Brew Hops & Wine Stops

Say “hello!”  to one of the newest wines we will be carrying at ABC…OS 16^th St Bridge. Very excited about this one because, honestly, who could say no to a Cab Franc predominant wine for under $20? I know I can’t! Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite “underdog” grapes.  I say that because in France it’s used in Bordeaux blending but doesn’t ever get a chance to stand on its own. Now, take that same underrated grape, plant it in Washington State, and watch the beauty flourish!  Lucky for me, OS Winery has taken this blending grape and run with it.  The latest incarnation for my adored Cabernet Franc is OS 16^th St Bridge, Columbia Valley, Washington, and it makes me VERY happy.  All the things I love about Cab Franc come out in OS’ signature style. Cab Franc is very particular in smell, almost like a spicy perfume as it opens, with flavors of Bing cherry, and -I‘ve got to say it- pink peppercorn.  If you ever have a chance to bite into a singular kernel of the pink stuff you’ll realize it’s softer than black pepper, and has a similar feel to a solo grape.  

Here’s what Great Northwest Wines had to say about it:

“Rob Sullivan and his daughter, Peggy, recently launched this label as a tribute to the historic South Park Bridge that was closed for several years. This release is devoted to Cabernet Franc (79%) and supported by Cabernet Sauvignon (11%) and Merlot from acclaimed vineyards such as Champoux, Elephant Mountain, Sheridan and Two Blondes. Cab Francophiles will embrace this for its aromas and flavors of Bing cherry, red currant, bell pepper, oregano and thyme. It carries a lighter body with graphite-like tannin and violets in the finish, and the responsible profile of lower alcohol lends this to suggested servings with Italian-themed pastas, Cajun dishes, grilled chicken, roasted pork and white cheeses.”

They (Great Northwest Wines) gave this wine an excellent rating and so do I. My favorite expression of this wine came straight from the website:

“With great acid and tannins for structure, the Bridge spans across your palette with dark cherry flavors, then opens in the mid-palette to bright red fruit and smokiness, finishing of raspberry and vanilla complete the journey, yearning for another trip across the Bridge.”

I think it’s time you took your trip! 

Kathleen Anderson, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits North/West Florida Wine Supervisor 

Follow me on Twitter @ABCwinekat

ABC Wine Consultant Christine Byler at Northstar Winery

The memories of my experience at Northstar began even before I set foot in the vineyard. Driving through a scenic tour of Walla-Walla Valley, which is a sub AVA of Columbia Valley, I was greeted with breathtaking views of Washington’s famous wine country.

The winery is tucked away inside of their own vineyard. As I sat on their patio enjoying lunch with their Merlot, all I could think of was to look out to the future harvest; maybe those little beauties will be in my glass the next time I am here!

Northstar Winery

Walking into the winery, which had a comforting, almost cozy décor, we were escorted out to the south-facing 14 acre vineyard. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Petit Verdot all growing here, with the first vines planted in 2002. At an approximately 14,000 case production per year, David “Merf” Merfeld, head winemaker since 2005, certainly has let his passion shine. As he aims for a “perfect balance of varietal purity, fruit intensity and ripe, harmonious tannins.”

In addition to their estate, fruit is selected from the state’s top 2% of vineyard blocks, Merf and his team guide it through a gentle sorting and whole-berry fermentation. State-of-the-art winery equipment, cutting edge tannin research, and old-fashioned instinct all aid Merf in creating the final blends of Northstar’s highly acclaimed Merlots from both the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley designations.

Sorting grapes

Northstar is a holding of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest and oldest wine producer in Washington state. The mission of Northstar has always been to create world class Merlot that holds true to the unique expression of Washington state fruits. Being at the same latitude as the Bordeaux region of France, Northstar actually has a longer growing season, warm days and cool nights which bring a wonderfully full body to these delicately balanced Merlots.

With only 6-8 inches of rainfall per year, these vines work tirelessly through the whole 190-220 day growing season, resulting in a mouthwateringly soft texture, and with up to 18 months aging, beautifully integrated tannins. 

Ready for harvesting!

The winery’s website goes into depth with each wine and discusses the goals of blending. Cabernet Sauvignon is added to ‘soften Washington Merlot with bright cherry and raspberry fruit flavors;’ Petit Verdot ‘adds color and structure;’ Cabernet Franc ‘brings softness and an olive herbal tone.’

Next we found ourselves in the tank room. The mammoth stainless steel tanks that line the wall, and excessively loud rock 'n' roll music that was blaring through the room, gave a sense of intimidation. 

Wine production

Walking on through to the barrel room, the scale of production was brought into focus. Barrel upon barrel of patiently aging wine in 55-60% new French oak and the smell of the barrel room inspired such an aroma I distinctly remember my mouth watering instantaneously. What a wonderful scent, red wine maturing, it’s like that moment the smell of the brownies in the oven becomes irresistible.

Blending wine at Northstar

Our tour of Northstar was still far from over. After making our way through the vineyards and winery we moved on to the unique and exciting Northstar Blending Experience. Starting with a brief presentation, our tour guide Jan, guided us through a tasting of four distinct Merlots from four different regions of Washington, along with a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petit Verdot, all straight from the barrel.

This was one of the most memorable parts of my trip to the Pacific Northwest. To simply follow my own instincts using beakers, graduated cylinders and other winemaking equipment, I masterfully created my own Washington State award-winning wine. Ok, so no real awards, but my one-of-a kind bottle of Northstar wine will always be one of my favorites!

Christine Byler, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine consultant - Altamonte Springs

You can shop for Northstar wine at abcfws.com!

So, I have noticed that pairing wine with pizza has become a bit more popular lately. Growing up, I always remember having beer and pizza night.  But now, anything goes--even white wine. 

I thought I would try to get a bit more in depth and maybe talk about what I like to drink with my pizza.  I’ll sum it up with 3 types of pizza and you can go crazy after that with the mixing and matching. 

Pizza type one would be the all veggie pizza. You have your basic crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and...what veggies do we use?  Let’s try green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  This is the basic pizza (add in whatever you want).  When you think of these veggies what wine would you put with them? I could think of a couple: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir?  Have you ever had Carelton Cellars Seven Devils? If you haven’t, try it with this veggie pizza tonight.  If you like something a little heavier, go towards Washington state into Yakima Valley and grab a bottle of Fall Line Red Willow Red Blend. Both wines have a bit of that earthiness that the veggies have.  Either way you will hopefully see pizza in a new light.

Pizza two would be the meat lovers.  For this one, let’s add pepperoni, sausage, and bacon (because, as we all know, everything’s better with bacon)! Now let’s talk about Valpolicella, or more importantly, Nicolis Valpolicella.  This is an Italian blend that is a lighter flavor that goes with the tomato sauce and all the meats...and it's under $15.00!  Again, if you are looking for something heavier, go merlot. 
I know, I know, nobody drinks merlot, but that should change!  Come in and pick up a bottle of Perimeter
Merlot (again under $15.00) and I gotta say I have a bit of a love affair with Washington State wines!

For the final pizza, we go white.  So with this pizza, think fresh garlic, spinach, and Ricotta cheese.  Here is where I find the white wine to come in handy.  American Pinot Blanc or Italian Pinot Grigio will go perfectly! I would say to pick up a bottle of Collalto Pinot Grigio or Pappas Pinot Blanc.  Either way, there would be no disappointment.

Now that you have my humble opinions, go with your own! Find me on Twitter (@ABCwineKat) and let me know some mix and matching you can think of!

Kathleen Anderson, North/West Wine Supervisor

On Friday, August 3^rd, we flew over the Cascade mountain range into Seattle.  From the Sea-Tac airport, we went on a VIP tour and tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, located in Woodinville.  This is part of the Puget Sound AVA, established in 1995.  On the tour we received tank samples of all of the Chardonnays, starting with CSM Columbia Valley, Indian Wells, Cold Creek, Canoe Ridge, and ending with the Ethos, their premium Chardonay (a 50/50 blend of grapes from the Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge vineyards).

They had just received 3000 new barrels from France for the 10 % rotation, done on barrels each year. 13,000 cases are bottled each day.

We ended the tour with lunch, an amazing pairing of wild king salmon; grilled corn, heirloom tomato, and black bean salsa; chipotle potato cake; and French green beans with the 2011 CSM Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonay, and the 2010 Indian Wells Red Blend.  The Red Blend was my favorite wine with the meal, as it was a mouth-filling, fruit-forward, velvety blend of seven different grapes: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache,  Malbec, Cinsaut, and Mourvedre.

 Dessert was orange-infused olive oil cake, with fresh summer fruit and berry coulis, coupled with CSM 2006 Lake Harvest Chenin Blanc from Horse Heaven Hills. 

 We returned the next day, Saturday August 4^th, for a VIP reception and concert, where we saw Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas, perform. 

 There was an endless buffet of little morsels, including lamb sliders, chipotle Terriyaki pork skewers, brie with wild mushrooms in phyllo, plus much more.  With this bountiful spread were several wines from which to choose.  I started with the Domain Ste. Michelle Blanc de Noir, made from 100 % Pinot Noir. This is practically the only time that you will see wines made from Pinot Noir in Washington.  Across the Columbia River, in Oregon, they make outstanding Pinot Noir, but it is just too hot in Washington for that grape.  Very little of it is grown and most of it goes into sparkling wines.

 





During the concert, we could make unlimited trips to the VIP tent for wine and dessert.  My favorite
wine that evening was the 2007 CSM Artist Series Meritage. 

It was the perfect way to end our stay in Washington – with any luck, I'll be back again next year.

Last month, members of our wine team headed off to Washington State. Wine consultant Heather Hitson (Lady Lake) shares a few of her favorite memories from the trip.

Here I go again into Washington wine country, with some new friends and new experiences.  Read on for a few highlights from this trip.

 Among the wineries visited were Spring Valley, Northstar, Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge, Col Solare, and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

On Wednesday, August 1^st, we visited Northstar Winery, located in Walla Walla.  Walla Walla became an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1984, and currently has 65 wineries and more than 1200 acres of vineyards.  Cabernet Sauvignon is the leading variety planted, while Merlot, Chardonay, and Syrah are other predominant varieties.

Northstar first starting producing wine in 1994.  During fermentation, all wines go through punch-down, both hand and pneumatic, with no pump overs.  This allows for maximum extraction of color and tannin, and is gentler to the fruit.

The juice is aged in 65 % to 75 % new oak, mostly French and American.  Winemaker Dave Merfeld likes to use barrels with medium-plus toast.  They just received their barrels for the 2012 vintage.  At Northstar, Dave Merfeld and his team take great pride in producing award-winning Merlot. 

The 2008 Walla Walla Merlot was my favorite this year.  A blend of 82 % Merlot from Anna Marie, 14 % Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Valley, and 4 % Petit Verdot from Stone Tree Vineyards, it's been described by Wine Advocate – which awarded it 92 points - as “silky in texture, with notes of dark fruit and spice on the nose, leading into a palate rich with flavors of vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, and earth, before a long seductive finish.”   

 Along with this wine we tried a 2008 Columbia Valley Merlot, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Malbec, 2009 Petit Verdot, 2008 Stella Maris red blend, and the 2011 Stella Blanca Semillon.

After our tour and tasting, dinner was outside on the patio.  We had a lovely pairing of wine with our Tuscan-inspired meal.  The Stella Blanca Semillon with a salad of fresh greens, olives, and prosciutto; and Northstar Merlots from Columbia Valley and Walla Walla with marinated flank steak, roasted potatoes, peppers, olives, and long beans.  All this,  and then a cheese course and desert!

Chef Tamara came out to tell us about our menu, and to answer any questions.  She also gave a lesson on cheese tasting, and informed us that all the cheese we were sampling were different types of Gouda.  Gouda is a style of cheese, not a type, and it ages from the outside in.  Some of the Gouda we had was made from goat's milk (Tamara said that not all goat milk has a strong flavor – that only happens when they keep the billy goat too close to the female.  If she can smell him, she produces an enzyme that gives the milk a more “goaty” flavor.)

 A perfect way to end the evening, we watched the full moon rise over the Blue Mountains, and the sun set behind us.

   As it’s getting a lot warmer each day we get more and more of our guests asking for a white wine they can enjoy in the hot days to follow… that isn’t Chardonnay. The ABC: Anything But Chardonnay wines. This is not an unusual thing to occur this time of year; people are looking for wines that are a little lighter and maybe a little fruitier to drink in the summer. Chardonnay sales seem to dip a bit this time of year as sales of some alternatives increase. For those alternatives, we have many wines to choose from, especially wines made in California & Oregon.

   From Lake County, in Northern California, the people at Shannon Ridge Winery produce a few very good examples of Sauvignon Blanc. These crisp, bright and fruit forward Sauvignon Blancs really hit the spot when the weather turns from hot to hotter. One of my favorite of these is the Vigilance Sauvignon Blanc, which is a steel-tank fermented white allowing the beautiful pineapple, melon and grapefruit flavors and aromas of Sauvignon Blanc to show through. Which I guess is, in my mind, the difference between a clean, crisp summer white wine and an oaky, smoky Chardonnay. Now there are some good unoaked Chardonnays, Paradise Sound for example, but for the most part this is a good time of year to try a new ABC wine.

   A very refreshing new wine from Sugar Plum is their Riesling. This an off-dry style that is full of green apple, pear and apricot flavors with some sweetness, but a lot of fun. The kind of wine to have in plenty in a tub of ice while you and your friends are playing volleyball, bocce or an intense game of cornhole. Another delicious wine to enjoy in the heat is the Pinot Gris from the Maysara family of wines. This Oregon wine has a brilliant golden color and a nose of pineapple & spice with the flavors of fresh mangos, pears and honeydew. A perfect wine with Asian foods or some grilled shrimp on top of some coconut rice.

   Regardless which way you turn, there are many white wines to try outside of the realm of Chardonnay. So take a look around your favorite wine shop and see how many great choices you have from white wines like Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Rousanne, and Pinot Blanc along with many others. Another good way to experiment with new wines is to attend one of your local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine tastings…ok, shameless self-promotion, but wine tastings are a fantastic way to be exposed to new wines.

Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, North Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena

One of my favorite of all grape varietals produced in Washington State is Merlot. Yes, Merlot! The grape that was put down in the movie Sideways is still a wonderful glass of wine when made properly.

Winemakers Bill Owen and Rob Sullivan from O.S. Winery (Owen Sullivan) have released a wine called "The Tusk," named in honor of the Elephant Mountain Vineyard where the grapes (100% Merlot) are harvested in Yakima Valley, Washington. The 2009 The Tusk Merlot was awarded 92 points by Wine Advocate Magazine. It retails at the time of this writing for $48.99--in my opinion, a bargain (it compares more than favorably to pricier California Merlots).

I would say after sampling this wine, that in the fictious book "How To Make The Perfect Merlot For Dummies" this wine should be the role model for all Merlot producers. The wine exhibits amazing aromatics of red and black fruits and graphite and on the palate it is exactly what a "textbook" new world Merlot should taste like. Spicy cherry and plum fruits with a dash of sandalwood flavors and a very persistent lengthy finish. In plain English, it is delicious and way too easy to drink. Taste what Washington State does best. The 2009 Owen Sullivan The Tusk Merlot is an elephant you will never forget!

Guest blogger Larry Baker is the wine consultant at our Pembroke Pines store. Just ask for "the wine guy."

As any of my blog readers must know by now, I favor Washington State red wines over California because I believe they provide a better Q.P.R. (Quality to Price Ratio) for the consumer. During the past holiday season I had a chance to demonstrate this to my guests.

During the holiday season, many people come in looking for California “heavy hitters”—the big Napa Cabernets that can run between $60 and $100 per bottle. They’re impressive wines, which is why people buy them—they know that giving a gift of a “big” Napa Cab in that price range will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.

I happened to have a bottle open of the new 2008 Fall Line Yakima Valley 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, rated 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Fall Line Winery is owned and operated by winemaker Tim Sorenson and his wife, Nancy Rivenburgh. They are both retired college professors now focusing 100% on wine. They only produce 2,000 cases of this particular wine.

I was testing the wine for my own personal review and thought I’d do some “real world” testing to see how it stood up to more expensive California Cabernets to someone besides me. In previous vintages Fall Line Cabs required lots of decanting before you can approach them. This 2008 had aromas of lavender, black berry fruits and Asian spices. On the palate the wine was silky, fruit driven and the tannins were ripe. This was a beauty.

I poured my guests a sample of the Fall Line, but I told them it was an $80 Napa Cabernet. They tasted it and each one had the same response: "Wow, that's a steal for only $80. That's better than any Napa Cab I have ever tasted and I will take a bottle." I then revealed the truth: it wasn't a Napa Cab but a 2008 100% Cabernet, with no blending, from Washington State, and told them the price--$27.99 a bottle.  

Their jaws dropped. They said "That wine is only $27.99?" I replied "Now you know why I stand on my soap box every day and tout Washington State wines." Some took six bottles, some took a case and will be back for more. Their final goodbye was: "In all my years of buying Big Napa Cabs, I never thought you can get a wine of that quality and elegance for under $80 a bottle." 

I love being right.

Guest blogger Larry Baker is the wine consultant at our Pembroke Pines store.