Owen Roe works primarily with smaller vineyards in the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Yakima Valley in Washington State. Both of these areas have cooler climates that yield fruit with low pH and excellent acidity. All of the grapes used by Owen Roe are hand harvested, handled with minimal processing, small-lot fermented, and aged in French Oak barrels.

We had the pleasure to visit Owen Roe during a recent visit to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. I highly encourage you to do the same the next time you are in the area; but plan ahead, they are open by appointment only. We tasted nine wines, and our favorite was the 2009 Ex Umbris Syrah. It is outstanding. As you will see from my notes and ratings below, Owen Roe produces a number of wines worth checking out if you see them on the shelf at your local wine shop or on a restaurant wine list.

2009 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah (Columbia Valley): Deep, dark purple. Nice nose with dark black licorice and black fruit aromas. Very vibrant fruit, blackberry, black cherry, licorice, and herbal notes come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity, and medium to high, silky tannins. Well-balanced with good mouthfeel and a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $22 to $33

2010 Owen Roe Sinister Hand Red Wine (Columbia Valley): 71% Grenache, 24% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre. Deep purple. Aromatic with strawberry, red cherry, game, and spice on the nose. Black cherry, game, spice, and a hint of coffee come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity, smooth tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $20 to $30

2009 Owen Roe Yakima Valley Red Wine (Yakima Valley, Washington): 59% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, purplish red. Nice nose with blackberry, black cherry, thick jam, and liqueur aromas. Black cherry, blackberry, licorice, spice, and a hint of earth come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and smooth tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $42; Available elsewhere, $35 to $50

2008 Owen Roe Rosa Mystica Cabernet Franc (Yakima Valley, Washington): Deep, garnet red. Beautiful nose with black fruit, earth, herbal, and vegetal aromas. Flavors of black cherry, black plum, bell pepper, white pepper, and earth. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, and dry yet smooth tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $42; Available elsewhere, $33 to $47

2008 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah (Columbia Valley): Deep, dark purple. Gorgeous nose with blackberry, black plum, and spice rack aromas. Deep, rich black fruit, espresso bean, and mocha come through on the palate Full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $22 to $29

2010 Owen Roe Abbot’s Table Red Wine (Columbia Valley): 48% Sangiovese, 15% Blaufrankisch, 14% Zinfandel, 14% Malbec, 7% Syrah, and 2% Merlot. Deep purple. Nice nose with red and black fruit. Jammy with ripe fruit, blueberry, plum, and cherry on the palate. Medium-bodied with lively acidity, smooth tannins, and a long finish. An approachable table wine.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $23; Available elsewhere, $17 to $27

2010 Owen Roe Chardonnay (Columbia Valley): Light straw yellow. Nice nose with apple, pear, and a touch of vanilla aromas and flavors. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $21

2009 Owen Roe Slide Mountain Cabernet Franc (Yakima Valley, Washington): Deep, dark purplish red. Gorgeous nose with meat, game, and blackberry aromas. Black cherry, game, and a touch of vegetal notes come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $72; Available elsewhere, $57 to $72

2009 Owen Roe Durant Vineyard Pinot Noir (Durant Vineyard, Dundee Hills, Oregon): Medium rusty red. Aromas of cherry, berry, herbs, and a hint of earth on the nose; cherry, strawberry, herbs, and earth on the palate. Medium-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long, slightly rough, finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $42

Owen Roe Winery: David O’ Reilly Took His Dream Solo was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

While Sineann is located in Newberg, Oregon, in the heart of Pinot Noir country, and Rosback got his start with that grape, his portfolio of wines includes much more than Pinot. Almost all of his wines are single-vineyard designated from vineyards in Oregon, Washington, California, and even New Zealand. Sineann’s Sauvignon Blanc is closed with a screwcap while all of the other wines are sealed with glass closures.

We had the pleasure to visit Sineann during a recent visit to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. I highly encourage you to do the same the next time you are in the area. We tasted a total of 17 wines. Our favorites were the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux from Champoux Vineyards in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills and the 2008 The Precious Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from the Columbia Gorge. Both are outstanding. Sineann also makes another dessert wine that I would love to try called Sweet Sydney, named for one of Rosback’s daughters. Sydney just happens to be the name of our daughter, too. Sweet Sydney is a limited production Zinfandel icewine, and, unfortunately for us, was all sold out when we visited. As you will see from my notes and ratings below, Sineann produces a number of wines worth checking out if you see them on the shelf at your local wine shop or on a restaurant wine list.

Our favorites:

2009 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux Vineyard (Columbia Valley): Deep, dark purplish red in color. Nice nose with blackberry, black cherry, chocolate, and coffee aromas. Big black fruits, chocolate, and espresso bean comes through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lively with big yet smooth tannins. Well-balanced with good complexity and a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $42; Available elsewhere, $36 to $62

2008 Sineann The Precious Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Columbia Gorge): Light amber brown color. Extremely aromatic with honey, caramel, prune, and dried apricot on both the nose and palate. Very sweet and sticky, medium to full-bodied with good acidity, and a long, yummy white peach finish. Residual Sugar: 43%
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24 [375ml]; Available elsewhere, $23 to $25

Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the wines that we tasted during our visit:

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Mountain, California, $42, QPR: 5
2007 Sineann Pinot Noir Lachini, Willamette Valley, $36, QPR: 4
2009 Sineann Old Vine Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $39, QPR: 4
2009 Sineann Petit Verdot, Champoux Vineyard, Columbia Valley, $48, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2009 Sineann Abondante Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 4
2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2007 Sineann Pinot Noir Schindler, Willamette Valley, $36, QPR: 4
2009 Sineann Merlot Champoux, Columbia Valley, $36, QPR: 3
2010 Sineann Pinot Noir Resonance, Yamhill-Carlton, $42, QPR: 3
2010 Sineann Pinot Noir Yates Conwill, Yamhill-Carlton, $42, QPR: 3
2010 Sineann Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $20, QPR: 2

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2009 Sineann Cross-Check Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 4
2009 Sineann CJ Port Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 3
2009 Sineann Pinot Noir, Oregon, $30, QPR: 3
2010 Sineann Gewurztraminer Resonance, Willamette Valley, $18, QPR: 2

Sineann’s Peter Rosback…a Jack of Many Vineyards was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

While researching Korean food and what wines to pair with it, I learned that it is often difficult to find wines that will pair well with these dishes. Korean dishes are usually high in acid, which can pose a challenge when trying to find wines that will work with them. As I started looking for wines that would go with Korean foods, I learned that most often white wines are chosen. However, since I decided to prepare a beef dish, I really wanted to find some red wines to pair with it.

Beef bulgogi is basically a marinated barbecued beef. Bulgogi means “fire meat” in Korean because it is cooked over an open flame. I marinated the meat and then cooked it on the grill. The meat and white rice were wrapped in a red leaf lettuce and served with a side dish of kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of fermented napa cabbage, radishes, green onions, and sometimes cucumbers. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor of the kimchi; it was very good and spicy.

One of the guidelines for food and wine pairing is to go for a match. Since Korean cuisine is high in acid, we decided to pair the beef bulgogi and kimchi with red wines that were also high in acid. The two acids cancel each other out and all of the other flavors come forward. We selected the 2009 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir from Oregon and the 2008 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti Le Orme Superiore from Italy. Both wines were excellent. Before we had any food, we especially enjoyed the Barbera; however, with the meal, the higher acidity in the Pinot Noir made it the consensus favorite as the best pairing.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir (Oregon): Medium-deep ruby red in color. Aromatic with red fruit, perfume, and floral notes on the nose. Sour cherry, strawberry, and floral notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with tart acidity and soft tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish. Great with food.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $23.29; Available elsewhere, $20 to $32

2008 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti Le Orme Superiore (Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Piedmont, Italy): Medium-deep ruby red in color. Nice nose with earth and red fruit aromas. Fruit-forward with ripe red fruit, especially cherry and raspberry, earth, and black licorice on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and medium, smooth tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.49; Available elsewhere, $12 to $14

Challenging Wine Pairing: Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Jerk is a Jamaican cooking style where the meats are either dry rubbed or wet marinated with a number of ingredients including a mixture of spices such as allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon (just to name a few), garlic, and hot peppers. Today, the usual process is to prepare a hot spicy rub and cook the meat on the grill.

The full menu for this meal included the jerked chicken topped with sour cream and roasted raspberry chipotle sauce, tri-color cheese tortellini salad, pineapple beach bread, and key lime pie for dessert.

After referring to my favorite guide for pairing food and wine, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, we decided to go with a rosé and a sparkling wine. We enjoyed the 2010 Trust Cellars Cabernet Franc Rosé from the Columbia Valley in Washington State and the 2007 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Both wines were excellent; however, the rosé was the consensus favorite with the meal while the sparkling wine was the favorite prior to having it with the food.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2010 Trust Cellars Cabernet Franc Rosé (Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium salmon-pink in color. Very aromatic with cherry, strawberry, and raspberry on the nose. More cherry as well as watermelon and pear come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced and very refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $15.99; Available elsewhere, $17

2007 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (Willamette Valley, Oregon): 63% Chardonnay and 37% Pinot Noir. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Nice nose with banana and apple aromas. Apple, pear, and a hint of pineapple come through on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied and crisp. Well-balanced with a long finish. An excellent bubbly.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $21.99; Available elsewhere, $19 to $29

Challenging Wine Pairing: Jerked Chicken was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

While I love blackened fish of any kind, I wanted to try something different for this pairing. I grilled the fish, topped it with zydeco sauce, and then garnished it with crawfish tails and baby shrimp. Zydeco sauce is a creamy sauce made with mayonnaise, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire, dry mustard, Tabasco sauce, and red pepper flakes. It is spicy but can be prepared to your desired level of spiciness.

The full menu for this meal included a spinach salad with a white balsamic dressing, the rockfish with sauce and toppings, dirty rice, and steamed broccoli.

We decided to try the meal with a white and a red wine and selected a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir. We enjoyed the 2009 Adelsheim Pinot Gris and the 2008 Siduri Pinot Noir, both from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We enjoyed both wines very much; however, the consensus favorite prior to the meal and paired with the food was the Pinot Gris.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Adelsheim Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Pale, greenish yellow. Aromatic with green apple, pear, and a hint of lemon on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, and lime come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $13.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $21

2008 Siduri Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon): Medium-deep red. Moderately aromatic with cherry, earth, and bacon on both the nose and palate. Medium-bodied and lively with medium, soft tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World Warehouse (Seattle, Washington), $26.99; Available elsewhere, $24 to $30

Challenging Wine Pairing: Grilled Rockfish with Zydeco Sauce was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

The menu for this pairing consisted of the Thai red curry beef dish, rice, sautéed snow peas, and fresh mango. As with most of our challenging wine pairing dinners, I consulted What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to determine what wines to pair with the meal.

While there are a number of wines that can be paired with this dish, we decided to go with a Zinfandel blend and a Merlot. We enjoyed the 2009 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel blend from California’s Sonoma County and a 2007 Watermill Merlot from the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. While both wines were excellent, three of the four of us preferred the Zinfandel blend with the meal.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Ridge Three Valleys (Sonoma County, California): 70% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 15% Carignane, 3% Grenache, and 2% Mataro. Deep, dark purplish red. Nice nose with red cherry, clove, and spice aromas. Flavors of red fruits, particularly strawberry, and spice. Medium to full-bodied with medium, soft tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $22.79; Available elsewhere, $18 to $29

2007 Watermill Merlot (Walla Walla Valley, Oregon): Deep, dark purple. Aromatic with black fruits, especially black cherry and black plum, and smoke on the nose. More black cherry, black plum, coffee, and baker’s chocolate come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $22

Challenging Wine Pairing: Thai Red Curry Beef was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

We recently had the opportunity to taste several wines from Cana’s Feast Winery in a blind samples tasting, the 2009 Counoise, the 2007 Primitivo, and the 2008 Cabernet Franc. The fruit for these three wines was sourced from vineyards in Washington State. I found the Counoise to be particularly compelling. Not a variety that you run across every day here in the Pacific Northwest, Counoise is primarily grown in the Rhône Valley of France. Cana’s Feast specializes in Italian and Bordeaux varieties, hence the Primitivo and Cabernet Franc.

Cana’s Feast boasts a Tuscan-style winery near downtown Carlton and is one of the few Oregon wineries with an on-site restaurant. The Cucina features Mediterranean-inspired menus and offers views of the Coast Range and the winery’s bocce courts.

2009 Cana’s Feast Counoise (Coyote Canyon Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium ruby red in color. Nice nose with raspberry, strawberry, and cinnamon aromas. More red fruits, spice, and herbal notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity, soft tannins, and a long, smooth finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $25

2007 Cana’s Feast Primitivo (Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium-deep ruby red. Very aromatic with spice box and potpourri aromas that lead to candied red fruits and spice on the palate. Medium-bodied and lively with medium tannins and a medium to long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $25

2008 Cana’s Feast Cabernet Franc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, ruby red in color. Fresh red and black fruits as well as vegetal notes come through on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity, medium, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $29

Cana’s Feast Winery: Turning Water into Wine was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

The complete menu for this meal included the ribs, corn on the cob, broccoli slaw, tomato slices, and a mixed fruit salad of papaya and mango. Of course, the final step was to determine what wines to pair with the spareribs. Once again, I referred to my favorite book, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, and selected Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. We enjoyed the 2008 Phelps Creek Oak Ridge Gewurztraminer and the 2008 Erath Pinot Noir. Both Phelps Creek and Erath are Oregon wineries but the grapes for the Phelps Creek Gewurztraminer are sourced from Oak Ridge Vineyards in Washington State. We thought both wines were good, but all four of us preferred the Gewurztraminer, by itself and as the best pairing with the spareribs.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2008 Phelps Creek Oak Ridge Gewurztraminer (Oak Ridge Vineyards, Columbia Gorge, Washington): Pale, greenish yellow in color. Very aromatic with gorgeous pear, apple, and white peach notes on the nose. More pear, apple, and white peach, as well as honeysuckle flavors come through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 1.25%
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.99

2008 Erath Pinot Noir (Oregon): Medium ruby red. Aromatic with strawberry and bubble gum aromas that lead to flavors of strawberry Kool-Aid and Red Vines. Light to medium-bodied with lively acidity, very soft tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $15.99; Available elsewhere, $14 to $24

Challenging Wine Pairing: Spicy Sweet Oven Roasted Spareribs was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

These sparkling wines were all produced in the United States (three from California, two from Washington, and one from Oregon). All six wines were Brut (or dry, the most common style). Most important, as far as we are concerned, is that five out of the six wines earned QPR ratings of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5), and all six sell for less than $25.

All of these sparkling wines paired nicely with Mom’s dinner menu which included roasted red pepper tomato soup, shrimp Louie salad, broiled lobster tails, steamed asparagus, buttered pasta with parmesan reggiano cheese, and strawberry-raspberry shortcake for dessert.

I encourage you to pick up a bottle of any of these six sparklers to enjoy this holiday season. And if you don’t see your favorite sparkling wine on this list, let us know in the comments as we’d like to try it.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2006 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Pale, straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Very aromatic with aromas of lemon, lime, and passion fruit. More citrus fruits and tropical fruits come through on the palate along with some yeasty notes. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and flavorful with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $19.99; Available elsewhere, $18 to $31

NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, straw yellow. Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Moderately aromatic with citrus and yeasty notes on the nose. A lot of citrus fruits, especially lemon and lime, come through on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied and tart with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $8.99; Available elsewhere, $7 to $12

2006 Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée (Carneros, Napa Valley, California): Pale, straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Nice nose with floral, pear, and apple aromas. Bright and fresh on the palate with more floral and apple notes. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $21.99; Available elsewhere, $19 to $32

NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut (North Coast, California): Pale, straw yellow with a faint amber tint. Medium, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Nose is a bit tight at first. Then pear, straw, and yeasty aromas and flavors come through. Dry, medium-bodied and crisp with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $19.79; Available elsewhere, $17 to $26

NV Chandon Brut Classic (California): Pale, straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Moderately aromatic with straw and apple aromas that lead to more apple, straw, and pear flavors. Dry, medium-bodied and crisp with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $13.99; Available elsewhere, $13 to $16

NV Mountain Dome Cuvée Forté (Washington State): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Aromatic with nutty, yeasty, and straw aromas on the nose. More straw, nutty, and yeasty flavors as well as lemon come through on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied and crisp with a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $24.62; Available elsewhere, $33

Wine Tasting Dinner: Sparkling Wine for the Holidays was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

While my ratings did not factor into the final decision of the other judges, I tasted all of the wines along with them, made my own notes, and observed the process for the Platinum Judging. I was very impressed by the organization and integrity of the competition.

The Winter issue of Wine Press Northwest should be on shelves now. For results of the Platinum Judging, pick up a copy today. Also, with this issue, Wine Press Northwest is launching a new column reserved for bloggers, which will rotate to different bloggers around the Northwest. I am honored to be the inaugural blogger columnist. Be sure to check out my article on the value of blind tasting.

Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging 2010 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.