Posts tagged with 'Walla Walla'

WBC or Bust PLUS Wine Bloggers Conference 2010

  • Posted on June 28, 2010 at 11:00 pm

By Phil Anderson

The past five days has been all about Walla Walla (and Washington, in general) wines and hospitality.

It’s all in the rear view mirror
I just wrapped up a five day wine tasting frenzy that started last Wednesday, June 23, in Seattle and finished last night back in Seattle.  What happened in between will take multiple posts to unravel in better detail but I will attempt to give you a general overview through this particular column.  I haven’t broke my notes out yet (and there are aLOT of them, so it really WILL be a general overview, based off my memory.

As you probably already know, if you’ve been reading these missives recently, I won a seat on the WBC or Bust:  The Road to Walla Walla bus with about ten other winning wine bloggers (the ones who didn’t win a seat would be the ”whining” wine bloggers) who wrote something about Washington State Wine and live outside the State of Washington.  There were over 100 entries that were submitted and I feel very blessed and fortunate that I was one of the chosen few to participate in the trip.

Marcus Pape, founder of Wine Chatr, spearheaded the idea of this trip and organized all of the events and participation as well as the sponsorships so that he didn’t have to declare bankrupcy afterwards. 

And off we go
On Wednesday, all of the winners and selected media were collected and put on a bus and thrust up to Woodinville, Washington where we had a private tour of Chateau Ste Michelle given by the white winemaker, Wendy Stuckey, and then offered a wonderful, light food and wine pairing while sitting with the Wendy and culinary Director, John Sarich.

Immediately following we were ushered just across the street to Willows Lodge and a Grand Tasting of select wines from various Woodinville producers poured by the winemakers themselves!  It was a very warm day (finally!) and so some of the wines struggled with getting too warm.  Our group then had lunch at the Barking Frog restaurant which is located in the resort.  It might surprise you to find out we enjoyed some fabulous wines at lunch as well.

After lunch we sashayed back to Seattle for a “change of pace” tasting of some of Seattle’s finest local beer at the Pike Brewery.  I have to tell you, I absolutely love beer, but during this stop I only tasted each beer (about six of them, as I recall) and then dumped the rest in a spit bucket.  Turns out this would be a precurser for the rest of the week while tasting wine.

After checking into the Renaissance Hotel we headed toward the Waterfront Seafood Grill for a Winemakers Dinner.  An outstanding dinner by one of Seattles finest seafood restaurants with superior wine.  We didn’t get out of there and back into our rooms until about 11:00 and we had to be up quite early the next morning.

Morning came quickly
After watching the tail end of the USA Soccer Teams win to advance to the second round of the World Cup we boarded the bus heading East.  Our first stop was at the Cave B Inn for some simple appetizers and, of course, more wine tasting.  This day marked the first day in my wine career that I learned to spit while tasting.  I’m here to tell you that I have been completely converted!  No more swallowing when tasting umpteen wines.

After a brief and (the ONLY, it turns out) non wine stop for burritos we found our way to Milbrandt Vineyards tasting room for a Yakima Vallety Grand Tasting with more food!  Stop after stop, wine after wine.  This stopped featured wines from Washington’s Yakima Valley and everything was scrumptious, except I was not very hungry at that point so I didn’t eat much.

The last stop of the day was in Walla Walla at Walla Walla Vitners for some brick oven baked pizza and some of their fine wines.  They also had chilled beer which I declined because I was enjoying the scenic property while drinking their wine.  I met Colby and Kori

I am enjoying a glass of Walla Walla Vitners finest with Kori Voorhees (M) and Colby Voorhees (R) of Wine Peeps.

 (I had met her the day before in Woodinville) Voorhees of Wine Peeps, which I have as one of the few sites under my blog roll to the upper left of this column.

I poured myself into bed at my bed and breakfast, which I will write more about later because it would take too much time, room and effort now and I wouldn’t be giving it justice.

And we’re off!
On Friday we checked in at the Wine Bloggers Conference registration table at the Marcus Whitman hotel in Walla Walla.  During this first day we tasted wine, were served tacos from

Host Kaz (L) and co-host Randy Hall (R) of Wine Biz Radio, out of Sonoma, California interview me at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA.

a taco truck (it’s better than I make it sound), heard Steve Heimoff deliver a keynote speech, attend the Wine Blogging and the Wine Industry seminar with Craig Camp, Lori Narlock and Bob Silver, took in an hour of speed tasting of 12 different white wines, accepted a Ste. Michelle Wine Estates sparkling wine at the pre dinner reception, then dinner sponsored by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and ending the evening with a Walla Walla walkabout where all the downtown tasting rooms stayed open for us.

WHEW!

Here we go again!
Saturday was, by far, my most favorite day.  After an early 8AM dynamic Terroirs of the Walla Walla Valley talk presented by geologist Kevin Pogue we all boarded 15 different buses that went to three different wineries.  Our bus number 10 stopped at Abeja, Woodward Canyon and Va Piano.  Loved, loved, LOVED this part of the conference!  We met the winemakers at each stop and really learned, in an intimate way, about all the passion that is poured into each wine.

After we got back to the hotel I sat in to listen to Andrea Robinson (whom I met the night before at Walla Walla Vitners), Barbara Evans and David Honig talk  about  Growing Your Audience From Other Bloggers To Consumers.  After this ended I up and ran off to the next one about the use of video in your blog with Lisa Mattson, Andrea Robinson and Christian Oggenfuss.  All very informative.

We did speed tasting with reds, which I must say is a kick, then the pre dinner reception and dinner, both provided by the Washington Wine Commission.  At dinner, Lettie Teague, who now writes about wine for the Wall Street Journal (I miss John and Dottie!) gave a keynote speech which I have to say was completely out of place.  Glasses, plates and silverware (OH MY!) were clinking and you could hardly understand a word she was saying.  Fortunately, she conducted a question and answer session the next morning.

Right after dinner there was MORE WINE as an after hours fiesta with Rias Baixas Albarino and wines from Spain was presented to us.  12 Abarinos from Spain were being poured and, with rare exceptions, they all tasted the same to me.  Of course, my palate could have been destroyed by that point of the night. 

I must have thought the same thing that night as that was my last endeavor for this very long day.

Last day already?
Sunday morning I forced myself out of bed early so I could listen to Lettie Teague answer questions which was very informative–much better than the night before.

Craig Sutton talked about Increasing the Conversion Rate of Your Blog at the first seminar I attended and then we had Top Gun Blogging with Andrew Lazorchak, Ben Simons and Joe Herrig for the last seminar (they actually called them break out sessions) of the conference.

A very action packed Food & Wine Pairing Seminar with energetic chef Jeffrey Saad talked about the “rules of thumb” regarding food pairings.  I learned a lot during his non stop, non scripted talk.  That was a good preview of what was to come:  A Wine & Food Pairing Lunch with Chef “Bear” Ullman that featured five white wine and food combinations and five red wine and food pairings.  I only did the red but it was spectacular!

I barely had time to gather my things in time to load back onto the bus heading West this time.  But the weekend hadn’t ended quite yet, no siree….

Other than Seattle, our last stop was at Alexandria Nicole Cellars for an unbelievable lunch and a tasting of 13 of their wines.  CEO and Winemaker, Jarrod Boyle, took us into heaven and back with the wines he served us.  As we left he graciously allowed us each to take a wine of our choice with us to take home!  What a great way to end this unforgettable weekend.

Even an hour and a half delay over Snoqualmie Pass didn’t cast a shadow on the weekend, though a few of the passengers missed their flights home.

I have to say, this will be an experience that will propel me into the next phase of wine education.  I want to thank Marcus Pape of Wine Chatr as well as each and every person in our group.  We had two Sommeliers in our group as well as media and other bloggers.  I can’t wait to get back to Walla Walla.

Until next time, remember, bottoms up!  (And you don’t have to spit if you don’t want to!)

A Busy June Translates Into Many More Columns!

  • Posted on May 23, 2010 at 3:37 pm

By Phil Anderson

Hello and welcome again to some more little, general wine thoughts that have poured into my head, like a great wine!

As you know I entered the WBC or Bust:  Road to Walla Walla contest for wine bloggers that live and blog outside the state of Washington aBOUT Washington State wines.  (If you glance to the left of where you are reading right now you will notice the big WBC or Bust badge.)  This contest was sponsored by Wine CHATr, and they are actually in my blog roll on the left as well.  As it turns out I have been named as one of the 12 citizen bloggers that have won a seat on the bus traveling from Seattle to Walla Walla!  I am so excited to be going on this trip and my thanks and gratitude goes out to all the judges that voted for me because of what they read in this blog!  Thank you!  I really appreciate it!  (OK, enough exclamation points.)

The reason Walla Walla is the destination is because that is where the  2010 North American Wine Bloggers Conference - the premier conference for new media and the wine industry, will be held.  This three day symposium brings a unique opportunity to learn about and discuss the intersection of wine with the world of new media including blogging, social media, and more.

As you will recall, I wrote about a weekend get-a-way to Walla Walla back in November that completely floored me.  I had never visited Walla Walla and completely enjoyed myself.  This will be my second trip back and I can hardly wait.  To see a list of winners and an itinerary of the trip just go to the WBC-or-BUST: Winners Anounced page.  Some of the highlights will be lunch at The Barking Frog after a Woodinville grand tasting at Willows Lodge, a food and wine pairing experience at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, a winemaker’s dinner at The Waterfront Grill on the Seattle waterfront (go figure), brunch and wine tasting at the Cave B Inn and a Yakima Valley grand tasting in Prosser, Washington, just to name a few!  Just writing this makes me excited AND wanting to have a glass of wine!

As I move backward in the month, I would be remiss not to mention the high school graduation of my daughter, Tabitha.  It’s been a long journey with it’s ups and (many) downs but she looks to be on track to graduate which will make me very proud of her.  That is in the middle of the month.

The first weekend of June, just two weeks from today (!) Shelley and I will, once again, be pouring at the white out table at Taste Washington! Spokane.  We will be pouring between 20-25 white wines that pair very well with seafood.  They station us clerverly right AFTER the Anthonys Seafood Bar.  What I’ve noticed the past couple years is that people make a beeline toward the seafood bar and then, naturally, they stop off at our table to say, “hi” and grab a white that will go with their food.  If you are able to make it to Taste Washington! Spokane this year, it is on June 6, from 5:00-8:30 PM at the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane, an absolutely stunning hotel property, to say the least.  It is mandatory that you stop by and say, “hello” to me and Shelley as I would really like to meet you! 

Last week I had the opportunity to taste 15 (yes, I know, that’s alot!) wines at the Olive Crest Cheers to Kids Wine Tasting Event to Benefit Olive Crest of Eastern Washington.  There were three tables set up that were pouring wines that were included in the cost of the ticket and one additional table that poured five premium wines for an additional cost.

I’m not going to mention all of the wines that I tasted because it would be laborious and boring but I will mention a few that I thought were sensational.

One was a Tempranillo from Finca L. Estacada out of Australia that was fabulous.  Rich and earthy and very luscious.  A Merlot from Terra Blanca was also very good.  A Cabernet Sauvignon from Jones of Washington (a winery I just drove by the other day but it was too late to stop in!) and a Claret from Robert Karl were also worth noting for their depth and complexity.

At the premium table I tried four out of the five that were available, choosing to exclude the Rombauer Chardonnay (because I know it to be VERY oaked).  Of the four I tried three stood out and were magnificant:  Woodward Canyon’s Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags’ Leap Petite Syrah (which I thought was supposed to be spelled Sirah) and Dunham Cellars Pursued By Bear (which has a special story behind it…).

One wine that jumped out at us was Pacific Rim’s Framboise which screams raspberry.  The notes say intense and that merely scratches the surface.  You can put this on ice cream as a topping if you’d like and it would be marvelous.

If you “like” drinking wine you should transfer that “like” over to Facebook as I write almost daily about almost anything to do with wine.  And remember to come by and say, “hi” to me at the white out table at Taste Washington! Spokane on June 6th.  Until then, thank you so much for reading and remember, bottoms up!

With Their Collection of Quality Washington State Wines These Guys Have ‘Dunham’ Right!

  • Posted on April 12, 2010 at 12:10 pm

To date, one of the best wine trips we’ve taken was the trip to Walla Walla last fall.  On that trip there was a short list of wineries that I wanted to make sure we visited and Dunham Cellars was on that list.

Eric Dunham, the winemaker at Dunham Cellars, which is located in Walla Walla, WA, has been making wine for about 15 years and the buzz surrounding Dunham Cellars wines seem to always be, like wine in a glass, swirling.

I’ve had the opportunity to taste wines from Dunham Cellars periodically over the past years.  Like I said, when we visited Walla Walla last November we made their tasting room a priority and didn’t regret it, having also bought a barrel top lazy susan from there that still sits on the island in our kitchen.

I was introduced to Trutina about a year ago when I had the pleasure of enjoying a juicy filet mignon at The Metropolitan Grill in Seattle and a friend of mine brought a 2005 Trutina from Dunham Cellars.  Trutina is Dunhams Bordeaux style blend and their 2005 consisted of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 13% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Franc.  It paired wonderfully with the steak and I will always remember that dinner with great friends, including Dunham Cellars’ Trutina.

Recently we had the luxury of tasting the newest vintage of Trutina, the 2006.  The blend was a bit different this go around as it had 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 3% Syrah.  It has recieved high scores from wine reviewers everywhere which led me to buy this having high expectations.

We served this with rib eye steak, which Shelley prepares to perfection each time, and it paired wonderfully with it.  There was rich raspberries on the nose and black pepper and plums on the taste. 

This is a good spot to write about one of the things I enjoy most about tasting wine and that is the experience.  When you purchase a wine that you are looking forward to drinking, THAT is when the experience begins for me.  You make the conscious decision to choose a particular bottle of wine, in this case it was the Trutina, bring it home and set it on the counter.  As the steaks are marinating you glance over to the bottle, wanting to open it, but withstanding the temptation.

FINALLY, you get to open it, but you still have to WAIT a bit before you pour.  In this case, we let it stand for about a half hour and then poured a small amount in each of our glasses.  That is when the experience really starts taking hold.  We swirl the juice, looking at the color and consistency.  THEN, we gently, albeit eagerly, put our nose in the glass to see what we smell (hmmm, that doesn’t sound right.  We don’t ‘smell what we see’, why do we ‘see what we smell’?  Just wonderin’…).

This can take anywhere from a minute to 3-4 minutes depending on what we’re getting on the nose and the conversation that takes place.  FINALLY, after ALL of that, we get to actually taste the wine.  We slowly taste the wine, swishing it around in our mouth, trying to make contact with each part of the tongue, bringing in air to mix and activate the tastes within the wine…..and swallow.  All of that build-up for a swallow of wine!

After the initial taste we usually dish up and enjoy the meal with the wine.  The sadness comes with the last sip of the wine.  As I swirl the last sip, usually about ten minutes or more, I smell it often, seeing if I can tell any changes to the nose of the wine since I first opened it.  I finally, slowly, take the last sip, let it rest in my mouth until the last possible moment and then……I swallow it.  Reality sets in as I realize the wine is now gone.  It is truly a sad moment.  The only consolation is knowing I will once again be able to enjoy another bottle of wine, probably the next night.

With the Trutina, this was the case as I was very sad when it was all over.  I will wait with frustrating patience until I once again get to go through the process of tasting a bottle of wine.

That is what wine lovers “get” to go through when tasting wines.  Not all wines carry this long experience with them, but the ones that do are so fun because of that.  I hope you’ll get the opportunity to visit Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla.  If you can’t go THERE then bring them to you by purchasing a bottle of their wine.  You won’t be disappointed!

One more thing to note about Eric Dunham is he has collaborated with Kyle MacLachlan to produced a Cabernet Sauvignon under the Pursued By Bear label.  There are two vintages for sale, the 2005 and 2006, which both earned a 91 point rating from Wine Spectator.  If you don’t recognize the name, Kyle MacLachlan, perhaps you will better recognize the name, Orson Hodge, as the character he plays on Desperate Housewives.  Both those wines will run you about $65 a bottle.

You might have noticed that I’ve been writing about Washington Wines a lot recently, which is true.  I’ve been leaning heavy on Washington Wines because:

A)  They’re SO good and SO close and SO good.  And…

B)  …I’m trying to win a seat on the the road to Walla Walla to attend the annual Wine Bloggers Conference in June.  You’ll notice a badge at the top of the column on the left, just below where you sign up to be a member of General Wine Thoughts (which, why haven’t you done THAT already?) that is for the WBC or Bust contest.  It is sponsored by WineCHATr.com and I really want to win a seat on that trip because they will be stopping at all sorts of wineries from Seattle to Walla Walla and it will be a great opportunity to meet and talk with people in and around the world of wine.

And lastly, before I go, I want to ask you, “Are you a fan of wine?”  If you answered ‘yes’ to that then are you a fan of wine on Facebook?  If NOT, then just click here and you TOO can become one!   Thank you!

Until next time, bottoms up and thank you SO much for reading this!

‘Twas The Night Before OTBN…

  • Posted on February 27, 2009 at 10:20 pm

‘Twas the night before OTBN Ten and all through the house…

That’s right, tomorrow is Open That Bottle Night TEN (see previous blog post).  We’ll be on the road so we couldn’t have our annual event, which would have been our third year, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have something fun to open tomorrow night.  I have a little surprise for Shelley, but, where WILL we be?  Twin Falls?  Idaho Falls?  Logan or Provo, Utah?  I’m guessing it will be somewhere in between these points as we make our way down to Southern California.  Wouldn’t it be great if we were going down to wine country?  Ah, but alas, we are going down to pick up her father and visit our kids.  My guess is we’ll probably be in Salt Lake City.  Hmmm, they probably won’t appreciate us having a special bottle of vino, will they?

Oh well.  So here’s the deal, you will have to wait to find out what we’re going to open tomorrow night.  I went into our wine cellar looking for just the right wine but all we have are reds down there and I didn’t think we’d finish a whole bottle by ourselves (I’m not about to let a special bottle of red go to waste by not drinking all of it!) so I’ve opted for a white.  And that’s all I’m telling you–for now anyway.  The next post you’ll real ALLLLL about it!

Last night we had a marvelous pork tenderloin and we opened a bottle of 2005 Sagelands Merlot.  Sagelands is from the Columbia Valley in Washington, located in Walla Walla.  This was a delight.  I got raspberries on the nose and even some terrior.  The taste was very mellow and Shelley commented on the tannins.  It went very well with the pork.  Shelley made this wonderful raspberry sauce and it all paired very well with the wine.

Well, tomorrow will be a long day but we’ll have our special bottle of wine to look forward to when we reach our destination, wherever that might be.  I hope you have pulled a special bottle for you to open yourself and share it with somebody or somebody’s special.

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