Are you one of those people who are somewhat uncomfortable when opening a wine menu at a restaurant (especially in front of others whom you wish to impress), accepting an invitation to attend a wine tasting dinner (because you don’t believe that you are a sophisticated enough taster), or even walking the aisles in a wine shop?

Hopefully, you find reading this blog on a regular basis like studying a good road map. It can help you get where you are going if you are not familiar with the territory. It can help you avoid some wrong turns and show you some shortcuts; however, you won’t get there just by reading the map. You have to get in the car and go or pick up the glass and taste. You cannot just read about it and think about it and visualize it. You have to experience it.

Forgive me if this sounds too obvious, but the only way to become a really good wine taster and to gain confidence in your wine tasting abilities is to taste, taste, and taste some more.

“Practically anyone can learn to taste well if he or she is prepared to make the effort: a few years of regular practice are all that is required.” –Emile Peynaud

To discover what you like best, you need to taste a wide variety of wines yourself. You’ll learn something new every time you taste, and hopefully have fun along the way.

Here are a few suggestions to help you improve your tasting skills:

1. Taste at least one new wine a month.
2. Join a regular wine tasting group.
3. Attend wine tasting events at wine shops, wine bars, restaurants, etc.
4. Host a wine tasting dinner.
5. Visit wine country.

And don’t let anyone make you feel as though your tasting skills are inferior. No one knows all there is to know about wine. A taster’s learning curve lasts a lifetime. There are always new wines to learn about and experience, and we hope that you enjoy the journey as much as we do.

Cheers!

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 2008 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina.

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

Trapiche, founded over 125 years ago, is Argentina’s largest exported premium wine brand. They own over 1,000 hectares of their own vineyards and also source fruit from more than 200 other producers throughout Argentina. Trapiche is the leader in Malbec sales in Argentina.

For those of you who are not very familiar with Malbec, its ties go back to Bordeaux, France, where it was originally one of the five varieties used in red Bordeaux blends along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Today it is only used sparingly in Bordeaux but has really come into its own as a stand-alone varietal in Argentina.

“Beautiful, intense red color with violet hues. Sweet aromas of blackberries and plums. Elegant touch of smoke and vanilla. Velvety texture and a sweet, long aftertaste.” –Trapiche

2008 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina): Deep, purplish red in color. Nice nose with blackberry, black cherry, oak, and spice aromas. Blackberry, plum, and licorice come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high, chewy tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish. The bottle is heavier and nicer than you might expect at this price point making it a great gift wine as well.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $8.79; Available elsewhere, $8 to $13

Washington Syrah compares favorably with the best in the world. Washington Syrah generally falls somewhere in between the jammy Shiraz of Australia and the more austere Syrah of the northern Rhone. It generally has good acidity and tannins. The common denominators of our favorite Syrahs from Washington have been deep, dark purple color and luscious black fruits, with hints of green bell peppers, black pepper, and spice.

Last Friday, we featured Washington Syrah from the 2007 vintage in our monthly wine tasting dinner. I personally believe that the 2007 vintage may ultimately be considered the best ever in Washington State.

All six wines paired perfectly with Mom’s dinner of roasted pepper tomato soup, sautéed pear salad with blue cheese dressing, prime rib, oven roasted root vegetables, sautéed broccoli rabe, and topped off with a German chocolate dessert with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Two of the six wines received a Quality rating of 4.5 stars (out of 5), and the top four wines received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5). Even though these wines are not inexpensive, they are well worth the money.

Wines from Grand Rêve Vintners and Rasa Vineyards came out on top in this stellar lineup. If you are not familiar with these wineries, I encourage you to get to know them. We named Rasa Vineyards as Best Newcomer in our Best of 2010 in Washington Wine Country, and Grand Rêve Vintners received honorable mention in the same category. This tasting only underscored the quality of wines both wineries are producing.

Really, you can’t go wrong with any of these wines. Washington State produces fabulous Syrah, and the winemakers who made these six wines are among the state’s best.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2007 Grand Rêve Collaboration Series III (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 100% Syrah. Winemaker Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery. Dark purplish red in color. Very aromatic with blackberry, oak, vanilla, and licorice on the nose. Luscious black fruits, licorice, and vanilla come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $45; Available elsewhere, $69 to $100

2007 Rasa Vineyards QED (Walla Walla Valley, Washington): 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and 3% Mourvedre. Deep, dark purplish red. Gorgeous nose with aromas of blackberry, black cherry, game, and spice. Black fruits, spice, smoked meats, and hints of green bell pepper come through on the palate. Full-bodied and crisp with medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with good complexity and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $50; Available elsewhere, $40 to $90

2007 Ross Andrew Winery Boushey Vineyard Syrah (Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): Deep, dark ruby red. Aromatic with black fruits and pepper on the nose. More black fruits, pepper, and licorice flavors 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: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $25

2007 Saviah Cellars Red Mountain Syrah (Ranch at the End of the Road Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): Deep, dark purple in color. Nice nose with plum and oak aromas. Flavors of plum, black cherry, and a hint of tar. Medium to full-bodied and crisp with 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), $18; Available elsewhere, $20 to $29

2007 Waters Winery Forgotten Hills Syrah (Forgotten Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, Washington): Deep, dark red. Aromatic with pepper, spice, and blackberry on the nose. Pepper, black fruits, earth, and vegetal notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and lively with medium tannins and a medium finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Garagiste (Seattle, Washington), $36; Available elsewhere, $35 to $75

2007 Nefarious Cellars Estate Syrah (Defiance Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, dark purplish red. Nice nose with blackberry and spice aromas. Flavors of blackberry, spice, along with some Red Vines on the back end. Medium to full-bodied and crisp with medium, drying tannins, and a long, smooth finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $27; Available elsewhere, $27

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Chaptalization is a common wine-making practice, named after its French promulgator Jean-Antoine Chaptal, whereby the final alcoholic strength of a wine is increased by the addition of sugar to the grape juice or must, before and/or during fermentation. Contrary to popular belief, Chaptal did not invent the process, which had been the subject of common experiment, not least by the innovative French chemist Pierre-Joseph Macquer. ….

Although the practice is still commonplace, and is indeed the norm in northern Europe, potential alcoholic strength is increasingly raised by adding products other than beet or cane sugar. …. Within the EU, permission to chaptalize depends on the EU climatic zone in which an area falls. …. A country’s own regulations may also forbid the practice, as throughout Italy.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Chaptalization is the winemaking process sometimes employed by winemakers in which sugar is added to the musts derived from grapes that failed to achieve optimal ripeness. Only enough sugar is added to achieve a stable alcohol level in the finished wine. Chaptalization is subject to varying regulations in different states and countries.

Riesling has become known as Washington State’s signature white variety. 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 are made in Woodinville.

We recently had the opportunity to taste two Chateau Ste. Michelle Rieslings in a blind samples tasting, the 2009 Eroica Riesling and the 2007 Ethos Late Harvest Riesling. While very different styles (the Eroica is off-dry and the Ethos LH is very sweet), both wines were excellent. Speaking of styles, Riesling is one of the most versatile grape varieties. It can be made in many different styles from bone dry to very sweet, reflect the regional character of where it is grown, and is extremely food-friendly. And, it is probably the most age worthy of all white wine varieties.

Eroica is a joint venture between Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State and Dr. Loosen of Germany. Winemakers Bob Bertheau and Ernst Loosen work together every step of the way to produce a world-class Riesling from Washington State grapes. The partnership launched in 1999, and the 2009 vintage is Eroica’s 11th vintage. Eroica is named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony. We have found Eroica to be consistently excellent from vintage to vintage.

With only 120 cases produced of the Ethos Late Harvest White Riesling, you might find it difficult to get your hands on any. But if you can, you are in for a decadent treat. This special wine was made from select Riesling grapes that were left on the vine longer in order to achieve the natural condition of Botrytis, or noble rot. Botrytis concentrated the sugars and flavors of the fruit, which led to the distinct honeyed character of the wine.

2009 Eroica Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, straw yellow in color. Very aromatic with white peach, honeysuckle, and a hint of lime on the nose. More white peach, lime, passion fruit, and a hint of minerality come through on the palate. Off-dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 1.63%
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $20; Available elsewhere, $18

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Late Harvest White Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Golden yellow in color. Gorgeous nose with honey and butterscotch aromas. Honey, butterscotch, and orange notes come through on the palate. Very sweet and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. A delicious dessert wine. Residual Sugar: 22%
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $35 [375ml]; Available elsewhere, $37

If you haven’t already, we hope that you will take a few minutes of your time between now and Sunday night to answer our short reader survey:

Click here to take the 2011 Wine Peeps Survey

Thanks!

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 Barnard Griffin Cabernet Merlot 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

Barnard Griffin Winery, located in Richland, Washington, was founded in 1983 by Rob Griffin and his wife Deborah Barnard. Rob moved to Washington State in 1977 to be winemaker for Preston Wine Cellars when there were under ten wineries in the entire state. Shortly after founding Barnard Griffin, Rob left Preston and went to work for Hogue Cellars as winemaker and general manager. In 1991, Rob left Hogue to devote his full time and energy to Barnard Griffin. The current winery and tasting room were built in 1996. Barnard Griffin’s current annual production is approximately 75,000 cases. They are well-known for their distinctive Tulip label which graces all of their non-Reserve wines.

“A great nose of vanilla, spice, dried fruit, herb, and raspberries. Straightforward plum, cherry, and orange fruit on the palate. Round and approachable with a supple texture. Good with everyday foods such as beef and barbequed meat.” –Owner/winemaker Rob Griffin

NV Barnard Griffin Cabernet Merlot (Columbia Valley, Washington): 47.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49.5% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Deep, ruby red in color. Aromatic with red fruits and cinnamon on the nose that leads to red and black cherry and spice box on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium drying tannins, and 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), $9.49; Available elsewhere, $9 to $16

The Wine Peeps love barbeque…the kind that takes hours to smoke. However, this kind of cooking is usually done in the spring and summer when the time for outdoor cooking is the best! When I came across a recipe for spicy sweet oven roasted spareribs, I couldn’t resist trying it for this month’s challenging wine pairing. As with most of the recipes that I use, I did do some tweaking to incorporate the flavors that we enjoy. I prepared a rub that included brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and celery seed. Along with the rub, I liberally coated the meat with meat tenderizer and black pepper. Then I slow roasted the spareribs in the oven, wrapped in foil, for approximately seven hours.

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

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Acidification is the wine-making process of increasing the acidity in a grape must or wine. This is a common practice in warm wine regions, and is often the only course open to a winemaker wanting to make a balanced wine from grapes which have been allowed a growing season long enough to develop flavour by reaching full physiological ripeness. This is because in warm conditions a large amount of the grape’s natural malic acid is degraded during the ripening process. A good level of acids (and therefore low pH) not only increases the apparent freshness and fruitiness of many wines, it also protects the wine against attack from bacteria, enhances the effectiveness of sulfur dioxide, and can improve colour. ….

The timing of the acid addition varies, but adding acid usually lowers pH so that an addition before or during fermentation results in better microbiological control of subsequent processes and favours the formation of desirable aromas. Fine tuning of acid levels may take place at the final blending stage but acid added at this stage can be too obvious.

Regulations vary from country to country but the most common permitted additives for acidification are, in descending order, tartaric acid, citric acid, and malic acid. ….

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Acidification is a winemaking process sometimes employed by winemakers to achieve balance in a finished wine. The acid level of the wine is adjusted by adding acid, most often tartaric acid, to low-acid wines especially in warm climates. Acidification is subject to varying regulations in different states and countries.

Yesterday marked three years since we started sharing our wine adventures with you here on Wine Peeps. What an exciting three years it has been! We have written 768 posts and tasted over 3,750 wines. We have had the pleasure to meet so many wonderful people in the wine industry as well as fellow wine enthusiasts. This past year, we traveled to numerous wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms in Washington, Oregon, and California, and attended our third North American Wine Bloggers Conference. Even though our travels kept us on the West Coast, we welcomed the many opportunities we had to expand our palates and taste wines from all around the world through our tasting group, private tastings, samples tastings, trade tastings, and other events. Two events of particular note that allowed us to interact with foreign winemakers were Riesling Rendezvous (in person) and the Wines of Chile blogger tastings (online).

Thank you so much to all of our readers! I know it sounds cliché, but we could not do this without you. We love wine and love sharing that passion with you through this blog. We are humbled that you care to read what we write. We are thrilled to report that our readership has grown to the point where we have been ranked as high as #6 in the Top 100 Wine Blogs, currently #18 and the highest ranked blog that focuses on Washington State wines. We are also ranked #30 in Food Blogs (out of 12,181) and #84 in Living Blogs (out of 31,304). Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

The past year also saw our social networking presence grow on Twitter (over 2,500 followers), Facebook (almost 2,500 likes), OpenWine Consortium, and LinkedIn. It truly has been a pleasure to get to know many of you through comments, email, and these social networking sites. We certainly hope our relationship continues to grow in the year ahead.

In the coming year, we will strive to provide you with even more compelling wine-related content. In order to evaluate what we are doing well, what needs improvement, and to learn a little more about you as readers of this blog, we hope that as a birthday present to us, you will take a few minutes of your time and answer our short reader survey:

Click here to take the 2011 Wine Peeps Survey

We hope that you will continue to support us by reading Wine Peeps and telling your friends about it. We welcome the opportunity to connect on any or all of the social networking sites as well.

Cheers from your Wine Peeps,
Kori, John, Colby, and LaGayle

(Photo by soapylovedeb)