Domain Ste. Michelle Brut and Extra Dry Sparkling Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington

Domain Ste. Michelle has been making sparkling wines with Washington grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes for thirty years. Headquartered in Paterson, Washington, they are part of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest wine producer in the state, owners of not only Ste. Michelle, but Red Diamond, Eroica, Columbia Crest, Antinori and a handful of other wineries. While Domain Ste. Michelle is legally required to avoid calling their wines champagne, these lovely sparkling wines are made with careful attention to the traditional méthode champenoise. These white sparkling wines are made primarily with Chardonnay grapes from Washington state's Columbia Valley.

I note that while the two sparklers under review this time—Domain Ste. Michelle Brut, and Domain Ste. Michelle Extra Dry—are both Non Vintage, they also produce vintage sparkling wines, though they can be a little hard to track down since the vintage bottles are snapped up very quickly. In the NV range, Domain Ste. Michelle also offers a Blanc de Blancs, and a Blanc de Noirs, a sparkling wine made primarily of Pinot Noir. Both are dryer sparkling wines, compared to the Extra Dry and the Brut.

Brut

In terms of sparkling wine and Champagne nomenclature, the French adjective Brut (it rhymes with foot) means a very dry wine, one that has little of the original sugar left from the grapes.

The Domain Ste. Michelle Brut NV is not a particularly dry sparkling wine, nor a particularly sweet one. It's right in the middle, and is in fact their "mid range" offering (they used to offer a very sweet sparkling wine, an NV Frizzante, as they termed the wine). This is a light gold in the glass, with active natural carbonation, an aroma dominated by apple and a hint of grapefruit (enough that I wonder about a little Sauvignon Blanc in the blend). I note that the people who know what they're talking about describe the taste as "Citrus," and "toasty"; to me it's quite a bit like pear with something a bit like grapefruit in the finish. I can recommend this with freshly popped buttered popcorn, as well as freshly made French fries with Frank's Louisiana Style Hot Sauce, as well as the more usual pairing suggestions of goat cheeses and soft aged cheeses.

Extra Dry

For those reading labels, you might think "Extra Dry" is drier, and thus has less sugar, than Brut. Not so! In fact it's the other way around; "Extra Dry" is sweeter than Brut; technically, Extra Dry sparkling wine or champagne usually has around 1.2-2% residual sugar. It tastes noticeably sweeter than Brut. At Domain Ste. Michelle, their Ste. Michelle NV Brut is in the middle of their range in terms of the spectrum from Dry to Sweet. In their scale, they rate their Brut as a 5, and the Extra Dry as an 8. It's dominated by a hint of apple in the aroma and the flavor, with a sweet citrus and slightly toasty finish. This sparkling wine is, of course, lovely on its own before dinner, or as a final course, but it pairs beautifully with sushi, and Asian and spicy cuisines of all sorts.

Both of these sparkling wines are individual enough that they work well as ingredients for champagne cocktails, as well.

Winery Website Mistakes

Of late, I'm increasingly being frustraed by wineries with non-functioning Web sites. It makes it exceedingly difficult to contact people at the winery, to locate information about their wines, or, perhaps most importantly of all, to link to pages.

Flash

I've already made clear my opinions of winery Web sites using Adobe's Flash, but my annoyance is growing as more and more Web sites move to using Flash exclusively. This means that I can't link to a specific page, for instance, about a specific bottle. It means that in order to find out if the Web site even discusses a particular wine, I have to go to the Web site, and rather laboriously click every link looking for the wine—because Flash sites are not indexed by Google or other search engines, and Flash developers rarely take the time (or find marketing departments willing to pay) for a separate site in HTML. It's also impossible for someone using a screen reader or adaptive technology to "read" a page to read a Flash page (yes, blind people do in fact like wine too). From the point of view of the Winery, a Flash site means they need to go to a developer to make any changes, no matter how small—and that means that they are essentially held hostage by their developer, who almost certainly does not provide the Winery with copies of the Flash data files. Plus, every time Adobe updates Flash (about once a year) or the Flash Web browser plug-in, the site potentially risks being broken.

Look at winery Web sites very long, and you'll see one like Lindemans South Africa site that uses Flash and has scrolling text that scrolls automatically. I can't even read the tiny text, and can't copy it either, which means I can't quote from the site, and by the time I've figured that out, I'm not inclined to be charitable. Quite often, I don't have time to be charitable, since I have a deadline.

Not Updated

Perhaps as yet another symptom of the economic down-turn, I'm finding more and more sites are out of date; sometimes, by a year or less, but increasingly, I find sites that are two or more years out of date. Hogue Cellars, for instance, is out of date. The main wine pages seem to be from about 2005. Under the image of each out-of-date wine bottle is a link to "recent press." Clicking a link leads to a construction page, with a note that "This page is under maintenance, sorry for the incovenience. Please check back later." I'm trying to write a piece with a deadline; I don't have time to "check back later." I expect customers who, unlike me, haven't already bought a few bottles of Hogue Genesis, aren't going to "check back later," either.

Music

Wineries are increasingly using a music track; take Helene Nicole Wines, for instance, apparently under the delusion that they operate a top forty pop radio station; they play music. Just now they were playing "Sunday Morning" from Maroon 5. I'm glad that they're attempting to appeal to a younger generation of wine drinkers, but many of those wine drinkers have different tastes in music, have young children who are napping, are at an office or a coffee shop, and might not really want to share the winery's musical accompaniment with the world at large. There is a way to turn it off, which is something.

Broken Links

Quite often, wineries hire an outside developer or designer to create and maintain their Websites. More often than not, the developer proposes a custom solution involving scripts and a back-end database. And that means all their old pages become broken links, rendering a 404 message, or, worse, a script error like this page from Meridian Vineyards. If you have to break all the old URLs people have linked to in wine reviews, blog posts and articles, at least have the decency and wit to link a site map on your 404 page. And if you're working with a developer who leaves less than cosmetic script pages open to the public, you need to go on a hiring spree. While you're looking for a new developer, find one who understands that not everyone who drinks wine can see.

Avery Lane Chardonnay Washington Columbia Valley 2007

This is another Washington wine from Precept's Avery Lane winery. I've previously written about the Avery Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, and as much as I was left underwhelmed by the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, I am pleased by this Chardonnay. It's a very pale yellow in the glass, with faint hints of green apple and (somewhat surprisingly) pineapple on the nose. It's 10% Sauvignon Blanc, and that percentage does make a difference. It's a little sweeter, and less oaky than your standard California style Chardonnay, with a sweet almost melon-like finish. Perfect for those last dwindling dog days of summer, now that fall is positively here and summer is technically over. I can see this particular wine working well with goat cheese, Greek salad with feta, even a "white" pizza.

Pick up a couple of bottles of this Avery Lane Chardonnay, some dungeness crab or smoked salmon, some artisan bread, the last of the summer melon, some goat cheese and some crackers, and pack them in a basket for that last picnic before you put the top back up on the jeep and store the barbecue for winter. I notice that Paul Gregutt of Wine Enthusiast has nominated Avery Lane's 2007 Chardonnay as a "Best Buy." At $3.99 a bottle from the Bargain Grocery Store, I can't argue. I'm planning to go pick up a few more bottles to remind me of summer when the rains hit later this fall, and I desperately need to be reminded of sunshine and warm summer breezes.

Six Prong Red Wine, Willamette Valley, WA 2006

Six Prong Red is a

Bordeaux style red table wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. This fruit-forward table wine is made from grapes sourced from Eastern Washington state's Horse Heaven Hills. They're a Precept Brands winery, now, at least, though it looks like even two years ago they were independent. Six Prong was part of Corus Estates, which merged with Precept in January of this year. In the merger Precept gained Six Prong, Zefina, Alder Ridge, Sawtooth, and Battle Creek wineries. The Baty family owned and operated Corus Estates; Dan Baty is a partial owner of Precept, so the merger makes good business sense. Six Prong Red was the work of award winning winemaker Charlie Hoppes, at least in previous years; Precept is being typically close-mouthed about the current release. The Six Prong 2005 Red Wine was awarded 89 points from The Tasting Panel Magazine in December of 2008, a Silver Medal at the 2008 Seattle Wine Awards, and a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Washington State Wine Competition. Six Prong Red is a blend of Alder Ridge Vineyard grapes, from Washington's Horse Heaven Hills.

The aroma is fruity, with blackberry and cherry, and a hint of coffee. The color is quite lovely; deep red with crimson high lights. On this, our second bottle, we've noticed that the temperature, even more than allowing it time to breathe, makes a noticeable difference in the taste. The blackberry and black cherry notes are prominent, and followed by a lovely bitter chocolate note. This is a 14.2% ABV, and very much in the Bordeaux table wine tradition. We went back for several more bottles since this is a perfect fall barbecue wine, great with steak, or chili or burgers. We purchased this at the Bargain Grocery Store for $2.99; a bargain for a very nice table wine, but I am saddened that one more smaller Washington winery has been gobbled up by Precept.

I just hope Six Prong continues to make good wine.

6 Pack Wine Assortment - Free Shipping - $35.94

Are you planning on getting off the wagon? Sober life can be so challenging, right? Well my new flammable friend - you are in luck - because you can get 6 bottles of wine, a free corkscrew, and free shipping on a mix of 6 different California wines. What could be better? When you price it out that is roughly $5.99 per bottle - and it can be delivered right to your door (unless you live in a state like Pennsylvania where alcohol can not be shipped). With the money back guarantee offered - you can also get a full refund if your not completely happy! What's not to be happy about though - this is like a license to run wild in the streets!

I always get a little iffy about these offers because usually you have to purchase more or be a part of a "club" where they charge your card and keep sending you bottle after bottle. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if it weren't for the inflated prices - the old bait and switch. Well, this deal is not like that. You can buy just this box, and much like your old High School girlfriend did to you - stop all communication and get a restraining order. You will not be signed up for other offers, or charged for anything you did not purchase - making this deal more like a one night stand.

I think the selection all looks pretty decent, too, and you can always "gift" the ones you don't want to try (hopefully unopened). The advertisement indicates most of these wines can not be purchased at stores so this will also give you an opportunity to try something new - at a reduced price. You can get three reds and three whites - what more could one ask for? All you need to do is find a place to store this intoxicating liquid until your ready to consume. Might I also suggest a wine chiller?

Think of all the good times you can have with friends and family - drinking and hoping they forget you owe them all money. If you like you can also blast some old school Mariah Carey and have a sad party of one - alone. Perhaps you want do drunk dial that old High School girlfriend who forced the state to keep you apart - I guess it's fine as long as your at least 200 feet away, right? The choice is up to you - and so are the savings!

Breville Wine Chiller - $15.98 (Including Shipping)

Do you ever wish there was a way to cool that wine bottle down super fast? You know those times when you had a really bad day, because nothing is going right, and all you want to do is suck back a few bottles of cold wine? I know, if your like me, you have probably looked at a fancy wine coolers before only to get angry at the inflated price. I suppose if you are like me you also regret fist fighting the snooty shopping assistant at Williams-Sonoma®, too. Well - we are in luck and can have it all now (not just Cirrhosis of the Liver) - an inexpensive, modern, wine chiller and thanks to the fine folks at NewEgg - we can both get one for only $15.98 (plus tax where applicable).

If your confused by the price on the product page let me explain how the deal works - you need a coupon. The one you can use today is EMCYWNT57 (which expires 9/01/10) which will take off $15 dollars from the price listed. This coupon code can of course be used even though there is already an instant discount of $40.00 - which is what makes this deal that much better. Shipping for this item is $.99 and when included the total price will be $15.98. That is a steal!

You can use this wine chiller with an AC adapter or batteries - and it is portable either way - you can take it where you need it: the office, divorce court, a sleazy motel, Tijuana Donkey Show - you name it! Best of all - when you arrive to your destination the wine won't be the only cool thing there.

Some of you may be thinking - "oh I could just ice down my wine in a bowl" - but that could take precious hours away from being wasted - I mean "slightly buzzed". If you need to cool that wine down fast - this one works in 7 minutes. That is so fast - honestly! It is barely enough time to find something good to watch on Netflix while you enjoy your chilled adult beverage.

This little gadget will also help you out when you have an impromptu summer BBQ and need to chill several bottles - you can just put one in, wait 7 minutes, take it out, and repeat. This wine chiller would also make a great gift idea for that wino you are so fond of (some might call this person "Grandma") - or anyone you know that is fond of the drink.

Westerly Vineyards Viognier Santa Maria California, 2008

This is another first for me; I've never had Viognier, just Viognier, before, though I have enjoyed white wine blends containing Viognier. The Westerly Vineyards Vigonier is a light straw color in the glass. The aroma is sweet and musky, very like honeysuckle or certain musk melons, or even orange-flavored mead, on the nose. Just from the aroma, this is clearly not Chardonnay, it's not Sauvignon Blanc, it's very different.

Westerly Vineyards Vigonier is a wine that's surprisingly full-bodied, especially for a white wine. The taste is extraordinary; at first, sweet, and musky, like musk melon, or honeydew, but then it changes and become spicy, even a little sharp. I can see why people talk about things like pepper and cardamon with Viognier, but there's a tropical fruit, even a buttery, quality to it as well. This particular Viognier is 14.3% ABV, but it honestly is so very smooth and mellow that I was expecting it to be around 12% ABV.

According to Westerly Vineyards, this 100% Viognier wine was made from McGinley Vineyard grapes. The grape clusters were cold-pressed, and then aged in oak-neutral barrels for six months with periodic batonage, or stirring the lees in the bottom of the barrel to enhance the flavor and aroma of the wine.

Viognier is an interesting wine, one that I'm definitely going to have to explore, not only in general, but in terms of specifics. This bottle of Westerly Vineyards Vigonier 2008 was quite lovely. The winery produced 510 cases of this particular Westerly Vineyards 2008 Viognier, with a suggested retail of $25.00. We picked up up at the local BGO $3.99. I'll be going back for more; I want to try this with lime-chili prawns.

Westerly Vineyards Santa Maria California

Neil and Francine Afromsky

originally intended to grow Granny Smith apples, but unfortunately, the market for Granny Smiths declined. Consequently, in 1995, the Afromskys purchased a chunk of prime agricultural land (the Westerly Estate) in California's "Happy Valley," located in the extreme southeastern tip of the Santa Ynez Valley. They were the first viniculturists in the Happy Valley, and they turned to viticulturist Jeff Newton to guide them. At first, they planted Bordeaux style varietals; later, they began cultivating Rhône varietals, like Viognier. After the harvest, struck by the quality of the grapes, they decided to make their own wine, and Westerly Vineyards was born.

They collaborated with Kirby Anderson as their winemaker, and began to make their own small batch, carefully controlled limited production wines. Sourcing the grapes from select vineyard blocks, and creating each wine and each blend based on the qualities of the current grape crop. Today, Westerly Vineyards produces Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Roussane, and Viognier. All of the wines are made in very small, carefully controlled batches. Westerly also uses Viognier grapes to craft their Après, a dessert wine made in the very traditional French Vin de Paille or "straw wine" style, when perfectly ripe grapes on the verge of being over ripe are harvested, then spread out to dry on straw. The resulting dessert wine is sweet, higher in alcohol and rich with flavor. Westerly Vineyard's Après and Reserve wines are made in very limited quantities.

Recently, Robert M. Parker, Jr. gave Westerly Winery's 2003 Syrah "Cote Blonde" a rating of 95+ points. Westerly Vineyard's wines are difficult to find; they have limited distribution in terms of retail, and are rarely seen outside of Connecticut or California.

Viognier

Viognier is an old white wine grape, whose name is pronounced like this. Just how old isn't clear. It was present in France in the middle ages, and there are those who suspect it is the grape referred to by classical writers as a grape from the eastern coast. The University of California at Davis' viniculture DNA studies have determined that Viognier is very closely related to white grape known as Freisa, a grape closely associated with Italy's Piedmont region, and that Viognier is a cousin of Nebblio, which means that they have at least one ancestor in common.

In the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, Viognier thrived in France's Rhône region, until it was attacked by inadvertently imported phylloxera, a tiny insect that kills grape vines by feeding on the sap. Between that, and the damage done by World War I to the entire industry, by the mid 1960s Viognier was, in France, an endangered species. By 1965, the French Viognier industry was reduced to eight acres in France's Northern Rhône. Viognier is, fortunately, coming back in the Northern Rhône—Viognier is, in fact, the only grape allowed in the production of France's Condrieu, still produced in the Rhône valley.

The Viognier is a difficult, even a delicate grape, and easily succumbs to mildew. In order to cultivate the striking aroma the grape is famed for, Viognier must be picked at the height of ripeness, and then very quickly processed. Its high sugar content, partly responsible for the flavor, can be another difficulty in terms of producing wine, since high sugar typically equates with high alcohol, and the balance between the two can be tricky—though I note that most of the Viognier I've seen is in a dry or semi-dry style.

Viognier has been successfully re-introduced to France, as well as thriving in Australia (most particularly by Yalumba Estate), Chile and Brazil, with plantings of various sizes in Colorado, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia. California and Washington in the U.S. have been especially successful in growing Viognier, and producing wine. Outside of France, very few plantings of Vigonier are more than ten years old; since the vines improve with age, the future looks promising. I have seen Viognier blends, especially from California, combining it with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. In France, Viognier is combined with Syrah, in an effort to produce a lighter Côte Rotie.

Praised frequently for its lovely aroma, a sweet, heady scent evocative of fruit, Viognier is also known for the interesting blend of sweet and spicy/peppery/herbal notes in its flavor. Viognier is a good companion for spicy Asian dishes, Viognier's range of flavors suits a wide array of dishes.

Cucumber Melon Sangria Blanca

Okay, so what is classier than box wine? Making a delicious, expensive sounding, Sangria out of that box wine! Here's what you need to do:

To start you need a lot of wine, preferably the cheapest wine you can get in a large amount (like everyone's college favorite FRANZIA). This wine should have a really simple taste to it - you do not need any of that fancy "oaky flavor" grape-named wine - in fact the cheaper it is the better. Seeing as this is Sangria Blanca you want the wine to be white.

We need a vessel (or a few vessels) for this magical summer elixer so grab a punch bowl or some other large liquid-holding container you can find.

Next you need a cucumber - wash it off and slice thin (1/4 - 1/2 inch slices) sections, set the sections to the side (in a clean area!), or in the (clean!) vessel. If you place them in the container you wiill use you will save yourself some extra clean up so this is the best option. You do not need to "peel" the cucumber - but you may if you prefer.

After that you need a cantaloupe - peel it, and cut some nice medium (bite sized) chunks. Throw them in with the cucumber.

If you have any other fruit in your fridge, you know the stuff that you bought because you're trying to be healthy but havent eaten and its getting old, chop some of that up and throw it in too. This isn't science and you can add whatever you like - just make sure the Cucumber and Melon are more visible so you can call it Cucumber Melon Sangria Blanca without questions from your judgemental friends and neighbors.

See what nearly empty bottles of booze you have left from your bender last week, or go over to Lindsay Lohans' house and you're bound to find something we can use as the kicker to this summer of love beverage. Set the booze aside (or if your at Lindsays house try to sneak out and avoid kicking around all the empty bottles and waking her up)

We will also need something to sweeten the mixture - you can use honey, simple syrup, sugar, sugar in the raw (the ones you stole from Starbucks ... err pocketed to add to your drink later are fine). If it's sweet it's in! You want about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of whatever you you decide on  - yes you can use more if you want, IDC (I Don't Care for those of you who are not hip to internet speak).

Then... and this is the best part ... mix it all up! Let it all soak together overnight (in the fridge) before serving so the flavors all blend together and it is nice and chilled, 24 hours is preferred. You just found this recipe and your party is in an hour? Whatever, it's totally fine and its alcohol so nobody will care as long as its free and looks good, let it chill for an hour then - but the longer it sits the better it tastes.

After all of your hard work and waiting you can finally consume it! Voila! Your an instant beverage celebrity and everyone will want you to make your secret "low cal and healthy sounding" ©®™ beverage for their parties. You might even finally get laid - by someone willing - and Lindsay doesn't count because she was passed out!

 

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