As spring progresses and summer approaches many wine lovers are shedding their winter coats and transitioning from reds to rosés to whites. Unless you stay indoors all summer  with the AC cranked, red wines generally make for formidable drinking during the summer months. People are spending more time outdoors soaking up the sun and the heat and are in need of something refreshing to pair with light summer fare.  Crisp Rose´s and white wines are perfect for theses months and many of  the seasonal dishes being prepared in cities all over the world(at least in the Northern Hemisphere). I know i for one am on that path and have no issues not looking back at the winter months. I have my summer stock in the fridge on standby ready for any meal……or maybe just a nice afternoon on the patio at some favorite haunts. 

Here is a little guide and some info to help you through this summer:

Rosé:

I don’t often find my self purchasing too many pink items. Summer provides me with a perfectly good opportunity to do so. I’m not talking panties, I’m talking about what the europeans have been drinking forever: ROSÉ.

What is it?

Rosé is essentially a white wine made with red grapes. It has a little bit of color and a little bit of red flavor, but unlike a red wine, it’s perfect for ninety degree days.

There are two major ways to produce rosé. The first is a method known as Saignee (san-Yay). With saignee red grapes are crushed, placed into a fermentation vessel and the juice is allowed to sit on the skins for a matter of hours to a matter of maybe two days.  The wine’s color is checked at fairly short intervals until the wine maker has the color he or she desires. When the desired color has been attained, as much as thirty percent of the juice can be drained off or separated from the skins. The juice is placed into a separate vessel and then endures a slow cool fermentation just as a white wine would until it has reached the desired level of dryness. The result is a copper to dark pink wine that should be crisp, refreshing and versatile.

What happened to the skins and the other juice?

Originally the saignee method was used to make a more concentrated red wine. By draining off the juice you attain a better juice to skin ratio which makes for a stronger, more intense and concentrated red wine. Since the red wine was the original focus of the saignee, I’m sure it took people a while to stop pouring the excess juice down the drain and use it for drinking and selling. In essence, wineries are able to craft a sellable wine from something they may have just dumped down the drain. Lucky for you, somebody figured it out.

White Zinfandel?

As much as I dislike admitting it, white zinfandel is in fact…….. rosé (of some type).  As I mentioned earlier, rosé has been consumed by european communities for ages. At some point someone in America (we won’t say who) saw an opportunity and ran like hell with it. The end product was a sweet pink wine that would make anyones grandmother happy: “WHITE ZINFANDEL”. The dreadful white has been consumed by the gallons since its birth and doesn’t show any signs of death. It has single handedly created a stigma for pink wines. Most consumers see pink wine and think, “Eww sweet pink wine.” This image made even the most dry rosés a tough sell for a long time. As time passed some consumers caught on to what was really good and started buying and drinking dry rosé. After a while so much was being purchased that it became “cool” and you would hear things like, “Hey, I hear rosé is cool again,” or ” It’s making a comeback.”   When did it leave? Given the wine boom of the past few years all wine has gained popularity, more people are educating themselves enough to be dangerous and many think holding a glass of wine at the bar will get them some action. Whatever it is, in conjunction with the value of the dollar, it has started driving up the price of rosé and all european wines and it sucks. Rosé is meant to be good, cheap, summer drinking wine. I wouldn’t suggest spending more than $15 on a bottle from Europe simply because you don’t need to. (Please excuse some champagne and sparkling.) For US wines you will probably be paying too much anyway because the majority of our wines are pricey anyhow.  So no matter what the wine magazine tells you, don’t go spending $30 on rosé. You probably won’t be blown away and probably weren’t meant to be. Just remember they could have thrown it away just as easily as they bottled it.

If you have friends who are winemakers, my suggestion is a party. All you need is 20 people, 6 gallons of high octane rosé (un-bottled of course), some music and food is a good idea. Drink up, you will have a great night that you will remember for a very long time. Then you will thank me for it.

My Rosé rant is complete. Next we will focus on white wines for the summer in part 2.

In the past couple of months I have done market work in Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Los Angeles. In fact, I am on the plane back from Los Angeles to Portland right now.

It has been fun and irritating all at the same time. New places are always fun to explore and figure out, but that has to be balanced with work and settling in at home. I find myself missing my friends in Walla Walla just like I miss everyone in Chicagoland. You usually wish you could just have everyone with you, but you can’t and it sucks… oh well. Here is to the future.

In the past few years Washington’s wine industry has blown up and become a major player in the wine world. Yes people have been making wine here for quite some time but it’s been the last 5-10 years that have seen the greatest spike in growth and popularity with an emphasis on the last 5 years. With this growth come the pioneer spirit and lots of experimentation. Many wineries and vineyards have planted new varieties of grapes in an attempt to see what will work and what won’t. Some with success and others with endless frustration. Washington is home to a vast array of growing conditions that could be suitable for growing just about anything. With all of this happening there are lots of open doors for those brave enough to dig in and taste new things.

Here is a quick (or not so quick) run down on some different varieties being grown in Washington, that are very popular elsewhere:

Petit Verdot: This tough little guy is native to the wines of Bordeaux, France. Generally used as a blending grape to add color tannin and flavor. A little bit goes a long way when blending. This grape can easily over power the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon or merlot. Its small but it packs a serious punch. While it is not uncommon to see wines containing only 1% Petit verdot there are a few producers using it as a stand-alone variety. The grape has found a home in several Washington vineyards and some of the state’s finest wineries are using it. It lends itself to making very inky, well-perfumed, dense wines with lots of blueberry and dark fruit like flavors. If done right it can be a great treat.

Cab Franc: I know, I know its been here for a very long time. What most people don’t realize is that this wine is not just a blender. Most commonly known for being used in Bordeaux styled blends Cab Franc is a major variety in France’s Loire Valley. It tends to make very earthy, esoteric and sometimes vegetal tasting wines. If done right the vegetal characteristic can be minimized creating well perfumed earthy wines with some good red fruit flavors. This variety by itself is capable of aging anywhere from 10 to 20 to 30 years and in some cases even further than that. The wines of Rafault in Chinon (a Loire valley region) are renowned for living well past 30 years often resulting in a religious experience of sorts upon tasting. The grape has amazing potential in Washington and quite a following. Cab Franc lovers are die-hard and loyal. There are quite a few people in Washington doing wonderful things with this grape.

Malbec: Yet another Bordeaux blending variety. Malbec, when grown alone under the right conditions, can be crafted into highly aromatic fruit forward full-bodied wines that taste like nothing else. Known for its hulking structure and deep purple color, Malbec is a major variety in the black wines of Cahors, France. Perhaps its most prolific following has been in Argentina. The Argentines are known for crafting their best wines from Malbec. They have a great set of unique growing conditions ideal for coaxing this grape into some of its most beautiful examples. As of late there has been a wave of Washington producers crafting malbecs that represent the grape fairly well. It is gaining popularity at a rapid pace.

Carmeñere: At one time, this peppery robust variety was once as widely planted as Cabernet sauvignon in Bordeaux, France. Post Phylloxera the grape had practically been pushed to extinction. Re-appearing in the early 90s in Chile via a Spanish traveler. Today the grape is Chile’s claim to fame, as they are the world’s number one producer of this spicy beast. While quality levels vary quite a bit There are some great examples that can be found at many price points. A Small amount of this grape exists in Washington. Seven Hills vineyard is home to some acreage. The grape seams to be fairing well. When it is available it sells out pretty fast. There are some Walla Walla producers that are blending the grape and others crafting it into a stand-alone variety.

Tempranillo: Considered to be the King of Spanish wines to some. Tempranillo produces some incredible, long lived, reds that are like nothing else. Tempranillo is the Major Grape in two of Spain’s most famous wine regions. Rioja and Ribera del Duero have long dominated as Spain’s most popular red wines. The grape tends to create sexy, full-bodied reds that can be packed with enough stuffing to live well over 20 years in age. While this grape calls Spain home other states and countries have been experimenting with the grape. There is some planted in Argentina in south America. Washington, Oregon and yes…California are all home to tempranillo plantings. It is one of my favorite red varieties and makes some truly amazing wines. In Walla Walla, wineries such as Seven Hills, Cayuse and K Vintners have all worked with the grape and have been successful. I think it shows some pretty good potential in Washington.

Sangiovese: 1 in 5 vines in Italy are planted to some sort of the Sangiovese grape. As the major component of what everyone knows as Chianti, Sangiovese’s roots stem from the Tuscany region of Northern/central Italy. The wines can range from light and delicate like some of those from Chianti to bold and full-bodied like the great Brunello’s of Montalcino. Sangiovese can be very long lived and makes for a wonderful food wine on all levels. There are Plantings in many places Especially In Washington and California. A good number of the American examples tend to lack some the depth and flavors of their Italian counterparts but progress is being made. Sangiovese seems to have found a good home in Washington and should continue to improve.

Grenache: A major variety in Southeastern France in regions such as the Rhône and the Languedoc/ Rousillon Grenache is also very prominent in Spain (where it is known as Garnaxta/ garnacha) and also in Australia. In the US there are plantings in California and Washington and Oregon. Wines made with Grenache can range from medium bodied and fruity to big, tannic and austere. Although it is often a used as a blending grape, it works great on its own. It is most common blended with varieties such as mourvedre, cinsault, counnoise, syrah and many other minor Rhône varieties. Perhaps the most widely recognized style is the “GSM”(grenache, syrah, mourvedre). While they have been making blends like this for years in France, the past five or so years there has been an upswing in popularity and production of these wines globally. I find them to be some of my favorite style of blends. They produce unique flavor profiles and textures not often associated with the major varieties. While grenache is very young to Washington there are some producers making some great wines with it. In time I look forward to it having a significant impact on Washington’s wine industry. Many believe the state is well suited to grow the Rhône varieties, I hope we are right.

Although this was a bit brief and not too deep I’m hopeful it has been somewhat informative. This is just the tip of the iceberg. In time will be going a bit further in depth with each of the varieties. I would like to be more specific on the origins and the wines made from these varieties. We will focus on more wine regions and sub-regions in due time. Stay tuned.

That being said, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Justin. I live and work in Walla Walla, Washington. I’ve been into wine for roughly five years and my passion for it grows stronger daily. For me it all started with curiosity. I had always wondered why people made such a fuss over wine. I started with Riesling. It was sweet, refreshing and fruity. Easy to take down and a good warm up beverage. Riesling wasn’t enough though, I felt the need to drink dry red wines like everyone else. Next stop California Zinfandel, which proved to be a great bridge into red wine. It blossomed my curiosity and I wanted to try more red wines. So I started tasting different varieties and producers–sticking mostly to California. After tasting for a while and feeling pretty good about being able to drink red wine, I still didn’t see what the big deal was. I could see minor differences from variety to variety but I just wasn’t impressed and was ready to go back to drinking beer (keep in mind I had just turned 22). Then, it happened. While at dinner my girlfriend at the time father broke out a ’special’ wine. I wasn’t aware of how special it was until a few moments later. As soon as I smelled it I knew it was different. Not getting hung up on the way it smelled I went for it. Bursting with bright fruit and a silky texture like nothing I’d ever had the first sip blew me away. The flavors lasted for what seemed like an eternity. I knew at that moment It was the best wine I had ever tasted. This single experience resulted in my wine epiphany. I believe anyone who ends up having a long relationship with wine has that special moment–that changes everything.

That day changed my life. I knew right then and there that I wanted to taste more great wines. I started by purchasing a few wine books and tacked down local wine shops. These wine shops and other places had free wine tastings that I took advantage of to increase my understanding. I was hooked–tasting sometimes two to three times a week while reading wine related literature in my free time. At that point it wasn’t just tasting wine that I enjoyed but also all of the cool things I was learning about it . The history of wine alone is enough to keep one immersed for a lifetime. Wine is made almost everywhere and made from things other than grapes. Its an amazing product–with an equally amazing history in addition to having enough trivial content to fill even the deepest of minds. It still wasn’t enough though. Now, I needed to know how to make it.

In August of 2005 I moved to Walla Walla and enrolled at The Institute for Enology and Viticulture. Two years later I have a degree in winemaking and a new found respect for the way this product makes its way from the earth to our glasses. I’m hooked for the rest of my life but I’ve known it for a while now. More than wine itself, I love learning about it and sharing any knowledge I have gained with others. I take great pleasure in spreading my love of wine to others and watching their passion develop as well. Now that we’ve met, enjoy the forthcoming blog posts and feel free to ask questions, post comments and most importantly–grow your love for wine