The Eno fall season got off to a good start with the Sangiovese tasting at the Cashmere Riverside Center. New board member Barbara Johnson, aided by Mary Henning, learned what it was like to host an event, and did it very well. We had a large attendance of close to 70 who enjoyed Italian-style food with the wines from the Sangiovese grape.

Thanks to many helping hands, the evening went off well, and we missed those of you who weren’t able to be there.

Do try to put the October 16 dinner on your calendar. Hosted by Ann and Joe Gaspers, it will be a fine evening at the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club.

Next will be the December Winter Gala, with Champagne and other sparkling wines. Attendees do their utmost to provide delicious, outstanding hors d’oeuvres, providing us all with a truly celebratory evening at the Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center.

Meanwhile, our local wine country is keeping us busy with events. We’ve had the Chelan County Fair, the Leavenworth Crush Festival, and the Wenatchee and Lake Chelan Harvest Festivals, all of which were well attended. Next, as far as I am able to determine, is the Grand Opening of the tasting rooms of three wineries: Craig and Danielle Mitrakul’s Crayelle Cellars, Doug and Diane McDougall’s Horan Estates, and Lisa Wareham’s Waterville Winery. a brandy distillery and Snapdragon Cafe in what is called the Mission District, on Mission St. in Cashmere. This building is down the street from Liberty Orchards Aplets and Cotlets, and next door to Junkyard Gypsies. On Thursday, September 23, an open house will offer food and wine from 4-7 p.m. Join us in celebrating this new addition to Cashmere.

Coming into Cashmere, across the bridge on the right, is the new home of Ryan Patrick Vineyards, and the second tasting room and wine-making facility for the winery. The tasting room will be opening soon.

As for good wine buys, most grocery stores are featuring lower prices on many wines. I haven’t found anything especially appealing at Grocery Outlet recently. URM has some local wines at exceptional prices. Faire le Pont is one. A plethora of tourists helps the local wineries and keeps their prices up; what is good for local businesses is usually good for all of us here.

Now it’s time in Leavenworth for Autumn Leaf Festival, followed by three weekends of Drunken Fest. Publicly, it’s known as October Fest, but if you’ve been here at this time, you might agree on the new local name for it.

Some wine rooms will be offering new wines for your delectation. Napeequa in Plain has just bottled some new ones, and David Morris’ wines are always worth the trip up there. The new Silvara Vineyards on Hwy 2 above Smallwood’s has a new Cab and an irresistible new Pinot Grigio. and 37 Cellars off E.Leavenworth Rd. (Call 548-8663 for appointment) has an outstanding, fairly new Pepperbridge Merlot and a fabulous new Chardonnay. I know there are others, but I am not yet acquainted with them.

Hope to see you in Cashmere Thursday 4-7.

Joanne

Cashmere is on its way to becoming another wine center for visitors and locals. Crayelle Cellars and Waterville Winery are already established there on MIssion Ave. near the distillery, and it won’t be long before they are joined by others. The Flanagans of Ryan Patrick Vineyards are establishing their wine production facility there, as well as a new tasting room, and it won’t be long before both are up and running.

Going through Junkyard Gypsy next door will take you back a good many years when you view their collection of clothing, furniture and other miscellany from years gone by.

The Wenatchee World online has created a new site in their Communities section, Cashmere World, which is definitely worth checking out, with its interesting articles and stories. I especially like Fran Tabor’s articles, Taber Homestead: a Pioneer Story, and Aren’t we lucky?.

Wine:

Grocery Outlet has a dry French rose’ from Robert Skalli in stock. Skalli is the French parent company of St. Supery winery in Napa. We have presented their wines several times over the past years. The Skalli wines are not normally available in WA state.

This wine is very dry, as are most French rose’ wines, and went well with our delicate steelhead last night. And, at $2.99, it’s a real bargain.

I’ve heard good reports on Square Nail cab sauv but haven’t tried it yet. Same with a white from Australia called Tempus Two, Melange 2006–a blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. It sounds good but today is cloudy and chilly so we’ll try the Square Nail tonight with a pot roast. It’s cold up here on the hillside!

Beginning July 10, Alex will be pouring at the local Ryan Patrick tasting room here in town, so come by and say hello if you’re around.

Don’t forget to schedule in the pig roast at Bergrens’ home July 24. It’s always one of the highlights of the summer. More will come on that later.

Joanne

You’ll find enough information about wine, plays, music and other activities to make your head spin. I’m still dizzy from reading about it. Shhh. I know what you’re thinking, but Alex already had a smart remark about that.

Here in Leavenworth, Stemilt Creek opened its new tasting room in the Pink Building. We met a new staff member, Mike, who pours with a ready smile. But who wouldn’t smile at these wines? They have some nice new prices on three: the 2005 Merlot is now $14., the 2005 Stemilt Hill Red (a very pleasing blend) is $14, and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is only $12.75! Talk about good buys!

Up on the hill above Smallwood’s Farm, the new Silvara winery continues to take shape. It will be a real showplace when finished. Stop in and talk with Gary about his plans for it. We might hold an event there in the future. Both Gary and the young woman behind the bar will be happy to fill you in on what’s going on. If you are coming to the May 20 event, you’ll get to taste two of Gary’s three wines. They are very good. And don’t forget that noted local winemaker Craig Mitrakul will be there, along with the latest winemaker in Leavenworth, Chuck Egner. I wish he’d bring the blue grass group with him.

Recently at Grocery Outlet we found some more Sawtooth red blend – $3.99 – and Six Prong – Horse Heaven Hills red blend – , $4.99. Bob tells me they are very popular and go out as soon as people learn they are back in the store. I liked the Apex Chardonnay 2007 we had last night. Earlier they had the 2004, and some might be left, but I like the 2007 better. It’s a light, crisp style but with definite Chardonnay characteristics, and went well with a roasted Cornish hen, brown rice and asparagus. The Serience, too, is available again. This Washington state triple gold winner, at $2.99, has been hard to keep on the shelves.

I think we all know what good wines come from the Columbia Crest Grand Estates line. The prices are always reasonable, but this week at Martin’s Market in Cashmere the Grand Estates Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio are only $5.98. Even better, with a four bottle purchase, they are $5.38. With summer and hot weather just ahead, we’re going to stock up with some of these, as we eat a lot of white-wine food when it’s hot.

Don’t forget to get your May membership in. I know how easy it is to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” as it’s my favorite phrase these days. I do hope to see you May 20. You’ll love meeting the guys who make some of the best wine in the Valley.

Joanne

Don’t forget the March 30-April 3 wine sale at Grocery Outlet, with its 20%-off-all-wines sale. The Imagine Chardonnay is a very nice wine: 100% Russian River Chardonnay from the noted Chalk Hill winery in Sonoma County. We also tried Sylvester, a Paso Robles Sangiovese which we enjoyed with a light Italian-style meal. It is a light red, but one we’ll drink again. And at $3.99 plus 20% off, who can pass it up?

By the way, for Washington Wine Month, Top Foods has Martin-Scott 2006 Merlot & 2007 Zinfandel for $12.99. While most of Top Food’s other specials aren’t this good, these Martin-Scott prices are a steal. (I think the M-S Chardonnay is on sale for $12.99, too).(This from member Don Julien, host of the April Tempranillo event.)

And, speaking of the April event, the newsletter will be out by tomorrow, I hope. This month we will be learning about the Spanish Tempranillo grape, and about Washington winemakers’ attempts at making this wine–with excellent success, I might mention.

Yesterday we attended a belated Mardi Gras/March birthday party for a couple of friends who just turned fifty. No, I wasn’t one of them. I mention this because Gary Seidler of the recently opened Silvara Winery near Leavenworth – in Peshastin, really – brought a bottle of his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and realized he should have brought more after the reception it received. It is going to be a Good Thing, having another winery doing large events with food and entertainment close to (our) home. While some of the Wenatchee and Chelan wineries hold events, they are somewhat of a drive for those of us in this area.

Easter is coming and Rose’ goes well with ham and other spring fare. Ryan Patrick has a new one out, and Saint Laurent’s has always been good. Or you can make your own, as an acquaintance did at a party one evening. He had about two ounces of red left in his glass, reached for a white and said, “I think I’ll have a little Rose’. ” And he did.

Have a happy Easter and a busy spring. Get those plants in the ground, sharpen the lawn mower, and sic the cat on the gophers. Ours has already earned her keep for the season. See you April 15 in Cashmere at the Tempranillo Tasting, I hope.

Joanne

Yes indeed! JUST IN! While not a dinner, a fun event will be held March 18 at the Cashmere Riverside Center, where the very popular Laurel Ridge winery from Oregon will present its excellent wines. This is another value-priced event: $10 members; $12.50 guests, I think. Details are posted on the Events page.
 
Chateau Faire le Pont has a new name for its restaurant: The Chateau.  The new chef, Michael Ables, has a fantastic sounding new menu which we can’t wait to try. More information is available at www.fairelepont.com  where you can see the lunch and dinner menus. Also, Faire le Pont has futures on its 2007 wines. We’ve never been disappointed in any we’ve purchased. Other wineries sell futures, too, so check with you favorite one and buy a bargain. You know I love bargains!
 
Local grocery stores have a plentiful supply of daffodils and tulips right now, and often at a great price, so we can bring a little spring inside.  One small, colorful bouquet helps chase the S.A.D. away until our own area is blooming again.
 
See you March 18, I hope. I’m looking forward to more of the fantastic foods like the ones you brought in February. Laurel Ridge makes wonderful Pinot Noir, so earthy, mushroomy foods or coq au vin, salmon, lamb and pork are good choices.  Here is a link to some interesting discussions about what foods to prepare for a Pinot Noir tasting.

Only 20 more days ‘til Spring!

Joanne
 

The February 18 event will be here before we know it. This month we are going to try a grape relatively new to Washington: Petit Sirah. We will try some from California, Australia and of course, Washington.

Petit Sirah is an important blending grape, often blended with some of California’s finest Zinfandels, but the grape is also bottled on its own as a varietal. It is not made from the Syrah grape, but has its genetic ancestry in the Syrah varietal.

Again, stores are offering good buys in wine. One I found very recently at G.O. was Serience, a white blend of Washington state’s Alder Ridge Roussanne and Viognier, and from Puget Sounds’ Zefina winery. We like it a lot; it is very versatile. AND it is only $2.99.

The following is from an announcement made when the wine earned some outstanding rewards:

“SEATTLE — Zefina Winery today announced that its 2003 Serience White from the Columbia Valley was chosen as ‘Best of Class’ and won a Gold Medal at the 2005 San Diego International Wine Competition.”

Another good buy is the Forest Glen double-bottle package of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at $14.99. You may be familiar with this winery’s Merlot which was available a few weeks ago, but which sold out quickly.

Columbia Crest is known for its drinkable wines, and while the expensive ones are outstanding (remember, the Columbia Crest 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year for 2009), the every day wines are very drinkable and are often on sale at great prices. One new one we like is the Columbia Crest Vineyard 10, which we found on sale at Safeway for $5.40 if we bought six and at Food Pavilion if we bought four. Those prices are over, but keep watching. The prices change often.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates has a very nice Riesling, again at $5.40 on sale and regularly $7.49. All the Grand Estates wines are good buys, and are on sale regularly (and irregularly) at various stores in the area.

Local wineries also offer good buys. Stemilt Creek Estate Winery recently lowered prices on three excellent wines: Stemilt Creek Estate 2004 Cab $12.75; Stemilt Creek Red 2005 $14; Stemilt Creek Estate 2005 Merlot $14. Jones of Washington has several very nice wines under $17. Check the web sites of all our local wineries to see what they offer on the Wineries page.

On February 10, in the Wenatchee World online, “Joanne’s Blog”, I will post two new recipes. One is for a special torte for your Valentine; the other is for chocolate truffles. You can have your own special Valentine’s dinner at home, with your favorite wines.

I hope your Valentine’s Day is as special as you are. It’s up to you to help make it special for someone else.

Joanne

Note: No one has volunteered to chair a Regional Dinner. For now, nothing is scheduled in March.

I’m surprised there hasn’t been a major news report about this, but perhaps the scientific community is keeping quiet about it for now. Surely you, as I, have noticed that the universe is speeding up and time as we know it is slipping away at an alarming rate. Didn’t you notice that September flew by, and now October is doing the same? At this rate we will be able to prepare one meal to serve both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at the same time.

At the same time, the wine bargains at Grocery Outlet are disappearing quickly. Recently I received a very helpful email from one of our members, Don Julien, who is obviously a patron of our local GO. I knew of these but he wrote them all down and saved me a lot of work, which I appreciate. I believe most of these are still available, plus some new ones we just tried. When something is new to us we like to try it first before recommending it.

Here is Don’s list, with a few of our opinions on it. Many thanks, Don!

Bridgman Chardonnay 2.99 (WSL 6.99).

Apex Chardonnay 4.99 (WSL 14.99) I liked it; Alex didn’t.

Apex II Syrah 2.99 (WSL 11.99) Alex liked it; I didn’t.

Pavin & Riley Merlot 3.99 (WSL 6.99).

Pavin & Riley Chardonnay 3.99 (WSL 6.99).

Washington Hills Merlot 2.99 (WSL 6.99) Alex liked it a lot, for the price.

Avery Lane Merlot 2.99 (WSL 4.99).

Gordon Brothers Rose’ (their website says it’s from Cab Sauv & Merlot) for 2.99, I think (normal retail 13.50). I’m not a big fan of Rose’, but did like this. Nice acid and flavor.

The others we haven’t tried in so long that I don’t want to comment on them. And of course these are just our opinions. You might have noticed, too, that we differed in our opinions of some of the wines.

More recently, in GO, we found Forest Glen Reserve Merlot 2003 at $7.99. It was excellent (after some breathing). I don’t know how much they have left. (Six as of Saturday noon)

Pacific Oasis, another label, has two varieties on the shelves: unoaked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We both liked the Chard and Alex liked the Pinot. I thought it was “too Pinot-y”, as though special effort had been made to give it a heavy barnyard aroma and flavor–not that I’ve really tasted a barnyard flavor, but you get the idea. Having mucked out a few horse barns and cow stalls in my youth, I am familiar with barnyard aromas.

We also saw a Napa Chard called Joya, but haven’t tried it. If anyone does, I’d appreciate a comment on it.

The WA State Liquor Store on N. Wenatchee Ave. has increased and improved its selection of wines. For instance, Kiona has a Red Mountain Zinfandel for around $15. Maybe this is common knowledge, but not for us. So much has been going on in our area these past few years that we have somewhat lost track of the rest of the state.

How many of you know that you can go to the WA State Liquor Control Board web site and find what wines are on sale for the month? I think the local store will still order in a case of something if they are out of it.

A little news came my way, and although it may be old stuff by now, it’s new to me. Did you read the NW Winepress list of top WA cabs? Wedge Mountain’s 2006 Red Mountain Cab Sauv was on the recommended list, as was Rob Newsom’s 2005 Reserve Cab. And the Wedge Mountain hasn’t even been bottled yet, but is just winding up its 1000 days in new French oak. It will be bottled soon and in the market in a few months. We’re looking forward to it.

One of the more recent wineries to open in our area is Chuck Egner and Frank Deschaine’s 37 Cellars.,up here in Leavenworth. We went up this week to pick up some wine and watched them crush their last load of grapes. We wanted to take some pictures, too, but someone had left the camera at home.

Fortunately, the day was not a loss, for Chuck just happened to have wine and glasses sitting on a barrel near the crush. Although our teeth were chattering, we managed to sip our way through the delicious Chardonnay and the wonderful-though-chilled reds: the 2007three-blend Trio (I think I was just redundant there), the 2007 Merlot and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an unexpected treat, as Chuck and Frank were really working hard–too hard, in fact, for them to pause and play and sing my favorite song, “Aragon Mill.” (Let me brush away a tear or two here; it’s a mournful song and Chuck has a real way with it.) They did play it for us a few days later when we went to view the pictures they had taken with their camera!

Of course these wines are not GO bargains; they are comparable in price to other area wines, and excellent in quality, especially for such young reds. It’s exciting to see what new wines are coming out of our immediate area these days; even better is going to taste them and perhaps lay some down for future consumption.

If you’re a Napeequa fan–and aren’t we all?–don’t forget the October 28 Jubilee .

And November 7, 2009 from 2:30pm – 5:00 pm, Vin du Lac in Chelan is celebrating the opening of its new Chelan Falls Production Facility with an open house and the release of the eagerly anticipated 2006 Barrel Select Malbec.

Our son who was here from Atlanta for a few days commented, as we arranged our schedule so as to get him to Pangborn on time and still get home in time for Alex to put in a few hours at the Ryan Patrick tasting room, “You sure do keep busy out here. Is it like this all the time?”

We were happy to say, “Yes.” I had just read a NY Times piece about a number of retired people who seem to be just sitting around, waiting to die. Who has time for that? There’s new wine out there to be discovered and interesting people to meet. I hope we see you at some of these events. There’s more to come.

Joanne

It’s been a big year in the local wine industry. Lake Chelan just got its AVA designation and the wineries are celebrating this weekend, up there in the lake country. I want to get back to Chelangr’la and see if the Pinot Noir is as good as I remember. Benson Estate Winery is a fun stop, as the family is so friendly and welcoming and all the wines are excellent. Each winery has a specialty we look forward to.

Not long ago when we went to Chelan for the day we either took a lunch or got a quick sandwich at Safeway. They do make excellent sandwiches there. Now, however, new eating places seem to be popping up all over. Some are not new, as is the very popular Lake Chelan Winery and the charming Vin du Lac. I enjoy the way Vin du Lac lets you taste their wines as you eat their delicious food.  Now Tsillan Cellars has Sorrento. What atmosphere that has!  And KarMa, with its ambiance, also has excellent food and service. All that wine tasting makes us hungry.

Some new wineries have appeared in our NCW area and more are coming. The June 13 picnic at Rio Vista Winery, just north of Chelan, should be a lot of fun. The setting is lovely, with the river nearby, and the beautiful grounds. The wine is very good, too. 

Ryan Patrick Winery has just released its 2007 Rock Island Red. I haven’t seen it at Costco yet, but can’t imagine it will be long before it shows up there. They still have the Naked Chardonnay, an excellent wine for all the hot-weather foods we’ll be having as summer comes along. It’s hard to beat a wine like this for $6.49. You’ll also find the Saint Laurent 2006 Merlot for only $9.99.

Good old G.O. is expecting some new wines so we’ll stop there and see what we find.

Nebbiolo is making an appearance in our area. It’s already being produced in other areas in our state. Other varietals are getting more and more attention as we go beyond Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio/Gris and other usual and familiar wines.

The Enological Society board is working at presenting new events which will help us all to learn more about the wine industry. We’ll be comparing some French wines with their local counterparts, exploring Petite Syrah, and trying the popular Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend as made here and in other areas and countries. If helping with an event sounds like fun (and it is), please let us know. You don’t have to take on the full responsibility for it, but you might learn enough and enjoy it enough to want to do it again. You might even want to join the Board. We’d love to have you.

Note: The popular and familiar Waterbrook Winery in Walla Walla underwent a change of ownership in 2006. Rick Steigmeyer of the Wenatchee World wrote an interesting and very informative article about the grand new winery and the changes made there.

Joanne Saliby

Meanwhile….The road from town to Wenatchee is lined with trees covered in beautiful allergens. I mean, blossoms. Daffodils and tulips are everywhere. Just not up here.

We recycle glass, including wine bottles, at the Cashmere recycling place at the end of River Street. On that street, on the right side, are two homes blazing with golden shrubs and red and yellow tulips. Other homes on other streets display colorful signs of spring. Just not up here.

However…..I love “howevers”…..we do not have or need air conditioning. No matter how hot the summer, only two or three days make us wish we had it, and every night we pull up our light down comforter to ward off the chill that creeps in before morning. And I can garden in weird, worn and skimpy attire that, had we close neighbors, I wouldn’t step out the door in. (How is that for sentence construction?)

I guess we call that “balance.”

Balance is something which many of us are trying to achieve these days in our financial lives. Helpful articles are plentiful these days, either on the internet, in magazines or in newspapers, with advice on how to live well on less. Wine articles are featuring wines which are less expensive but good, and people are becoming more selective and careful in their purchases. While most wine-buying sites are offering big discounts and special deals on wines, our local wineries seem to be sticking to their usual pricing. As much as I like the local wines, I am not persuaded to buy them often. Hopefully the summer tourists will have more discretionary income.

For a special occasion, or for when you are thinking, “To heck with the budget tonight,” you might want to think about the wines we tasted at the April 16 event at the Museum. It was one of our better evenings, with KarMa owner Julie Pittsinger and four of her winery’s outstanding wines. My favorites were the Alsatian-style Gewurztraminer and the Cabernet Sauvignon. The Gewurz was aromatic, flavorful and dry. Bone dry. Although why a bone is considered the epitome of dryness, I don’t know. The other was the Cab. Oh, that Cab! It was all around wonderful: aromas, balance, flavors, finish. It isn’t cheap, at $35., but quality seldom is. All of the KarMa wines exhibit true quality. But do you expect less from winemaker Ray Sandidge?

Another very special wine is the terrific, newly released 2005 Tre Amore at Faire le Pont. Move over, Elerding Cab. You have competition for my favorite of their wines.

But…back to reality. Grocery Outlet has more of the $4.99 Miraflor Torrontes, a delicious dry, fruity and aromatic white from Argentina. For you fans of the Dancing Bull Cab @$2.99, there’s more of that. And the Bodega Del Fin del Mundo Pinot Noir or Malbec @ $6.99 — also good buys. With warm weather soon to be a daily occurrence, one of the several Rieslings served with a spicy chicken, pork or shrimp dish with lots of fresh vegetables always makes a delicious meal.

Wapato Point Cellars has good wine at reasonable prices, especially the new Chelan Nouveau, made in the style of the French Beaujolais Nouveau. Dry, fruity, low in tannins–it is very food friendly and refreshing, and is meant to be served chilled. $15. ($12 for wine club members). Jones of Washington keeps its prices low, too, as I was reminded at TOP Foods this week where I found several good buys in local and other wines. $7.99 for Ryan Patrick Naked Chardonnay? A steal!

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the May 21 Elerding Vineyards tasting. It’s going to be really special, and attendance will be limited, so sign up early. And here’s a link if you want a rather interesting piece about the origins of all our Maytime celebrations.

Joanne

“A man will be eloquent if you give him good wine.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We did get to enjoy a little early spring by heading south to California. Once out of the high desert and mountains of U.S. 97 through Oregon and Northern Cal, we sneezed our way down the Sacramento Valley, through mile after mile of blooming almond trees lining I-5 in rows of perfect pink precision. Occasionally we stopped to stretch our legs. Coincidentally, these places had Grocery Outlets. Redmond, Oregon was the first stop. Later we stopped in Redding, Red Bluff, Stockton, Tracy and Livermore, California. I wish the distributor for our G.O. had as many good wines as we found in these other places. A couple of experiments with unknown labels proved unwise, but on the whole we found good wines at great prices. One good wine, the St. Francis Sonoma Syrah, we found here in our Wenatchee Grocery Outlet at $8.99, but it retails for around $24. We also found their Merlot in California, but not here. And if you love good cheese with your wine, try a wedge of the Holland Gouda or the Swiss Emmenthaler in the G.O. deli section.

Yesterday in Wenatchee I stopped at Mary Woods? Kitchen Sync and bought some raffle tickets which are to help with some needed work at Ohme Gardens. If you don?t know about it, you can read last week?s Worm from my blog in the Wenatchee World online. It?s a worthy cause with a great prize.

Coming home from Wenatchee we took North Road as I wanted to stop at the Bird’s Nest Gallery to see what the artists had been hatching up in their fledgling business while we were away. But the birds had flown the nest. Instead, a somewhat mysterious note on the door informed us that Juliana Marquis is off on an adventure, and should be back around the end of March. I love mysteries, so we’ll be back.

As we were next door to Cascadia Winery, it seemed only polite to go in and say hello to winemaker Alan Yanagimachi and wife Lilith. Alan was there, and excited about his new Roussanne. He was trying to get the labels on but it was selling faster than he could lick and stick. We could see why. With its delicate pear and nectarine aromas and flavors, and its slightly off-dry style, it has great appeal. At $18 it is a little higher than his Riesling and Chardonnay, especially right now, with the Riesling on sale at $12 and the 2007 Chardonnay, which I really like, on sale at $12.50. It even comes in a magnum for $24. The fruity, non-oaked 2006 Chardonnay is still a bargain at $14.00. And if you want an interesting read, go to Cascadia Winery’s website and read about Alan?s background in wine.

Chelan Nouveau – April 18-19 and April 25-26
It will soon be time for Chelan Nouveau, which is the Lake Chelan Wine Valley’s time to celebrate spring with the release of new white and rose’ wines, and perhaps some new reds. I have tried to get information from the wineries about fees, activities and wines to be released.

Lake Chelan Winery: no fee; will be releasing their new white wines as well as doing barrel tasting and tours for the Nouveau weekends. Open Daily from 11 am to 6 pm.

Nefarious: fee $5. Pouring three wines; one tasting fee refunded per purchase. Releasing 2008 Consequence and Viognier. Open 11-6

Chelan Estates: News coming

KarMa: fee $5 tasting three wines

Tildio: fee $5. Refund with purchase; releasing two reds: Tourmalet (pinot noir and syrah) and Profundo (cabernet-based Bordeaux blend) Open 12-6.

Chelangr’la: Closed until the end of April

Hard Row to Hoe: fee $5 Refund with purchase; hours 11-6 Sat.and 11-5 Sun. Releasing „08 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir Rose?. Bottling new white wines 18th and 19th & inviting people to come watch. Free events:3rd annual Balsamroot Festival the 25th, celebrating agriculture
and their native shrub-steppe. Tours of organic vineyard, entertainment with a magic show, a juggler and nature hikes to view wildflowers and other native plants that grow around the estate. Check website for details.

Vin du Lac: No fee; Open 12-5. Bistro open 11:30-5:30

Tsillan Cellars: fee $5. Pouring 11 wines: 5 white, 5 red, and a dessert wine. Releasing 2008 Bocciolo di Rosa Syrah Rose?. Sorrento?s Ristorante at Tsillan Cellars will be serving lunch 12-3 on both Saturdays and Sundays of Chelan Nouveau.Open for dinner Wednesday thru Sunday from 5-8. Reservations are recommended.

Tunnel Hill: fee $5 Refund with purchase; Tasting four wines Sat. and Sun. 12-5. Releasing 2008 Estate Riesling. New waterfall in operation.

Benson Estate: no fee; Releasing new whites, the Curious for sure, from 11-5 both weekends. Featuring the popular Parmesan cheese wheel with spring fruits and other assorted treats.

Wapato Point: Free wine tasting during the day; free hors d’oeuvres at their Chelan Nouveau Release Party. Live music Saturday evenings. Winemaker’s Grill open for dinner 5-9 p.m. daily

Rio Vista: No fee. On the river, the only waterfront winery. Come by car or by boat. Ten minutes north of Chelan on Highway 97, 1/2 mile past milepost 243, turn right at mailboxes and follow signs. New release whites include Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sunset on the River. Red releases are Loony Red, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Also releasing a Rose’ and an Ice Wine on the second weekend of Chelan Nouveau. Winemaker John Little will be pouring. Kerry Siderius art gallery on site.

Joanne Saliby

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”  Ernest Hemingway,  ”Death in the Afternoon”