rooted.

Pollard is owned by Robin Pollard, the former executive director of the Washington State Wine Commission. This vineyard is planted to an experimental dense planting method with 2400 plants per acre (normally you plant about 1700 per acre). The soil here is sandy loam with a subsoil of limestone.

The name for this wine comes from a famous old trail, which has been a rite of passage for Washington hikers. The old trail was straight up the mountain, but a new easier trail has now been put in. At the top, you find not only amazing views, but a Mailbox, decorated and stuffed full of treats and treasure from other hikers.

My notes

Upon opening my nose first picked up notes of a cedar forest. It caused me to close my eyes and picture a forest. Red berries and spice followed with notes of darker fruit, and bramble. Hints of walnuts, dried fig, and eucalyptus rounded out the nose.

* After further research, I found that the forest I was picturing, looks much like the Mailbox Peak trail.

The entrance to the Eight Bells Tasting Room (photo courtesy Eight Bells)

Eight Bells Winery

Eight Bells Winery is located in the Roosevelt neighborhood of North Seattle. This Urban Winery is the collaboration of 3 friends, brought together first by the sea, and then by wine.

Tim Bates, Andy Shepard, and Frank Michiels had each been making wine at home. The three came together in 2009 to move their production out of their garages and into an old building about a mile from the University of Washington. The winery has a tasting room that is open on the weekends (currently only on Sunday). They primarily sell Direct to Consumer, through their wine club, tasting room, and online.

This is a winery that you don’t trip over, it’s off the beaten path, but it is well worth searching out. During the pandemic, they have done “Pick ups in the Alley” to great success.

Most of their fruit is sourced from Red Willow Vineyard with additional fruit from the well-known Boushey vineyard. These are wine-growers who take pride in producing excellent fruit that others can turn into wine. When winemakers get their hands on this fruit they work to make these growers proud.

The bottle we received was the 2014 David’s Block. It is no longer available, and I feel lucky to have received it, but…the 2015 and 2016 vintages are available now and you should check those out. But on to the story behind this wine.

Eight Bells Starting at 12 O'Clock going clockwise: Neal Ratti, Susan Hamilton, Taylor Michiels Nordby, Kip Nordby, Frank Michiels, Terry Michiels, Denise Ratti, Tim Bates, Heidi Shepherd and Andy Shepherd. Photo Courtesy Eight Bells

Red Willow Vineyard, Mike Sauer, and David Lake

In the 1970s after finishing college, Mike Sauer married into the Stephenson family. As the new son-in-law, they handed him a parcel to manage and farm. With the help of Dr. Walter Clore, he began planting wine grapes.

David Lake was the Winemaker for Associated Vineyards. He and Mike began working together and he encouraged Mike to plant many Bordeaux varieties as well as Syrah and others. Being familiar with the way vineyards were planted in Bordeaux, he and Mike planted a block to multiple varieties and clones as they would in Bordeaux. This block was named David’s Block and this is the block where our wine from Eight Bells comes from.

Eight Bells David’s Block

This wine is a field blend from David’s Block. Frank Michiels described David’s Block for me: there are rows of multiple clones of Cabernet Franc, then Merlot, Petite Verdot, Carmenere, and then 12 rows of Cabernet Sauvignon with 10 different clones. The north end of the block is Malbec, which they no longer use in the blend, but it was in the 2014 vintage that I received.

David's Block at the Red Willow Vinyard in Washington's Yakima Valley (photo courtesy Eight Bells Wine)

David’s Block at the Red Willow Vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley (photo courtesy Eight Bells Wine)

I will admit, that on our visit to Red Willow, we did not get to see David’s block. Jonathan wanted to show us as much as possible on our way to the Chapel to catch the sunset and David’s Block is set further away on a separate road. Luckily Frank had a photo to share.

Let’s talk for a minute about the complexity of this. Yes, in the finished wine, but also as a grower and a winemaker trying to choose when to harvest. Until speaking with Frank Michiels, I had not really put together the how complicated a field blend actually is.

The fruit for this wine is picked all at once. So you have different varieties that ripen at different times, as well as multiple clones which add more ripening variation to the mix. Now, you have to go out, taste all that fruit and pick one day, one time for your harvest.

From there, all the fruit is co-fermented. There is no blending of different lots. The vineyard and mother nature are in control. The blend stays the same, they are picking the same rows from the same vines each vintage. What those grapes do within that specific year, is what makes this wine slightly different from year to year.

This may seem counter-intuitive. Wouldn’t it be easier to have the block all the same to give you more control? Why yes, but the thing is, that each year, each of the clones will ripen differently. Some clones are better in warmer weather, some cooler. The idea, as Frank explained is that they balance to give you a more consistent wine, from year to year.

Eight Bells 2014 “David’s Block”

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malvec, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Carmenere and 3% Petite Verdot.

310 Cases produced – 14.5% abv – $38 SRP

My notes

Notes of Red currant, sour cherry, bramble, and berries mix with anise and eucalyptus with secondary notes of tobacco, walnut, vanilla, and spice. It has wonderful acid and is elegant and smooth with fine integrated tannins.

This is the 40^th Anniversary of the first vineyard designate wine in Washington. David Lake did the first in 1981 which was a Red Willow vineyard designate. We celebrate with them by taking it a step further into a block designate from this beautiful and historic vineyard and thank Eight Bells for being the caretaker for the wines of this block.

Eight Bells David's Block 2014 from the Yakima Valley

Oh my goodness…maybe we should talk pairings? This is Wine Pairing Weekend after all!

Charcuterie platter with Duck Rillettes, morello cherry preserves, black walnuts, cornichons, parmesan, manchego, Iberico ham, blackberries, and raspberries

When I spoke with Chris at Pearl and Stone Wine Co. I asked if he had a favorite pairing. He mentioned duck with cherries. We found duck rillettes, duck legs cooked down in their own fat almost like a confit. It makes a delicious spread and with the morello cherry preserves was amazing with both wines.

Roasted beet and shallot salad with black walnuts, mixed baby greens, and beet greens

We enjoyed this elegant salad with the charcuterie platter for lunch. This salad was a beautiful pairing with the wines. The earthy notes in the beets and their meaty texture give depth to the dish allowing it to stand up to a fuller-bodied red wine.

Roasted beet and shallot salad to pair with a Yakima Valley Bordeaux style blend

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak with Bok Choy and Leeks on Couscous

This was our dinner pairing. Okay….originally I was going to do this with grilled fennel, rather than the Bok Choy, but the store was out of fennel. It is fine for the recipe, but not so fine for the wine. The Green notes in the bok choy just didn’t sit well with the wines. The meat was great, the couscous was great, but if you want to pair this dish with a Bordeaux style blend, ditch the bok choy and go with fennel. Or…go without the green completely and top the whole thing with a red wine sauce made from the pan drippings.

The skirt steak was delicious and was great with the wine. It marinates for 30 minutes and then sears quickly to top the dish.

Recipes are listed below.

Seared balsamic skirt steak with bok choy, leeks and a cous cous blend

The #WinePW Crew on the Yakima Valley!

Yes, this post is long…and you know what? I only touched on two of the wineries making wine from the Yakima Valley AVA! I want to thank Wine Yakima Valley for sponsoring this month’s Wine Pairing weekend event.

There are more amazing wines, wineries, and people for you to discover in the Yakima Valley and the writers with #WinePW have worked hard to share a few with you!

Check out the pieces below by my Colleagues. You’ll note that several of them had so much to say about these wines from the Yakima Valley that they had to divide it into two posts!

Don’t forget to join us on Saturday Morning March 13^th as we chat about the Yakima Valley and its wines on Twitter. Just follow and use the hashtag #WinePW to join the conversation.

- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Yakima Valley’s Sin Banderas Rhone Roses Compliment Dishes with Asian Flair” and “Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes Paired with Yakima Valley Wines from Dineen Vineyards”
- Linda at My Full Wine Glass invites us to “Meet Kerry Shiels: A Yakima Valley winemaker with Vision”
- Terri of Our Good Life shares 2 posts “Fortuity…Taking Advantage of Life’s Great Wines!”, and “Two Mountain Rose and Fennel Wild Mushroom Tarts”
- Payal at Keep The Peas shares “Yakima Valley Wines FTW!”
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is cooking up “Smoked Beef Brisket with Canvasback Cabernet”
- Rupal the Syrah Queen gives us “Yakima Valley – Red Willow Vineyards Producing Some of Washington’s Finest Syrahs”
- Jane of Always Ravenous makes our mouths water with “Filet Mignon paired with Washington Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon”
- Martin with ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is giving us “a Taste of Washington State’s Yakima Valley”
- David at Cooking Chat has 2 posts for us also “Lamb Ragu Pasta with Red Wine from Dineen Vineyards” and “Sin Banderas Rosé with Corned Beef & More Yakima Valley Wine Pairings”
- Nicole of Somm’s Table shares “Big, Beautiful Reds from Yakima Valley and Tasty, Meaty Fare”
- Jennifer at Vino Travels tells us about “Italian Grapes of the Yakima Valley with Sleeping Dog Wines”
- Gwendolyn the Wine Predator explores “Washington Syrah: Hedges, L’Ecole, VanArnam with Lamb Stew”
- Susannah at Avvinare gives us “Malbec from VanArnam Vineyard in Yakima Valley”
- Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Tasting the Soul of Wine in the Heart of Yakima Valley”

Roasted beet and shallot salad with black walnuts, mixed baby greens and beet greens

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Plating Time : 5 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This is an elegant salad that is perfect for pairing with a bottle of red wine. The earthy notes in the beets and their meaty texture give the depth to the dish that makes it stand up to a fuller-bodied red wine. The beets and shallots roast easily in aluminum foil with olive oil allowing you to easily update the recipe for as many plates as you need.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of mixed baby greens
1/2 cup of torn beet greens
2 medium red beets
4 tbs olive oil
4 shallots
¼ cup black walnuts
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 tbs Dijon mustard
3 cloves of garlic
1 shallot finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs honey
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 cup of olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Clean and scrub your beets
Place each beet in the center of a square of aluminum foil
Drizzle with olive oil and wrap
Place directly on the middle rack in the oven to roast for 45 minutes
Place a pan on the rack beneath them to catch any spills
Once these are in the oven, clean your shallots and slice off the root end
Toss the shallots in olive oil and wrap them in a foil packet.
Place these in the oven with your beets to roast for 30 minutes
Make the vinaigrette
In a blender combine the garlic, finely chopped shallot, red wine vinegar, honey, and white pepper. Blend. Open the center of the lid and drizzle in the
olive oil slowly while the blender is going. Set this aside (I like to put it in a jar so that I can shake to remix if needed)
When the beets and shallots are done, removed them from the oven and the foil and let them cool.
Turn the oven down to 350
Cut the beets into wedges
Slice the shallots in half and peel off the petals
Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes (give them a shake ½-way through).
Place your greens in a bowl and season with salt and pepper
Add a tbs of the vinaigrette and toss
Plate with the greens topped with the beets, shallots, & walnuts
Drizzle a little more of the vinaigrette on top.

Notes

You can peel your beets when they come out of the oven and have cooled a bit if you prefer your beets peeled.

The vinaigrette makes enough that you will have some left for later (or for another dish, I used mine in my cous cous for dinner!)

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak with Bok Choy and Leeks on Cous Cous

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Marinating & Resting Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

A blend of pearl couscous cooked with saffron and marjoram and quinoa form the bed for this dish. The grains are tossed in a vinaigrette. This is topped with bok choy and leeks braised in a balsamic mixture and finished off with a balsamic marinated skirt steak.

Ingredients

Balsamic Marinade

3 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs dry red wine
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
2 tbs brown sugar
salt & pepper

1 lb beef skirt steak

Seared Bok Choy and Leeks

1 leek chopped
3 bunches of baby bok choy
2 tbs olive oil
4 cloves of garlic chopped
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs balsamic reduction
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbs water

Vinaigrette for cous cous

1/2 tbs Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 shallot finely chopped
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence

Couscous Quinoa blend

1 pinch of saffron
2 sprigs of marjoram
4 oz of Pearl Couscous
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup of cooked Quinoa

Instructions

Make the marinade
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl
Cut the skirt steak in half
Place the steak in a zip lock bag, pour the marinade over it.
Marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator
Make the Vinaigrette
Combine all ingredients except the oil in the blender and pulse until mixed
Drizzle in the oil, blending to emulsify
Store in a jar in the refrigerator for later
Make the couscous
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil
Dry the saffron in a dry skillet over low heat
Remove the boiling water from the heat, add the saffron and marjoram. Cover and steep 10 minutes
Toast the couscous in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes
Remove the saffron and marjoram, and return the water to a boil
Add the couscous, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes
Drain under cool water. Toss with olive oil and quinoa.
Sear the skirt steak
Remove the skirt steak from the marinade (discard the marinade)
Heat a cast-iron skillet on high for 3 minutes
Add olive oil and the skirt steak. Press the steak into the pan with tongs to get complete contact.
Sear 2-4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the meat. (internal temp of 130 degrees F)
Transfer to a cutting board to rest
Make the bok choy & leeks
Remove the outer layer of the leeks and cut into 2-inch sections, discarding the green at the top. Slice the sections in half lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch strips
Slice the bottom off of each baby bok choy so the leaves separate. Cut each in half
Heat a large skillet over med-high heat add the olive oil and garlic, cooking until the garlic is fragrant (30 seconds)
Add the balsamic, reduction, Worcestershire sauce, salt, lemon zest, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
Add the leeks and stir. Cover and cook for 3 minutes
Add the bok choy and stir. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Assembling the Dish
Toss the couscous with the vinaigrette
Make a bed on the center of your plate top with the bok choy and leeks
Slice the skirt steak on a 45-degree angle, against the grain
Place the steak on top.

Notes

*Make sure to discard the marinade for safety, it may now contain microbes from the raw meat.

The remaining sauce from the bok choy may be drizzled on top of the meat.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 609Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 74mgSodium 208mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 3gSugar 13gProtein 27g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Sources, Resources and further reading

More on the Yakima Valley from Crushed Grape Chronicles (this is just the tip of the iceberg!)

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Exploring Wines of the Yakima Valley AVA with #WinePW

Mar 3, 2021

It’s been several years since my first trip to the Yakima Valley. I remember being so surprised at the landscape, it didn’t look so different from home, in the desert of Nevada. Of course in the Yakima Valley, there is a river, bringing water and with it, agriculture.

The State of Washington is agriculture forward. They lead the country in growing cherries, apples, pears, hops, potatoes, onions, and grapes.

There are plenty of grapes grown here for Welches grape juice and jelly. More than that, they grow the kind of grapes, that if you are reading this, you care about. Wine grapes.

#WinePW explores the Yakima Valley

This month the writers at #WinePW (Wine Pairing Weekend) are partnering with Wine Yakima Valley to dive into all those wine grapes. You might be surprised at the range of varieties that are grown in this Valley. We will add links to all the articles by this fine group of writers at the bottom of this piece.

You can join us on Saturday, March 13^th on Twitter to discuss the wines of this amazing region. You can join us, following and using the hashtag #WinePW at 8 am PST or 11 am EST.

The Yakima Valley AVA

The Yakima Valley AVA is a nested AVA inside theater Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. Located in the Southern part of the state it spans over 70 miles from the city of Yakima in the west to the city of Richland to the east. At its widest point, you could fit the Napa Valley AVA from north to south.

Washington State Wine AVA Map Oct 2020 - courtesy Washington State Wine

Nested AVAs of the Yakima Valley

Within the Yakima Valley, you find 4 nested AVAs.

Rattlesnake Hills est. 2006
- In the Northwest part of the valley, this is the largest of the sub AVAs covering 74,380 acres with 1,832 under vine. Elevations here run 850 to over 3000 feet.
Snipes Mountain est. 2009
- Named for a rancher, Ben Snipes who live here in the 1850s, the AVA is 4,005 acres on both sides of the mountain. There are 859 acres under vine with more than 30 varieties.
Red Mountain est. 2001
- Nope, it’s not really a mountain. It is a steep southwest slope in the east end of the valley with elevations between 500 and 1500 feet. It gets its name from the cheatgrass that grows here that is deep red in the spring. It is home to some of the most well-thought-of Cabernets in the State.
Candy Mountain est. 2020
- Yep, this is the newbie! It’s just east of Red Mountain, covers only 815 acres, and has 110 acres under vine. (It’s so new that its not yet on the AVA map! But it would be just east of Red Mountain before you get to the Tri-Cities)

Map Yakima Valley 2019 courtesy of WineYakimaValley.org

Volcanos, Floods, and soils

This region was volcanic. Think about it, Mount Adams, Mount Ranier, Mount Hood…there are stunning peaks everywhere. More than mountains, these were volcanos active 15 million years ago. All that lava is the basalt that lies under the top soils here in the Yakima Valley. This soil includes a wide variety of minerals and it’s well-draining. This gives you small berries, high in acid and full of concentrated flavors and textures.

This is also the land of the Missoula Floods and many vineyards will tell you where they are in relationship to the flood levels. The floods came up to 1200 feet here, so it’s only the higher vineyards that sit in soils above the flood levels, they are happy to show you the difference in the soils. You find deep silt loam over gravel or basalt.

The Missoula floods rolled through this region 13,000-15,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. An ice dam backed up the water in what is now Idaho. The water above it started to melt and the pressure built and the ice plug would get pushed up and release the water. The water would slow, the dam would reform….this happened over and over about 2000 years.

All those floods washed things downstream and you find boulders in vineyards on top of ridges and hills. Kitzke has one the size of a VW bus in their vineyard

The modern history of wine in the Yakima Valley

While the first grapes in the Yakima Valley were planted in 1869, it was the early 20^th century when things picked up. In 1917 an agricultural research site was started in Prosser in the middle of the Yakima Valley.

Today it is known as the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center. It was here that the wine grape growing in the state really kicked off, under the guidance of Dr. Walter Clore.

In 1962 Columbia Winery (at that time known as Associated Vintners) planted a 5.5 acres site in Sunnyside. In 1973 Mike Sauer planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon at Red Willow Vineyard, in 1975 Kiona on Red Mountain was planted. Now things were really rolling.

Associated Vineyards Winemaker David Lake, encouraged growers to plant Bordeaux varieties and in 1981 did the first vineyard-designate bottling from Red Willow Vineyard.

Yakima Valley’s Impact on Washington Wine

More than half of the grapes for Washington’s wines come from the Yakima Valley AVA. The region boasts 17,000 acres of vineyards, whose grapes go to both wineries within the region and further afield. Many of the tasting rooms in Seattle source fruit from the Yakima Valley.

This is a place where a vineyard name means something. 40 years ago David Lake did the first vineyard designate wine in the state. Red Willow, Klipsun, Boushey…these names are legendary here. The soils the weather, the people that grow the grapes…the more you know the more you want to know, and the learning is delicious.

On March 12^th and 13^th, the writers of the #WinePW Crew will post pieces on the wines and wineries of the Yakima Valley. When these posts go live I will include links here! In the meantime feel free to check out their sites, listed below.

Participating writers include:

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Yakima Valley’s Sin Banderas Rhone Roses Compliment Dishes with Asian Flair” and “Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes Paired with Yakima Valley Wines from Dineen Vineyards”
Linda at My Full Wine Glass invites us to “Meet Kerry Shiels: A Yakima Valley winemaker with Vision”
Terri of Our Good Life shares 2 posts “Fortuity…Taking Advantage of Life’s Great Wines!”, and “Two Mountain Rose and Fennel Wild Mushroom Tarts”
Payal at Keep The Peas shares “Yakima Valley Wines FTW!”
Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is cooking up “Smoked Beef Brisket with Canvasback Cabernet”
Rupal the Syrah Queen gives us “Yakima Valley – Red Willow Vineyards Producing Some of Washington’s Finest Syrahs”
Jane of Always Ravenous makes our mouths water with “Filet Mignon paired with Washington Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon”
Martin with ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is giving us “a Taste of Washington State’s Yakima Valley”
David at Cooking Chat has 2 posts for us also “Lamb Ragu Pasta with Red Wine from Dineen Vineyards” and “Sin Banderas Rosé with Corned Beef & More Yakima Valley Wine Pairings”
Nicole of Somm’s Table shares “Big, Beautiful Reds from Yakima Valley and Tasty, Meaty Fare”
Jennifer at Vino Travels tells us about “Italian Grapes of the Yakima Valley with Sleeping Dog Wines”
Gwendolyn the Wine Predator explores “Washington Syrah: Hedges, L’Ecole, VanArnam with Lamb Stew”
Susannah at Avvinare gives us “Malbec from VanArnam Vineyard in Yakima Valley”
Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Tasting the Soul of Wine in the Heart of Yakima Valley”
I’ll be here at Crushed Grape Chronicles with “Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of Friendship and History with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co.

Don’t forget to join us on Saturday, March 13^th on Twitter at 8 am Pacific or 11 am Eastern time (17.00 European Central Time), to discuss wines of the Yakima Valley! Just follow and use the hashtag #WinePW to join the conversation.

If you would like to join us and write a piece, there is still time. Email me at [email protected]!

Sources and Resources

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Finding Connections in the Northern Rhône

Apr 17, 2020

Connections

I’ve only been to France once. We were in Germany and during our week in Hamburg we took the train to Paris for a single day. Up early, we arrived at the Gard du Nord train station and made our way to Le Sacre Coeur to climb the steps. We wandered past the Opera House on our way to the L’Arc de Triomphe. Lunch was at a small table with an appropriately rude waiter under the Tour d’Eiffel.

A boat took us down the Seine to Notre Dame and we walked back to the Louvre to look at the Castle beneath it and then wandered the museum briefly, with a quick late day stop to see the Mona Lisa. Feet hot and sore from all the walking, we kicked off our shoes and cooled our feet in the fountains around the glass Pyramid.

I could not remember dinner. I asked Michael and his memory was clear, it was at a small sidewalk café. The table next to us had a German couple that refused to speak German or French and would only speak English to the waiter. We returned to our tiny hotel room only to quickly sleep and wake early to take the train back to Hamburg. It was only a brief “Golden Day”.

All of my knowledge and connection with France come through connections. That entire day was based on the connections I had put together from 4 years of studying these places in High School French.

Now, my knowledge of France and French wine come through bottles of wine, and wonderful people I have met who connect me with France through their eyes.

Connections are something I look more closely for these days.

The French #Winophiles

This month the French #Winophiles, are discussing the Northern Rhône. I love Rhône style wines. The key word is “style”. There are so many of the rhône varieties have been planted in the new world and that is where I find my connections.

Rather than focusing on food this month, (my pantry did hold the ingredients to make a cassoulet!), I thought I would focus on the other connections that I have to the Northern Rhône.

Grapes of the Northern Rhône

Unlike the Southern Rhône where you find at least 16 different varieties, the Northern Rhône has just a few varieties to choose from. While there are several white grape varieties you might come across here, including Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, the Northern Rhône is focused solely on one red grape, Syrah.

JL Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage “Silène” 2016

Northern Rhone, Silène 2016 Crozes-Hermitage from J.L. Chave Sélection — Silène 2016 Crozes-Hermitage from J.L. Chave Sélection

This wine is from the Crozes-Hermitage AOC of the Northern Rhône. These vineyards sit around Hermitage AOC on the East bank of the Rhône River. The revered Hermitage AOC, is commune size and is surrounded on 3 sides by Crozes-Hermitage, with it’s last side against the river. Crozes-Hermitage is much larger with plots less sought after than Hermitage. None-the-less, this is a fine wine and a little less exorbitantly priced than the other smaller AOCs. Half of the grapes for this wine are from an estate parcel planted in 2003 that is on the east facing flank of the Hermitage Hill. This allows the vines a more granitic soil than the vines on the valley floor.

Bob Lindquist & Chave

My story, as I said, is about connections and I chose the JL Chave syrah for a connection with Santa Barbara. In 2016 we attended a Syrah Seminar hosted by the Santa Barbara Vintner’s Association. On the panel was Chris Hammell, the Vineyard Manager for Bien Nacido Vineyards, in the Santa Maria Valley. Chris told a story about meeting Jean-Louis Chave . Chris was pretty excited about being in the cellar with one of the most famous people in the Syrah world. The first thing that Jean-Louis says to him? “Hi Chris, thanks for coming. How’s Bob Lindquist?”.

Bob Lindquist at the Zaca Mesa Seminar April 25, 2015

I had the honor of meeting Bob Lindquist, while in Santa Barbara the year before, during a seminar on the winemakers of Zaca Mesa. Bob was an early Rhône Ranger advocating for syrah in the US. He made his Qupé wines at the winery on Bien Nacido Vineyard with Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat for many years. After selling Qupé, he remains at the same winery, making his Lindquist Family Wines. He is quiet and humble, makes delicious wine and is a legend in California Syrah.

The Chapel connection

Chapel of St. Christopher, L´Hermitage, Rhône-Alpes, France

My other connection is via Hermitage. No, I have never been there. I have only seen photos of the iconic stone chapel that sits on the Hill behind the town of Tain l’Hermitage. This is the famous Chapel of St. Christopher.

When we visited the Yakima Valley in 2018, we heard about a vineyard with a stone chapel created to be similar to this famous Chapel. This past fall we were able to return and to take in the sunset with the owners of the Red Willow Vineyard where it stands. We sat eating Rainier cherries and drinking wine with owner Mike Sauer and his son Jon. Again, humble people who grow amazing and sought after fruit. The story of the chapel, you can hear straight from Mike below. They planted this difficult area with Syrah and Viognier. The chapel is very reminiscent of the Chapel of St. Christopher.

The Chapel on the Chapel Block at Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley Washington — The Chapel on the Chapel Block at Red Willow Vineyard

Connections with Art

I looked around to find a place to photo this bottle and it practically pulled me to a painting downstairs that was done by my brilliantly talented friend RuBen. The painting has always felt like a glimpse of the universe to me, which felt appropriate. RuBen painted this piece inspired by a wine. That wine? Syrah.

2016 JL Chave Selection Silène with the painting "Syrah" by Act2Art by RuBen — 2016 Silène with the painting “Syrah” by RuBen

A final thought

These places are states or continents apart. Some share climates or soils that are similar, and all have kindred spirits working the land. They are different and unique, as are the wines that come from the grapes they grow and turn to wine. But, in their own small region, a dot on the map of this large globe, they are connected. It’s a reminder that we are all connected.

Join the French #Winophiles on twitter this Saturday April 18^th at 8 am PST to speak about all things Northern Rhône. And then take a look below at the other amazing pieces shared by my fellow #Winophiles.

Cindy from Grape Experience shares “Strength and Power Meet Balance and Elegance in Syrah from the Northern Rhone”
Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm presents “To Syrah with Love”
Lauren from Swirling Dervish explores “Old World Syrah from the Northern Rhone: 2016 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage”
Jeff from Food Wine Click presents “A View of Northern Rhone’s Saint Joseph through Three Wines”
Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares “Crozes-Hermitage: A gateway to Northern Rhône wine (#Winophiles)”
Jill from L’Ocassion tells us “How France’s Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône Valleys Differ”
Gwendolyn from Wine Predator writes about “In These Times, Drink from Deep in The Cellar: Two from Northern Rhone’s St Joseph’s #Winophiles“
Susannah from Avvinare writes about “Virtually visiting Crozes-Hermitage through Chapoutier’s Wine”
Camilla from Culinary Adventures With Camilla shares “Chicken Chasseur + Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 2016”
Nicole at Somm’s Table presents “A Simple Spring Lamb Feast with Maison Nicolas Perrin Crozes-Hermitage”
Jane from Always Ravenous shares “A Taste of Hermitage Marsanne”
Martin from Enoflyz shares writes about “Looking For Value in Northern Rhône? Look For Crozes-Hermitage!”
Lynn from Savor The Harvest presents “Exploring Treasures of the Northern Rhone #Winophiles”
Terri from Our Good Life shares “Hey Syrah, Syrah, whatever will be, will be: Mushroom Rice #Winophiles”
Rupal of Syrah Queen shares “Exploring Côte-Rôtie – Syrahs With A Twist”

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Hedges Family Estate – Red Mountain Washington – the history

Jan 22, 2020

Hedges Family Estate

I had heard of Red Mountain. It is on the East end of the Yakima Valley AVA in Washington and was all the buzz. I had even heard it called “Washington’s Napa”. I was skeptical, not of the wines, but of the buzz. So on our first trip to Washington for a wine conference in Walla Walla, we focused our extra time elsewhere.

Returning a little less than a year later, we had a little more time to spend and time to research. As we have been focusing on biodynamic vineyards, we looked for one in the Red Mountain AVA, and came across the Hedges Family Estate.

Hedges Family Estate

The history, the beginnings

As I started exploring their site and learning about the Estate and the family I was anxious to see the property and speak with Sarah Hedges Goedhart, the daughter of the owners and their winemaker.

The property is beautiful. Upon arriving you feel as if you have been swept away to a French Château. This is no accident. Sarah’s mother Anne-Marie, is originally from Champagne….but wait….let me tell this story in order.

Tom Hedges & Anne-Marie Liégeois

Sarah’s farther Tom is from the Tri-Cities area. His family arrived in Washington back in 1888, settling first in the Waterville area and farming wheat, then moving to Wenatchee to grow apples. Her grandfather got a job in Hanford, so the family moved to this area.

Sarah’s mother, as I said before is from Champagne. It was at a party in Mexico, that her parent’s met. Her mother, there studying language, her father, studying tequila production, while getting his masters in International Business. 3 months after the party they were engaged, a year later married. It’s a romance that is coming up on 45 years.

The beginnings of the Hedges Brand

They traveled the world with her father, Tom, working in International Produce sales, spending time in South America, North East Canada and finally ending up in Seattle, with Tom looking for a new direction. West Coast wines were becoming a thing, so they started brokering wines, starting with bulk wines internationally, then getting more specific when they started getting requests for Washington wines.

The first Hedges wine was sold to the government of Sweden. 5000 cases blended from the bulk wine they sourced from Washington. It was popular and inexpensive compared to European wines. The 2nd year they doubled their volume and decided to try selling this wine in the states. This is when the Hedges Brand was born. They moved from buying bulk wine to buying grapes.

The decision to build on Red Mountain

Then came a trip to Vin Expo in Bordeaux where they were continually asked where their vineyard was. Her father was confused, but her mother explained. In France you are nothing without land. So then the decision to be made was, build a winery or buy land? Her father went to a High School reunion in 1989 and heard that Red Mountain was going to be big, with the best fruit in the state. So decision made, they bought 40 acres at somewhere around $1,200 an acre, and they got the last private water rights ever granted in the area.

The Château

Hedges Family Estate the garden with the fountain Red Mountain Yakima Valley Washington

Chateau is on Red Mountain in Washington. Hedges Family Estate.

View from the Hedges Family Estate on Red Mountain

In 1995 they broke ground on the Château. This is a place that with it’s attention to detail, transports you to France. Vines line the circular driveway leading up to the Château. You enter through the cobbled walkway shaded by Umbrella Calabra trees, with stone benches and lanterns that you can invision lit at evening. When you reach the entrance you arrive in a courtyard with seating under the trees and a large fountain. The large winery doors beckon, but so does the view of Red Mountain the other direction.

We will continue with our interview with Sarah, discussing the biodynamic practices they have chosen to employ on the estate.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Renken CSW (photo credit RuBen Permel)

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

12 Days of Wine Day 12 – Syncline

Dec 24, 2019

Syncline

Let’s start with the name. Syncline…where does that come from? It was a new word to me. This winery & vineyard in located in the Columbia Gorge AVA. Vineyards are typically in scenic areas. Grapes like a view. But the Columbia Gorge? Come on…this is a pretty stellar backdrop.

So…back to the meaning of the word Syncline, from their website

syn-cline (‘sin-klin)
a trough of stratified rock in which
the beds dip toward each other from either side
http://synclinewine.com/our-history/

The Syncline winery is located on the Washington side of the Gorge on their Steep Ranch Vineyard. West of the property 300-foot cliffs rise up from the Columbia River…this is the Syncline, locally called the Coyote Wall Syncline.

The Columbia Gorge AVA

Views of the Gorge make this Washington Wine delicious — View of the Columbia River and the Gorge from Syncline’s Vineyard

The Columbia Gorge AVA was established in 2004 and is overwhelmingly known for white wines. This is the sweet spot where the rainy western part of the Gorge and the more arid Eastern Gorge meet. Syncline is on the South Eastern edge of the AVA.

Myself & James Mantone walking the rows at Syncline — James Mantone leading me through the Steep Ranch Vineyard

We spent a wonderful morning, talking with Winemaker, Vineyard Manager and Co-Founder of Syncline, James Mantone. Sitting in their beautiful gardens, we spoke about biodynamics which they are putting into practice here on this vineyard as well among other things before we walked the vineyard to take in the spectacular views at the top of the Syrah block.

But alas…in addition to the wines he makes from grapes grown on the estate vineyard, he also sources some fine grapes from elsewhere to make some beautiful wines. Such is the case with this Picpoul.

Picpoul

Picpoul is a favorite of mine. I have enjoyed Picpoul de Pinet which comes from the South of France right on the Mediterranean coast, as well as some lovely California Picpouls. You can read about those in Picpoul from Pinet and California and a seaside pairing. The name “Picpoul” means lip stinger in French. It is a zippy high acid wine.

Syncline 2018 Picpoul Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley

We tasted this wine in the tasting room with James when we visited. Since I tend to think of Picpoul and ocean, this was intriguing to me. The grapes for this wine are sourced from Boushey Vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley. Boushey Vineyard sits at a high elevation (700-1200 feet) on southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Mountains. Dick Boushey is considered one of Washington States top wine grape growers.

Soil and the long ripening time at this vineyard allow for lots of complex flavors to develop.

The fruit was hand harvested and transported to the winery on October 2nd. It was whole cluster pressed and settled overnight. The juice was then racked to one of our stainless steel tanks. Fermentation completed with no malolactic fermentation. It was aged in stainless steel and bottledin March 2019. 300 cases produced • 12.4% Alc. By Vol.
http://synclinewine.com

The Tasting

Syncline 2018 Picpoul flavor profile

James tasting notes mention “Bright lemon verbena and key lime blossom” as well as “citrus zest and wet stones”. When we opened this wine, the first thing I smelled was chalk and dust followed my notes of tart citrus fruit. It opened further with some floral notes and then lemon zest and yes wet stones. This wine was completely enjoyable on it’s own.

The Pairings

Herbed goat cheese with the Syncline 2018 Picpoul from Boushey Vineyard

We paired this wine with herbed goat cheese and olive oil on bread to start. The pairing sweetened the cheese and brightened the wine and was kind of magical.

Then we went to a classic Picpoul pairing of shellfish. We had mussels in garlic and butter dusted with lemon zest. Which is indeed a perfect pairing with this wine. Often you think of oysters with Picpoul and somehow those didn’t hit me as the right pairing. Perhaps it was me thinking of the photos I had recently seen of the hoarfrost on the vines in the Yakima Valley. None-the-less this wine wanted a warmer version of shellfish and these mussels did the trick, warm with savory flavors and a bit of brightness, they snuggled with the wine and brightened a chilly evening.

Visit them….

I totally told you all about the vineyard at Syncline, but I skipped right over the stunning gardens and grounds at their winery and tasting room. Here…take a look.

Syncline winery entrance
The outdoor tasting bar at the Syncline Winery
Beautiful Foudre that was being refinished for wine at Syncline
The garden at the Syncline tasting room in Washington’s Columbia Gorge AVA
Perfect spot for a summer tasting
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA

Head up there in the summer, on a weekend. Drive the Gorgeous Gorge and then stop for a tasting and to enjoy the garden.

That’s a wrap!

All the unwrapping is complete on our 12 Days of Wine Celebration. Hopefully you enjoyed the journey and perhaps have a few wines to search for, or a vacation to plan to take in some of these places.

We wish you all a very happy holiday and a wonderful New Year. Here’s to a spectacular 2020!

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Wine Yakima Valley

Oct 3, 2019

We met Barbara initially when we visited the Yakima Valley while attending the Wine Media Conference held here in October of 2018. She had planned a spectacular pre-conference tour highlighting the wine, cider and beers of the area. When we wanted to return to the Valley to visit and speak with winemakers she was a great resource. She graciously assisted us with finding the perfect spots for sunrise and sunset as well as suggesting winemakers to speak with.

We met Barbara at Stems Wine shop in downtown Yakima. Stems is a GREAT place to find wines from all over the region!

Wine Yakima Valley

We were lucky enough to enjoy a bit of the summer in Washington’s Yakima Valley. Barbara Glover of Wine Yakima Valley took time out of her day to meet us to talk about the Valley. While we were there she also filled us in on their upcoming event Catch the Crush happening October 12-13th 2019.

Catch the Crush

Catch the Crush is an annual event in the Yakima Valley. Barbara took a bit of time to fill us in on the details. Each of the wineries has their own style of event that you can enjoy with a Premier Pass. And the Premier pass will only set you back $35. If you are able to get to the area and take part, this promises to be a fantastic event!

More on the Yakima Valley Wine Region

I mentioned we spent a bit of time in the Valley…. here are some links to some of the great places we visited.

The Scenic Route Part 7 – Du Brul to Hiyu

Sep 24, 2019

Our time in Washington was nearing it’s end on our grand tour the Scenic route. Morning had us traveling from Walla Walla west to the Yakima Valley once again to visit with Kerry Shiels of Côte Bonneville. We met her for an interview at their tasting room in Sunnyside.

Côte Bonneville, the scenic route

Driving through the small town of Sunnyside you come upon a quaint restored building that was previously a train station. When Hugh and Kathy Shiels moved to the area, Hugh set up practice as an orthopedic surgeon. The renovated Train Station was his office for many years. It has now become their beautiful tasting room.

Cote Bonneville, Tasting Room Sunnyside Washington, the scenic route 2019 — Cote Bonneville, Tasting Room Sunnyside Washington

Kerry is a wealth of information on the area and the science behind the vineyard and wine making. Kerry has an engineering degree, which she put to use with Fiat in Italy, before returning to get a degree in Viticulture and Enology and then taking over as winemaker. She is smart and intense, a woman who made her way in the male dominated engineering field.

DuBrul Vineyard

We headed to their DuBrul vineyard before things warmed up too much. The drive up to the top was a little sketchy for our Kia hybrid, but we made it. The mountains were both out (Mt Adams and Mt. Ranier) as we reached the top of the vineyard to walk through the vines.

Own rooted vines

We talked about the aspect of this vineyard, which allows them to grow so many varieties well and discussed the difference with own rooted vines.

Cote Bonneville, Dubrul Vineyard Grapevines

“It’s like reading Tolstoy in Russian”.
Kerry Shiels of Côte Bonneville and DuBrul Vineyard

Dubrul Vineyard with Kerry Shiels — DuBrul Vineyard with Kerry Shiels

This is certain to be a topic we hear more about and lamented over as phyloxera has been found in Washington and precautions will need to be taken. I will tell you that I find the difference in the character of the wines from own rooted stock undeniable and wonderful.

You can look forward to hearing much of our conversation in future posts. It was really a fascinating morning.

Co Dinn Cellars

We made a stop to visit Co at his tasting room at Co Dinn Cellars. Co also has a renovated historic building in Sunnyside. His winery and tasting room are in the old Water Works. It’s a gorgeous space.

Co Dinn Cellars Tasting Room Sunnyside WA

Co dinn Cellars Tasting Room in Sunnyside Washington

Co Dinn Cellars Tasting Room in the restored historic waterworks

Co dinn Cellars Tasting Room

Co Dinn in the Winery at Co Dinn Cellars

Co dinn Cellars Tasting Room

He showed us around and took us through a tasting. We also had an amazing conversation on closures…more on that later.

We headed back to the Gorge and through Hood River then off to Hiyu on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge AVA.

Hiyu Wine Farm

Go to the website…the water colors will enchant you. I was sucked in immediately and knew that I needed to visit this place.

Hiyu is 30 acres of wine farm. There is a sense of wildness here. Nate Ready, a Master Sommelier and China Tresemer fell in love with the beauty of this region. This place is undeniably stunning, with it’s glorious views of Mt. Hood.

The idea didn’t begin with wine. They really wanted to cultivate a lifestyle. From 7 acres in 2010 it expanded to take in another 20 acres in 2015.

We arrived a bit early, and walked in to see if it was okay if we explored the property. There was a bit of chaos happening, the goats had just escaped and there was some scurrying to round them up.

Community within the staff

The farm has a staff that includes a handful of interns. Duties rotate weekly, so everyone gets to do each of the jobs. This insures that no one takes for granted the job someone else is doing. It has a little 60’s 70’s nostalgia feel to me. A little feel of a hippy commune, and I’m down for that.

Hiyu Farm

Hiyu Vineyard

Phoebe a goat a Hiyu Wine Farm

Hiyu Goats

Hiyu Ducks

Hiyu Farm

Gardens

The garden in front of the tasting room is an edible food forest. You will find Goji berries and rock herbs here seasonally. We headed up the hill to the garden. Wild and overgrown, the things that were complete for the season were taking their natural course, going to seed to prepare for the next season. There are flowers and herbs, annuals and perennials, artichokes, favas and cardoons.

Vineyard

From here we walked the vineyard and then up to the hill where the view of Mt. Hood is simply breath taking. Winter to spring the cows, pigs and chickens wander through the vines, grazing and fertilizing. There is an acre of pear trees left. They have a green house and make compost on site.

Falcon boxes protect the vineyard. And they have grafted field blends. They don’t hedge the vines here, allowing them to be a little more wild, and do just 1 pass with a scythe. Cinnamon is used to prevent powdery mildew.

Livestock & Animals

There are cows and guinea fowl. A 100 year old irrigation ditch feeds the pasture and gardens. We wound down by the pond and visited with the ducks and came around to the goats. Phoebe the matriarch stood on the fender of the horse trailer. They were fiesty, but contained once more.

There are hawthorn trees and over by the house there are currants. I was reminded of days as a child on mountain farms in West Virginia. Life is allowed to thrive and be wild and perhaps a bit messy.

Mt. Hood

The day ended with spectacular views of Mt. Hood. We leave you hear with a bit of spectacular nature.

The Scenic Route Flash Tour 2019 Part 5 – One day 3 Washington AVAs

Sep 4, 2019

Roskamp Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA

Vines on the top of Snipes Mountain at Roskamp Vineyard in Washington's Yakima Valley — Vines on the top of Snipes Mountain at Roskamp Vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley

After a good nights sleep, we were up early, but not too early, (not pre-dawn like the day before!) to meet Co Dinn up at Roskamp Vineyard on Snipes Mountain.

As you are driving through the Yakima Valley, Snipes Mountain is hard to miss. It bubbles up in the middle of the Valley on the south side of the highway. Snipes Mountain, named for Ben Snipes who had a cattle ranch here in the 1850’s, is it’s own AVA.

Meeting Co Dinn on Snipes Mountain

The View from Roskamp Vineyard on Snipes Mountain Yakima Valley Washington — Roskamp Vineyard View on Snipes Mountain Yakima Valley Washington

We were scheduled to meet Co Dinn of Co Dinn Cellars here early in the day. There was plenty of time, as we headed out early and followed the GPS. But the %/&*#$* &% GPS led us astray, trying to take us in the back way, where there are locked gates and dirt roads. We called Co and got back on track and eventually met him off the mountain, which gave him an opportunity to stop and show us some of the soil strata on our way up.

Syrah with a view. Co Dinn's block at Roskamp Vineyard on Snipes Mountain in Washington's Yakima Valley — Syrah with a view!

At the top of the mountain we visited a beautiful block of Co’s Syrah, while he filled us in on the soil and we took in the expansive views. He got pretty detailed on the soils and geology, so we will save that for our in depth interview with him later.

Chardonnay vines on Roskamp vineyard Snipes Mountain AVA Yakima Valley Washington — Chardonnay vines on Roskamp vineyard

We also visited his Chardonnay block that looks north toward Sunnyside and across to DuBrul Vineyard. We look forward to doing a comparitive tasting of these two Chardonnays later this year.

After a great morning we looked at the clock and realized it was time to get moving. Luckily would be back this way so we scheduled to join him at his tasting room in a couple days. Now it was back on the road, we had to continue our journey east to Red Mountain.

Hedges Family Estate in the Red Mountain AVA

Vines at Hedges Family Estate in Yakima Valley's Red Mountain AVA — Vines at Hedges Family Estate in Yakima Valley’s Red Mountain AVA

We drove east and passed Red Mountain to the North of the highway. The entrance to the area is on the east side of the mountain. As we were running just a bit early, we headed toward Richland to find some coffee. We found a great quaint coffee shop, with a friendly staff, good coffee and bags of cherries for sale on the counter. After a cup of joe we were back on the road to Red Mountain and to Hedges Family Estate.

The Red Mountain AVA has been getting quite a bit of press lately. The AVA is not actually the whole mountain, but the South facing slope. This is (currently) the smallest AVA in the state at 4040 acres. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah here are bold and powerful and are thought to be some of the finest examples of these varieties in the state.

Sarah Hedges Goedhart – Hedges Family Estate Winemaker

When we were deciding on a winery to visit in this region, we were drawn to the fact that Hedges Family Estate is biodynamic on their vineyard. (You know biodynamics is my jam!). We reached out and Sarah Hedges Goedhart, the winemaker for Hedges Family Estate was able to meet with us.

Hedges Family Estate in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington's Yakima Valley — Hedges Family Estate in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington’s Yakima Valley

The property is stunning. You drive up the the beautifully landscaped French Chateau and enter another world. Sarah’s mother is French and had a great influence on the design. I could have happily spent the day reclining in the garden.

Sarah was in a meeting when we arrived, but soon joined us on the patio under the trees, next to the fountain, overlooking the vineyard. It was a pretty enchanting spot. She shared with us her story and her family’s. We dove into their going biodynamic, moving to native ferment, the old world philosophies in the vineyard and winery as well as about slowing down. Sarah has been known to play meditation and yoga music in the winery to assist fermentation. The staff looked at her skeptically at first, but they couldn’t deny the results.

Into the Tasting Room

Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain Washington

2017 Biodynamic Syrah Barrel Sample at Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain Yakima Valley Washington

After our interview we moved into the tasting room for a tasting with Sophia. This winery has multiple labels and the selection we tasted through was vast and included some barrel samples that Sarah brought in for us. We look forward to sharing all those details with you later.

We headed out to grab some vineyard shots and then jumped back in the car to make our way east to Walla Walla.

Walla Walla “The city so nice they named it twice”

We spent time in Walla Walla last year for WBC18, so we knew a little of the lay of the land coming in. We stopped for a really delicious lunch at the Walla Walla Bread Company. I will throw out a high recommendation here, for if you ever find yourself in this town.

Walla Walla AVA

While we spent time in Walla Walla on our last trip, we really have yet to “dig into” this AVA. The area has the highest concentration of wineries in the state. Rainfall in the valley varies, but some vineyards on the east side have the ability to dry farm, which is rare in Washington. The eastern side also gets into the foothills of the beautiful Blue Mountains.

The region is known for reds with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the plantings.

Valley Grove Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA

Rolling fields of wheat surround Armstrong's the Valley Grove Vineyard in Walla Walla Washington

Armstrong's Valley Grove Vineyard Barn Walla Walla Washington

We had time to check into the hotel, before heading north of the city to visit Tim & Jennifer Armstrong of Armstrong Family Winery at their Valley Grove Vineyard. The drive took us through vast wheat fields, rolling as far as the eye could see. The hills rolled and sometimes you were engulfed in nothing but wheat. Eventually we came to a green patch near a creek and turned into the vineyard. The old red barn is an iconic landmark.

Tim and Jennifer met with us at a picnic table on the back patio overlooking the vineyard. We talked about their journey into wine, their Seattle winery and then walked the vineyards talking about their plans for this place.

Off to the Walla Walla Tasting Room

Armstrong tasting room door in Walla Walla Washington

All too soon it was time for us to leave. They were packing up to fly out on a well needed vacation to the East Coast in the morning. We determined we had not had enough and headed downtown to their tasting room. It was jazz night, so they were open late with live music. Carl runs the tasting room and it also happened to be his birthday. We arrived early and grabbed a table in the back and watched as every table filled up. Carl did an amazing job of keeping up with the busy room.

Time to rest for the next great day

We were a little tired, so we looked for a pizza spot nearby and grabbed a pizza to go. I’ll send a shout out to Sweet Basil Pizzaria for great service and a great pie!

Off to bed to rest up. Our morning stop would be the beautiful Valdemar, followed by some time in Walla Walla and dinner at the Gas station.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

The Scenic Route – Flash Tour 2019 Part 4 – Naches Heights and Yakima Valley

Aug 28, 2019

Day 5

What were we thinking!? A sunset shoot, followed by a sunrise shoot in Washington! Days here are longer. In July they are about 15 hrs. Sunset was 8:57 pm and sunrise is about 5:15 am. At least today we did not have a ton of driving to do.

We were up really early to get out to Wilridge Vineyard in the Naches Heights AVA before the sun. Paul Beverage, the owner, couldn’t join us that early, but was happy to give us permission to shoot on this beautiful property. We quietly pulled in. They allow camping on the property and there was an RV out front with people tucked away sleeping, as we were arriving before sunrise to set up.

Naches Heights AVA

The Naches Heights AVA was approved in 2012 and was the first Washington AVA to be completely sustainable. All 7 initial vineyards were biodynamic or LIVE certified. This AVA is in Yakima County, but sits outside (north and west) of the Yakima Valley AVA.

We’ve talked about the Missoula Floods that washed through this area. I remember speaking with David O’Reilly of Owen Roe at their Union Gap Vineyard. We stood toward the top of his vineyard at 1,200 feet and were at the top of the Missoula Flood level. Naches Heights sits between 1,200 and 2,100 feet, so the entire plateau is above the Missoula Floods.

The plateau was formed as a lava flow from the Cascades cooled. The soil here is known as Tieton Loam Loess. The high elevation means less chance of winter damage in the vineyard.

Wilridge Vineyard

Paul Beverage started his winery in Seattle back in 1988. In 2007 he planted Wilridge Vineyard near Yakima. The vineyard was planted to be Certified Organic and Biodynamic.

They consider themselves a “Recreational Vineyard”. There are bike trails and hikes, and they have a map to guide you around the vineyard and to the cliff trail hikes in Cowiche Canyon. You can even rock climb on the Andesite rock cliffs where the vineyard has bolted anchors.

Signs from the hiking trails guide you to the tasting room at Wilridge Vineyard — Signs from the hiking trails guide you to the tasting room

You can also just kick back on the porch of the 100 year old farmhouse that is their tasting room and enjoy the views and the wild (or not so wild) life. The cats are friendly. Rachel, a young black cat, came running up to me meowing and spent part of the morning purring and curling up in my lap!

The 100 year old Farmhouse at Wilridge Vineyards

The Porch at Wilridge Vineyard on the 100 year old Farmhouse

Rachel, the vineyard cat. She ran up to me from across the porch meowing and demanded to sit in my lap and be petted! How could I not ablige.

Sunrise with vines a Wilridge Vineyard in Washington’s Naches Heights AVA
Wilridge Sunrise & lavender Washington Naches Heights AVA
The Wilridge logo painted on the door at the farmhouse
Tree swing and tables for enjoying a glass or a bottle at Wilridge Vineyard
Flowers and farmhouse at Wilridge Vineyard
Grapes in the morning sun at Wilridge Vineyard in the Naches Heights AVA of Washington State
The 100 year old Farmhouse at Wilridge Vineyard

The farmhouse has 3 AirBnb rooms, they take reservations for RV parking and you can camp in the vineyard! Staying here, gives you the luxury of waking up and taking in the gorgeous sunrise in your PJ’s with a cup of Joe in hand.

Back to the Yamika Valley AVA

JB Neufeld

Justin of JB Neufeld made some time in his morning to talk with us about his Cabernets. In addition to his own label, he is the winemaker for Gilbert Cellars and we met him on their beautiful property on Hackett Ranch.

The bees buzzed happily in the lavender behind us as we chatted with a view of the beautiful gardens and amphitheatre here on the property.

Justin is focused on Cabernet Sauvignon. He looks to how this grape expresses itself in different soils and climates within Washington. We had a fascinating discussion with him on how he pulls the best out of each of his vineyard designates from Red Mountain to Red Willow, across the entire Yakima Valley, to create a beautiful complex blend of Cabernet. We also talked about microflora in the soil and about the wines he makes with Gilbert. You can expect us to share more of this interview later!

Wine Yakima Valley

When we visited Washington before for #WBC18, we met Barbara Glover who had put together the pre-conference tour for Wine Yakima Valley. Barbara was instrumental in helping us connect with vineyard owners and winemakers for this trip to the Yakima Valley. We were excited to meet with her and talk about all the exciting developments in the Yakima Valley Wine Region.

She arranged for us to meet her at Stems, a wine shop in downtown Yakima. We met Brad the owner and were able to talk Yakima Wine. In addition to the great interview with Barbara, it was fun to just chat with them about the region, it’s people and culture.

Stems Yakima

Brad mentioned that when he opened Stems, he planned to be just focus on Washington Wines. Local demand to learn more about other regions has him holding events including wines from outside the region. The thirst for knowledge (and wine) is alive and well in Yakima! This is a great place to pick up a bottle or twelve of wine and anything wine related that you can imagine.

Stems Wine Shop in Downtown Yakima, Washington with Barbara Glover of Wine Yakima Valley.

Los Hernandez

When we asked where to grab lunch, everyone said the same thing…Los Hernandez. We did a piece on our delicious lunch here.

Treveri

The lawn at Trevari — The lawn at Treveri

We were running early for our tasting at Owen Roe, so we thought we would stop by Treveri. I mean who can pass up bubbles after filling up on tamales!

As we were filled with tamales, we passed on the cheese and charcuteries offerings, but…if you are in the area, this is a great stop for bubbles and a snack. Tastings are seated and are free. We found a spot outside. The clouds had rolled in and it actually got a little humid (which is not typical for this area!). It was just mere moments before an attentive host came to talk us through the menu. It felt a bit luxurious to sit and enjoy the view and have someone continually bring you new bubbles to try.

The entrance to the Trevari tasting room

These are good affordable bubbles. Your tasting will take you through bubbles that go from Brut Zero to Demi Sec with their sweetness levels and in addition to the traditional Blanc de Blancs of Chardonnay, they have a rosé of Syrah and Chardonnay and the Demi-Sec sparkler we tasted was of Gewurztraminer.

Owen Roe

When we were here last October we attended a dinner at Owen Roe’s Union Gap vineyard. I had an opportunity to walk the winery with owner David O’Reilly as well as do a vineyard tour with him. As we walked the vineyard we tasted the Owen Roe wines on, in the blocks the grapes were harvested from.

David O'Reilly at Owen Roe's Union Gap Vineyard — Owen Roe Winery, in Yakima Valley Washignton

But Owen Roe has many more wines than just the Union Gap vineyard designates. They pull from Red Willow for their Chapel Series, as well as from DuBrul, Olsen, Outlook and Elerding here in the Yakima Valley for many of their other wines (and they do have a really wide selection of wines!) They also source from the Willamette Valley from vineyards across 4 different AVAs. When we knew we were going to be back in the area, we knew that we wanted to sit down and taste through their wines.

Barrels, Owen Roe, Yakima Valley, Tasting Room, Barrel Room, Union Gap — Owen Roe’s Union Gap Tasting room is in the winery. Now filled with barrels some of which make for private tasting areas.

Tasting with Brandon at Owen Roe

The space looked so much different than our last visit! Our October visit was during harvest and the winery was filled with fermentation bins! Now there were stacks of barrels, some of which created a private tasting area and this was where Brandon set us up for our tasting.

Brandon set us up with a wide and large tasting through many of their wines and we promise we will walk you through that tasting in the not so distant future.

It was still early when we finished at Owen Roe, but we were bushed! We picked up some dinner and crashed early. The next day would be early again. Co Dinn was meeting us at Roskamp Vineyard in the Snipe Mountain AVA, early in the day. Next we would drive on to Red Mountain to visit with Sarah Goedhart at Hedges Family Estate. Then we would be making the drive to Walla Walla to meet Tim & Jennifer Amstrong at their vineyard. So stay tuned!

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Stems

Aug 27, 2019

While in the Yakima Valley, we wanted to catch up with Barbara Glover who heads up Wine Yakima Valley. She had put together an amazing tour for many of us in the Wine Media for the conference held in Walla Walla in Oct 2018. The tour gave us an in depth look at this region and was the reason we decided we needed to return to learn more.

We had a couple of morning interviews and Barbara was kind enough to squeeze us in last minute. Now…where to meet? Barbara made a call and set us up to meet at Stems in Yakima.

Stems is a wine & gift shop, so we had a backdrop of shelves of bottles of Yakima Valley wines for our interview with Barbara.

Brad who runs this shop was generous in letting us use the space and we had great conversations on the area. We found a couple of bottles that we were not able to find elsewhere to take along with us.

If you are in Yakima, this is a great place to pick up a bottle and gain some valuable information from Brad on the area! It’s also a pretty great spot to pick up gifts for fellow wine lovers!

Stems does tastings with Washington wines and beyond so check their facebook page for events! https://www.facebook.com/stems.yakima

You can find them at 399 E. Yakima Ave, Ste 180, Yakima, Washington (509) 452-8800.

Los Hernández – Great authentic food in the Yakima Valley

Aug 1, 2019

So when you are in Yakima (probably tasting wine and visiting vineyards) and you ask where to go for lunch, everyone will say the same thing…”Los Hernández“. No fewer than 5 people told us this was the place to go. (we did have a shout out for Los 3 Pancho in Toppenish, where we were told the 1/2 chicken is amazing, but we didn’t have time to stop on this trip).

“They do tamales” we were told, “They won a James Beard Award”. Well that certainly had us intrigued. So, we located them on GPS and set forth to try the tamales.

We were not sure what to expect. We had just finished out interview with Barbara Glover of Wine Yakima Valley at Stems wine shop and she and Brad (the owner of Stems) mentioned the asparagus tamales that were limited to the asparagus season. They were pretty sure those were done for the season.

Asparagus tamales, James Beard Award Winner….I was unprepared for the unassuming spot we found when Google Maps said “Your destination is on the right”.

Los Hernández Authentic Tamales Union Gap Washington James Beard Award Winner — Los Hernández Authentic Tamales

Authentic & Unassuming

The building was a stand alone cinder block building, painted white and trimmed in red, white and blue. Out front wine barrel planters filled with petunias in white, pink and purple, also have a couple of American flags tucked in, perhaps left from the barely passed 4th of July weekend, when we were there. “Orders To Go” says the sign above the door and the window.

Los Hernandez Tamales Union Gap Washington front entrance. — Flowers and flags welcome you to the best tamales in town.

Inside there are just a few tables, and you walk to the counter to place your order. The menu is simple, Pork, chicken or asparagus with pepper jack cheese tamales which you can get fresh or frozen (so you can take them home and cook them). They also sell fresh salsa, masa and hojas (the corn husks for tamales). They have lunch specials which adds rice beans and salsa,which was what we had come for. I opted to try the asparagus and pepper jack, as they were still available and Michael went for the chicken.

We sat down at a table with a simple plastic table cloth to wait while our order was made. Three of the tables were full of others quietly enjoying lunch and conversation. These were all people who were not afraid to get their hands dirty, obviously locals who could tell we were “out-of-towners”. A woman walked in, boots dusty from being somewhere in a field. She ordered and ended up joining a man who was already there. They talked about the new vineyard she had just been checking out. It was faint, but lovely to listen to a couple of winemakers talk shop. Both obviously had been up early and in the vineyards.

Lunch special at Los Hernandez — Lunch special at Los Hernández

James Beard American Classics Award

So how did they come to have a James Beard Award, here in this unassuming concrete block building in Union Gap Washington?

Well the James Beard Foundation yearly honors not only the big time chefs and restaurants, but a handful of “America’s Classics”. These are restaurants around the country, that are beloved in their communities. They must have been around for at least a decade. Los Hernandez was one of 5 restaurants honored in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation.

Asparagus Tamales?

Los Hernández Tamales opened in 1990, when Felipe lost his job at the local Montgomery Wards. Their chicken and pork tamales were a hit. One day, his wife June brought home locale asparagus (did you know that 40 percent of the US asparagus in grown in Washington?) for dinner and they played around with some extra masa, they added pepper jack cheese and a new seasonal standard was born.

Los Hernández Lunch special with asparagus and pepper jack cheese tamales
Close up of those asparagus tamales

The asparagus and pepper jack tamales are only typically available from April to June, we lucked out that they still had them in July. But you can get the chicken and pork tamales year round.

Quietly enjoying these tamales, sitting at a simple clean table with the same type of plastic flannel backed table cloth that cover my kitchen table growing up as a child, it was a little bit of home and nostalgia. Okay, not that my Mom made tamales…for her it was cabbage rolls, different culture, same comfort. It was good to Listen to quiet conversation on everyday things and take a moment, like everyone else here, to refill. The energy doesn’t just come from the food.

How to find them

You can call and order to pick up at 509.457.6003. Which might be a good idea, as we sat there enjoying lunch, the place filled up, we hurried to finish and open up a table.

Los Hernández is located at 3705 Main Street, Union Gap, WA 98903, where they are open Sunday-Friday 11am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 7 pm. Or you can visit their new location at 6411 W. Nob Hill Blvd in Yakima.

Oh…and the lunch special which will set you back $6.75, is only available from 11-2. (I think there is an extra charge for the asparagus tamales, which run $2.09 a piece compared to the pork or chicken for $1.75)

Is your mouth watering and you find yourself no where near Washington? Well..check their site, they sometimes ship… if they have enough. Currently they added a restaurant in Yakima to keep up with the demand and don’t have enough to ship, but, they hope to ship again in the future.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Yakima Valley

“French toast, it’s really good with French toast…with like some fresh berries on it…”

The history of Chenin Blanc in the US and Washington

2020 Chenin Blanc Old Vines Yakima Valley

On to the pairings!

French toast with honey thymed ricotta and fresh fruit

Shrimp cooked in bacon fat with cheesy grits

More on the Wines of L’Ecole No. 41 and on wines from the Yakima Valley

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Pearl and Stone Wine Co.

What’s in a name?

Pearl and Stone Wine Co. 2017 Mailbox Peak

Eight Bells Winery

Red Willow Vineyard, Mike Sauer, and David Lake

Eight Bells David’s Block

Eight Bells 2014 “David’s Block”

Charcuterie platter with Duck Rillettes, morello cherry preserves, black walnuts, cornichons, parmesan, manchego, Iberico ham, blackberries, and raspberries

Roasted beet and shallot salad with black walnuts, mixed baby greens, and beet greens

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak with Bok Choy and Leeks on Couscous

The #WinePW Crew on the Yakima Valley!

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Balsamic Marinade

Seared Bok Choy and Leeks

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Couscous Quinoa blend

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More on the Yakima Valley from Crushed Grape Chronicles (this is just the tip of the iceberg!)

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#WinePW explores the Yakima Valley

The Yakima Valley AVA

Nested AVAs of the Yakima Valley

Volcanos, Floods, and soils

The modern history of wine in the Yakima Valley

Yakima Valley’s Impact on Washington Wine

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Connections

The French #Winophiles

Grapes of the Northern Rhône

JL Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage “Silène” 2016

Bob Lindquist & Chave

The Chapel connection

Connections with Art

A final thought

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Hedges Family Estate

Hedges Family Estate

The history, the beginnings

Tom Hedges & Anne-Marie Liégeois

The beginnings of the Hedges Brand

The decision to build on Red Mountain

The Château

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