Wines offer a world of adventure

By By Stan Torgerson / wine columnist
Aug. 28, 2002
Half the fun from the world of wine is to go adventuring, to try new and different wines or, perhaps, to unearth an old treasure you haven't visited in years.
When I decided to feature the wines of the Pacific Northwest for Thursday evening's August tasting, I included the standard wines for which I knew the area was famous. That would include some of their best pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay and pinot gris.
But then I took a flier. It had been years since I had tasted a bottle of chenin blanc. Most wine stores don't even carry it or, if they do, the selection is limited and the wines are easily passed over, lost on racks of chardonnay, white zinfandels or sauvignon blanc.
However, the state warehouse does offer a few and one was from the state of Washington. It was called Snoqualmie Vineyards and is one of the oldest in the state. That name may be familiar to skiers since there is a famous ski resort nearby at the Cascade Range that serves as the gateway to the Columbia Valley. The winery itself was a hometown treasure and only went national in recent years.
The Cascades protect eastern Washington from Seattle's rainy maritime weather and create a buffer that gives the region sunny days and a dry climate that is perfect for growing world class grapes.
There was another reason for experimenting with the Snoqualmie chenin blanc. The wine was priced at $8.75 a bottle and I couldn't believe, without proof, that a quality wine could be produced at that price.
I ordered a case for the tasting but rather than risking the possibility of serving an inferior wine to our tasters I took home a bottle and served it to guests this past weekend.
It was absolutely delicious, medium dry yet with a crisp finish. It had tons of lovely fruit, but the flavors were all in balance.
In France it is often used to make sparkling or sweet wines but Snoqualmie winemaker Joy Andersen with her 20 years experience in making fine wines is a careful blender whose familiarity with grapes from the area's growing regions enables her to capture the best of the Columbia Valley.
It will be our door wine Thursday evening and I shall be very interested in the reaction from our tasters.
Then I turned to Elk Cove vineyards in Oregon. Last week we mentioned their ice wine and said it was to die for and it is. While doing research I discovered that only 120 cases were produced in 1996. Somehow the state of Mississippi had purchased a few of this rarity and over the past six months I have ordered four of them for myself, my friends and family. When we inquired for this tasting we discovered the state had exactly one case left and we literally pounced on it to serve in August.
But the question became if their ice wine was so great, what others might they make that we could find in Mississippi? The answer was a riesling.
Again, we had not tasted an American riesling in years. German rieslings, yes. American, no. So we took another flier and bought a case. Last Friday we hosted a dinner party and served the riesling. Our guests loved it. Riesling grapes if properly handled produce a wine of tremendous fruit-acidity ratio that is in a class by itself.
It is described as light in body and low in alcohol, yet intensely flavored with just a touch of sweetness that you have to think about to even notice. With bottle age the wine develops a vivid and zesty bouquet. I honestly don't know why anyone would drink the sugar water white zinfandels when wine such as this is available for under $15.
The Elk Cove vineyard is another of the little known wine producers of the Pacific Northwest. It has been making wines since 1973 at its winery located in the foothills of Oregon's Coast Range in the Willamette Valley. From a 100-acre vineyard it produces 15,000 cases annually of pinot gris, pinot noir, riesling and the occasional ice wine from gewurztraminer grapes when the weather cooperates.
These are three of the eight wines to be opened Thursday evening. There are still a few seats available, so call 482-0930 to make a reservation. Everyone attending is guaranteed a seat for our September wine and cheese tasting, which was last held in March and was a sellout as it will be again.
All cheese is imported and not available in our area: French, Italian, British or other rarities. But more about that next month. This tasting is at Northwood Country Club on Thursday evening. You do not have to be a member to attend, and the wine adventure starts at 6:30 p.m.