Great Wines for the Working Girl or Guy

Yesterday (Friday) we had a wonderful tasting focusing on the Working Girl Wines from Olympic Cellars in Washington State. Washington has long been one of my favorite places for great wine at an affordable price. With a wine region that gets less than eight inches of rain year, Washington makes its grapes work hard for the flavor as they have to dig deep down into the soil for their moisture and nutrients. The results are spectacular as evidenced in the Working Girl Wines.

We dabbled in all four of their offerings staring with the Working Girl White leading the way. This blend of Chardonnay and Riesling is easy to drink with lots of refreshing fruitiness on the palate. Its apple and pear flavors with just a touch of sweetness are a welcome pleasure as the weather turns warmer and more humid; a great wine to have with stir fry or to share with friends. We moved onto the Rosè the Riveter, which is made from Lemberger. I had long thought that Lemberger was a Native American grape varietal but that’s why we taste and study wine – we learn something new everyday. Lemberger is in fact native to Austria and made its way to North America as most wines have throughout the world via human migration. The Rosè the Riveter is a riveting wine with its brilliant color and semi-dry flavor. This wine is perfect for grilled foods; an added plus to burgers and other charred favorites. It would be hard to follow Rosè but the Go Girl did a great job. A softer red wine for those who don’t like the effects of harsh tannins on the back of their throats, the Go Girl Red is a blend of Merlot and Lemberger. It has dark berry flavors with spice and a velvety feel in the mouth. Pair with lamb chops or even Fondue. At the end of the line is the Handy Man Red. He’s our kinda guy made from a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and a sprinkle of Cabernet Franc. He’s rich, strong, and sturdy and won’t let you down with your heartier fare.

Next time you think of all the hard work you’ve got to do. Think about enjoying some Working Girl wines when the work is done.

Is It Dinnertime Yet?

Tonight we are to meet friends for dinner at a sushi haunt they swear by. As sushi lovers, my husband and I are all for finding a new place that uses fresh ingredients and lots of imagination in making sushi and sashimi. So as my mouth salivates over our impending dinner date, I am also wondering what wine to pair to make the evening all the more memorable. If the sushi turns out to be as good as our friends say we’ll definitely need something that brings the culinary experience to fruition. (I imagine the sushi will be good – these friends also make their own sushi at home, so they have very discerning sushi palates.) Since I haven’t seen these amigos in quite a while, I also want the wine to be celebratory so I am brining a bottle of Trevisiol Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOC (14.99). Prosecco is a grape that is indigenous to the Veneto region of northeastern Italy; it is also a style of wine denoting a sparkling wine. This sparkling wine has a flowery and fruity aroma with a light and fruity palate. There is a hint of peach as it hits the back of the throat and the bursting bubbles keep it fresh and lively with a bit of crisp minerality. Production was a mere 2,500 cases making it a rare gem to find but one worth looking for. The fruity crispness of this Prosecco will pair perfectly with the combination of fish flavors with soy, ginger and spicy wasabi.

Outside the Bordeaux Box

I don’t normally write too much about French wines. There are many reasons but mostly because it is expected that if you write about French wines you must at some point give Bordeaux and Burgundy their due. Not to be disrespectful to these two world-renowned wine regions but I am not much into either of them. Not to say I don’t enjoy a Saint-Émilion, a St-Estèphe or a Gevrey-Chambertin every now and again but you really would be hard-pressed to find the last time that I craved and raved about these regions. But there are regions of France that tickle my fancy and Madiran is one of them. Madiran is actually not that far from the city of Bordeaux – about two hours due south; it is situated in southwest France in the Pyrénées and grows some of the same grapes as Bordeaux, with one exception – Tannât. Tannât is what makes Madiran wines standout in the crowd. The grape varietal is relatively unknown and is grown mainly in southwest France and in Uruguay (more on Uruguayan Tannât at a later date). If you have not had a chance to please your palate with a Madiran wine, then let me suggest the Torus from Alain Brumont (Madiran AOC 2003 – 15.99). This wine is a blend of 50% Tannât, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. With a deep purple color, the Torus has black berry flavors and some smokiness on the nose. It has powerful tannins – think of the name Tannât and that tells you almost all you need to know in the tannins department. The finish is medium to long with a little heat at the end but it dissipates quickly with a dark fruit aftertaste. Because Madiran wines are so tannic, you should pair with hearty foods that can stand up to this characteristic. The famous dish from Southwest France is Cassoulet; it translates as “bean pot stew" or "white bean stew" or "meat and bean casserole". Cassoulet is a simmered dish and has to include 70% of haricot beans and 30% of meat; either pork; lamb or sausage; or partridge or duck. You could also pair with beef like standing rib roast, grilled T-Bone or a notoriously thick, grilled burger. If you pair with cheese, buy the aged heartier cheeses that have a lot of oomph to them.