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 ninth in a series of posts to help you find great Washington State wines in the major cities and areas all around the country. So far, the series has featured New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. Today, I’m searching for Washington State wine in the Denver, Colorado area. Whether you live in Denver or travel there during ski season, 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 really 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 can only find one Denver area retailer to recommend, Davidsons Liquors, a wine, beer, and spirits superstore in Highlands Ranch, which has an excellent selection of Washington State wines at a great variety of price points. I’ve found two other retailers, Chambers Wine & Liquor and Heritage Wine & Liquor, that have good selections of Washington State wine, but you cannot buy online from either of them at this time.  I’m hoping that some of our readers will weigh in with your comments if you know of other Denver area 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.

Davidsons Liquors, 5555 Boatworks Dr, Highlands Ranch, CO

Chambers Wine & Liquor, 15260 E. Iliff Ave, Aurora, CO

Heritage Wine & Liquor, 7475 E. Arapahoe Rd, Centennial, CO

(Photo by Alaskan Dude)

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
INAO, the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, is the organization in charge of administering, regulating, granting, and protecting the French appellations controlees, not just for about 470 different wines and spirits, but for more than 40 different cheeses and a range of other foods including meat, poultry, and olive oil. As such, and since Vin de Table production is fast declining, it controls an increasing proportion of all French wine, more than 50 percent of volume and nearly 60 percent of all vineyards in the mid 2000s. Nearly 75,000 vine-growers therefore depend on its rules, its undoubted restrictions, its protection, and its efforts to continue France’s reliance on geographically based wine names. The organization is based in Paris but run by regional committees and administrative centres.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
INAO, or Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, is the governing body in charge of the appellation controlees (AOC) in France. AOC’s in France are like AVA’s in the United States.

Hi! My name is Sydney, just like the city in Australia. In fact, some people tell me that’s where my name came from, since my Mom and Dad enjoyed their visit to Sydney so much when they were on their wine trip to Australia in 2005 before I was born. I’m the little Peep in the Wine Peeps family. I just turned three in January and will be starting preschool this fall.

My mom, Kori, is the Editor-in-Chief of Wine Peeps and also the Taster-in-Chief, and I’m her biggest supporter. Since you are obviously a Wine Peeps reader, here are five things I believe you should know about my mom:

1. My mom is a great Mom, and I love her very much. She loves me and my dad very much, too!
2. My mom works day and night between taking care of me and working on the Wine Peeps blog. I hear people talking about Wine Peeps. They don’t think I understand, but I do.  What they say is special about Wine Peeps is how many different regular features they have; such as the weekly A Wine for Tonight and Wine Word of the Week, and the monthly Women of Washington Wine, Great Washington State Wine Available in [insert city], Wine Tasting Dinners at BaBa (John) and Girlfriend’s (LaGayle’s) house, and the Tasting Group at my house.
3. Mom says that she reviewed more Washington State wines than anyone else last year, and I believe her. She took me along on many of her winery visits, and I have made friends with many of the winery dogs. Salsa at Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla is my favorite so far.
4. Mom is always sniffing, sipping, and spitting her wine, but she doesn’t like it when I do that with my milk. I like the oyster crackers best; that’s what Mom says she uses to cleanse her palate. My favorite thing to do when Mom is tasting wine is to say “Cheers!” and clink my cup with her glass.
5. My mom is good at just about anything she does. I want to be like her. She was a great student and a great athlete before she got into wine. BaBa says she’s a prodigy, the go-to gal for Washington State wine.  I think that is something good.

If you see the Wine Peeps along the wine trail, be sure to say “hi”. I’ll probably be playing with the winery dog.

Cheers!

[Editor’s Note: John wrote this post from the perspective of his 3 year old granddaughter Sydney. Sydney has never had a drop of wine, and we do not advocate anyone under legal drinking age consuming wine or any other alcoholic beverage.]

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 2007 St. Hallett Faith Shiraz from the Barossa Valley of Australia.

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 Lindner family founded St. Hallett, located in Australia’s famed Barossa Valley, in 1944. One of the founding wineries in the region, St. Hallett is named for one of the early surveyors of South Australia in the 19th century. St. Hallett’s wines are made entirely from Barossa Valley fruit. Winemakers Stuart Blackwell and Toby Barlow bring extensive experience to St. Hallett’s winemaking; Stuart has been the Senior Winemaker for over 35 years.

“St. Hallett Faith Shiraz is an exceptionally vibrant and expressive benchmark Barossa Shiraz displaying complex ripe cherry and raspberry fruit characteristics. Its flavors are a true expression of the vintage.” –St. Hallett

This is the fourth vintage of the St. Hallett Faith Shiraz that we have tasted, and all of them have been good.

2007 St. Hallett Faith Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia): Deep purple in color and aromatic. Floral, red and black fruit, spice, and oak aromas come through on the nose; red and black fruit, spice, and vanilla flavors on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $14.50; Available elsewhere, $12 to $21

Dusi Vineyard is located in west Templeton, California, in the Paso Robles AVA. The Dusi family is well-known for growing top-notch Zinfandel, which is considered the heritage variety of Paso Robles because it had a strong influence on the growth and development of the local wine industry. Sylvester and Caterina Dusi immigrated to the United States from Italy and ultimately settled in the Paso Robles area in the 1920’s and purchased their “Home Ranch” vineyard in 1924. They had three sons: Guido, Dante, and Benito. In the 1940’s, the family purchased a neighboring vineyard. Today, both vineyards are still in the family. The original “Home Ranch” is now known as Dusi Ranch and is owned by their son Benito. Across the freeway from Dusi Ranch is the vineyard most often referred to as just Dusi Vineyard, which is owned and operated by their son Dante and his family. As a result, Dusi Vineyard is sometimes referred to as Dante Dusi Vineyard to avoid confusion.

During my recent trip to explore Paso Robles wine country, I had the pleasure to visit Dusi Vineyard. Regular readers know that I love vineyards. The Texas farm girl in me loves to see where the grapes come from that go into the wine that I drink. And I love meeting the people. Let’s face it; growers are farmers, just good-natured, down to earth, hardworking folks. There is no glitz and glamour in the vineyards. It’s up before dawn, riding a tractor through the rows, working with your hands, and being “on call” to do whatever is necessary when the grapes say it’s time for pruning or harvest.

Our hosts for the visit were Dante’s grandson Matt and his wife Alli. Today, Matt’s father, Mike, manages the vineyard, but Dante is still very much involved. In fact, Dante was hard at work on his tractor while we were touring and tasting. The Dusi’s are a very private family so it is not surprising that Dante preferred to have his grandson meet with us while he went about his business.

“The first rule of Dusi Vineyard is that we don’t talk about Dusi Vineyard. The second rule of Dusi Vineyard is that we don’t talk about Dusi Vineyard.” –Matt Dusi, paraphrasing a line from the movie Fight Club, to explain the humbleness that has been passed down from his grandfather Dante

The 85-acre Dusi Vineyard operation truly is a family affair. On any given day, four generations can be found in the vineyard from Dante all the way down to his 2 year-old great-grandson Parker who was running around when we were there. During harvest, everyone in the family, even those with outside jobs, pitches in daily to make sure all the grapes get picked at the right time and delivered in perfect condition.

“It’s a family endeavor, passed on from generation to generation. My son Parker is 2 years old now. In ten years, he’ll be driving a tractor in the same dirt, next to the same vines, and complaining the same way that my grandfather (Dante) complained when his dad (Sylvester) made him go drive the tractor in the same place.” –Matt Dusi

Four wineries that produce a vineyard-designate Zinfandel from Dusi Vineyard were on hand to pour their wines and share their thoughts about the vineyard, including J. Dusi Wines, Turley Wine Cellars, Grey Wolf Cellars, and Four Vines Winery.

J. Dusi Wines
Janell Dusi, Dante’s granddaughter, is the winemaker for J. Dusi Wines. We did not have the chance to meet Janell because she was out of town but the family wanted to pour her wines since she makes them to honor her grandfather. In fact, her wines list the vineyard as Dante Dusi Vineyard as a tribute to him. J. Dusi wines feature a blue swoop on the bottles. They call the color “Dusi blue” in honor of grandpa Dante. The story goes that Dante paints everything this same color blue: his truck, his tools, and anything he finds that he wants to claim as his own (including tools left behind by other family members).

Turley Wine Cellars
Turley has made Zinfandel their own signature varietal and specialize in vineyard-designates. Since their very first vintage in 1993, their goal has been to source from great vineyards and bottle each one separately. They make around 23 Zinfandels, 21 of which are vineyard-designates. Many of their customers buy Zinfandels from different regions and then compare them. They have found that many people prefer their Paso Robles Zinfandels even though they have been making Zinfandels from other regions for longer. The 2008 Turley Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel was my favorite wine of the entire trip.

“Dusi is definitely the most aromatic of all of the Zinfandels that we do. That makes it a real attention-grabber.” –Malani Anderson, Turley Wine Cellars

Grey Wolf Cellars
Winemaker Joe Barton of Grey Wolf Cellars spoke very highly of Dusi Vineyard. He noted the balance, length, and mouthfeel that characterize Dusi Vineyard Zins.

“Over the years, they’ve established their reputation and there are very few vineyards in Paso who have established a reputation like they have. I think a lot of us are trying to source new vineyards and find new spots to do that, but Dusi has really set the benchmark so far.” –Winemaker Joe Barton, Grey Wolf Cellars

Four Vines Winery
Winemaker Christian Tietje noted that Dusi Vineyard produces fruit with dense concentration and wild spice. He also spoke about the concept of single vineyard-designates in general saying that every grower wants their vineyard to be a single vineyard because they can get more money for it, and every winemaker wants to produce single vineyard wines because they can get more money for it. However, the key is having a really unique single vineyard.

“My definition for a single vineyard is: If you add to it, will it actually take away from what it is? Is it so specific and so unique and so outrageous above the rest that it’s worthy of that? It’s an honor to put Dusi on the label. It’s one of the best things here in Paso Robles. It is truly the benchmark. It’s the standard for West Side Zin and definitive to Paso Robles.” –Winemaker Christian Tietje, Four Vines Winery

Early on, the Dusi family implemented the farming practices of head pruned vines and no irrigation, dry farming in their calcareous soils. Those traditions are carried on to this day. The vineyard remains in very good condition and continues to generate a living and a lifestyle for the whole Dusi family. It hasn’t always been easy though. Through hard work, adaptability, and ingenuity, Dusi Vineyard managed to survive both the Depression and Prohibition, and today is one of the most hallowed Zinfandel vineyards in the State of California. I think that Sylvester and Caterina would be proud.

Betz Family Winery, located in Woodinville, Washington, was founded by winemaker Bob Betz and his wife Cathy. They have grown steadily since their inception, from producing 150 cases of their first vintage in 1997 to currently producing around 3,500 cases, which is the level they plan to maintain. Betz Family Winery remains a small family operation with just five full-time employees. Bob is the winemaker, Cathy is the president and handles the winery’s business affairs, their daughter Carmen handles all sales and mailing list administration and deliveries, Tyson Schiffner is the assistant winemaker, and Mandy Bossard is the customer service coordinator.

Bob Betz is one of the most well-respected winemakers in the State of Washington. He spent 28 years working for Chateau Ste. Michelle/Stimson Lane and retired in 2003 as Vice-President of Winemaking Research to focus his efforts on Betz Family Winery. He is one of only 279 Masters of Wine in the world. As a winemaker, Bob strives for purity, elegance, and balance in his wines. Across the board, his wines are food-friendly and exhibit an Old World style yet are a complete expression of Columbia Valley fruit.

“Cathy and I spent a year in the vineyards of Europe in the 70’s. My mother is southern Italian. It had an influence. We were always around the table. We just love French and Italian. We speak the languages, go there as often as we can, and are Euro-centric in our cultural-thinking. But ultimately, the wines have to be an expression of the Columbia Valley. Solid winemaking principles and solid grape growing principles are going to lead us down the path we want to follow.” –Bob Betz, MW, owner/winemaker Betz Family Winery

We first met Bob and Cathy during their 2007 vintage Rhone-style wines release weekend last fall. Recently, we had the pleasure to visit Betz Family Winery again. Bob took us on a tour of the winery and tasted us through his two 2007 Bordeaux-style blends that were released last month as well as three not-yet-released Syrahs from the 2008 vintage.

Betz Family Winery got its start in the winery warehouse district in Woodinville while Bob was still working for Chateau Ste. Michelle. Even though he has been making top quality wines from the beginning, Bob believes that his winemaking has gotten even better in their current winery facilities. Their own winery building, just down the hill from Bob and Cathy’s home, was finished just in time for the 2005 harvest. Bob’s astute wine knowledge and attention to detail is evident in the construction of the facility. He emphasizes that sanitation has made a real difference at this facility. Everything slopes to the drains and all the walls are washable and sprayable. No wood was used in the construction of the cellar; it is all metal and concrete. The winery building houses two barrel rooms (a first year cellar and a second year cellar) as well as a bottle storage room. It is important to Bob to know how his wine is stored once it is bottled.

All the barrels used at Betz Family Winery are French. Bob has experimented with different barrels but always comes back to French barrels for their flavor profile and the subtlety and elegance that he gets out of them. Even so, Betz wines spend a shorter time in barrel than wines from many other wineries. The Rhone-style wines spend only one year in barrel while the Bordeaux-style blends spend 16 to 17 months in barrel. The shorter time in barrel helps the wines retain vigorous fruit and avoid oxidation and oxidative influences. Bob acknowledges that his is a more reductive winemaking style but hopes that the result is more vibrant fruit. Once the wines have been bottled, they remain at the winery for just about a year before they are released.

“Washington wines have such a potential for developing bottle aromatics that I like to give them that shot.” –Bob Betz, MW, owner/winemaker Betz Family Winery

Since Bob truly believes that his wines start in the vineyard, Betz Family Winery has gotten very specific about its fruit sourcing. Every grape that comes in comes from a specific geographical area that the winery farms in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Bob works closely with each vineyard owner and vineyard manager from whom he sources fruit. It is a collaborative effort based on mutual respect.

We found both of the recently released 2007 Bordeaux-style blends to be excellent but were especially impressed with the Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon. It truly is an outstanding wine. The fruit sources for the Père de Famille are 74% Red Mountain (Ciel de Cheval, Klipsun, and Kiona), 17% Horse Heaven Hills (Alder Ridge), and 9% Yakima Valley (Red Willow). The Clos de Betz comes from 39% Red Mountain (Ciel du Cheval), 33% Horse Heaven Hills (Alder Ridge), and 28% Yakima Valley (Red Willow).

“Of my 35 years in Washington, the 2007 vintage is in my top three. The thing about 2007 is that there was a very even growing season. It ranks right up there with the best vintages for dimension, expression, and complexity.” –Bob Betz, MW, owner/winemaker Betz Family Winery

We also tasted three not-yet-released Syrahs from the 2008 vintage. Typically, we do not publish our ratings of wines that have not been released but are making an exception in this case because we found all three Syrahs to be excellent and only expect them to improve between now and their release this fall. The best of the three, in our opinion, was also our favorite in the 2007 vintage and happens to be the newest addition to the Betz portfolio, the La Côte Patriarche Syrah. The fruit for it comes from the 1986 Syrah block at Red Willow Vineyard, the oldest Syrah planting in the State of Washington. The name of this wine, which translates as “the founder’s slope”, is a nod to Red Willow owner/grower, Mike Sauer, and former Columbia Winery winemaker, David Lake, who planted those original Syrah vines. The La Serenne Syrah has been farmed from the same block in Boushey Vineyard since 2000. The La Côte Rousse Syrah is sourced from two vineyards about a mile apart from each other on Red Mountain, Ciel du Cheval and Ranch at the End of the Road.

The majority of Betz wines are sold through their mailing list, which closed in 2008. However, they do hold back some wine for local wine shops and restaurants and have five small distributors nationally. Betz Family Winery is only open to the public twice a year for their release weekends. If you drive by the winery on a non-release day, you will likely miss it completely. There is no signage on the street, the driveway, or the winery building. The reason is right there in the name of the winery…family. By not having signage or a tasting room, they are able to have more personal time especially with their home located on the same property. But having more personal time does not mean less time spent on their customers. In fact, a majority of their time is spent focusing on their mailing list and working very hard at customer service, and that effort definitely shows.

2007 Bordeaux-Style Blends:

2007 Betz Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Mourvedre. Dense, deep, inky purple, almost black in color. Gorgeous nose with black currant, smoke, and blackberry aromas. Dark, dark black fruits and a hint of vanilla come through on the palate. Good fruit up front, filling mid-palate, and high, yet silky, tannins. Big and bold and extremely well-balanced with a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $60

2007 Betz Clos de Betz Red Wine (Columbia Valley, Washington): 62% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Dark, deep, inky purple. Beautiful aromas and flavors of spice, black cherry, black currant, cola, and a hint of cocoa. Medium to full-bodied with smooth tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $45

2008 Rhone-Style Wines (to be released in the Fall):

2008 Betz La Côte Patriarche Syrah (Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): Beautiful, inky purple-black. Gorgeous nose with black fruit, smoke, floral, beef jerky, and spice aromas. Luscious black fruits on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with medium to high tannins and a long, lingering finish. Pure, clean, great complexity, and well-balanced.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

2008 Betz La Serenne Syrah (Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): Inky, purple-black in color. Smoke, black fruits, and wild game on the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied and smooth with medium tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

2008 Betz La Côte Rousse Syrah (Red Mountain, Washington): Fruit from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard and Ranch at the End of the Road Vineyard. Inky, purple-black. Aromas of earth, smoke, flowers, and a hint of barnyard lead to flavors of beef jerky, game, and soy. Medium-bodied with medium tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

Pacific Rim Winery, located in West Richland, Washington, is almost exclusively a Riesling producer. The first Pacific Rim Riesling was produced in 1992 as a brand within Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California, and used grapes from California, Washington, and Germany. In 2007, owner Randall Grahm decided to downsize Bonny Doon and spun off Pacific Rim as a stand-alone winery dedicated to Riesling. The entire Pacific Rim operation relocated to Washington State with general manager and winemaker Nicholas Quille running the operation. In three short years, Pacific Rim has already made its mark, consistently producing good wines at great prices that are widely available.

Consistent with Grahm’s commitment to sustainability, Pacific Rim is a certified Organic producer by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and produced the first and only Demeter certified Biodynamic wine in Washington State.

Pacific Rim is not shy about its dedication to Riesling. The winery’s website address is www.RieslingRules.com. They are not only committed to producing exceptional Riesling but also to educating wine consumers about the variety. A section of their website, called Crush Pad, claims to be “the ultimate Riesling resource.” They have written a book called Riesling Rules (surprise!) that is available online (a free hard copy available upon request). With its Fourth Edition due out this spring, Riesling Rules covers just about everything you could possibly want to know about the variety.

Annual production at Pacific Rim is 140,000 cases with about 90 percent being Riesling. Producing a total of fifteen wines, Pacific Rim makes ten different Rieslings which run the spectrum from dry to sweet to organic to sparkling and just about everything in between. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste a number of Pacific Rim’s current releases in a blind samples tasting. We were able to try eight of their fifteen wines, including six different Rieslings. Given their quality, value, and availability, I encourage you to pick up any of these wines if you see them on the shelf at your local wine shop.

Rieslings:

2008 Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, greenish yellow. Very aromatic with apricots and honey on the nose; honey, dried apricots, white peach, and pineapple on the palate. Medium sweet and medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 8.4%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10

2009 Pacific Rim Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, greenish yellow. Very aromatic with candied peaches, honey, and fruitcake aromas. White peach, pear, and tropical flavors show through on the palate. Off-dry, medium-bodied, and crisp. Well-balanced with a long 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 $10

2009 Pacific Rim Organic Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, greenish yellow. Nose is a bit tight at first but then pear and floral aromas come through. Flavors of pear and hibiscus. Off-dry and medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 3.6%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $14

2007 Pacific Rim Vin de Glaciere Riesling (Selenium Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): Sweet dessert wine made from post-harvest frozen Riesling grapes. Medium goldenrod yellow. Aromas of cotton candy and honey; flavors of pears, apricots, and honey. Very sweet, medium-bodied, lively acidity, and a long finish. Residual Sugar: 16%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $14 [375ml]

2007 Pacific Rim Dry Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium yellow-gold. Aromas and flavors of grass, pears, green apples, and citrus fruits. Dry, light to medium-bodied with crisp, almost tart, acidity and a long finish. Residual Sugar: 0.8%
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10

2007 Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): Golden yellow in color. Honey, minerality, and petrol on both the nose and palate along with hints of apple and citrus. Dry, medium-bodied, and crisp with a long, slightly bitter finish. Residual Sugar: 0.7%
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $20

Other wines:

2007 Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Very light greenish yellow. Aromatic with apple, pear, and floral aromas on the nose. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit show through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and light-bodied with tart acidity. Crisp and refreshing with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 1.2%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10

2008 Pacific Rim Gewurztraminer (83% Washington, 17% Oregon): Medium-deep gold in color and very aromatic. Dried apricot and spice come through on the nose; pear, apricots, and melon on the palate. Off-dry and light to medium-bodied with lively acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 1.7%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Masters of Wine are those who have passed the examinations held every year by the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW), the wine trade’s most famous and most demanding professional qualification. …. The examinations consist of four (once five) written papers and three ‘practical’ (i.e. wine tasting) papers. The examinations are distinguished by the breadth and depth of their scope.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Masters of Wine are bona fide wine experts.

First of all, let’s get right to the obvious. If a wine costs less than $10, has a screwcap closure, or comes in a box, it is ready to drink now. Today, the overwhelming majority of wines, even at higher price points, are made to be drunk young. So enjoy! Many more wines are drunk too late than too early.

To improve over time, a wine must develop complexity to offset the inevitable loss of fruit flavors as it ages. Typically, these wines are more expensive, so price is a clue that you might need to be a little patient before you consume a wine. Harsh tannins are another clue that a wine needs some aging. If you open a bottle today, drink part of it, and then realize that it will benefit from some aging, just close it back up and open it again tomorrow and again the day after tomorrow. If it seems to be better after being opened a few days, it is a wine that will last and probably needs more aging to be at its peak. That is the value of buying more than one bottle of a wine you have reason to believe you’ll really like.

In general, top quality red wines benefit more from aging than do white wines because they stay on the skins longer than whites and therefore have more of the preservatives such as tannins; although there are exceptions such as Riesling, which is high in acidity. At a good, reputable wine shop, older vintages for sale usually indicate greater complexity and longer barrel aging rather than a vintage they have not been able to sell. Current vintages in the shop are usually more ready-to-drink fruit-forward wines.

But again, let me remind you that many more wines are drunk too late than too early. So if you are not sure when to open a bottle, just open it now and enjoy!

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 2007 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon 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

Owen Roe, located in St. Paul, Oregon, produces wines from both Oregon and Washington fruit. Owner/winemaker David O’Reilly’s first vintage of Owen Roe wines was 1999. He sources his fruit from small vineyard sites in Oregon and Washington in an effort to showcase the best expression of each variety. The Sharecropper’s label is a natural fit given his strong relationships with vineyard owners throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“The Sharecropper’s label has been a huge hit and this dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon is a great successor to last year’s version. This label hearkens to the spirit of the old sharecropping ideal of a partnership between landowners and the laborers who toil producing the crops. With an oversupply of grapes, we decided to put some of our excess first-rate fruit into neutral barrels and essentially split the profits with the vineyards. Most of the fruit for the Cabernet Sauvignon comes to us from Dr. Steve Elerding’s Six Prong Vineyard in Alderdale, Washington. Plush and forward with fresh berry notes, this wine promises excellent cellaring potential.” –Owen Roe Winery

2007 Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep red in color. Red and black fruits, smoke, spice, and a hint of black pepper come through on both the nose and palate. Good acidity and vibrancy with firm structure. 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), $14; Available elsewhere, $15 to $28