This Friday through Sunday, Dad (John) and I will be attending the first-ever North American Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma County, California. We will be joining fellow wine bloggers as well as other members of the wine industry for three days of meeting, greeting, learning, sharing, and of course, sipping. The conference boasts an action packed agenda including breakout sessions, keynote speakers, vineyard walks, and tastings. I’m sure we will have much to share with you all when we return.

One thing I want to go ahead and explain is the Live Wine Blogging segment that we will be participating in on Friday afternoon. We will be tasting and reviewing 14 wines from 14 wineries live from the conference. It will be a fast and furious process but should be a lot of fun. So stop by on Friday around 3:30pm PDT and join us for some live updates.

Adams Bench Winery is a small, family-owned winery located in Woodinville, Washington. The owners and co-winemakers are the husband/wife team of Tim and Erica Blue. Their winemaking consultant is Chris Camarda of Andrew Will Winery. In order to pay the bills and fund their winery operation, Tim has maintained his day job as an attorney at a downtown Seattle law firm, and Erica, an Ob-Gyn who no longer practices, works part-time as a medical clinic administrator. Bitten by the wine bug, Tim and Erica took enology courses at the famed UC Davis and began making home wine in 2004. After that first winemaking experience, they were hooked and Adams Bench Winery was licensed and bonded in 2005. Their current releases are just their second vintage but as you will see from my tasting notes below, they are already producing really good wine. Strictly Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab blend producers, Adams Bench’s current production is 1,000 cases per year. They do not have plans to increase their production but simply want to focus on sourcing the best fruit and making the best wine that they can.

We first heard of Adams Bench on our visit to Red Willow Vineyard this summer as they began sourcing some of their grapes from Red Willow in 2007. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Adams Bench to tour the winery and taste their wines. The winery is located in a converted horse barn just down the hill from the Blue’s home. It is a gorgeous setting on a few acres overlooking horse pastures with a view of the Olympic Mountains on a clear day. Tim and Erica are both very friendly, welcoming, and extremely enthusiastic about what they are doing.

In addition to tasting their current releases, we were able to taste several barrel samples from their 2007 vintage. We tasted their 2007 Red Wine “Reckoning”, 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “V”, and a 2007 Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon. When they first brought the Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to the winery during harvest last year, the Blues did not intend to use them to make a single vineyard wine. However, according to Erica, they could not get over the incredible aromas that they were getting from them and after trying some blending combinations, they found that they liked the Red Willow Cab by itself the best. They have not decided for sure whether to bottle it as a 100 percent Red Willow Cab but I certainly hope that they do. It is fabulous! If these barrel samples were any indication, I think that 2007 has the potential to be their best vintage yet. I look forward to tasting them again when they are released next year.

Currently, Adams Bench is only open by appointment, but they are planning to start offering regular tasting room hours beginning in January. In the meantime, if you are heading to the Woodinville area, I encourage you to send Tim and Erica an email to schedule a visit. And regardless of whether you are able to visit or not, try to get your hands on a bottle or two of Adams Bench wine and enjoy it with a big, juicy steak.

Current Releases:

2006 Adams Bench Red Wine “Reckoning” (Columbia Valley, Washington): 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Malbec. Very fragrant nose. Black fruits, tobacco, and spice come through on the palate.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $34

2006 Adams Bench Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “V” (Columbia Valley, Washington): 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Beautiful, deep, dark color. Exhibits floral and smoky aromas. Flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and a hint of pepper. Smooth and 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, $42

Have you ever forgotten to put that bottle of white wine in the fridge that you wanted to serve with dinner tonight? Have you ever wanted an easier way to keep a bottle of wine cold than having to bother with an ice bucket? What about keeping a bottle of wine chilled that you are taking outside for a picnic?

If any of these situations have come up for you as they have for me, one easy solution is to buy a couple of Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Instant Wine Chillers and keep them in your freezer. The Vacu Vin chiller is like a super cold, flexible ice jacket that can chill your wine quickly and keep it relatively cold.

The Vacu Vin ads say that it chills a wine bottle in five minutes and keeps it cold for three hours. I decided to quantify that a bit and see for myself.

I did a test on a bottle of white wine that was sitting on a wine rack at 70 degrees F (determined by my handy VinTemp that Kori posted about on October 6). After ten minutes in a Vacu Vin chiller, the temperature of the wine was down to 50 degrees F, which is an ideal serving temperature for a dry white wine. An hour later, it was at 55 degrees which is still within the ideal serving temperature range.

Another bottle I pulled out of the fridge was 40 degrees F which is actually colder than ideal. Nevertheless, I put a Vacu Vin chiller on it to see if it would hold the temperature, and after one hour, it was still at 40 degrees. It appears from my limited test that it does a better job of just keeping wine cold than it does when you ask it to both chill the wine and keep it cold.

I’ve had my Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Instant Wine Chillers for over five years and have used them repeatedly. As you read above, they still do a good job. You can buy the Vacu Vin chillers in many wine shops from $10-$15 each or order online from Amazon for $9.99.

Have you used these Vacu Vin chillers? If so, how have they worked for you?

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is harvest.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Harvest is both the process of picking ripe grapes from the vine and transferring them to the winery (or field pressing station), and its occasionally festive, if frenetic, duration. This transition period in the wine-making cycle from vineyard to cellar is also known as vintage (crush in much of the New World)…. Harvest typically takes place in autumn: September and October in the northern hemisphere and March and April in the southern hemisphere.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Harvest is a special time of year in the wine industry. Harvest is when the ripe grapes are picked from the vineyard and taken to the winery for crushing. Here in the northern hemisphere, harvest is going on right now.

Last Friday, we hosted one of our monthly wine tasting dinners. We blind tasted six Zinfandels, four from California and two from Washington State. It was another fun evening of good wines, excellent food, and wonderful friends.

Among the six wines, two set themselves apart from the rest. The 2006 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel and the 2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Zinfandel each received four first place votes. The others were good but did not quite measure up to the top two. And the best part, especially in these difficult economic times, is that both the Seghesio Sonoma County and the Columbia Crest Grand Estates sell for under $20. Once again, it just goes to show that a higher price does not necessarily mean a higher quality.

All of the wines paired wonderfully with Mom’s dinner menu which included creamy tomato soup with basil, mixed green salad, grilled beef tenderloin steaks with sautéed mushrooms, rosemary-garlic sweet potatoes, and mixed vegetables. After everyone had ranked their wines, Mom served vanilla ice cream topped with a Canadian ice wine. Mmm, delicious!

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2006 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California): My favorite of the night. Vanilla aromas are present up front. Flavors of cherry Jolly Rancher come through on the palate. Bold yet smooth with a long finish. An excellent wine whether sipping by itself or enjoying with a meal.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer, $18.00; Available elsewhere, $13 to $25

2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Zinfandel (Columbia Valley, Washington): Exhibits aromas of smoked meats. Flavors of chocolate and black fruits. Smooth tannins and a pleasant finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $17.99

2006 Turley Mead Ranch Zinfandel (Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, California)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $35.00; Available elsewhere, $42 to $120

2006 Turley Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel (Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $40.00; Available elsewhere, $42 to $130

2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Zinfandel (Wahluke Slope, Washington)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $35.00

NV Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvee XXVII Zinfandel (California)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer, $9.00; Super Cellars (New Jersey), $9.99

Walla Walla Valley is one of the oldest of Washington State’s nine AVA’s. Established in 1984, it encompasses over 1,200 vineyard acres. Located within the greater Columbia Valley AVA, Walla Walla Valley covers the area around the town of Walla Walla, Washington, and also dips across the state-line into Oregon near Milton-Freewater. To the locals, the area south of Walla Walla on the Oregon side of the state-line and west of Milton-Freewater is known as “The Rocks.” It is prized land that was first put into vines by Christophe Baron of Cayuse Cellars in the 1990s. Until recently, most of “The Rocks” have been planted to apple orchards. But more and more vineyards are going in and many of the apple orchards are being pulled up to make room for vineyards.

As I mentioned in my Wine Blogging Wednesday post last week, we recently had the opportunity to spend a day touring vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley with local winemaker, Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars. We had a wonderful day visiting five different vineyards just south of the Oregon-Washington state-line where Rich sources some of his grapes. It was a perfect time to visit as some of the grapes were only a week to ten days from harvest. It was a special treat to be able to walk up and down the rows and even pick and taste grapes.

Most of these vineyards are comprised of rocks and lots of silt that was deposited in the Walla Walla Valley after the lava floods at the end of the most recent Ice Age. In fact, according to Rich, stones are up to 200 feet deep beneath some of these vineyards. These rocky soils provide excellent drainage.

Watermill Estate Vineyard, planted by the Brown family in 2006, is comprised of 15 acres of well-drained, rocky soils. Grapes from Watermill Estate are used by Saviah Cellars and Watermill Winery. We had the pleasure to taste grapes from each variety planted at Watermill Estate: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, and Syrah. I had never tasted wine grapes straight from the vine before and was amazed at how good they were. I guess I was expecting them to be more bitter, but they were quite yummy. After tasting the grapes, it’s no wonder I enjoy the finished product so much.

Seven Hills Vineyard was originally planted in 1980 and has been expanded over the years to its present 200+ acres. It boasts some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Walla Walla Valley. Of the five vineyards we visited, Seven Hills has the highest elevation.

Windrow Vineyard is the original Seven Hills Vineyard and is comprised of 18 acres. Rich does not currently source grapes from Windrow but we drove through it to get to the adjacent McClellan Estate Vineyard.

McClellan Estate Vineyard, planted by the Brown family in 2003, features five Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Here we tasted some Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which are trellised on a Geneva Double Curtain. Grapes from McClellan Estate are used by Saviah Cellars, Watermill Winery, and Seven Hills Winery.

Saviah Estate Vineyard is Rich’s 11-acre estate vineyard that was planted just two years ago adjacent to Waliser Vineyard. Rich will get his first crop of Syrah and Malbec here next year.

We found this to be a very educational day in wine country. Not only did we get to see some great vineyard sites, but we had the opportunity to discuss “all things wine” with one of Washington State’s best winemakers. Rich Funk has already produced some outstanding wines for both Watermill Winery and his own Saviah Cellars, but I am excited about the prospects for even greater heights in the future.

Last month, I posted on Super Bargain Wines for Tough Times, which by our definition are wines with a price less than or equal to $10, of excellent quality (4-star quality or higher), and its price is less than or equal to one-half of wines of the same varietal and the same quality level (5 bangs-for-your-buck).

Today, I’m going to share with you “Wow!” wines (5-star quality) with a price that is less than or equal to one-half of wines of the same varietal and the same quality level (5 bangs-for-your-buck) but with no price limit. Many of these are special occasion wines, but they are also real bargains as compared to their peers.

Out of the thousands of wines we have tasted over the years, below is a list of super “Wow!” wines (5-star quality and 5 bangs-for-your-buck). We have listed the vintage that established this wine as a “Wow!” wine for us, but we believe you can confidently purchase their current vintage and expect an excellent wine drinking experience.

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is oaky.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Oaky is a tasting term usually applied to wines too heavily influenced by oak flavor, which smell and taste more of wood than fruit, and may be aggressively tannic and dry.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Ms. Robinson’s definition is fairly straightforward on this one. Oaky is a tasting term used for wines that have too much oak flavor. Heavy aromas and flavors of wood, smoke, butter, and/or vanilla can indicate that a wine is oaky.

Our host for the October edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere’s monthly virtual wine tasting event, is Russ Beebe of Winehiker Witiculture. Since Russ is an experienced wine tasting host and hiking guide, it’s no surprise that his theme asked us to get out and enjoy some time in the Great Outdoors and then share what wine we poured for our post-hike picnic.

When we read the Winehiker’s announcement, we already had a day touring vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley planned with a local winemaker, Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars. So while our time in the Great Outdoors was not spent hiking from a specific trailhead, we did have a wonderful day outside walking through five different vineyards just south of the state-line between Washington and Oregon where Rich sources some of his grapes. Even though it started to rain just as we set out, we were undeterred. It was a perfect time to visit as some of the grapes are only a week to ten days from harvest. Come back next Monday for a more complete recap of our vineyard tours.

It was easy to choose which wine to enjoy after a day in the vineyards with Rich. We selected his 2006 Saviah Cellars Malbec because 100 percent of the Malbec grapes used in this wine came from the McClellan Vineyard which is one of the vineyards that we visited on our tour. We did take our post-“hike” picnic indoors since the weather was less than ideal. But sipping on the Saviah Malbec as we recounted our vineyard visits was an excellent way to end the day.

2006 Saviah Cellars Malbec (Walla Walla Valley): Dark, inky purple. Very aromatic. Luscious black fruit aromas lead to black Bing cherries, blackberries, and black pepper on the palate. Also hints of smoked meats and tobacco come through on the back end. Well crafted and well-balanced with a long, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $30

As you browse the aisles of your local wine shop or thumb through a wine store catalog, you will see hundreds of wine accessories or gadgets. And you may wonder whether or not the gadget is something that you should consider buying or whether you’d be better served saving your money. Periodically, we will feature a wine gadget that we have personally found to be a helpful item to have in our wine toolkit.

Today’s featured wine gadget is the VinTemp, an infrared wine thermometer. I received the VinTemp for Christmas last year and have found it to be a very handy item to have.

Different wines have different optimal serving temperatures. Here’s a general guideline for approximate serving temperatures (in degrees Fahrenheit):

Sparkling wines and sweet wines: 45-50
Dry white and rose table wines: 50-60
Light-bodied red table wines: 55-65
Full-bodied red table wines: 62-68

The VinTemp allows you to check the temperature of your wine from outside the bottle. Using infrared technology, it measures the temperature of the wine inside the bottle and gives you a digital readout. If the wine is not in its optimal serving range, then you can either put it in the refrigerator to cool a bit or let it sit out a while longer to warm up. Then simply test it again using the VinTemp to see if it is ready.

If this sounds like something you’d find helpful, visit one of these online retailers to pick one up.