Wine Peeps

During our cross-country road trip, we have been taking in some sporting events, mostly Major League Baseball games.

Actually, our first ballpark was not a ballpark at all, but Churchill Downs, the famous horse track and site of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. On Derby Day, they served a choice of Fetzer Chardonnay, Zinfandel, or Merlot for $5/glass. The price was better than I expected for a house wine at such a prestigious event and Fetzer is not a half bad value wine. Of course, the drink of choice at the Derby is a $9 Mint Julep.

Our next ballpark was the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, home of the Cincinnati Reds. While beer was the obvious beverage of choice there, they served four different wines: Beringer White Zinfandel, and Woodbridge Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all at $6.50/glass. Why wine prices were higher in Cincinnati than at the Derby, I’m not sure.

Progressive Field in Cleveland was the next stop on our ballpark tour. It was harder to find wine there than in the previous two venues, but I finally found wine being offered in the Marketplace Pavilion bar in the centerfield bleachers area. They were offering Woodbridge Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon at $7/glass. At least they were serving it in an actual wine glass, rather than in a plastic cup as many ballparks do.

The next stop on our ballpark tour was Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. As you can imagine from the name of the title sponsor, Miller, there were a plethora of stands selling beer, but none selling wine. The only wine available was at a Friday’s restaurant, but none sold at any of the concession stands for the average fan.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ new Busch Stadium was our next stop. I suspected that wine might not be found here either, but that was not the case. They served three different Gallo wines at $6.25/glass, Chardonnay, Merlot, and White Zinfandel.

The final stop on our ballpark tour was Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, home of the Colorado Rockies. As in Milwaukee and St. Louis, I was skeptical of finding wine at the concession stands, but I actually found two different wine offerings. At the bar on the Club level, they were selling Glen Ellen Chardonnay, Merlot, and White Zinfandel, and at a concession stand they were offering Woodbridge Chardonnay and Merlot, all at $6/glass.

As I look back at the six sporting venues we visited, a few things are clear:

1. Ballparks are primarily beer country; wine is a secondary offering.
2. Wine consumers at the ballpark are, for the most part, not very discriminating. If they were, I believe that the offerings would be better and more diverse.
3. I’ve always thought that Zinfandel (Red) is the best pairing with ballpark food such as hot dogs, but none of the ballparks we visited even had it.

In sum, I’d have to say that the Kentucky Derby beat all of the ballparks in giving the most bang-for-the-buck on wine. And, as a bonus, we got to see Big Brown, who may prove to be one of the greatest racehorses of all time.

Wine rating services, wine critics, wine journalists, and wine bloggers are useful but don’t follow them blindly. Learn which critics tend to like what you like and then let them lead you to some new wine possibilities. Remember, in the end, it’s what tastes good to you, what you like that counts.

While the points ratings of the wine critics are useful for comparative worth purposes, good descriptions of the wines and what they taste like is even more valuable.

As Matt Skinner says in Thirsty Work,

“…wine is a little bit like music or art. What you and I like may be two completely different things, but at the end of the day neither one of us is right—we just have different tastes.”

Even world-renowned taster/critic Robert Parker states,

“There can never be a substitute for your own palate, nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.”

If you do want to have online access to vast databases of wine reviews and articles on wine and the wine business, you can subscribe to one or more competent services such as eRobertParker.com or Wine Spectator Online.

Remember, the most important thing to do after you’ve read any reviews, articles, or blog posts is to get out there and taste the wines for yourself. Make notes as to what you think and compare them to what the “experts” said. Figure out what sources most closely match your tastes so that you can refer back to them for reference. Never be embarrassed by what you like. After all, wine is a beverage to be enjoyed!

“I’m a big fan of Shiraz…great quality and value.” –Francis Ford Coppola

While virtually every wine lover is familiar with Syrah from the Rhone Valley in France and Shiraz [sha-RAZZ] from Australia, I am more and more impressed with the quality of Shiraz/Syrah from areas not traditionally known for this grape, such as Washington and California in the United States as well as Chile and South Africa. It is beginning to look like Shiraz/Syrah might become the new Cabernet Sauvignon; a grape that dominates some regions but also makes good wine almost everywhere it is grown.

For example, legendary Penfolds Grange winemaker John Duval from Australia not only has his own Shiraz/Syrah label Down Under [Entity] but also has projects in Washington State [Sequel] and Chile [Pangea].

In California, the Wine Spectator’s James Laube says that Syrah is proving to be that state’s most versatile grape, with two dominate styles emerging. He says that “one features spicy, peppery, wild berry flavors, with tight tannins and pleasant earthy notes, modeled after the wines of Northern Rhone. The other is a riper, more opulent, berry-centered style, more reminiscent of Aussie Shiraz.”

Speaking of Australian Shiraz, many wine aficionados mistakenly think Australia is a newcomer to the wine production business because their imports to the United States have only exploded since the 1980’s. However, when you visit Australia, you quickly realize that the wine industry there is actually older than in the USA when you see winery cornerstones dated from the 1840’s and 1850’s. In fact, Australia has some of the oldest continuously producing vineyards in the world, some over 100 years old. The reason for these ancient vines is that Australia has been free from phylloxera, the pest that ravaged the vineyards of France and California making it necessary to replant vines in those areas by grafting onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock.

It will be interesting to follow the evolution of Shiraz/Syrah in the many new areas of production and see if it will in fact become the next Cab.

What is the best Shiraz/Syrah that you’ve ever had?

In recent weeks, we’ve reported from the road on winery visits in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. Today, I’ll report on our wine tasting visits in Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nebraska.

On the way out of Cincinnati, Ohio, we stopped at Ohio’s oldest and largest winery, Meier’s Wine Cellars. It was almost a replay of the wineries we visited in Tennessee, meaning that Ohio is not serious premium wine country. As the tasting room hostess explained, their customer base likes sweet, fruity wines so that is what they produce. We did our best to smile and taste about a half dozen of their selections, but there wasn’t anything I would write home about, so I won’t.

In Wisconsin, between Milwaukee and Green Bay, we stopped in the old historic town of Cedarburg to visit the Cedar Creek Winery. It was a fun visit in their tasting room because of the knowledge and friendliness of the tasting room hostess. While Cedar Creek and their sister winery produce a total of over 80,000 cases per year, it is virtually all sold in the state of Wisconsin. They can and do ship to about twelve states, but Washington is no longer one they can ship to, even though five of the wines they make are produced with Washington grapes. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Washington is happy to let them buy grapes but not to sell back wine produced with those grapes to consumers in Washington State. Once again, Washington’s reputation is suffering from these kinds of nonsensical rules.

While none of the wines we tasted made from Wisconsin grapes were outstanding, several were pleasant sipping wines at very reasonable prices that I would have purchased if they could ship to Washington. The visit was not all for naught because I was able to add several grape varieties to my Wine Century Club list: Seyval Blanc (white), Lacrosse (red), and St. Pepin (red).

In Branson, Missouri, we visited three wine tasting rooms to get a flavor for Missouri wines. While Missouri is primarily a sweet wine state, as have been most mid-America states, they do produce some decent dry wines as well. The most notable is Norton, a dry red varietal native to Missouri.

Our first stop was at the Lindwedel Wine Garden. We found out that Lindwedel is actually a wine retailer, not a producer, but they do sell several wines under their own label, the NV Lindwedel Norton and the NV Lindwedel Norton Port.

Next we visited the Stone Hill Winery tasting room. Stone Hill is one of Missouri’s oldest and largest wineries. We thought their best wine was a 2004 Stone Hill Norton. Other wines we tasted were a 2005 Stone Hill Port, a 2006 Stone Hill Chardonel (Chardonnay/Seyval Blanc blend), a 2005 Stone Hill Chambourcin, and a NV Stone Hill Cream Sherry.

Our third and final stop of the day was at Mount Pleasant Winery, a new and obviously well-funded operation out of Augusta, Missouri. Their Branson tasting room has only been open five weeks, but is it clear that they intend to be a serious player in the premium wine business in Missouri. I’d like to come back in five years and see what they have accomplished. They appear to be one of the few Missouri wineries having any success growing the traditional reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Our favorite of their wines was the NV Mount Pleasant Tawny Port. We also liked their 2001 Mount Pleasant Vintage Port and their 2005 Mount Pleasant Norton, although the Norton appears overpriced at $35. Other Mount Pleasant wines we tasted were the 2004 Mount Pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2004 Mount Pleasant Claret, and the NV Mount Pleasant Villagio (white blend).

The night after we visited the wineries we got a take-out pizza for dinner and took it back to our room to have a private tasting of three Missouri Norton wines. We blind tasted the NV Lindwedel Norton, the 2004 Stone Hill Norton, and the 2005 Mount Pleasant Norton. We easily agreed that the Mount Pleasant was our favorite, the Lindwedel was our second choice, and the Stone Hill came in third. This pretty well verified our preliminary rankings when we visited each of the wineries.

From our limited sampling of Missouri wines, it seems apparent that while Missouri has traditionally had a sweet and fruit wine emphasis geared toward tourists, there are now serious vintners trying to develop a premium wine industry with traditional grapes as well as the notable local grapes such as Norton.

From Missouri, we drove up to Nebraska and visited Nebraska’s largest winery, James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond, Nebraska. We tasted six of their dry red wines, all made from Nebraska grown grapes. None of their wines were from traditional varietals because of their cold northern location and short growing season. Although I did not classify any of their offerings as outstanding, two were pretty good, and we did add three new varieties to our Wine Century Club list: De Chaunac, Frontenac, and St. Croix.

Their best wine was a 2005 James Arthur St. Croix. Other wines we tasted were the 2006 James Arthur Frontenac, the NV James Arthur Reserve Rouge (St. Croix/St. Vincent blend), the NV James Arthur Nebraska Red (St. Croix/ St. Vincent/Foch blend), the 2006 James Arthur Game Bird Red (St. Vincent), and 2005 James Arthur De Chaunac.

Out of the four mid-America states in which we sampled wines (Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nebraska), Missouri appears to be the most serious about premium wine production and the state with the most overall wine potential.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted many different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with state, price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
NV Mount Pleasant Tawny Port, Missouri, $30, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2001 Mount Pleasant Vintage Port, Missouri, $25, QPR: 5
NV Lindwedel Norton, Missouri, $22, QPR: 4
2005 Mount Pleasant Norton, Missouri, $35, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Stone Hill Port, Missouri, $20, QPR: 5
NV Lindwedel Norton Port, Missouri, $25, QPR: 4
2004 Stone Hill Norton, Missouri, $19, QPR: 3
2004 Mount Pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon, Missouri, $40, QPR: 3
2005 James Arthur St. Croix, Nebraska, $17, QPR: 1
2006 James Arthur Frontenac, Nebraska, $15, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Stone Hill Chardonel, Missouri, $11, QPR: NR
2005 Stone Hill Chambourcin, Missouri, $16, QPR: NR
NV Stone Hill Cream Sherry, Missouri, $16, QPR: NR
2004 Mount Pleasant Claret, Missouri, $19, QPR: NR
NV James Arthur Reserve Rouge, Nebraska, $14, QPR: NR
NV James Arthur Nebraska Red, Nebraska, $14, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
NV Mount Pleasant Villagio, Missouri, $12, QPR: NR
2006 James Arthur Game Bird Red, Nebraska, $15, QPR: NR

Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 James Arthur De Chaunac, Nebraska, $12, QPR: NR

We recently had another one of our double-blind private tastings. All we knew when we sat down for dinner was that these two wines were red, but we did not know their region of origin or varietal. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer back to my Private Tasting: Rioja post from February.

We enjoyed these two wines with Mom’s excellent chicken cacciatore dinner. All four of us Wine Peeps thought both wines were good and they both went well with the meal. When we pulled off the sacks after dinner to see what we had been drinking, we found two Cabernet Sauvignons, one from Washington and the other from Australia. In the head-to-head, we gave the nod to the 2004 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. We found it to be just a bit better overall than the 2006 Evil [R Wines] Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. But I would gladly drink either of these wines again in the future. Please note that both are five-bangs-for-your-buck wines.

Once again, Columbia Crest comes through with an excellent wine. They continue to amaze me with the quality they are able to produce year in and year out. Their Reserve line is considered their top line with production of 20,000 cases per year.

If you are a regular reader, you know that we are big fans of Australian wines, especially Australian Shiraz. However, this Evil Cab just goes to show that there is more to Australian wine than just Shiraz. And like many other Australian wines, this one represents an outstanding value. In addition, the name and packaging are fun as well. While it’s not the most sophisticated bottle around and probably not one you would want to take to your boss, it could be a fitting gift for your quirky friend or maybe even your in-laws.

2004 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Dark, inky purple with aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and spice. Black fruits and milk chocolate come through on the palate. Well-balanced with smooth tannins and a long finish. Very good from the first sip right on through the meal.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine.com (Washington), $28.99

2006 Evil [R Wines] Cabernet Sauvignon (South Eastern Australia): Dark, inky purple. Aromas and flavors of black fruits, chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon. Opens up the longer the bottle is open.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $9.99; K&L Wine Merchants (California), $8.99

“What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile.” –William Sokolin

The two biggest dangers to wine are wide temperature fluctuations and high temperatures for a sustained period of time. For wines that you plan to consume in the next week to the next year, which will probably be most of your wine, a dark, low-vibration closet in a home or apartment with a normal household temperature of 68 to 72 degrees is fine. It’s also wise to store your wine flat, so that the wine remains in contact with the cork and keeps the cork from drying out. Actually, the color and thickness of the wine bottle itself are inherently a great help in protecting the wine as well.

Only for those few collectible wines that merit aging for years before consumption do you need to be concerned with a temperature- and humidity-controlled facility. Unless you have literally hundreds of these elite bottles, a refrigerated wine storage unit is probably your best bet. Unlike a standard refrigerator, these units keep wine at an ideal temperature of about 55 degrees and 70 percent humidity, with a minimum of vibration. We have had good luck with a EuroCave unit, but there are several other top brands with good reputations.

Base your wine inventory on what you eat and how you entertain. Always have a little sparkling wine on hand for an aperitif (before dinner drink) and the occasional celebration. Have some good whites (we generally have Sauvignon Blanc in our household) and plenty of reds. For the reds, you’ll want some Shiraz/Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel, and fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon for immediate consumption, and possibly some special Bordeaux, Bordeaux-style blends, and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz/Syrah to put away for those future special occasions. Finally, you’ll want a few wines to complement your special desserts, such as Moscato or late-harvest Riesling.

More wine is ruined by being too warm than too cold. When in doubt, serve a wine colder than you might think necessary.

Robert Mondavi, winemaking legend and Napa Valley pioneer, passed away this morning at the age of 94.

Mondavi played an integral role in putting United States wine on the map worldwide. We are very grateful for all he did for the wine industry.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. May he rest in peace.

Our next stops on our road trip across these United States of America were Tennessee and Kentucky. We headed for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and visited three Tennessee wineries, Mountain Valley Winery, Apple Barn Winery, and Smoky Mountain Winery. My opinion after these three visits is that Tennessee is not yet serious wine country. The only wines I could recommend (and barely at that) were Merlots using Washington State grapes. Everything else, using local grapes, was pretty weak in my opinion. There was an emphasis on sweet wines made from local area grapes and quite a few fruit wines. It is probably no coincidence that the preference is for sweet tea in restaurants as well.

The one unique thing we found on our Tennessee winery visits was at Smoky Mountain Winery where they served each taste of wine in a small plastic jigger, or church communion cup, rather than in a wine glass. I was able to taste several varietals I’d never had before, adding to my Wine Century Club list, even though they were not of notable quality: Niagara, Catawba, Muscadine, and Norton (called Cynthiana in Tennessee).

Heading on down the road to Kentucky, we toured three Kentucky wineries near Lexington. We were told that the first commercial winery in the United States originated in Kentucky in 1798. Later, the wine industry pretty much died in Kentucky before being revitalized mainly by tobacco growers who have switched their tobacco fields to grape vines. We wondered if we might get a hint of tobacco in some of the wines, but we did not.

As in Tennessee, I was able to taste several varietals in Kentucky that I’d never had before, including Chambourcin, St. Vincent, and Traminette. Chambourcin is a grape I wouldn’t mind trying again. Most of the wines we tasted were produced from Kentucky grown grapes, but there were a few made from out-of-state grapes which they were forthright in disclosing.

Our first stop was at Talon Winery and Vineyards. They have a beautiful, apparently well-funded operation, but only five acres of grapes currently in production. They had the best wine we tasted in Kentucky, a 2005 Talon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was a little pricey at $50. We also tasted their 2004 Talon Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Talon Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Talon Chambourcin, and the 2005 Talon Traminette. Talon sells wine in their tasting room, offers a wine club, and does ship out-of-state.

Our next stop was the Jean Farris Winery. They had a few good wines, but only one was a good value, the NV Jean Farris Marito Red (a blend of Chambourcin and St. Vincent). Other wines we tasted there were the NV Jean Ferris Tempest (a Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc blend), the NV Jean Ferris Syrah, the 2006 Jean Ferris Viognier, and the NV Jean Ferris Marito White (a blend of Vidal Blanc and Viognier).

Our third and final winery visit in Kentucky was at Chrisman Mill Vineyards near Nicholasville. They have been in business about ten years and sell primarily through their tasting room and a few local stores. They had the second best wine we tasted, a 2005 Chrisman Mill First Vineyard Reserve (a blend of Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc) which is a good value wine. We also tasted their 2005 Chrisman Mill Norton, the NV Chrisman Mill Vidal, the 2005 Chrisman Mill Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2006 Chrisman Mill Ensemble (Vidal Blanc).

In sum, from our limited sample, there appears to be more serious winemaking going on in Kentucky than in Tennessee. The wineries also seem to be working together well in promoting each other. It would be interesting to come back in ten years and see the progress in the wine industry in Kentucky.

Here’s a recap of the wines we tasted in Kentucky, in our order of preference. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices.

2005 Talon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $50

2005 Chrisman Mill First Vineyard Reserve
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2004 Talon Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2005 Talon Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

NV Jean Farris Marito Red
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $14

2005 Chrisman Mill Norton
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

NV Chrisman Mill Vidal
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $11

NV Jean Ferris Syrah
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $32

2005 Talon Chambourcin
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

NV Jean Ferris Tempest
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $35

2006 Jean Ferris Viognier
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $19

2005 Chrisman Mill Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $20

2006 Chrisman Mill Ensemble
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $14

NV Jean Ferris Marito White
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $13

2005 Talon Traminette
Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $13.50

This event, held last weekend at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus, brought together two of my favorite things, Huskies and wine. As a graduate of the University of Washington, I am a tried and true Husky fan. In fact one of my favorite pastimes is attending UW sporting events with my family. So an event that features wine and supports the Huskies is right up my alley. In its third year, Toast to the Northwest featured about 40 wineries or wine companies (distributors, importers, etc), food vendors, and even a few breweries that are all located in the Pacific Northwest. The proceeds from this event benefit the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band. As you might expect, there was also fabulous live music.

As with any event like this, it is impossible to taste all of the wines offered. So Colby and I chose to visit the booths for wineries whose wines we had not previously tasted or had not tasted in a long time. We made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites.

Our most exciting discovery of the day was Chandler Reach Vineyards. I had not previously tasted (nor even heard of) their wines. We tasted the two red wines they were offering, the 2005 Corella (72% Sangiovese, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah) and the 2005 Monte Regalo (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah), and loved them both. Chandler Reach is located in Benton City, Washington, along the Yakima River. Inspired to start his own winery during a trip to Italy, owner Len Parris set his sights on “bringing Tuscany to Washington.” Founded in 1997, Chandler Reach’s winemaking focus is on Italian-style wines and their tasting room resembles a Tuscan villa.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 20 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chandler Reach Corella, Yakima Valley, $16.35, QPR: 5
2005 Chandler Reach Monte Regalo, Yakima Valley, $20, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Patit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $29, QPR: 5
2005 Saint Laurent Estate Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $22, QPR: 4
2006 Alamos Seleccione Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $14, QPR: 4

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Tilia Malbec-Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina, $9.50, QPR: 5
2003 Kiona Cabernet-Merlot, Washington State, $11.99, QPR: 5
2005 Sawtooth Viognier, Idaho, $8.49, QPR: 4
2005 Waterbrook Melange, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: 4
2005 Zerba Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2006 Maryhill Viognier, Columbia Valley, $14.99, QPR: 3
2005 Glen Fiona Walla Walla Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $19.99, QPR: 3
2002 Kiona Red Mountain Estate Cabernet, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: 3

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Sawtooth Syrah, Idaho, $12.99, QPR: NR
2006 Waterbrook Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: NR
2005 Zerba Columbia Valley Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2002 Glen Fiona Cabernet, Columbia Valley, $29.99, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Block 8 Syrah, Red Mountain, $40, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
NV Kestrel Lady in Red, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: NR

Protectionism was one of the main causes of the Great Depression, yet we seem to have to relearn that lesson over and over again in both national and state politics. Here in the state of Washington, our legislators once again this year failed to listen to the lessons of history and pass a bill (SB6384) to allow wine to be shipped freely from retailers to consumers in the state of Washington.

Instead they listened to the protectionist rhetoric of the large wineries and distributors and lapped up the money that their lobbyists so generously provide. When are our legislators going to think for themselves and do what is right for the consumers of Washington State? After all, this is a democracy. When we let the free enterprise system work without artificial restraints such as these, it functions best. Artificial barriers only seem to work in the short run, but they will kill those they are designed to protect in the long run, our Washington wineries and distributors.

I have been a big fan of Washington wines for many years, and we have touted them energetically wherever we go in our wine travels and on this blog. But I am embarrassed by the recent actions of our Washington Liquor Control Board which I understand has been writing threatening letters to retailers around the country demanding that they cease shipments to Washington wine buyers. I realize that the board is only trying to enforce the law, but do they, our legislature, and our Washington wineries and distributors not understand that life is a two-way street? We need retailers around the country touting Washington wines. Do you think these threats help the image of the Washington wine industry around the country and get wine retailers excited about promoting our wines? Of course not! And if we continue our protectionist rules, the Chateau Ste Michelle/Columbia Crest group, for example, may find itself not being able to sell in other states someday.

The straw that broke the camels back for me personally was when I could not find an Australian wine that I like in local Seattle area stores as I have in the past and went online to see where I might find it. When I found it at an online retailer I had purchased through before and placed an order, the order was rejected by the retailer saying that they could no longer ship to a customer in Washington State. I guess they must have received the infamous letter. That is nuts!

The State of Washington has a law that benefits in-state wineries, distributors, and retailers to the disadvantage of out-of-state competitors. In addition to being shortsighted, as I have said above, this kind of law should also run afoul of what constitutional lawyers call the “dormant Commerce Clause.”

In “dormant Commerce Clause” cases, the Supreme Court has held that the federal Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which authorizes Congress to regulate commerce “among the several states,” is more than a grant of power. Rather, according to the Court, the Clause also contains an implicit prohibition, insofar as the Clause reflects America’s intent to be an integrated and unbalkanized economic whole generally free from parochial tariffs and other barriers to trade that states might erect to try to protect their local industries from out-of-state competition. Thus, according to Court doctrine, if state laws that discriminate against out-of-state firms are ever to be upheld, it must be because of Congressional permission or some other unusual and compelling circumstance.

In simple English, if this is truly the United States of America, we need to eliminate these protectionist state laws, which are probably illegal and without question not of long-term economic benefit to the individual states, and instead, have laws that let me, you, and all other consumers buy whatever wine we want to buy, wherever we can find it, from whomever we want to buy it, whether in-state or out-of-state.

So what do you and other Washington wine consumers do in the meantime? Here are some suggestions:

1. Write your state legislator explaining your displeasure.
2. Write the big wineries and distributors explaining your displeasure and how this law may backfire on them in the future.
3. Buy one less bottle of Washington wine for every bottle you are denied buying elsewhere and notify the Washington winery that loses your business.

Have you had similar problems having wine shipped to you in Washington State from out-of-state retailers? Does this protectionist law upset you as much as it upsets me? Please share your story. We would love to hear if you have some better ideas on how we can restore the democratic process in Washington State on wine sales.