With all the reality shows crowding television nowadays, I have to admit I keep gravitating to cooking programs when I watch TV. Between cop shows, medical dramas, really dumb sitcoms and even dumber dating competition shows, I find myself channel surfing back to cooking programs, hoping to learn a thing or two.

I come by it naturally. When I was in my teens, I began doing most of the cooking in our house after criticizing my working mother’s table fare one too many times. I began watching cooking programs, but at that time, it was mostly Julia Child and her guest chefs. Julia was my hero—she wasn’t what you expected in a television personality. She was tall (more than 6 feet), had a pleasant face and an unusual voice. She was matronly, but seemed a bit hip at the same time. She would talk with you through the camera and make you believe you could cook.

But her biggest gift was convincing you not to sweat mistakes. Julia would just wave it all away and make lemonade from lemons, and then laugh with you as though it was supposed to be that way all along. It’s cooking—it should be fun—it should be with people you like around the dinner table—and most of all, it should be enough of a challenge so you can savor the sweet aromas and tastes of success. All you need to do is follow a recipe.

With all the recent fuss over correct nutritional eating and celebrity chef Paula Deen’s admission of Type 2 diabetes after years of fried foods and artery-clogging southern cooking, I started thinking about Julia Child again.

You can read my Wine Tale on, “What Would Julia Think”  at:

http://www.avalonwine.com/Julia-Child-Paula-Deen.php .

Steve Warner, a marketing executive from Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical will become the new Washington Wine Commission executive director beginning March 12.

Commission spokesman Ryan Pennington said Warner has a deep background in organizational leadership, marketing, management and international business. Warner is currently in Bucharest, Romania, where he was working as managing director of an eastern European business unit for Merck.

Originally from Seattle, Warner received a bachelor’s degree in biology from East Tennessee State and a master’s of business and administration in international business from Rutgers University. He spent 20 years in the U.S. military in both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy.

“We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us, and I look forward to working with our state’s growers and wineries to realize our full potential as a unified industry,” Warner said in a prepared statement. “I could not be more excited about joining the Commission and the industry at this particular time in our evolution.”

More than 200 applications were reviewed for the job. Board members said Warner is very personable and can bring extensive skills and talent for marketing and leadership, especially in global markets. However, Pennington said the first task is for Warner to “immerse himself in the Washington wine industry and get to know everyone.”

Warner will replace Robin Pollard, who announced last fall that she was leaving the commission to pursue her own business.

IMHO (in my humble opinion)

This is an interesting selection. Although he does not have wine industry experience, he has something very valuable—leadership, and leading people who market products, services and goods. He has an international perspective, which is something helpful to a state that wants to increase its wine exports.

The challenge for Warner is not to overlook his constituents in his own back yard while looking to increase Washington’s international wine business. But from everything I’ve heard, this guy has the goods. He’ll have to walk a fine line between his background of leading in the military, to the often less disciplined wine industry, but my guess is he’ll put things in ship shape.

Happy Tasting!

When Life Gives You Wine Leftovers… Make Vinegar!

It kills me to pour wine down the sink, especially when I know that some winemaker sweated bullets to get the grapes to the glass. As a writer who tastes wine frequently, I am often left with multiple half-and-nearly-full bottles of wine that I will never get to in time to really enjoy them at their fullest potential.

In my kitchen, these stalwart bottles are lined up like soldiers, waiting to learn their fate—will they become part of a sauce, a marinade, or the ultimate humiliation, poured down the kitchen sink? If they fail the nose test, down the drain they go. And, that makes me feel that I have somehow wasted the efforts of the wine’s maker.

As I recently went through bottles stacked on the counter—some resting since Christmas, I kept smelling vinegar. Suddenly it was like warm tropical air smacked into the Northwest chilly winds and lightening bolts crackled and lit up the sky. I could make vinegar from these wines and assuage my guilt of contributing to good wines gone bad.

There is nothing better than a very good wine vinegar. Most of the anemic wine vinegar purchased in grocery stores is really flavorless and diluted, performing the simplest task of providing a little acidity to foods and sauces. Homemade vinegars are generally so much more flavorful. Some of my favorite gifts have been homemade vinegars made by friends generous enough to share.

Keep in mind that wine vinegar is not balsamic vinegar, a more flavorful (and more expensive) vinegar made from grape pressings that have never been fermented into wine. These are glorious aged vinegars that originated from Italy and quite difficult to make at home.

You can go online and find hundreds of recipes for wine and other flavored vinegars, but honestly, making simple wine vinegar is almost done by accident, when your partial bottles of wine are left on the counter too long. After all, vinegar can be made from almost anything that contains sugar or starch, although it is best made by first converting sugar into alcohol and then turning the alcohol into vinegar. You are already ahead with wine. However, the results of allowing wine to sit on the counter for a long time provides sporadic results and there are far better methods.

The first time I made vinegar many years ago, I used a sun tea jar with a spout. You can use a glass jar or ceramic container, but find something with a wide mouth since you want an easy airflow. Avoid plastic containers since there could be a reaction with vinegar and plastic. You will also need cheesecloth, kitchen twine or rubber bands, the magical leftover wine, a funnel and a vinegar starter.

The Mother Lode

A vinegar starter, known as “Mother of Vinegar,” is a bacteria that encourages fermentation. Although you can leave the wine on the counter without a mother, you will definitely get far better results with the help of starter bacteria. These mothers also propagate (thus the nickname mother) and you can store them for future use in other vinegars. People who make vinegar on a regular basis have multiple generations of vinegar starters that you can actually manipulate, like breeding for certain characteristics. This bacteria can be purchased at wine and beer supply stores for around $10. You can also pick up vinegars recipes when you buy the starter bacteria.

Check out vinegar recipes on YouTube or your favorite search engine. I recently followed an online recipe from Food and Wine Magazine.

Now, I have to be patient and wait about two to three months. I’ve sterilized and recycled my leftover wine bottles to use when my vinegar is ready, so it was a triumph all the way around. My kitchen no longer has half-empty bottles of some tasty beverage slowly wasting away. However, I have now spilled the beans on what my friends will be receiving for Christmas this year!

Happy tasting!

I am a proud, but picky Merlot drinker and I have stoically supported the varietal, especially after the movie, “Sideways,” gave the grape such a black, er, purple eye.

The conditions are perfect in eastern Washington State to grow the dark-blue-colored grape. When it is cultivated properly, the wine produced is lush and velvety, a little soft, and can be as silky and sexy as a great Oregon Pinot Noir. I’ve generally found that Merlot falls into three styles—a fruitier style with little tannins, a middle-of-the-road wine expressing fruit and some tannic structure, and a beefy, highly tannic style that stands up to a classic Cabernet Sauvignon.

Because it is so prolific in the vineyard, winemakers tended to over-produce the grape and the resulting wines were cheap, thin and offered little character. In some respects, those California merlots were the target of Myles disgust in “Sideways.”

I’ve tasted the grapes on the vine and know how great this fruit can be, especially in the hands of a skilled winemaker. In fact, a few years ago, I interviewed Zelma Long (at right,) a terrific winemaker and consultant who travels globally in her consulting business. She also believes that Washington State grows some of the best Merlot in the world (http://www.northwest-wine.com/zelma-long.html).

About five or six years ago, I noticed that some wineries were no longer offering Merlot from their portfolios, such as Quilceda Creek and Andrew Will. The grapes are used in many of the top blends, but I thought it odd that the grape that really put Washington State on the wine map had suddenly taken a side role, a backseat to the more preferred Cabernet.

Last night, I opened a bottle of Abeja’s 2009 Merlot, made by John Abbott in Walla Walla and wanted to scream, “Merlot is Back Baby!” Abbott also stopped making Merlot, even though he produced some very nice versions when he was the winemaker at Canoe Ridge. While perusing through a wine shop with a friend recently, I spotted the Abeja and immediately bought it.

Abbott calls it a “gentle giant,” and I would agree. It has beautiful structure and classic descriptors for Merlot—black cherries, dark plums, chocolate and espresso, but this wine also has an earthiness and subtle wood flavors that make it something more unique and delicious. It is achingly good with food and a prime example of why winemakers should be embracing this variety as a star instead of a bit player.

Happy Tasting!

Oregon is officially declaring May 2012 as Oregon Wine Month, to recognize the importance and impact of wine in Oregon’s economy. It’s only been two decades since Oregon political leadership—the governor and legislature—acknowledged the importance of Oregon wines by designating a month of official recognition.

below, an April rainbow over Willamette Wine Country

Other than Gov. Kitzhaber reading a proclamation and shaking hands with leaders in the wine industry, what does it mean for consumers? Actually, it can mean plenty, especially when combined with consumer, trade and media activities and events are included.

Restaurants will feature Oregon wine specials, liquor stores will pass along special sales to customers who purchase wine, events will showcase the variety of the Oregon wine industry, from Pinot Noir to Cabernet, Pinot Gris to Chardonnay. The emphasis is focused on getting the word out on the great wines now produced in Oregon. Tourists will be exposed to Oregon’s wine bounty and those who are “locals” can taste new and established wineries at events such as “Unwine’d: Celebrating Oregon Wine,” a grand tasting of Oregon Wines on April 29 in Portland. This is Oregon’s version of Taste Washington and is open to the public, featuring more than 100 Oregon wineries.

Take advantage of the promotion and go to the activities. If you go to the grand tasting, be careful to taste and spit and keep track of wines you would like to taste further. If you don’t spit, by the time you reach your fifth winery, you won’t really taste the nuance of the wines. It simply becomes red or white alcohol, and you will miss spectacular wines and hidden gems that could send you to heaven and back. As they say in Washington, “it’s hip to spit.”

There are several other things to keep in mind if you attend Oregon’s wine events in May. Don’t wear white or light-colored clothing. If you spit, you could splatter. Also, take a plastic cup, or ask for a plastic spit cup (I’d bring my own, just in case). At big events, the wineries generally have dump buckets for the public to spit out the wine. It is so…disgusting to spit into a bit spittoon. Bring your own cup, and then you can pour the contents into the bigger bucket, rather than lean over and spit. I have this creepy image of “Sideways,” when Myles picks up the dump bucket…well, most of you know the rest.

Happy tasting…

In 1987, the Washington State Legislature recognized a small but growing industry that could have an impact on the state’s economy if it caught on—growing grapes and making wine. Although Washington already had an established agricultural industry, especially a robust apple crop, the idea of creating the critical mass necessary to become an emerging wine industry was new.

This was the time when the Washington Wine Commission (WWC) was created and today, 25 years later, the commission is representing a much larger group of wineries, winemakers and grape growers. I think there were about 40 wineries in the state when the WWC kicked in; today, there are 750 bonded wineries and even in a harsh economy, most are toughing it out.

above, Taste Washington in 2002

It also represents 15 years of Taste Washington, the state’s premier wood and food weekend (March 31-April 1 this year, www.tastewashington.org). I remember attending the second Taste, in the Paramount Theater in 1998. The setting was intimate because the state only had 129 wineries at the time, and not all of those wineries attended. It was the first time I met Steve Burns, the affable former executive director of the WWC, who was nearly floating on air with excitement as writers and reporters (no bloggers back in the old days), sampled Washington wines with the cuisine of the Northwest.

As I flit from booth to booth, I was ecstatic to have so many wineries represented in one place. As a budding wine writer, I generally had to travel from Walla Walla to Woodinville—across the state—to sample wines and meet winemakers. A few years ago, I found my tasting book that covered my notes from that event. Nearly every entry said something about “promising,” or “one to watch,” or “far better than the previous vintage.” I’ve only missed a handful of Taste Washington events, and am looking forward to celebrating its 15th year.

I had the privilege of visiting Olsen Estates Winery in Prosser, Wash. a few years ago, when the farming company decided to make its own wines rather than sell only the grapes. Dick and Larry Olsen, brothers who wanted to leave a legacy to their sons Leif and Martin, were convinced by their boys to open a tasting room and use their fabulous fruit to make Olsen wines.

Leif and Martin gave it a strong effort and turned out good to outstanding wines, but in a harsh economy, could not get the buzz to showcase and distinguish their wines from the many bottles occupying shelf space in wine and high-end grocery stores. In an interview a few years ago, the two cousins said they would give it about five years to make a profit, and 2011 was the fifth year. Sadly, Olsen Estates closed its doors for winemaking in 2011, after a valiant effort.

There are still Olsen wines in the marketplace and I recently tasted the 2008 Malbec and 2008 Petit Verdot with a stewed beef and vegetable dish, the kind of hearty meal that sticks to your ribs, warranting a heartier wine. The malbec tasted lighter than the 14.2 percent alcohol, with spiced plum, blackberry and a lingering pepper in the back of the throat. It has heft with tannins, so a little cellaring would make it even better. The petit verdot was much more muscular and yet more floral, with violets, lilacs and hints of tobacco and leather.

I will miss what the Olsens could have done, had they managed to keep the doors open, but I also know that some of their fruit will land in some of my favorite Washington and Oregon wines. I wish them luck.

Happy tasting!

To spit in the eye of bad weather this past weekend, I decided I wanted to grill steaks and have some terrific Cabernet Sauvignon with friends. Although the Northwest has had a mild winter, months and months of steely grey, cold temperatures and runny noses forced me to drastic action—a winter barbeque.

Typical of my dinners, we blind-tasted two cab blends. Both wines were blends of 69 percent cabernet and 31 percent merlot, although the price between the two bottles was vastly different—nearly $100 versus $20.

The economy is not going to force me to give up special wines, but I am also looking for greater value, more than ever. The blind tasting didn’t fool anyone and the more expensive wine, Rasa Vineyards 2008 Creative Impulse, was outstanding, with black cherry, vanilla and truffle notes, followed by a very long finish. However, everyone thought the second wine, Renegade Wine Company’s 2009 Reserve Red Wine was a steal at $20. Renegade is a second label of Sleight of hand Wines.

“We make $20 wines to taste like $40 wines,” says Renegade Winemaker Trey Busch. “About three years ago, we saw the opportunity in the market and purchased very good juice at great prices. We passed it along to the consumer.”

I loved Rasa’s very limited bottling of Creative Impulse and will cellar the other bottle for another night when splurging seems like the right thing to do. The winery also offers more affordable wines that I am now curious to try. But I will search for more values like the Renegade label. This isn’t like the two-buck Chuck phenomenon where mediocre wine was touted as a really good deal. In reality, that wine was a good deal for a very short time, during a grape juice glut in California.

Renegade wines and many other second labels are values because they offer the luxury of tasting like a much more expensive wine, and pair just as well with foods as their more expensive counterparts. In fact, some of the second label wines compliment food even better.

Happy tasting!

Avalon’s Senior Editor Christina Kelly chose this dish to pair with Evesham Wood’s Le Puits Sec Pinot noir.

Tasting note: Fresh black cherry and raspberry, with a dusting of Christmas spice towards the back of your palate. The heart-melting interplay of sweet fruit, juicy acidity, a savory-resin awesomeness and classic Le Puits Sec dried herbs whisks you away. I can talk about a food match (duck confit, anyone?) but this is comfort food in a glass. – Marcus

Ingredients

Pork:

1 five-pound (more or less) pork loin roast

A handful of sage, (all to taste) leaves chopped

A handful of thyme leaves chopped

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (12-ounce) bottle hard cider

1 cup chicken broth

1 lemon, juiced optional

Apples:

8 Honey crisp or other sweet apple

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 large corn muffin, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup golden raisins

6 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (more or less to taste) hard cider

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the pork roast in a roasting pan with the ribs facing up, braced against each other. Add sage and thyme to olive oil. Brush the pork roasts with oil mixture and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast the pork loin for 2 1/2 hours, until the skin is crackled. (Put the apples in the oven along with the pork roast in the last half hour of cooking.)

Remove the pork roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Pour out some of the excess fat from the roasting pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the flour into the hot pan juices, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Cook and stir the roux until its light brown. Add the cider and continue to stir to incorporate. Pour in the chicken broth; boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Check for seasoning – add lemon juice if necessary. Serve the cider gravy with the pork roast and baked apples.

To make the buttered apples: Core the apples with an apple corer, making a good size cavity to hold the stuffing. Douse the cut sides of the apples with some of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning while you make the stuffing. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, muffin crumbs, raisins, sage, garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the cavities of the cored apples; stand them up, side by side, in a baking dish and sprinkle the tops with the reserved muffin crumbs. Pour the cider around the apples and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 375 degrees F, until soft when pierced with a knife. Place the warm apples in the center of a round serving dish. Spoon the cider sauce around the apples and serve with the pork loin.

Served with braising greens or Swiss chard.

For those who saw this on last night’s Facebook post, here’s the recipe:

Heat a small amount of butter in a dutch oven, brown 4 chicken thighs skin side down, turn and repeat.

Remove browned chicken and half the fat, add one diced onion, cook for 3-4 minutes, then add
1/2 inch segments of celery and carrot (or ideally, small bunch carrots, tops removed)
and quartered small potatoes – cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 12 ounce bottle of dark beer, plenty of salt and black pepper, a dusting of smoked paprika or ground chipotle, and a couple sprigs of rosemary. Stir.

Put the chicken back in the dutch oven, rearranging the vegetables so the things are in as much beer as possible (the veg can be out of the liquid). Bring to a low boil, cover, and simmer for an hour-plus. Remove from heat when the chicken is fork tender.

The fun part: remove the things and place a baking sheet. With a ladle, remove 3/4 of the braising liquid and transfer to a small skillet. On medium heat, reduce to a thick sauce, then brush the thighs with the sauce, reserving 1/3.

Turn on the broiler on high and when it’s ready, put the chicken underneath and broil until the skins crisps a bit/the sauce begins to char. Remove. Serve vegetables and braising liquid in a deep bowl first, a chicken thigh on top, spoon the last bit of reduction on top. Eat with abandon.

Works with a wide variety of wine and beer. I recommend something earthy, like a lighter Nebbiolo or a medium-bodied Pinot.

Breaking news: today’s Wine Spectator Insider has three 94 point Oregon Pinots. And like usual, we have them all. Maysara, Shea, and Brittan. Happy Thanksgiving!

Wine Spectator 94 Points

Maysara Winery
McMinnville Estate Cuvee Pinot noir 2009

$29.66 in any 12 bottle order
$32.95 retail

Wine Spectator – “Supple, sumptuous and distinctive for its range of cherry, boysenberry, floral and dark chocolate flavors, dancing suavely through the long, expressive finish. The tannins are submerged, and this has miles to go. Drink now through 2019.” – H.S.

Wine Spectator 94 and “Hot Wine”

Shea Wine Cellars
Estate Pinot noir 2009

$35.96 in any 12 bottle order
$39.95 retail

Wine Spectator: “Supple, rich and complex, layering its dark berry, black cherry, pink grapefruit and exotic spice flavors on a velvety frame, the finish lingering effortlessly. Drink now through 2019. – H.S.

Wine Spectator 94 Points

Brittan Vineyards
Gestalt Pinot noir 2008

$40.46 in any 12 bottle order
$44.95 retail

Only 24 Bottles Available

An Avalon Wine Club Selection Last Year, December 2010

Wine Spectator – Supple, rich and focused. A plush mouthful of blackberry and violet with a hint of verbena, wrapped in polished tannins and persisting into a vivid finish. Distinctive and graceful. Drink now through 2018. – H.S.

Wine Spectator’s Top 100 #25

Wine Spectator announced its Top 100 Wines of 2011 this morning. It’s the most anticipated wine ratings announcement of the year.

As we predicted, Owen Roe’s Ex Umbris Syrah 2009 is not only in the Top 100, it is #25.

Wine Spectator Top 100 #25
93 Points

Owen Roe
Ex Umbris Syrah 2009

$21.55 in any 12 bottle order
$23.95 retail

Wine Spectator – “Supple and round, this red is layered with plum, currant, sassafras, cream and spice flavors that keep sailing through the long, vivid finish. This has style and grace to go with its undeniable power. Drink now through 2018.”- H.S

Ex Umbris is Owen Roe’s best value red. I know, the Abbot’s Table is popular but to me, the Ex Umbris really shines. It has tons of delicious, smoky Syrah character and is so easy to drink. – Marcus

Christina Kelly wrote an article for us today, scooping just about everyone with the news that a study commissioned by the Oregon Wine Board showed that the economic impact of Oregon’s wine industry nearly doubled to $2.7 billion since the last study in 2005, stunning industry leaders who were prepared for declining numbers in a weak economy.

Here’s the link:

http://www.avalonwine.com/Oregon-Wine-Industry-Impact.php

It’s hard to believe with things as hard as they are for so many, but Oregon’s wine industry is bucking the trend.

The 2011 vintage is turning out to be one of the slowest starters ever. Here’s a picture of a grape cluster on June 20th 2011.

Wine club members get 15% off reorders of all club wines!

It’s easy: join a club, get the discount.

This month the Reserve Pinot Club features our Winery of the Year for 2010 – Arterberry Maresh.

JUNE SELECTIONS

Arterberry Maresh Maresh Vineyard Pinot noir 09 $55/$46.75

J. Albin Laurel Vineyard Pinot noir 08 $29/$24.65

Rasa Vineyards VOV Populi Mourvedre 09 $45/$38.25

Guardian Cellars Gun Metal Red 08 $36/$30.60

Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills PN 09 $25/$21.25

Evesham Wood Blanc du Puits Sec 10 $15/$12.75

Big Reds Club members get a massive style Red Blend and a Mourvedre from a hot new winery – it’s going to be one of Walla Walla’s most sought after – you taste it before the whole world finds out.

New Discoveries Club has my favorite go-to summer white and one of Oregon’s best bargain Pinots.

Also in this month’s newsletter -
“It’s the Season for Barbeque! – The Ten Commandments of Grilling”