Meet Your Community AVA Winemakers at May Walk-Around Tasting
By Kathy Ward
Pop quiz: What does Puget Sound have in common with the Napa Valley
and Europe's Burgundy and Rhine regions? Answer: They are all officially
recognized viticultural appellations. Bonus points for knowing that
Puget Sound has a drier and sunnier growing season than Bordeaux,
France. Armed with a graduate degree in geography, Gerard Bentryn
was the idealist and activist behind obtaining an American Viticultural
Area (AVA) designation for Puget Sound in October 1995. Bainbridge
Island Vineyards and Winery, his home and subsistence since 1977,
is a 30-minute ferryboat ride from downtown Seattle. He believes
elevating Western Washington to the official status of a wine appellation
is a way to preserve the agricultural landscape for all who live
in it.
Climate and geology are among the factors that define an appellation.
Gerard says the research and written proposal he presented to the
federal government (the Bureau of Alcohol, and Firearms grants AVA
status) was like doing a master's thesis. Matching rainfall and
temperature ranges and the boundaries of ancient glacier activity
to highways and roads, he formed borders the general public could
understand.
Bainbridge Island sits about in the center of the appellation,
which is 45 miles wide and stretches from the Lewis County line
190 miles north to the Canada border. It's a sure bet that you live
within the 7,600-square-mile Puget Sound AVA. And that, says Gerard,
connects you with it. He links the land and "foodscape" with those
who reside within it. "If you drink the wines and eat the foods
produced in the region where you live, you will live in beauty,"
he explains.
Wines, by law, can be labeled with a viticultural area only if
at least 85 percent of the grapes were grown in the appellation.
All five of the wineries at the May program will be presenting their
Puget Sound appellation wines. To dispel the misconception that
it's too cold and wet to grow wine grapes west of the Cascades,
Gerard points out that the weather is actually fairly temperate.
Freezes are rare and most of Western Washington's legendary rainfall
is in the winter during dormancy of the vines. Fact is, rain levels
are comparable to the Loire Valley. The growing season is mild,
with long days to give vines the light they need (an A+ if you thought
of photosynthesis), cool nights to preserve acidity, and warmth
in late summer to ripen the fruit.
Puget Sound wines tend to be lower in alcohol because the grapes
are flavor ripe with less sugar. The climate is ideal for the dry
varietals Puget Sound producers specialize in.
Muller-Thurgau, a German cross of Riesling and Sylvaner, has a
floral or musky aroma and fruity flavor. Madeleine Angevine is a
French varietal of the Loire Valley with citrus, floral and spice
characteristics. Siegerrebe, a spicy, full-flavored grape, is a
German varietal cross between Gewurztraminer and Madeleine Angevine.
Conditions are also right for Pinot Noir, the classic red grape
of Burgundy, but it has the temperament of a demanding child and
is produced only by the intrepid.
The proximity of Puget Sound wineries to Seattle makes the appellation
a local tourist attraction. With picnic season just ahead, think
about a lulling ferry ride, island hopping and a short drive to
your community wine makers. Local food producers on the tasting
card also welcome your visit. The Puget Sound Appellation program
is May 12 at St. Demetrios Cultural Center in Seattle. Doors open
at 7 p.m., and the program begins promptly at 7:30. Reservations
are not necessary.
Plastic cups are provided for wine tasting. If you prefer, bring
your own glass - more than one if you wish to do comparative tasting.
Enological Society logo glasses can be purchased at the meeting
for $2 each.
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Puget Sound Appellation Tasting Program
Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery
Realizing a dream to own and operate a small family winery
in the European tradition, Gerard and Jo Ann Bentryn invite
you to tour their vineyards and picnic in the fragrance garden.
Closest to downtown Seattle, they are just a half-mile from
the Winslow ferry dock. The tasting room gift shop has a grand
collection of museum quality antique glassware and wine service
pieces. Gerard was first to grow Pinot Noir in the Puget Sound
AVA, following a decade of experiments developing the grape
in his vineyards. His Siegerrebe is the late harvest variety,
botrytis affected for a sweet aperitif or luscious dessert
wine.
1994 Pinot Noir
1996 Muller-Thurgau
1996 Siegerrebe
Hoodsport Winery
Located on the Olympic Peninsula at the southern end of the
Hood Canal, a hallmark of this Patterson family winery is
their Island Belle. They are the only commercial winery to
make this red varietal that was first cultivated a century
ago on nearby Stretch Island as a cross with a labrusca (concord)
variety. The winery hosts annual harvests of the grape, some
picked from 70-year-old vines.
1996 Island Belle
1997 Island Belle-Merlot
Lopez Island Vineyards
On a rural island in the San Juan chain,
this winery is accessible only by ferryboat. Wedged between
sheltering mountains and pure ocean waters, it's a natural
location for the organic growing preferred by founder and
winemaker Brent Charnley. Housed in a small stone and timber
building, his mission is to sustain by relying on the environment,
local economy and community support. His Madeleine Angevine
is styled to complement the flavors of island shellfish.
1998 Madeleine Angevine
1998 Siegerrebe
Mount Baker Vineyards
Located in the Nooksack Valley and farthest north in the Puget
Sound AVA, Mount Baker lays claim to being northernmost vineyard
in the contiguous United States. Enjoy quiet views of its
namesake mountain from the picnic area and tasting room as
guest of owner Randy Findley.
1998 Madeleine Angevine
1998 Siegerrebe
Whidbey Island Vineyard & Winery
Near the scenic village of Langley, this charming retreat
is family owned and operated by Greg and Elizabeth Osenbach.
Vineyard views are your pleasure as you picnic in their decades-old
apple orchard adjacent to the red barn winery. Their bone-dry
whites complement the local oysters and mussels farmed in
Puget Sound.
1997 Madeleine Angevine
1997 Siegerrebe
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Complementing Food Bites
Bistro Pleasant Beach
Hussein Ramadan first introduced Bainbridge Island to his
Mediterranean menu in 1987. Lamb, as in his native Lebanon,
is the house specialty. He and wife Laura set up in a new
location last August, in downtown Winslow just a short walk
from the ferry terminal. Patio lamps and starlight sparkle
up outdoor dining on warm summer nights. Main floor and mezzanine
diners can watch dinner being prepared in the exhibition kitchen.
Pizza is baked in the brick wood-fired oven. Vegetables are
local, grown by island farmers. Choose a wine from the 3,000-bottle
cellar, and on Tuesday nights get it for half price. Polenta
with Wild Mushroom Mascarpone Cheese and Balsamic Juice
Molly Ward Gardens
Set in the country charm of a rustic barn in Poulsbo, this
fine restaurant has the ambiance of its name surrounded by
lush gardens. Weather permitting, you can dine in a fragrant
outdoor setting to enhance the epicurean senses. A seasonal
Northwest menu includes oysters, wild salmon and, of course,
fresh herbs and salad. Featured in "Northwest Best Places,"
Molly Ward Gardens serves a Sunday brunch and livens up Thursday
nights with jazz entertainment. Seared Ahi on Herb Flatbread
with Artichoke Ceviche Chocolate Hazelnut Squares
Olio a' la Carte
Jeff and Tami Vileta, local importers of gourmet olive oils
and flavored vinegar, will share their recipes and enthusiasm
for how these products perk up the taste buds and dress up
ordinary foods. If you were a lucky winner of one of their
specially packaged bottles at a recent program meeting, you
already know how delightful they are. Imported for our sampling
pleasure will be a variety of flavors.
Gourmet Olive Oils
Morea (Greece)
Stutz Limonato (California)
J. Leblanc (France)
Flavored Vinegars
22 year old Balsamic (Italy)
Raspberry Wine (France)
Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Port Madison Farm
Raising goats isn't kids' play, it requires patience and hard
work caring for them. On their small family farm on Bainbridge
Island, Steve and Beverly Phillips pasture about 55 purebred
Nubian goats, feeding them only natural foods, never hormones
or antibiotics. This produces the sweetest, richest milk for
their chevre, made in the traditional French method of ladling
curd into individual molds to get a smooth texture impossible
to duplicate with mass production. The final touch is coating
cheese rolls with fresh basil, cracked pepper or tarragon
for flavor combinations that delight the palate. The Phillips
also are making varieties of aged cheeses soon to be released.
Jack Cheese Chevre Varieties
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