There is no such thing as a perfect initiative, but I-1183 is a huge step in the right direction. Wine Peeps supported this initiative from the get-go so we were thrilled to see it pass. We finally got the state out of the liquor business (the 43rd state to do so) and defeated the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers disingenuous campaign to maintain their Depression-era monopoly on the sale of alcohol in Washington State. Jim Senegal of Costco, speaking about their support of I-1183, “It was a matter of principle against monopoly and for the consumer.” As a result of I-1183, wine sales’ restrictions are relaxed, spirits sales are privatized, and beer sales are basically left alone.

If you believe in our free enterprise system, you had to support I-1183 despite it’s imperfections. Anyone under the illusion that if we gave them a little more time, our legislature would have solved these problems is very naïve about politics in our state. Our legislature has had over 50 years to take care of this and has done nothing. They never even got a bill out of committee. And that wasn’t going to change any time soon. As Mike Veseth of The Wine Economist, said, “Washington voters are usually suspicious of initiatives, but in this political environment some ballot issues are seen as a lesser evil to grid-locked legislation.”

If there is a loser after I-1183, it’s the wholesalers’ lobby, and they deserve it for the way they lied their way through both of the campaigns on this issue, last year and this year. As fellow blogger, former Esquin Wine Merchants owner, and excellent Washington wine historian Rand Sealey said in his Review of Washington Wines, “If the wholesalers had supported the legislation that was in committee last year, they would be a lot better off than they are now. By opposing I-1183 in the guise of “Protect our Communities” (really “Protect our jobs”), the wine and spirits wholesalers showed total hypocrisy. They deserve what they got.”

I believe everyone else is a winner to one degree or another:

Consumers should get slightly lower prices as well as seeing wine, spirits, and specialty superstores like Beverages and More (BevMo) or the equivalent come into Washington State. Having shopped in this type of store in other states, I’m looking forward to them coming to our state. It’s long overdue. In Seattle, I expect that over time, Wine World Warehouse and maybe Esquin Wine Merchants and others will expand to compete at that level.

Public Safety was a bogus concern promoted by the wholesalers’ lobby. There is no evidence to suggest that state-controlled states are safer than non-control states. And there is not going to be a proliferation of mini-marts selling spirits because of the square-footage provision. It creates tougher fines and doubles the penalties for selling liquor to minors.

The State of Washington gets out of the liquor business from a sales standpoint but continues to license, set fees, and enforce liquor laws. Being an enforcer and seller at the same time was a clear conflict of interest, like the rooster guarding the henhouse. From a fiscal standpoint, projections show the state gaining $400 million in additional revenue from I-1183 over the next six years, and not at the consumer’s expense.

The big retailers, who can now get volume discounts on wine, will not squeeze Smaller Wine Retailers out of business. Yes, for certain national brands, Costco, other big box retailers, and grocery store chains like Safeway will be in a position to offer lower prices. However, that represents a very limited number of SKUs, and some retailers believe they will even be offering a smaller selection of wine as they use shelf space for spirits.

My family has been a small business retailer for several generations in several different industries, and my dad told me about similar fears when shopping malls first came in and then later when Wal-Mart arrived on the scene. The reality was that we as small retailers had never competed on price. Our advantages were selection, customer service, and good advice, and those advantages for small retailers remain today. If a small wine shop follows this model, they will not only survive but also thrive.

Andy Perdue of Wine Press Northwest recently interviewed Doug Charles of Compass Wines, a long-time veteran of wine retailing in Washington, where he said that he was generally positive from the perspective of both small wineries and retailers. He said that he believes their shop will be now able to retail to other retailers and restaurants, and this will help small wineries from across the state sell their wines. Furthermore, he echoed the comment I made earlier that large grocery-type stores in his trade area won’t have as much space for wine because of adding spirits space, so he’ll get some of the wine business they used to get. Finally, he believes that his store will be more competitive than they were when state liquor stores could buy cheaper than him, which was really in violation of their own fixed price rules.

I will concede that the worst part of this initiative is the square footage minimum to sell spirits. It was necessary to allay fears of every mini-mart selling spirits. I believe it would be relatively simple for the legislature to remedy this situation, and, in fact, Tom Wark of Fermentation has a suggested remedy to get the discussion going.

Large Wineries, of which you can count on one hand in Washington, will undoubtedly take advantage of the opportunity to offer volume discounts to Costco and others. If Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, by far the biggest wine player in Washington, thought they would be a loser in this, we would have heard from them and seen them lobbying against I-1183.

Small Wineries such as the Family Winemakers of Washington were pro-I-1183, although some small wineries have expressed concerns. For the same reasons I shared earlier that the small retailers who focus on selection, customer service, and good advice will survive, small wineries that have a good product, stay close to their customers, are great hosts to their visitors, and give excellent service will survive. And retailers like Doug Charles will provide another distribution channel for small wineries. A successful small winery business model is not based on being the low-cost provider in the first place. As winemaker Jamie Brown, who runs three small boutique wineries and voted “yes” on I-1183, was quoted by Paul Gregutt as saying “Let the big boys duke it out with the Costco’s or Safeway’s… space and cash. I could care less.”

Restaurants, through their state association, were big supporters of I-1183. Most believe they will benefit from lower prices through volume discounts. As Anthony Anton, President of the Washington Restaurant Association said, “Allowing competition in the distribution of liquor and wine will bring about efficiencies, better product availability, more choices for consumers, and lower liquor and wine prices….”

Costco and other big-box retailers will quickly get into the spirits business as a result of the initiative’s passage. They will also benefit from volume discounts and central warehousing. Jim Senegal of Costco, in an interview with Bruce Ramsey, said, “Costco will have lower price on liquor than the state stores, but liquor taxes will prevent prices from dropping too much. The big drop will be in prices for wine, which was also the subject of I-1183. Costco already sells wine in Washington, but it has operated under a state rule forbidding quantity discounts.”

Workers losing their jobs was another bogus issue from the “no” on I-1183 crowd. Sure, the state liquor stores will close, but more liquor outlets will open and those outlets will need workers. Anyone with industry experience and a good work ethic should have no trouble finding work. In fact, Costco has said it will accept applications from everyone losing their job in the state system.

In sum, the result of I-1183 should be win-win for almost everyone, and finally bring Washington State into the 21st century on liquor regulations. And, if we can get the legislature to amend the square footage rules to accommodate more existing wine sellers, it would be almost perfect.

Cheers!

Have a wonderful day with your family and friends as you enjoy good food and wine. And remember to give thanks for this great country, which stands for freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all. Happy Thanksgiving!

(Photo by Sharon Mollerus)

While I generally prefer flavorful but simple-to-prepare recipes, I decided to make Greek moussaka for this month’s challenging wine pairing meal. Although there are short-cut versions, I wanted to follow the standard recipe. Moussaka is a little like lasagna in that there are layers—potatoes, eggplant, cheese, ground lamb (although beef can also be used) with tomatoes and spices and topped with a béchamel sauce which is an egg custard. It is then baked until golden brown. I have to say that the dish was delicious; however, it was way too time consuming to prepare. The basic preparation required the eggplant to be sliced and salted and then allowed to set before rinsing and dredging in egg whites and breadcrumbs and baked. The potatoes had to be cooked and the lamb browned. Once everything was ready, the layering was done. Then the béchamel sauce took a while to prepare and thicken before pouring over the layers. And, finally, it had to be baked 45 to 55 minutes. Again, it was very good, so if you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, this is a dish to consider. The full menu for the dinner included a Greek salad, the moussaka, and Greek-style green beans.

When researching what wines might be served with moussaka, it was no surprise that Greek wines were recommended. However, I wanted to pair this meal with Washington State wines, so I looked in both What to Drink with What You Eat and The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to see what other wines are recommended with moussaka or Greek cuisine. I decided to pair the meal with a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Rosé so we selected the 2008 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Chinook Cabernet Franc Rosé. Both wines were very good; however, the rosé was the unanimous choice 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!

2010 Chinook Cabernet Franc Rosé (Yakima Valley, Washington): Pale, pinkish salmon in color. Aromatic with strawberry, raspberry, and floral notes on the nose. Watermelon and raspberry come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
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 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, purplish red. Nice nose with black cherry and leather aromas. More black cherry as well as spice and oak come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $19.99; Available elsewhere, $17 to $30

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, a category of wines created in Italy by law 164 in 1992 as an approximate equivalent of the French vin de pays. EU law compelled Italy to bring its myriad esteemed, and often extremely expensive, wines selling as a vino da tavola under some sort of control since table wines are not technically allowed to show vintage, variety, or name of estate on the label. IGT was developed as a convenient safe haven for these rebels. …. The most common IGTs tend to be regional: Toscana, Umbria, and Sicilia, for example.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
IGT is a category of wine in Italy. It is the equivalent of the French vin de pays and allows wines such as the Super Tuscans to be elevated out of the table wine category.

Chateau Montelena Winery, located in the Calistoga District in California’s Napa Valley, propelled onto the world stage during the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris. At the competition in Paris, four white Burgundies were tasted against six California Chardonnays. The French judges awarded the top honor to Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay. It was a remarkable triumph and showed the world that California wines had come of age. The story of the competition was depicted in the 2008 film Bottle Shock, some of which was filmed at Chateau Montelena.

Founded in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs, Chateau Montelena was non-operational from the early 1900’s until 1972 when Jim Barrett purchased it. Barrett restored most of the original vineyards and completely refurbished the winery. At the time of the purchase, Jim’s son, Bo, had just graduated from high school. He has been involved ever since and was named winemaker in 1982. Today, his official title is Master Winemaker. Cameron Parry joined the winemaking team at Chateau Montelena in 2004 and was named winemaker in 2008. Cam now manages all of the winemaking operations under Bo’s direction. Chateau Montelena produces 35,000 cases annually.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the current release of their 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind samples tasting. It is excellent and indicative of the quality wines that Chateau Montelena continues to produce.

2008 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California): 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep red in color. Nice nose with blackcurrant and oak aromas. Blackcurrant, black cherry, oak, and leather come through on the palate. Full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high, chewy 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: Received as sample, suggested retail $49; Available elsewhere, $35 to $50

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 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer from the Columbia Valley of Washington State.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

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 Gewurztraminer, are made in Woodinville.

“A fan favorite, this Gewurztraminer is an enjoyable wine with exuberant fruit and clove spice. This is a lush style of Gewurztraminer with a lot of floral character, yet it still maintains the grape’s natural crisp character.” –Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

This Gewurztraminer would be a great, economical choice to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey and dressing next week.

2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer (Columbia Valley, Washington): 94% Gewurztraminer, 4% Muscat Canelli, and 2% Riesling. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Aromatic with melon, caramel, and floral notes on the nose. More melon, caramel, and floral notes as well as lychee nut and tangerine come through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and light-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Residual sugar: 2.05%
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $9; Available elsewhere, $7 to $12

The holidays always get me in the mood for sparkling wine. On Friday evening, we decided to get a jumpstart on the holiday season by featuring Champagne in our 101st wine tasting dinner. Champagne is the most well-known sparkling wine in the world, and it can only be called Champagne if it is produced in the Champagne region of France. The Champagne region is one of the coldest and most northerly winegrowing regions, which is why it is best suited to sparkling wine. Champagne is produced from any or all of the three grape varieties allowed for sparkling wine production in the Champagne region: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The majority of Champagne, about 85 percent, is non-vintage and produced in a “house style” by blending wines from several vintages. All six wines in this tasting were Brut (or dry, the most common style).

All of these Champagnes paired nicely with Mom’s dinner menu which included curried butternut squash soup, shrimp Louie salad, broiled lobster tails, roasted asparagus with balsamic browned butter, seasoned white, brown, wild, and red rice, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. While we would recommend all six wines, the top three were excellent and definitely stood above the rest. The Taittinger was the clear favorite. However, we had an interesting discussion around the dinner table after the wines and their prices were revealed. While all six wines were good, there are much better values to be found in domestic sparkling wines. So if your pocketbook doesn’t allow for spending over $40 for a bubbly, you might consider trying Domaine Ste. Michelle and Mountain Dome in Washington State, Argyle in Oregon, and Domaine Carneros in California.

I encourage you to pick up some Champagne or sparkling wine to enjoy as an aperitif at a holiday party, to take to relatives on Thanksgiving or Christmas, or to pop on New Year’s Eve. Cheers!

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

NV Taittinger Brut Champagne (Reims, Champagne, France): Medium straw yellow. Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Aromatic with apple, apricot, yeast, and floral notes on the nose. Apple, pear, lemon, and some creaminess come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $43; Available elsewhere, ~$47

NV Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne (Champagne, France): Pale to medium straw yellow. Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Nice nose with honeysuckle and fresh citrus aromas. Pear and more citrus notes come through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $45; Available elsewhere, ~$35

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne (Chouilly, Champagne, France): Pale straw yellow in color. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Nice nose with apple, pineapple, mango, and floral aromas. Tropical fruits, particularly papaya, and a hint of honey come through on the palate. 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), $24; Available elsewhere, ~$32

NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Champagne (Reims, Champagne, France): Pale to medium straw yellow. Small, fast bead of bubbles. Aromatic with apple, lemon, and yeast on both the nose and palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $57; Available elsewhere, ~$52

NV Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne (Reims, Champagne, France): Medium yellow. Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. A bit stinky with aromas of overripe apples and compost. Some minerality comes through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with lively acidity and a medium to long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $36; Available elsewhere, ~$35

NV G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Champagne (Reims, Champagne, France): Pale straw yellow. Small, very fast bead of bubbles. Apple, vegetal notes, especially Brussels sprouts, and a hint of sulfur come through on both the nose and palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $45; Available elsewhere, ~$39

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) is a legal category established in Italy in 1963 for its highest-quality wines, at the same time as its DOC was created, by law 930, as an Italian version of the French appellation controlee system. The express purpose of this category was to identify and reward the finest Italian wines, which were to be ‘guaranteed’ (the G), and not merely ‘controlled’.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
DOCG is a quality classification for wine in Italy. Wines at the DOCG level are at the top of the quality pyramid. Wines must have had DOC status for at least five years before they can be promoted to DOCG.

The holiday season is upon us! Retail stores already have Christmas decorations up, and Starbucks is featuring eggnog lattes and peppermint mochas. Thanksgiving is next week, and while I don’t want to gloss over that holiday because of premature Christmas excitement, it is time to make plans for December events.

For those of you who live in the Seattle area, be sure to mark your calendar for the St. Nicholas Day Open House in Woodinville the weekend of December 3rd and 4th. Thirty-seven (37) Woodinville wineries are participating and will be offering a festive assortment of special wine tastings, holiday bites, and gift giving ideas as part of this annual event.

Two-day passes are $55, and Sunday-only tickets are available for $40. All ticket holders will receive a booklet of participating wineries and a commemorative glass. Advanced purchase is required as tickets are limited and are sure to sell out. Tickets are available online only from Woodinville Wine Country.

New for this year’s event, Shuttle Express will be offering safe and convenient transportation for guests to participating wineries. The St. Nick’s Shuttle will run 11am-4pm both days. Guests can park in a master parking lot, hop on the St. Nick’s Shuttle, and then hop off and back on as often as they would like. The shuttle service will cover all participating wineries, and guests will not have to wait more than 15 minutes at any stop. Also, Shuttle Express will offer secured, staffed wine purchase storage for St. Nick’s Shuttle guests who purchase wine during the day.

St. Nick’s Shuttle tickets are only $10 per person for a 2-day pass (same price even if you only plan to use it one day) and may be purchased online in advance or as a “walk up” during the event.

Participating wineries include:
Airfield Estates Winery, Anton Ville Winery, Apex at Alder Ridge, Brian Carter Cellars, Challenger Ridge, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, Convergence Zone Cellars, Covey Run, Covington Cellars, Davenport Cellars, Des Voigne Cellars, DiStefano Winery, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Elevation Cellars, Goose Ridge Estate Winery Tasting Room, Hollywood Hill Vineyards, Isenhower Cellars, J. Bookwalter Tasting Studio, Kestrel Vintners, Matthews Estate, Michael Florentino Cellars, Northwest Totem Cellars, Otis Kenyon Wine Tasting Room, Page Cellars, Patit Creek Cellars, Patterson Cellars, Piccola Wines, Pondera Winery, Red Sky Winery, Silver Lake Winery,  Tefft Cellars, Tempest Sol Winery, Two Vintners, William Church Winery, Woodinville Wine Cellars and XSV Wines.

I hope to see you at St. Nick’s in December. It is a great opportunity to enjoy good wine, food, and entertainment as well as stock up on your favorite wines for the holidays and get that special something for family, friends, or co-workers.

Cheers!

Full disclosure: I am the Wine Consultant for Shuttle Express.

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 Domaine Ste. Michelle Extra Dry Sparkling Wine from the Columbia Valley of Washington State.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

The Extra Dry is one of an excellent array of value sparkling wines from Domaine Ste. Michelle. Producing sparkling wines for over thirty years, Domaine Ste. Michelle is one of the largest sparkling wine houses in the United States, producing more than 300,000 cases each year. Rick Casqueiro has been head winemaker since 1994. While this Extra Dry is good enough to celebrate a special occasion, its price point makes it an excellent weeknight or Sunday brunch bubbly.

“A rich gold color with abundant bubbles. The wine is very elegant on the palate, and bursts with flavors of pear, guava and kiwi. The delicate flavors linger and make this a great pairing for seafood such as scallops, sea bass and crabs.” –Winemaker Rick Casqueiro

NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Extra Dry Sparkling Wine (Columbia Valley, Washington): Small, fairly fast bead of bubbles. Pale straw yellow in color. Nice nose with apricot and lemon zest aromas. Lemon, apricot, white peach, and floral notes come through on the palate. Off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish. Residual Sugar: 2.3%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $12; Available elsewhere, $10 to $14