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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Capsule is the French and occasional English name for the sheath over the top of a cork and bottle-neck, otherwise known as a foil, just as a capsule cutter is more widely known as a foil cutter.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Capsule is the foil that covers the cork and neck of a wine bottle.

The day before the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon, Colby and I had the pleasure to attend a culinary bus tour hosted by Wines of Chile. We boarded the Double Decker tour bus at the DoubleTree Portland and headed off for a wonderful afternoon enjoying Portland’s diverse food options paired with some wonderful Chilean wines.

As we boarded the bus, Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer poured a lovely sparkling rosé for us to enjoy on our ride to the first stop.

2011 Miguel Torres Santa Digna Estelado Sparkling Rosé (Maule Valley, Chile): 100% País.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25

The first stop was at Andina in the Pearl District where we enjoyed amazing Peruvian food including grilled octopus paired with a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

2011 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $12-14

2009 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Pinot Noir.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25-30

Our next stop took us to Clyde Common, a restaurant that features both domestic and foreign cooking. We were treated to several delectable dishes including charred figs and pepper-cured duck bacon paired with a Merlot, Old Vine Carignan, and a red Bordeaux-style blend.

2010 Los Boldos Vielles Vignes Merlot (Cachapoal Valley, Chile): 100% Merlot.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

2010 Odfjell Orzada Old Vine Carignan (Maule Valley, Chile): 100% Carignan.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2007 Santa Rita Triple C (Maipo Valley, Chile): 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carménère.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $40

“Wine pairing is as much about figuring out what doesn’t work as what does.” –Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer

Our final stop took us to the home of Portland’s food cart revolution, Cartopia. There were a number of carts to choose from but Colby and I decided to try Perierra Crêperie. We were literally blown away by the fabulous gruyere sopressata basil and red pepper crepe. We enjoyed it with a Syrah, a red blend, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

2010 Loma Larga Lomas de Valle Syrah (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Syrah.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2011 MontGras Quatro (Colchagua Valley, Chile): 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Carmenère, 15% Malbec, 10% Syrah.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $14-15

2008 Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley, Chile): 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18-20

Many thanks to Wines of Chile and Fred Dexheimer for putting on such an awesome culinary tour. While there were many very good Chilean wines, as you can see from the Quality ratings, our favorite was the 2007 Santa Rita Triple C. The thing that continues to amaze me about Chile is not only the quality of their wines but the outstanding value that they deliver. Eight out of the nine wines we had on this tour received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck, while the ninth received a 4.

We would also easily recommend any of the three stops for amazing food the next time you find yourself in the Portland area. In fact, before the weekend was over, we returned to Cartopia for another yummy crepe at Perierra Crêperie.

Cheers and Bon Appétit!

(Photos by Andie Petkus Photography)

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the NV Sokol Blosser Evolution White Wine, produced with grapes from Oregon, Washington, and California.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$20
• Must be widely available

Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser established Sokol Blosser Winery, located in Dundee, Oregon, in 1971. They are truly pioneers in the Oregon wine industry. In 1998, they introduced this Evolution White Wine, at a time when there were very few white blends on the market. It has attracted a loyal following worldwide. Evolution is a blend of nine grape varieties sourced from three states. Producing a proprietary blend like Evolution is a combination of art and science as their winemaker Russ Rosner says, “In over twenty years of winemaking this is by far the hardest wine I’ve had to make. It’s like mixing nine different colors of paint and trying to end up with a rainbow instead of a muddy brown.”

“Evolution White is both complex and approachable, with an intensely aromatic and flavorful blend of white varietals that create a wine with depth of interest and versatility in pairing. Spicy and floral on the nose, Evolution is lush and tropical on the palate, with a soft and round sweetness that is tempered by a burst of citrus, leaving the finish clean and crisp. We may dare to say that Evolution goes with just about anything, but especially shines when sipped alongside Thai curry, Tandoori chicken, spicy tuna rolls, or a poolside on a hot summer day.” –Sokol Blosser Winery

NV Sokol Blosser Evolution White Wine (America): Grapes come from Oregon, Washington, and California. Blend of 9 varieties: Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sylvaner. Very aromatic with citrus, tropical, and floral notes on both the nose and palate. Off-dry and crisp with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $15; Available elsewhere, $12 to $20

Over the past five years, I’ve written several posts giving tips for visiting wine country which included advice on being friendly and polite and respecting the time of the people working in a tasting room and on areas needing improvement in tasting room operations. Today, I want to update those posts as a result of the many tasting room visits I’ve made since those posts were written. First I’ll address my suggestions to winery tasting rooms and then give my tips for tasting room visitors.

Here’s my updated list of suggestions for wineries and their tasting room personnel:

1. Make sure that you are open, and open on time, during the hours that you have advertised or posted that you are open. As our regular readers know, nothing ticks us off more than a winery whose tasting room is not open as advertised. And I know we are not the only ones it offends. Be sure to keep your hours up-to-date on your website, your area wine association’s website, your voice mail, on signage outside your winery, and all other places you advertise or have your hours listed. You are not being respectful of the time and money your visitors are spending when you don’t keep those hours, and it’s just not good business.
2. Make sure that your tasting room personnel are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. Nothing is more off-putting than a tasting room person who ignores you or acts like a visitor is a bother. Why are you open other than to court visitors? Don’t assume that you know the knowledge level or the buying potential of a visitor. You may be surprised. An awesome tasting room server will sell a lot of wine today and in referrals to that tasting room in the future.
3. Make sure that you clearly explain your tasting fee policy, if any, up front. Better yet, have it posted clearly and explain it. I’ve seen it get very awkward when it was not explained up front and a visitor has already finished tasting when the tasting fee is brought to their attention.
4. Have a handout with tasting notes and a price list. Too often, tasting notes and a price list are nonexistent or either they are in a laminated copy on the counter but not on a sheet on which a visitor can make notes and take with them. Be sure to include your contact information (website, email address, phone number, etc.) so that the visitor knows how to reach you when he/she decides to buy some of your wine later.
5. Have spit cups and dump buckets available. I have been amazed at how many tasting rooms do not even have dump buckets, much less provide disposable spit cups. Do you want to encourage drinking and driving?
6. Have water and crackers available for tasters to use to cleanse their palates. This might seem like a small and somewhat unnecessary item; but believe me, visitors remember the wineries whose tasting room covers all the bases.
7. Give your tasting room personnel some flexibility in wines to pour. Again, when I drive five hours to visit your tasting room that is 30 miles from anyone else just to taste a Cab you are noted for, pay a tasting fee, and then your tasting room person tells me you’re not pouring the Cab today, I get more than a little upset. My suggestion is that you give your tasting room personnel the flexibility to open that wine if they can see that the visitor is a serious wine enthusiast and not just a freeloader looking for a cheap happy hour.
8. Cool your uppity attitude. Obviously, this suggestion does not apply to all tasting rooms as we have had many wonderful experiences and met some very friendly people on our winery visits. In fact, when the owners and/or winemakers have served us in a tasting room, most have been very down-to-earth folks who are very courteous and welcoming. Too often, though, we have encountered tasting room hired hands that cop an uppity attitude and talk down to visitors. Not smart and certainly not good for business.

Visiting wine country is one of my favorite outings. In general, the people are very friendly, the scenery is great, the atmosphere is refreshing, and most of the wine is good, too. However, there are some basic tips that can help you avoid problems and have great memories when you get back home.

Here’s my updated list of suggestions for tasting room visitors:

1. Stay sober. If you plan to visit a number of wineries in one day, learn to spit rather than swallow. Most tasting rooms have dump buckets for this purpose. And believe me, you can tell just as much about the wine when you spit as when you swallow. Otherwise, you won’t have a clue what was good or not so good at the end of the day…and you’ll have a big headache in the morning.
2. Have a designated driver who is not drinking or come with a tour group. Don’t be so naïve to think that you can taste wine all day and still drive safely. Either have one person in your party be the designated driver, or better yet, hire one of the wine touring companies in the area to take you to the wineries you wish to visit.
3. Make notes about the wines you taste. Take good notes about what you like and what you don’t like. Don’t depend on your memory after you’ve visited multiple wineries and tasted several wines at each stop. Obviously, a tasting room that provides a handout listing the wines you are tasting makes note taking much easier.
4. No cheese or chocolate while you taste wine. Save it for later. In one of our first wine country trips many years ago, we came across a winery where the winemaker insisted that we eat different cheeses with each of the wines we tasted. We were not only impressed with the cheeses, but the wines tasted good, too, so we bought more wine than we should have to bring home. Boy were we surprised when the same wines that tasted so good at the winery with cheese tasted terrible by themselves and finished at or close to the bottom in our blind tastings. Research at UC Davis has validated what we realized after our experience mixing wine and cheese:
   

   “Eating cheese ruins the flavors of wine and makes fine vintages indistinguishable from cheap plonk. While the two are often served together in the belief they make a sophisticated combination, scientists have discovered even expert tasters could not distinguish between wines after eating cheese.”

   And I believe that you can virtually ditto the above comments for chocolate.

5. Be friendly and polite and respect the time of those who work at the winery. Remember, you are probably not their only visitor today. This simple tip can often result in service above and beyond the call of duty from the person behind the counter. And, even if it doesn’t, it’s just good manners.
6. Buy only one or two bottles today of a wine you like. When you find a wine you like, just buy a bottle or two to start with, not a case. Then take your favorites home and compare them side-by-side in a blind tasting. Then buy a case or two of your proven favorites.
7. Don’t put the wines you buy in the trunk of your car. When do most of us visit wine tasting rooms and go on winery tours? Why, in the heat of the summer, of course. Do you realize how quickly a bottle of wine is ruined by summer heat? I tasted a wine that had spent only six hours in the trunk of a car on a 90-degree day, and it was baked, totally ruined as a drinkable wine. This is also another good reason that we recommend that you only buy a bottle or two while at the winery instead of cases. At least then if you ruin your wine in the car, it’ll only be a few bottles. But remember, you want to get even the few bottles home safely so that you can compare the wines and give them a fair chance in a blind tasting. If you anticipate buying wine and must store it in your trunk, bring along an insulated box or cooler with ice packs to keep the wine cool.

If both the winery personnel and visitors follow these suggestions and tips, I believe that touring wine country will be some of the favorite times of your life, and the wineries will sell more wine.

Please share your experiences and any tips you have for visiting wine country in the comments.

Cheers!

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Controlled appellations are a method of labeling wine and designating quality that is modeled on France’s appellation controlee system. It embraces geographical delimitation and is the principle on which quality wine schemes such as the DOC of Italy and Portugal, the DO of Spain, and the AVA system of the United States are based.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Appellation refers to a wine’s region of origin. Different countries use different systems but they all basically serve to identify the geographical area from which the wine came (i.e. where the grapes were grown).

Managing partner Marty Taucher and winemaker/partner Chris Peterson founded Avennia Winery in 2010. Located in Woodinville, Washington, Avennia’s first wines were released this past weekend. And, folks, an impressive debut it was. In my opinion, Avennia is the most exciting new Washington winery since Rasa Vineyards burst onto the scene a few years ago.

The winery name was inspired by the Roman name for the city of Avignon and is a nod to Old World winemaking. Winemaker Chris Peterson, who spent eight years crafting award-winning wines at DeLille Cellars, is passionate about Old World winemaking techniques and strives to make wines with structure and elegance. A graduate of the University of Washington, Chris went on to become the first graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program. Even though Avennia is a new winery, Chris’s experience and contacts in the industry have given them a leg up on most start-ups. Because he is a proven and respected winemaker, Avennia has been able to source grapes from some of the top vineyards in Washington State which are not available to most new wineries. The impressive list of vineyard sources for their first releases includes Boushey Vineyards, Force Majeure Vineyard (formerly Grand Rêve), Red Willow Vineyard, Bacchus Vineyard (part of Sagemoor Vineyards), and Klipsun Vineyard. Marty Taucher is Avennia’s managing partner and described by Chris as the “business guy.” He spent the majority of his career in Public Relations and Marketing at Microsoft. Together, Chris and Marty make a great team. Their goal is to produce about 4,000 cases annually.

Avennia’s inaugural releases this month include the 2011 Oliane Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Parapine Syrah, and the 2010 Arnaut Syrah. In February, they will release their two Red Wine Bordeaux-style Blends, the 2010 Gravura and the 2010 Sestina. Recently, we had the pleasure to visit with Chris and Marty and taste through all five of these wines as well as a few barrel samples. All five wines are excellent, but we were especially impressed with the 2010 Arnaut Syrah and 2010 Sestina Red Wine. Both are outstanding and should only improve with additional time to age.

Avennia wines are offered on an allocated basis to their mailing list members. While you may find some of their wines elsewhere, I highly encourage you to get on their mailing list now before it closes and you are out of luck. These wines are destined for stardom, and they also deliver serious bang for your buck. While not inexpensive, they are worth every penny. And, I must say, it is refreshing to see a new winery, with an accomplished winemaker and impressive vineyard sources, not pricing their wines out of the range of their consumers. Other than release events for mailing list members, the winery is not open to the public.

2011 Avennia Oliane Sauvignon Blanc (Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Nice nose with grapefruit and mineral aromas. More grapefruit and mineral as well as lime come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and dry with crisp acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $25

2010 Avennia Parapine Syrah (Yakima Valley, Washington): 100% Syrah. Deep, dark purple black. Aromatic with black fruit, herbs, earth, bacon, and lavender notes on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and high tannins. 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, $35

2010 Avennia Arnaut Syrah (Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): 100% Syrah. Deep, dark purple. Gorgeous nose with earth, licorice, smoked meat, and black fruit aromas. Mineral, herbs, smoked meat, blackberry, and black cherry come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity and high, silky tannins. Well-balanced with good complexity and a very long, smooth finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $45

2010 Avennia Gravura Red Wine (Columbia Valley, Washington): 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Deep, dark purplish red. Red and black fruit, black cherry, herbs, and sage come through on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high tannins. 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, $35 [to be released February 2013]

2010 Avennia Sestina Red Wine (Columbia Valley, Washington): 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. Deep, dark purplish red. Gorgeous nose with black fruit, tobacco, licorice, and pencil lead aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with crisp acidity and chewy tannins. Extremely well-balanced with good complexity and a long, lingering finish. Should get even better with additional time in the bottle before release.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $50 [to be released February 2013]

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington State.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$20
• Must be widely available

Washington is the largest Riesling producing state in the United States. And, Washington State’s own Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest Riesling producer in the world. Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington State’s founding winery with its roots dating back to the repeal of Prohibition. In 1976, Ste. Michelle built a French-style chateau in Woodinville, just northeast of Seattle. While all of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s vineyards are located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, all of their white wines, including this Dry Riesling, are made in Woodinville.

“The Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling is a crisp, dry and refreshing style of Riesling. It exhibits fresh flavors of white peach and mandarin orange, and ends with a clean finish. This is an incredibly versatile food wine and my favorite with oysters.” –Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Very pale yellow. Aromatic with floral notes, pear, and white peach on both the nose and palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, clean finish. Residual Sugar: 0.72%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $9; Available elsewhere, $6 to $12

Recently, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers Conference. We were joined by over 350 fellow wine bloggers, wine industry participants, and media members for tastings, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and visits to local vineyards and wineries.

During the conference, we participated in two Live Wine Blogging segments (Whites & Rosés on Friday and Reds on Saturday) which featured wines poured for us by winery representatives, often the winemaker or owner themselves, in a fast and furious “speed dating”-like format. We tasted and reviewed the wines live, posting comments on Twitter. Since many of you may not have been viewing the Twitter stream at that time, I am posting a recap here.

Here are the wines we tasted during the Live Wine Blogging – Reds session, listed in the order we tasted them, with my Twitter-style notes as well as Quality and QPR ratings:

NV Hope Family Wines Troublemaker Blend 3 (Paso Robles, California): Multi-vintage. Syrah, Gren, PS, Mourv. Black fruit, smoke.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

NV Riunite Lambrusco (Emilia IGT, Italy): Serve chilled. Simple, light, fruity, would be good with pizza on the deck.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $6

2010 Milbrandt Northridge Vineyard Malbec (Northridge Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Gorgeous nose, blueberry, chocolate. Excellent!
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25

2010 Longhand Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, California): BevMo! Vineyard Partner. Limited release. Bright red fruit. Yum!
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

2007 August Cellars Portus Augustus Dessert Wine (Oregon): Raisin, chocolate, very smooth.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25 [375ml]

2010 Winderlea Legacy Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills, Oregon): Bright red fruit, good acidity, elegant.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $75

2009 Rodney Strong Alexander’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, California): Big, bold yet smooth, black fruit, licorice. Outstanding!
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $75

2008 Styring Reckless Petit Verdot/Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Oregon): Big, dark fruit, mint, cocoa.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $35

2010 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Bigger than avg Pinot, aromatic, smooth. Excellent!
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

2010 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Claret (California): Label is first wine they made. Black berries, vanilla, spice.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $17

While there were many good wines, as you can see from the Quality ratings, our favorite was the 2009 Rodney Strong Alexander’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon, followed closely by the 2010 Milbrandt Northridge Vineyard Malbec, 2010 Winderlea Legacy Pinot Noir, and the 2010 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir.

Live Wine Blogging is a fast-paced process but lots of fun. In case you missed it, I posted a recap of the Whites & Rosés session last week.

Cheers!

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Veraison is the word used by English speakers for that intermediate stage of grape berry development which marks the beginning of ripening, when the grapes change from the hard, green state to their softened and coloured form.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Veraison is one step in the annual growth cycle of the vine. It is the point at which the grapes begin to change color and soften as sugars are transferred from leaf to berry.