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 Columbia Crest H3 Merlot from the Horse Heaven Hills 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

Columbia Crest, located in Paterson, Washington, has been one of our favorite sources of value wines for many years. Head winemaker, Ray Einberger, took the reins in 2002 from Doug Gore who had been the winemaker since Columbia Crest was founded in 1983. Under Gore and Einberger’s leadership, the Columbia Crest winemaking team has produced more 90+ scoring bottles of wine than any other winery in the world. For those of us who live in Washington State, it is nice to have such a consistent, affordable producer in our own backyard.

H3, an abbreviation for Horse Heaven Hills, is the newest tier of wines in the Columbia Crest portfolio and was created to showcase the region in which their winery is located. All of the fruit used to produce H3 wines come from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.

“The H3 Merlot entices the nose with aromas of blueberry, cassis and hints of tobacco and spice aromas. The silky and sweet mid-palate introduces slight dusty, earthy, and rich berry notes which cumulate in the long and concentrated finish.” –Winemaker Ray Einberger

2008 Columbia Crest H3 Merlot (Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): 92% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and a “kiss” of Syrah. Deep, purplish red. Black cherry, coffee, and licorice come through on the nose; more black fruits and coffee as well as smoked meats 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: Winery, $15; Available elsewhere, $15

Well, it seems that fall has already arrived here in Seattle. Even though the official end of summer has not passed, the overcast skies and cooler temperatures tell us that summer is indeed over. Nevertheless, we wanted to have another tasting dinner featuring refreshing white wines before we turn the page on the summer of 2010. Last Friday, we hosted our 87th wine tasting dinner and featured Washington Semillon for the first time. As one guest noted, these wines are like “summer in a glass.”

Mom (LaGayle) outdid herself this time with an amazing meal, which paired extremely well with the wines. The menu included Thai creamy sweet potato soup, spinach, bacon, and apple salad, grilled pork loin chops, garlic cheese grits, roasted beets with sautéed beet greens, and peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

The consensus favorite of the evening was the 2007 Latah Creek Semillon. Latah Creek Winery, owned by Mike and Ellena Conway, has been in business 28 years and produces about 17,000 cases per year. Latah Creek remains a family owned and operated winery with the Conway’s daughter Natalie serving as assistant winemaker since 2005. This wine is a great sipper, with or without food. Best of all, it retails for less than $9 and received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

The other wine in this tasting that deserves extra attention because of its high quality is the 2008 Chateau Rollat Ardenvoir Artist Series Semillon. In fact, the top five wines are all good choices to enjoy on a warm summer evening or any time you want to call upon that “summer in a glass” feeling.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2007 Latah Creek Semillon (Washington State): Very pale, straw yellow in color. Very aromatic with straw and floral notes on the nose. Tropical fruits, melon, cantaloupe, guava, and mango come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $8.39; Available elsewhere, $8.64

2008 Chateau Rollat Ardenvoir Artist Series Semillon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 92% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc. Pale yellow and aromatic. Aromas of honeysuckle and straw lead to flavors of honeysuckle, lemon, and lime. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $21.99; Available elsewhere, $19

2007 Fidelitas Semillon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, straw yellow in color. Nice nose with apricot and tropical aromas. More tropical fruits, apricot, and peach on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.99; Available elsewhere, $15 to $20

2008 L’Ecole Nº 41 Semillon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 89% Semillon, 11% Sauvignon Blanc. Pale, straw yellow. Straw and vanilla aromas lead to flavors of vanilla, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. Dry, medium-bodied and lively with a long finish. A bit plain.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $12.79; Available elsewhere, $12 to $17

2009 Amavi Cellars Semillon (Walla Walla Valley, Washington): 86% Semillon, 14% Sauvignon Blanc. Pale, straw yellow in color. Nose is a bit tight at first, then vanilla aromas come through. More vanilla, straw, melon, and pear on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with lively acidity and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $15.99; Available elsewhere, $16 to $20

2007 Beresan Winery Semillon (Walla Walla Valley, Washington): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Vanilla, melon, and floral aromas and flavors. Dry, medium-bodied and lively with a long, bitter finish.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $16.99; Available elsewhere, $18

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, located in Spokane, Washington, was founded in 1982 and produces about 20,000 cases per year. It is one of the largest family-owned wineries in Washington State. Owned by the Mielke family, Arbor Crest boasts a beautiful setting with a scenic overlook of Spokane and the surrounding area.

Brothers David and Harold Mielke purchased the historic Cliff House mansion and grounds for Arbor Crest Wine Cellars in 1985. The picturesque grounds include a sunken rose garden, open-air pagoda, flower and herb gardens, and a life-sized checkerboard. Sadly, a fire gutted the Cliff House, built in 1924, in December of last year. Historical reconstruction of the building is underway with completion expected in November.

Today, Harold Mielke’s daughter, Kristina Mielke van Lobel Sels, and her husband Jim run Arbor Crest. Kristina is the winemaker, and Jim is the general manager. Prior to joining the family business, Kristina studied fermentation science at UC Davis and worked at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg, California.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste some Arbor Crest wines in a blind samples tasting. We especially enjoyed the 2003 Dionysus Meritage Red Wine and the 2008 Syrah.

As I have mentioned previously, a trip to Spokane and its largely undiscovered wineries is well worth your time. The wineries in Spokane are producing some excellent wines, are owned and run by really nice folks, and the city itself offers quite a number of other activities to make it a great wine country destination.

2003 Arbor Crest Dionysus Meritage Red Wine (Columbia Valley, Washington): 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec. Vineyards: Dionysus, Conner Lee, Bacchus, and Stillwater Creek. Deep, dark red in color. Very aromatic with black cherry and oak on the nose. Black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, and spice come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lively with medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $45

2008 Arbor Crest Syrah (Columbia Valley, Washington): Vineyards: Conner Lee, Bacchus, and Stillwater Creek. Deep, dark purple. Nice nose with spice, clove, nutmeg, and black fruit aromas. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black plum, and spice. Medium to full-bodied and crisp with medium to high tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $22

2008 Arbor Crest Cabernet Franc (Conner Lee Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, purplish red. Aromatic with plums, dark cherries, oak, and smoke on the nose. Coffee, green bell peppers, and red fruits come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins and a long, slightly bitter finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $22

2008 Arbor Crest Sangiovese (Wahluke Slope Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep, ruby red in color. Red fruits, raspberry, red cherry, and Red Vines come through on the nose; red fruits and cherry pie flavors on the palate. Medium-bodied and lively with soft tannins, and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $18

We spent Labor Day Weekend visiting the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The Walla Walla Valley AVA was established in 1984 as Washington State’s third AVA. It encompasses areas in both Washington and Oregon. When you are visiting wineries and vineyards in the valley, it is easy to forget which state you are in. The lines become even more blurred when it comes to the wines themselves. You may have a Washington winery producing wine from Oregon grapes, an Oregon winery using Washington grapes, or a winery in either state blending fruit from both states. Thank goodness for the AVA system as it is easier to just say that a wine is from or a winery is in the Walla Walla Valley rather than concerning oneself with the state lines.

We arrived in Walla Walla, on Thursday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and then crossed the state line into Oregon for happy hour at Tero Estates. We sat outside in Windrow Vineyard and enjoyed the wines of Tero Estates and Flying Trout and visiting with Doug and Jan Roskelley and Ashley Trout.

On Friday morning, we headed back into Oregon for a visit to Seven Hills Vineyard. Managing partner Norm McKibben gave us a tour of the vineyard as well as the entire SeVein Vineyards project. We rounded out the day with visits to Plumb Cellars, Rotie Cellars, and Locati Cellars.

Saturday brought visits to Reynvaan Family Vineyards, Rasa Vineyards, and Adamant Cellars before rushing back to the hotel to watch my Washington Huskies play BYU in their opening game of football season. However, given their disappointing performance, it would have been more enjoyable to visit a few more wineries instead. After the ballgame, Dad (John) and I walked down to Vintage Cellars, a wine bar located in downtown Walla Walla, and tried a few more local wines by the glass. Vintage Cellars is a must-visit when you are in Walla Walla. Nicole Rivinius, the wine buyer for Vintage Cellars and also the Sales & Marketing Director for Rotie Cellars, was a great host. She stocks an excellent selection of Washington wines. So if you don’t have time to visit all of the individual wineries and tasting rooms in Walla Walla, Vintage Cellars is a great place to try and even buy some additional local wines. They also offer live music on most Monday and Saturday nights.

We only visited two wineries on Sunday, Trio Vintners and Tertulia Cellars, in order to enjoy a day of rest and watch more football on television. On Monday, we crossed the Oregon state line once again and visited Watermill Winery in Milton-Freewater. Then we headed for the Walla Walla airport area and visited the rest of the “incubator wineries” including Lodmell Cellars, CAVU Cellars, and Kontos Cellars.

On this trip, we toured one vineyard, visited 14 wineries, and tasted 63 wines. A quick look at the list of wines below will show that the standout wineries for us were Rasa Vineyards, Rotie Cellars, and Watermill Winery. In fact, we discovered another “Wow!” wine, the 2007 Rasa Vineyards Principia Reserve Syrah. It was a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people along the way. In the coming weeks, I will be writing in more detail about some of the wines and wineries that we encountered.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted while visiting the Walla Walla Valley. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Rasa Vineyards Principia Reserve Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $85, QPR: 5

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Watermill Merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $24, QPR: 5
2008 Rotie Cellars Southern Blend (GSM), Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 5
2007 Rasa Vineyards QED (Syrah/Gren/Mourv), Walla Walla Valley, $50, QPR: 5
2008 Rasa Vineyards Vox Populi (Mourvedre), Minick Vineyard, Yakima Valley, $45, QPR: 4

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2006 Plumb Cellars Damn Straight Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 5
2007 Watermill Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $24, QPR: 5
2007 Trio Vintners Sangiovese Riserva, Yakima Valley, $26, QPR: 5
2007 Trio Vintners Zinfandel, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 5
2006 Kontos Cellars Merlot, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 5
2005 Lodmell Estate Merlot, Columbia Valley, $33, QPR: 5
2006 Tertulia Cellars Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $34, QPR: 5
2007 Kontos Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Pepper Bridge Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, $36, QPR: 5
2007 Watermill Estate Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 4
2008 Watermill Estate Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 4
2008 PB Wines [Rasa] Red Mountain Kiona Vineyards (Syrah/Cab), Red Mountain, $29, QPR: 4
2007 Watermill Praying Mantis Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2008 CAVU Cellars Barbera, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 4
2008 Rotie Cellars Northern Blend (Syrah/Viognier), Washington State, $35, QPR: 4
2009 Kontos Cellars Gossamer White (Chard/Viog/Rouss), Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: 3
2007 Tertulia Cellars Phinny Hill Carmenere, Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 3
2008 Tertulia Cellars Les Collines Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley, $35, QPR: 3
2008 Reynvaan Unnamed Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $40, QPR: 3
2008 Rasa Vineyards QED (Syrah/Gren/Mourv/Viog), Walla Walla Valley, $50, QPR: 3
2008 Reynvaan The Contender Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $55, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2008 Plumb Cellars Estate Sangiovese Walla Walla Valley, $12, QPR: 5
2008 Watermill Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, Walla Walla Valley, $14 (375ml), QPR: 5
2007 Plumb Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 4
2006 Lodmell Sublime (Cab/Merlot), Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 4
2006 Flying Trout Sangiovese, Stillwater Creek Vineyard, Columbia Valley, $33, QPR: 4
2009 Trio Vintners Tres Rose (Mourv/Gren), Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: 3
2008 Watermill Viognier, Columbia Valley, $16, QPR: 3
2008 Rotie Cellars VdP (Syrah/Mourvedre), Washington State, $25, QPR: 3
2007 Locati Innovation (Barbera/Cab/Sangio), Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 3
2006 CAVU Cellars Horizon Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley, $26, QPR: 3
2006 Kontos Cellars Alatus (Cab/Cab Franc/Merlot), Columbia Valley, $27, QPR: 3
2007 Adamant Cellars Nalin Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $27, QPR: 3
2007 Watermill Estate Petit Verdot, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 3
2007 Watermill Estate Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 3
2008 PB Wines [Rasa] Yakima Valley Syrah, Yakima Valley, $29, QPR: 3
2007 Tertulia Cellars Les Collines Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2008 CAVU Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 2
2007 Trio Vintners Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley, $26, QPR: 2
2006 Trio Vintners Mourvedre, Yakima Valley, $26, QPR: 2
2008 CAVU Cellars Malbec, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2007 Kontos Cellars Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley, $32, QPR: 2
2008 Flying Trout The Brook Blend (Cab/Malbec/Petit Verdot), Horse Heaven Hills, $33, QPR: 2
2008 Reynvaan In the Rocks Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $45, QPR: 2
2008 Rotie Cellars Southern White (Viognier/Roussanne), Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 1
2007 Tertulia Cellars Columbia Valley Malbec, Columbia Valley, $35, QPR: 1
2007 Tero Estates Windrow (Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc/Malbec), Windrow Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, $45, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2008 Lodmell Estate Saignee (Rosé of Merlot/Cab), Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: 2
2009 Plumb Cellars Estate Viognier, Walla Walla Valley, $18, QPR: 2
2006 Plumb Cellars Birch Creek Vineyard Merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $20, QPR: 2
2006 Lodmell Syrah, Alder Ridge Vineyard, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: 2
2007 Locati Sangiovese, Rosebud Vineyard, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2008 Tertulia Cellars Lonesome Springs Ranch Viognier, Yakima Valley, $19, QPR: 1
2009 Adamant Cellars Bijoux (Sauv Blanc/Sem), Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 1
2008 Tertulia Cellars Lonesome Springs Ranch Grenache, Yakima Valley, $25, QPR: 1
2006 Locati Barbera, Lonesome Springs Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, $26, QPR: 1
2009 Rasa Vineyards The Composer Riesling, Sagemoor Vineyards, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2008 Locati Pinot Grigio, Rosebud Vineyard, Columbia Valley, $16, QPR: NR
2008 Lodmell Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: NR

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Photosynthesis is a biochemical reaction which combines water and atmospheric carbon dioxide using the energy of the sun to form sugars in plants, including vines. Important in this process are the green chlorophyll pigments in leaves which capture the sun’s energy. Photosynthesis is the essential first step in the wine-making process, as the sugars formed in photosynthesis, along with other chemical products derived from sugar, are transported to grape berries and eventually fermented into ethanol to produce wine.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Photosynthesis is the process by which chlorophyll in the leaves uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen, thereby ripening the grapes.

After more than fifty years since my first sip of wine, I have a pretty good idea of what I like in a wine and what I don’t like…and what’s good and what is not really good. And I’m not easily fooled by a wine whose proponents call it a product of unique terroir when, in my educated opinion, it is basically a flawed wine. There is no purely objective answer to the question of what is the best wine.

“…wine is a little bit like music or art. What you and I like may be two completely different things, but at the end of the day neither one of us is right—we just have different tastes.” –Matt Skinner, Thirsty Work

“There can never be a substitute for your own palate, nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.” –Robert Parker, world-renowned wine critic

As far as my tastes go, as I said up front in the title of this post, I keep in mind that wine grapes are fruit. So if I don’t smell and taste good fruit up front, it is unlikely that I’m going to rate that wine very highly. Now, before you flood the comments criticizing me, let me clarify that I’m not saying a wine has to be a fruit bomb. In fact, I’d rather it not be too jammy. I enjoy other aromas and flavors and can even appreciate a little “funk,” but I’ve got to be able to taste the fruit as well. I’ve learned in the thirteen years that I’ve lived in Washington State and frequented Washington wine country that intense fruit is a defining characteristic of Washington wines.

“Those new to Washington wines will discover that the baseline wine flavors of all these regions [in Washington] are built on vivid fruit, bright acids, and ripe, compact tannins. The defining character is intensity married to purity of varietal fruit.” –Paul Gregutt, Washington Wines and Wineries, Second Edition

So if someone is touting a wine to you that reeks of rotten garbage or a dirty locker room smell, be sure to ask yourself, do I want to like this wine because it is “supposed” to be good according to some expert, because it has developed a cult following through great marketing, or because of a high price tag? As far as I’m concerned, none of those are good reasons to believe you need to like a certain wine.

If you’re not sure whether you really like a wine or just think you are “supposed” to like the wine, put the wine in a blind tasting with a number of its peers and see how it stacks up. A blind tasting means that sacks or wine bags cover the bottles so that the labels cannot be seen. Typically, a number of wines of a single type (i.e. Washington Cabs) are tasted and compared, and then their identities are revealed. By tasting wines blind, you are not influenced by the label, the reputation of the winemaker, or the price. You are focused totally on the quality of the wine and are completely unbiased in your evaluation. After you have evaluated the wines, the real fun begins, which is removing the bags or sacks that have covered the bottles and discovering the identities and prices of wines that you really like (or don’t like).

For those of you who are not familiar with how to spot some of the common wine faults, here’s a brief primer:

• Brettanomyces – mousy or yeasty
• Mercaptans – garlic or onion-like odors
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2) – burnt matches smell
• Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) – rotten eggs
• Volatile acidity – rancid butter, sauerkraut, vinegar, or fingernail polish remover

Don’t let anyone pass off wines with any of these characteristics as simply wines from a unique terroir.  Always remember, wine grapes are fruit.

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 2009 Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio from California.

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

Turning Leaf Vineyards is one of the brands in the E. & J. Gallo Winery portfolio. E. & J. Gallo Winery, headquartered in Modesto, California, is the world’s largest family-owned winery and the largest exporter of California wine. Sixteen family members spanning three generations of the Gallo family actively work at the winery. Turning Leaf is one of the most recognized, value-priced wines in the United States.

“The 2009 Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio features fruit richness with ripe apple and pear. A nicely balanced vintage, it boasts strong mineral and acidity on the finish.” –Turning Leaf

2009 Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio (California): Very light, straw yellow in color. Aromatic with citrus fruits, especially lemon, and honeysuckle on the nose. More citrus fruits, lemon, apple, and almonds come through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $8; Available elsewhere, $5 to $8

Periodically, we feature wine gadgets that we have personally found to be helpful to have in our wine toolkit. 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. For the first time, we are featuring a “wine gadget” company that designs and sells many of those products.

Earlier this year, True Fabrications sent us samples of a few of their products. Since we were impressed with the quality of their products and they are located in Seattle, we decided to visit and learn more about the company. We had an opportunity to sit down with Nik Patel, marketing director and one of the founders, and Cyrus Shepard, website manager.

Background

Founded in 2004 by three college buddies from Berkeley, True Fabrications has grown to become the second largest wine accessory company in North America. Co-founder Dhruv Agarwal came up with the idea for the company after attending dinner parties in San Francisco. Like many of us, he would take a bottle of wine to the host of the party. He found it odd that wine was the only gift he would take to people that he did not wrap. At the time, wine bags were not available in stores as they are today. So he sketched some designs and approached stores about carrying them. When they said “yes,” he knew that he was onto something and approached his friends Nik Patel and Ben Inadomi about starting a wine bag company. Shortly thereafter, the three friends moved to Seattle and True Fabrications was born.

Their business grew rather quickly and after a couple of years, they were faced with a major decision. Patel remembers, “We had to sit down and ask ourselves, ‘Who do we want to be? Do we want to be a gift bag company like Hallmark or do we want to be a wine-related company?’” They chose to be a wine-related company; and today, they sell a line of hundreds of wine-related products, which are available in over 8,000 retail locations.

Products

Gift bags are still a large part of their business, and they focus a lot of time on offering cool new designs. “We want to stay the authority on wine bags,” said Patel. “But at the same time, we are adding all kinds of stuff and our accessories are on the way up.” Their development team designs many of the items they sell; others are designed and produced by other companies. “We brand many, but not all, of the items we sell. If it’s a cool product and we like it, we’ll offer it.”

After flipping through their most recent catalog, I realized that I have seen and purchased more True Fabrications products than I initially thought, from wine bags to wine glass charms to corkscrews to “What’s Your Vine?” t-shirts.

The sales team, product designers, and development people work out of the Seattle office. They manage production of the products throughout the United States and in eight foreign countries. Their designers are always looking for new ideas; so if you have an idea for a new wine-related product, send your suggestion to products@truefabrications.com.

One-Stop Shop

For wholesale customers, True Fabrications strives to be their one-stop shop. They sell to any retailers that sell wine including wine shops, wineries, grocery stores, and some gift stores. You may have seen their products in some large stores like Whole Foods, QFC, Kroger, and Cost Plus, but they also sell to thousands of small, independent stores.

True Fabrications understands that many of the retailers that carry their products are not able to spend much time making decisions about accessories. “We understand that this is not their core product line,” said Patel. “They sell wine, beer, and liquor. That’s why people come into their stores. These people are very busy. We want to be their source for all wine accessory items so they don’t have to think about it.” Shepard adds, “With our catalog, they can order everything in one place. I think this company does a very good job of helping those people out, rotating their product, given them sales tips, and exchanging items that are not selling.”

Online Sales

While their business is predominately wholesale, they also sell directly to consumers through their website. “One of our goals is to increase our direct to consumer sales online,” said Patel. “It has been a very small part of the business, but we want to make it a bigger part.” So the next time you are looking for a wine gadget to add to your own wine toolkit or need to find a gift for a wine-loving friend, you might want to check out True Fabrications.

Are you ready for some football? We, Wine Peeps, are avid sports fans and are excited that football season has arrived. So whether you are a collegiate football fan or an NFL fan or both, the beginning of the season is a good time to think about food for those tailgates or meals for watching your favorite games on television.

It is amazing to me the number of people who like hot wings. I have to admit that hot wings have not always appealed to me, although, I do love spicy foods. Hot wings are very popular, particularly at sports bars but also for parties at home. Therefore, I decided it was time for me to look further into this quintessential “football” dish. While hot wings usually appear on appetizer menus with celery and carrot sticks with bleu cheese dressing, I decided to create a meal out of them for this month’s challenging wine pairing. Our meal consisted of hot wings with the traditional celery and carrot sticks with bleu cheese dressing along with a corn and tomato pasta salad and baked beans. Wow, what a surprise! We all loved them. There were no leftovers, just empty plates with bones. I think what really made a difference is that the recipe I used for the hot wings called for the hot sauce to be added as a part of the baking process rather than just pouring the sauce over the already cooked meat. The flavor of the wings with the hot sauce baked into the preparation was absolutely fantastic!!! On a side note, since I was actually preparing a meal, I used the entire wing rather than the usual “party wing,” which is actually only a part of the wing.

Now, what wines to pair with this meal? Yes, wine. After all, we want people to think outside of the box and look beyond the standard beer and wings combo. Wines can be found to pair with just about anything. After referring to my favorite book, What to Drink with What you Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, I decided on a Rosé and a Gewurztraminer. With the hot wings, we enjoyed the 2009 Tertulia Cellars Rosé du Mourvedre from Den Hoed Vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley and the 2004 Viento Gewurztraminer from Celilo Vineyard on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge AVA. (Note: Viento Winery is located in Hood River, Oregon.) Both wines are very good on their own, and both paired well with the meal. However, we preferred the Rosé three to one as the best pairing with the hot wings.

What a fun dinner in preparation for football season! As we go into this time of year, we’d love to hear your food and wine selections for a “football” meal.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Tertulia Cellars Rosé du Mourvedre (Den Hoed Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): Medium, hot pink in color. Aromatic with loads of cranberry and raspberry on the nose; more cranberry, raspberry, and cherry popsicle on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with a long finish. Crisp and refreshing.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $13.49; Winery, $16

2004 Viento Gewurztraminer (Celilo Vineyard, Columbia Gorge, Washington): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with fresh aromas of lemon, honeysuckle, and a hint of minerality. Lemon, apple, pear, and floral notes come through on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied and lively with a long finish. Very refreshing.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $15

For years, I’ve had friends tell me that they can’t find the great Washington State wines that I tell them about where they live. So with the help of Wine-Searcher.com and a lot of legwork, I’ve set out on a mission to prove them wrong.

This is the thirteenth in a series of posts to help you find great Washington State wines in the major cities and areas all around the country. Today, I’m searching for Washington State wine in the San Diego, California area. Whether you live in San Diego or travel there for business or pleasure, we want to help you be able to find and enjoy your favorite Washington wines.

Here’s the format: To be selected, a store first has to have a Wine-Searcher.com rating of 4 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5 for customer service, reliability, etc. Next, it has to stock Washington State wines that we like. Finally, they need to be an online retailer as well, so that if you don’t live close enough to the store to drop in, you can still purchase their wines.

Based on these strict criteria, I found only two retailers in San Diego, Vintage Wines and The WineSellar & Brasserie, which both have the highest rating of 5-stars on Wine-Searcher but only have a modest selection of great Washington wines. While Beverages and More (i.e. BevMo) is not listed on Wine-Searcher, they have a much larger selection of Washington wines. Since I have personally purchased wines from BevMo in the past and have been pleased with their service, I have included them. I’m hoping that some of our readers will weigh in with comments if you know of other San Diego wine retailers with a good selection of Washington wines.

When you visit one of these stores, please let me know how you find their service and selection, and don’t hesitate to ask us any questions you might have about any of the Washington wines they are offering.

Beverages and More, 11475 Carmel Mountain Rd, San Diego, CA 92128
Beverages and More, Mission Valley, 925A Camino de la Reina, San Diego, CA 92108
Beverages and More, 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92121
Beverages and More, 3210 Rosecrans Place, San Diego, CA 92110
The WineSellar & Brasserie, 9550 Waples St, San Diego, CA 92121
Vintage Wines, 6904 Miramar Rd, Suite 201, San Diego, CA 92121