Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere’s monthly virtual wine tasting event, is now in its fifth year. Our host this month for WBW #61 is none other than the founder of Wine Blogging Wednesday himself, Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours: The New York Cork Report. Lenn selected At the Source as the theme with the following conditions, “Rather than walking into your local wine shop to pick up a wine for WBW, I want you to actually visit a winery and taste a wine there. Bonus points if you can taste it with the winemaker or the vineyard manager.”

Bob Betz, owner/winemaker of Betz Family Winery, in Woodinville, Washington, is one of the most well-respected winemakers in the State of Washington. He is a Master of Wine; for those of you who don’t know what that is, MW is the highest qualification in the wine industry. There are only 280 Masters of Wine in the world. Last weekend, Colby and I had the pleasure to meet Bob and his wife Cathy during their 2007 vintage Rhone-style wines release weekend. Betz Family Winery is only open to the public a couple of weekends a year so this was the first time we had had the pleasure to visit.

“2007 is one of the great vintages in Washington. I’ve been in the industry about 35 years, and I believe that 2007 is in the top five vintages that I’ve seen. The purity and elegance of the fruit really make it a great vintage while it also has the structure to go the distance. It has a very attractive lift. 2007 was easier to make than 2006 or 2008 which made for more fun winemaking.” –Bob Betz, MW, owner/winemaker Betz Family Winery

Betz Family Winery is a small family operation. Bob is the winemaker, Cathy is the president and handles the winery’s business affairs, and their daughter Carmen is the Director of Sales. 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. Last year, the Betz mailing list closed. While they hold back some wine for retailers, the majority of Betz wines are sold through their mailing list.

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. Since Bob truly believes that his wines start in the vineyard, each of the Syrahs he produces feature fruit from different vineyards in Washington’s Columbia Valley.

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 newest addition to the Betz portfolio is 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. We were completely blown away by the La Côte Patriarche Syrah. It is a smooth, well-integrated wine that will be fabulous with food.

The four Betz wines we tasted in my personal order of preference:

2007 Betz La Côte Patriarche Syrah (Yakima Valley, Washington): 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre. Gorgeous nose with aromas of black fruits, spice, leather, and black pepper. Smooth, well-balanced, well-integrated, and a long finish. Can’t wait to try it with food.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

2007 Betz La Côte Rousse Syrah (Red Mountain, Washington): 100% Syrah. Aromas of smoke, leather, and oak lead to red and black fruit flavors. Smooth and well-balanced.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

2007 Betz La Serenne Syrah (Yakima Valley, Washington): 100% Syrah. Black fruits and a hint of earth come through on the nose, black cherry and dark chocolate on the palate. A little hot on the back end. Slightly bitter finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $55

2007 Betz Bésoleil Grenache (Columbia Valley, Washington): 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah. Bright red fruit aromas, especially strawberries and raspberries. Slightly bitter finish. Improved the second time I tasted it.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $45

No matter where you are, when you want to open a bottle of wine you need a wine bottle opener…unless, of course, it’s a screwcap bottle. Over the years, I’ve tried them all and concluded that there’s no single type of opener that works best for all situations. However, some are clearly better than others, depending on the circumstances.

Here are the basic types of wine bottle openers and when they work best:

• Waiter’s Friend – It looks like a pocketknife and is a very versatile opener. You can carry it in your pocket, keep it in your suitcase or your car, or use it at home. It’s what you see the waiter use to open a bottle at your table, thus the name. While different versions are offered at a wide range of prices, it is generally an inexpensive opener and sometimes is even a “giveaway” at a winery or wine event. The Waiter’s Friend takes some muscle and some getting used to, but it’s hard to beat for the price. Its usability and portability make it the perfect choice for a picnic or in a hotel room on vacation. Available in regular and double-hinged versions. I have found the double-hinged version much easier to use. (Price: ~$5 to $15)

• 
• Ah-So Opener – It’s the opener with two thin strips of metal that you slide down between the cork and the glass, then twist and pull to extract the cork. I find it trickier to use than the instructions indicate it should be. It really depends on the kind of cork you have whether it will work well or not. I wouldn’t recommend it for general use and certainly wouldn’t use it to remove synthetic corks, but it is good to have one around when you have a damaged or fragile cork. (Price: ~$10 to $30)

• Cork Pops – This is an air-pump cork remover that we previously reviewed and demonstrated in a video. You insert a hollow needle through the cork and then push on the end of the cartridge to force propellant into the bottle which “pops” the cork out. With a normal size cork, it works fine, but with an extra long cork, the needle may not be long enough to penetrate below the cork to release the propellant. For opening a number of bottles in a row at home (like we do for our monthly wine tasting dinners), it’s a good choice. However, the propellant cartridges have to be replaced after about 60 to 80 bottles. (Price: ~$20; replacement cartridges – package of two, ~$8)

• The Rabbit – There are a number of lever wine openers on the market, such as the Metrokane Rabbit and the Screwpull Elegance. There is a wide range in price, but they all seem to work about the same. The Rabbit has been a gift-giving favorite for years. I’ve found that they generally work as advertised in getting the cork out of the bottle. It’s when you then try to get the cork off of the “worm” that you often need some muscle and can pinch your fingers. There are also lever-type wine openers that attach to a bar or countertop, but for this post, I’m only evaluating the more portable hand-held types of openers. (Price: ~$30 to $120)

• Electric Opener – Light and mobile, you simply remove the opener from its charger base, place it over the top of the bottle, and it removes the cork with a touch of a button. Then, with another touch of a button, it releases the cork from the “worm”. It’s another opener that’s becoming popular as a gift item. We’ve found the Oster Model 4207 to be a good and reliable opener that will open a number of bottles on one charge. (Price: ~$20 to $25)

When it comes to wine bottle openers (as with most things), it boils down to personal preference and the circumstances in which you are using them. Personally, I use a double-hinged Waiter’s Friend most often, whether at home or traveling. But Dad prefers the Electric Opener for everyday use at home. The Waiter’s Friend seems to be the most versatile when traveling, and it’s a good idea to have an Ah-So or Cork Pops around to use when you run into a damaged cork. Of these five styles, The Rabbit is the one that I use least.

What is your favorite wine bottle opener?

(Photos from Amazon.com)

Dusted Valley Vintners, located in Walla Walla, Washington, was founded in 2003 by brothers-in-law Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel who are co-owners and co-winemakers. Both Chad and Corey are originally from Wisconsin and are proud cheese-heads. In fact, they bring a bit of Wisconsin to Dusted Valley by using barrels made from Wisconsin oak to age their wines. Their current annual production is over 15,000 cases. Boomtown is their entry level value brand, and the Dusted Valley label graces the bottles of their higher-end wines.

We first visited Dusted Valley on a trip to Walla Walla in the summer of 2008 and had the pleasure to meet Chad. Their Walla Walla tasting room is located in a converted garage below Corey’s house. They recently opened a new tasting room in Woodinville near the Hollywood Schoolhouse for those on the west side of the mountains who cannot make frequent trips to Walla Walla. I had the pleasure to visit the new Dusted Valley Wine Gallery in August when we stopped there during my best friend’s bachelorette party. In addition to being a tasting room, the Dusted Valley Wine Gallery features the art of local artists.

Dusted Valley could never be accused of being a stuffy, uppity winery. Their wine club is known as the Stained Tooth Society with new members receiving a logoed toothbrush when they join. All Dusted Valley wines are closed with screwcaps. Both Chad and Corey have science backgrounds and based on their research, they believe that screwcaps are the best wine bottle closures.

While they source their grapes from vineyards around the state of Washington, Dusted Valley is especially proud of their estate vineyard, Sconni Block, located in the Walla Walla Valley near the Washington-Oregon state line. They practice sustainable viticulture and are members of VINEA, the Walla Walla Valley’s sustainable growing organization.

During my recent visit to the new Dusted Valley Wine Gallery in Woodinville, I had the opportunity to taste six of their wines. I would recommend all six but was particularly struck by the quality of their 2007 Walla Walla Valley Syrah. It is an outstanding wine. If you live near or are visiting either Walla Walla or Woodinville, I encourage you to make a point to stop at one of Dusted Valley’s tasting rooms. Not only are they making some great wines, but they are very friendly, welcoming folks.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines we tasted. 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: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Dusted Valley Walla Walla Valley Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2006 Dusted Valley Columbia Valley Stained Tooth Syrah, Columbia Valley, $26, QPR: 4
2008 Dusted Valley Yakima Valley Viognier, Yakima Valley, $26, QPR: 3
2007 Dusted Valley Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley, $35, QPR: 3

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Dusted Valley Columbia Valley BFM Bordeaux Style Blend, Columbia Valley, $38, QPR: 2

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Dusted Valley Columbia Valley Malbec, Columbia Valley, $35, QPR: 1

Full Pull Wines, founded by our good friend Paul Zitarelli, is a new Washington State wine retailer located in the warehouse district in South Seattle. Full Pull is not just another brick and mortar wine shop nor is it strictly an online wine retailer. Full Pull sells exclusively Washington State wines through a one offer per day model. If you are a shopper like me who loves the personal attention and customer service of Nordstrom but prefers the prices of Target, Full Pull Wines could be the perfect wine retailer for you. We recently had an opportunity to tour the Full Pull warehouse and visit with Paul about his new company.

Founder Paul Zitarelli was born and raised just outside of Philadelphia, went to college at Harvard, and moved to Seattle five years ago for his wife Kelli to attend graduate school. Since moving to Washington State, Paul’s enthusiasm and passion for wine has really taken off. He recently received his MBA from the University of Washington, working on the business plan for Full Pull Wines while he was there. During graduate school, he gained valuable experience in the wine industry by writing a wine blog, working in a local wine shop, and doing project work for a distributor.

The three things that Paul believes will set him apart from other wine retailers are palate, penmanship, and price—the three P’s, if you will.

• Palate—Paul lives in Washington State and has great local knowledge about Washington State wines. He will only be offering wines that he has personally tasted and is really excited about.
• Penmanship—Paul is a gifted writer and wants to tell the stories behind the wines, wineries, and winemakers. He plans to give those on his list a similar experience to the one they would get if they visited the winery themselves and visited with the owner or winemaker.
• Price—Since Full Pull does not carry a big inventory or have huge overhead, Paul’s intention is to pass those savings on to his customers.

While at my first job out of college, we had a company retreat in the Adirondacks. At the end of the day, the CEO asked me what we did today. I said, “We had a great day, sir. We went hiking, swimming, ate good food, and drank good wines.” He said, “That’s great. Here in the Adirondacks, we call that a ‘full pull.’ I never could get confirmation of whether that was true or whether he made it up, but it stuck with me as a way to describe those full and perfect days. That fits the mission of this company which is to facilitate days like that for other people, and that’s what I think wine can do. –Paul Zitarelli, Founder of Full Pull Wines

Paul will be sending out his first email offer for Full Pull’s official launch during the week of September 21st. The only way to purchase wine from Full Pull is to be on the email list. Paul will send out one offer per day, three to five times per week. If you are interested in checking out Full Pull Wines, head on over to the website to sign up for the Full Pull email list. Feel free to sign up and start reading the offers and then decide if you want to place an order. There are no purchasing or minimum volume requirements. The only information you need to provide to be added to the list is your name, email address, and state of residence.

When placing an order, you will be given two delivery options. You may either pick up your wine at the Full Pull warehouse on a Thursday pickup day or have it shipped. Those that choose Thursday pickup (TPU) will receive the best prices and also have the opportunity to attend a tasting during the pickup time. The TPU pricing level will also be available to shipping customers who are willing to wait to accumulate a full case before their wine is shipped.

If you live in a state that can receive wine shipments from Washington, Full Pull Wines could be the avenue for you to get your hands on excellent Washington State wines that do not currently have nationwide distribution.

Personally, I am excited about Paul’s business model and wish him the best of luck. I just signed up for his email list and hope that you will consider doing so, too.

NOTE: Wine Peeps does not have a financial interest in Full Pull Wines.

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Négociant is a French term for a merchant and one used particularly of wine merchants who buy in grapes, must, or wine, blend different lots of wine within an appellation, and bottle the result under their own label.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Négociant is a French term for a wine merchant who buys grapes or wine from small growers and makes a blended wine under their own label.

Today is the official launch of PALATE PRESS: The Online Wine Magazine. The first “issue” includes a Randall Grahm profile, Alsace Gastronomy, Spotlight on Zin, a wine review editorial, and more.

According to publisher David Honig:

PALATE PRESS: The Online Wine Magazine is a modern on-line wine magazine, seeking out and publishing the very best wine writers and writings on the internet. By harnessing the power of the internet and entering into partnerships with thousands of wine writers around the world, we are able to have an “on the scene reporter” at every wine-related event on the globe.

I am proud to announce that I am the Northwest Editor for PALATE PRESS and will be contributing articles as well.

Cheers!

In the current August/September issue of Mutineer Magazine, Wine Peeps is one of 9 wine blogs featured in “Blogs you should be reading…” You may remember that Mutineer editor Alan Kropf interviewed Dad (John) and me during last year’s Wine Bloggers Conference and featured us in the December/January issue as well.

Many thanks to editor Alan Kropf for continuing to sing our praises:

“Wine Peeps is on its game, posting information about the new Snipes Mountain AVA in Washington State before the Washington Wine Commission had any idea what was going on. QPR (quality price ratio) is the name of the game, with reviews telling readers how good the Peeps think a wine is for its price. Thoughtful and informative posts make this a great blog to follow.”

At the risk of sounding like a mutual admiration society, we have been similarly impressed with Mutineer Magazine. Founded by Sommelier Alan Kropf and beer expert JJ Bagley, Mutineer Magazine covers all things fine beverage with an emphasis on wine, beer and spirits. They strive to be informative yet approachable. So, basically, remove all the stuffiness and pretentiousness of the traditional glossy wine mags and you have Mutineer Magazine.

This post is the first in a series on challenging wine pairings. Many people probably wouldn’t even try to pair wine with smoked sausage and sauerkraut; however, we were up to the challenge because we believe that any meal can be paired with a wine that compliments the food.

As I began planning our first Challenging Wine Pairing meal, I started thinking about foods that I’ve had and enjoyed but not necessarily eaten regularly. The weather this time of year in Seattle is absolutely fantastic, so I wanted to select a menu that allowed me to enjoy the outdoors while preparing the meal on a beautiful day. So, I decided to prepare smoked beef sausage on the grill on our deck. I served the sausage on a French roll topped with sauerkraut and offered mustard on the side. Once I had my main dish selected, I tried to determine what would go best with the smoked sausage. German potato salad came to mind. My mother-in-law often made a great potato salad that the family always enjoyed. The potato salad was made with kosher dill pickles, and the dressing used was a mix of mayonnaise and dill pickle juice. To round out the meal, I served a tomato/green bean salad following a recipe that was shared with me by my sister-in-law.

As you can see, this meal was a combination of family favorites. I wasn’t sure if everyone would enjoy the sauerkraut, but I was determined to give it a shot. Much to their surprise, everyone enjoyed it. Even, my 2 ½ year old granddaughter, who absolutely loved the sausage, enjoyed a few bites of sauerkraut and didn’t even flinch!

I gave the task of wine selection to John and Kori. We wanted to try the meal with both a red and a white wine. The two wines they chose to pair with this meal were a Riesling and a Malbec. Since the meal was German, it made sense to pair it with Riesling, a grape variety that originated in Germany. We drank the 2007 Poet’s Leap Riesling. In fact, while this wine is made from Washington State grapes, the winemaker is Armin Diel, one of Germany’s most acclaimed Riesling producers. This wine had aromas and flavors of honey and apricot. Its crisp acidity and hint of sweetness worked quite well with the sweet and salty combo of sauerkraut and sausage. For the red wine, John and Kori considered Zinfandel and Merlot which are both generally good with hot dogs and BBQ, but ultimately decided on Malbec to try something different. They thought the spiciness of the Malbec would do well with the spicy German sausage. We drank the 2006 Watermill Estate Malbec. This wine had loads of black fruit aromas and flavors along with black pepper and other spices. While both wines paired well with the meal, we all thought the Riesling paired the best. The Malbec did taste great with the sausage but was a bit too bold for the sauerkraut.

To top off our dinner we enjoyed some fabulous homemade chocolate chip cookies that were given to us by a good friend. The Malbec was absolutely fantastic with the cookies!

This challenge was a lot of fun, and I would encourage you to try your own pairing challenge at home. Also, we would love for you to suggest Challenging Wine Pairing meals for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

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’m setting out on a mission to prove them wrong.

This is the first in a series of posts to help you find great Washington State wines in the major cities and areas all around the country. It only makes sense to begin this series with the Big Apple, New York City.

Here’s the format: In each city or area, I’m going to search for about half a dozen retail wine shops that carry Washington State wines. To be listed, 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 those criteria, I’ve selected five Manhattan retailers and one New Jersey retailer. Wine Library, located twenty miles across the Hudson River in New Jersey, has an incredible selection of fine Washington State wines. Garnet, Gotham, and Sherry-Lehmann each have a decent selection of moderately priced wines, with the common denominator among the three being the excellent 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling. Morrell has four or five very good Washington wines at a slightly higher price point, and Park Ave Liquor has some of the cream of the crop in high-end Washington State wines.

Listed in alphabetical order below are the six retailers with their street addresses and links to their websites. Please let me know how you find their service and selection when you visit in person, and don’t hesitate to ask us any questions you might have about any of the Washington wines they are offering.

Garnet Wines & Liquor, 929 Lexington Ave, NYC

Gotham Wines, 2517 Broadway, NYC

Morrell, One Rockefeller Plaza, NYC

Park Avenue Liquor Shop, 292 Madison Ave, NYC

Sherry-Lehmann, 505 Park Ave, NYC

Wine Library, 8 Milburn Ave, Springfield, NJ

(Photo by Eva Abreu)

Looking for a great deal on a Washington State wine? September is the month to find them this year. Normally, August is Washington Wine Month, but we’re dealing with a government monopoly here, so until the Washington State Liquor Control Board got their act together on their software, it had to be temporarily postponed.

Finally, the list of what deals are available at Washington State Liquor Stores during September has been released. Many independent wine retailers will offer their own specials as well.

Who says Washington wines are overpriced? Looking through the list, I counted over 150 wines selling for less than $10 a bottle and more than a dozen less than $5. And these are not jug wines, folks; there are wines from respected producers like Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Barnard Griffin, Hogue, Columbia, Sagelands, Snoqualmie, Waterbrook, Domaine Ste. Michelle, and many more.

As you know if you are a regular Wine Peeps reader, quality is not connected to any particular price point. There are excellent $7 bottles and terrible $77 bottles, and vice versa. What we look for are wines that have a great price compared to wines of similar quality within the same varietal/type, i.e. a good QPR (quality-to-price ratio).

While I would recommend that you go by and browse through all of the Washington Wine Month deals at one of the Washington State Liquor Stores this month because there are some good values at a number of price points, here are a few, in particular, that stood out to me:

• Sagelands Riesling, $6.99 (down from $13.25)
• Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon, $8.99 (down from $13.45)
• Canoe Ridge Merlot, $14.99 (down from $27.42)
• Columbia Crest Vineyard 10 White, Grand Estates Chardonnay, Two Vines Gewurztraminer, Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Estates Merlot, Two Vines Merlot-Cab, Grand Estates Shiraz, and Two Vines Shiraz, all under $9
• Barnard Griffin Chardonnay and Fume Blanc, both under $8
• Snoqualmie Winemaker Select Riesling and Syrah, both under $7
• Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling wines, all under $9