Play Along At Home: Northwestern Wine
On Monday, you learned of the debut of a food and wine series happening at the Flanders Fish Market & Restaurant. This week, The Boss and I worked hard (as you can see in the picture) to find the right wines from Oregon and Washington for the theme of "Clean Eating," and our 31 guests were very pleased!
A shot of the tasting lab. We worked very hard for you this week.
It's funny...we tend to lump Oregon and Washington together as if they were the same state with the same geographical features, particularly because we tie the city of Seattle's identity to Washington state. However from a wine perspective, these parts of the country couldn't be more different.
The bulk of the wine production in Oregon comes from the Willamette Valley, where Pinot Noir is king and Pinot Gris is the top white grape variety. The climate is milder with more yearly rainfall than Washington's major regions (dominated by the Columbia Valley), so the conditions favor those grapes, plus the aromatic varieties like Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. Killer sparkling wine is made here, too. Only when you head to the far south (like Rogue Valley) or northeastern corner of Oregon (Columbia Gorge) do you find drier, warmer conditions that suit other (mostly red) grape varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and even regional varieties like Grenache and Tempranillo.
Oregon Wine Region map courtesy of Oregon Wine. Most of the wine produced in Oregon comes from the Willamette Valley, which is in close proximity to Portland (in the yellow area).
Most of Washington's wine regions are semi-arid with long sunny days during the growing season with very little rainfall. With more uniform soils and higher elevations, there are major day-night temperature swings that allow grapes to ripen during the day and rest at night. Washington has the whole palette at its disposal with Bordeaux varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) and Syrah tend to rule, but wines made from Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay come through bright and fruity. You even find wines made from Semillon, Nebbiolo, and Blaufrankisch (an Austrian red variety) which also carries the not-so-marketable synonym "Lemberger." It's too wet and cool in the Willamette Valley for many of these grapes to ripen successfully.
Washington Wine Region map courtesy of Washington State Wine. 98% of wine made in Washington is made east of the Cascade Mountains, several hours drive from Seattle (the red dot in the light green area)
Yet with these differences, Oregon and Washington are outstanding New World wines that pair well with both the fresh and roasted foods that were featured at Flanders Fish last night, thanks to the acidity retained in the grapes during ripening.
So as promised, I am providing you with the "home game" that you can play. Now, we don't have the recipes for the food, but you can work off of the menu provided by the restaurant and test the pairings for yourself. Or you can just drink five different wines (all of which range from $15-$17 with friends and be happy. After all...it's Friday! Celebrate the end of the first full week of 2017.
Welcome/Aperitif:
Waterbrook Melange Founder's White Blend, Columbia Valley, $14.99
First course:
Cajun roasted corn and cauliflower salad with arugula, dried cranberries, pine nuts, lime vinaigrette
Adelsheim Vineyards Rose of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $16.99
Second course:
Seared tuna with marinated sliced cucumbers
Pappas Wine Co. Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $15.99
Third course:
Black shrimp jicama taco, cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado puree
Steele Wines Shooting Star "Blue Franc" (Blaufranksich), Washington, $15.99
Fourth course:
Peppered roasted chicken with greek yogurt dipping sauce
Pacific Pinot Cellars Pinot Noir, Oregon, $14.99