Arsenic and other issues
We taste and have wines on our shelves here at the dinner party that range from the very inexpensive - around $10 per bottle - to prices many of us would find unreasonable to pay for a single bottle of wine. There are customers and markets for all of them. …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Winemaker and grape grower 'buzzwords'
Winemakers and grape growers have their own vernacular, their own "buzzwords" they use when describing all they do throughout the growing season and harvest. When you attend tastings or our winemaker dinners, or visit wineries in wine country, it is tough at times to get questions answered about some of …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Vintage reviews
Since we first started writing our column for The Press, we have seen vintages come and go, good ones and challenging ones. Vintage reviews are generalizations by their nature, there are always exceptions, but here is some guidance on vintages from 2007 forward to help guide your purchases.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Winter recommendations
The calendar says February, despite the spring-like temperatures and rain all weekend. We will leave the unseasonable weather to Cliff Harris to let us know when it will end, but we will take care of recommending some great new wines we have found to take us through the shortened days …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Getting to know your palate
No matter the size of your favorite wine retailer, they will never have all of the wine that is available. Even the biggest of big box stores can't have the full selection of wines that are made, especially when you add in all of their private label entries there is …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
The wines of Piedmont
In the northwest corner of Italy, tucked between the borders of France and Switzerland, lies the Italian wine-growing region of Piedmont. The Italians produce some of our favorite wines, with many varietals coming from all parts of the country: from Piedmont and the Alto Aldige in the north, through Tuscany …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Seasons and regions, the easiest way to pair food and wine
The very roots of winemaking are firmly planted in the old world appellations of Europe. Grape varietals are planted and date their lineage to the areas they grow best, driven by all that makes up terroir. Similarly, in certain areas of Europe, foods other than grapes are grown and livestock …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Creating your own collection
For most wine consumers, as they move beyond their introductory phase with wine and really start to embrace and explore all the possibilities, we start to think about keeping some bottles on hand. We want to be able to have some of our favorites around, and not have to make …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Wine price misconceptions
Assumptions, opinions, we all have them about most everything, including what wine should cost. Even more importantly, we have them about how a wine should taste when it is "X" dollars. Those assumptions and opinions cut both ways, too. We have all thought or said it during a wine discussion: …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
A tough follow
Mary's brother John, a great winemaker, first coined this phrase at one of the many dinners we shared around our table in Sonoma. "A tough follow" referred to when the second bottle we would open was perhaps not as good as we expected, and definitely not as good as the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Oil and wine
Right now most of our loyal readers are questioning that headline, what could the two possibly have to do with each other? It turns out that the rapid drop in oil prices - a holiday gift for many of us, resulting in lower fuel costs - will likely moderate wine …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Time for a toast
It is indeed that time of year when we gather with friends and family. Celebrations are bigger, and each in our own way, a bit more extravagant. We spend more, but not always in dollars. Many times, we just commit more of our own emotion and energy into creating a …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO
Your choices
For the next couple of months, wine consumers will be bombarded with this list and that list of the best wines. From big box retailers to wine publications, there will be many interpretations of what constitutes a great wine. As a wine writer who also works daily with customers, I …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO
'Bubbly' status
Champagne, sparkling wine, Cava, Prosecco - and probably a few names I have missed - they are all fun and festive wines with varying degrees of sweetness, effervescence and alcohol. One thing we all know for sure, though, is they set a festive mood at this festive time of year. …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO
Questions of oak and ageing
We always welcome questions from readers and customers, and find that many of you have similar inquiries, so we answer them right here in the weekly wine column. We recently have heard from a couple of different folks that wines they were holding to drink on special occasions had not …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO
Wine tips for the holidays
As the winter holidays approach, many of us make plans to entertain friends and family at our homes, and to join celebrations as guests. Whether we are the entertainers or the entertained, wine many times will be part of the plan. Here are some pointers to avoid some common catches …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO
Thanksgiving wine reviews
Each year as we approach the most traditional of American holidays, Thanksgiving, I look forward to writing this article. It is the most food-friendly of holiday meals, and each year we are excited to assemble a wide range of wines that not only pair well with the main event, fabulous …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
A loss
Just over a week ago, Eric Dunham, owner and winemaker at Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, as well as the winemaking talent behind Pursued by Bear Cabernet, consulting winemaker on many more projects, and inspiration and mentor to even more, suddenly and tragically passed away. We lost not only a …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
At the top of their game
We have been hosting winemaker dinners now for nearly five years, and we hold about one per month. It doesn't seem like that long to us, either. Over that time, we have worked with the best North Idaho has to offer in restaurants and their chefs. All those we have …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Disrespected varietals
Varietally speaking, we all have our favorites. Overall in the US, Chardonnay and Cabernet remain atop the heap as the biggest-selling varietals. After those two there are many more grapes that seem to always garner interest. But at the bottom of the list are a couple of white grapes and …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Is it worth it?
Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequent questions we get in our day-to-day work as wine professionals. As most wine shops do, we have bottles from under $10 all the way up to prices we don't talk about much; but let's just say they have both …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Tastes change
Over time in the wine industry, you see wines come and wines go. Popularity of varietals surge and wane, as evidenced by the explosion of popularity in Pinot Noir and the sag in Merlot following the release of the movie "Sideways". Remember that one? Each year we also see some …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Fall arrivals
For us and for most consumers (judging by buying patterns), wine consumption has a seasonal element: more rose and white with bracing acidity in the spring and summer, full-bodied whites and bubbly as the leaves start to turn. Similarly with reds: lighter-bodied reds with lower oak profiles during the warm …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Early and fast
It's that time of year. Wine grape growers start to get anxious, winemakers start to plot logistics and cellar space, and all watch weather reports with renewed attention. Growers want the fruit off the vines before even a hint of rain or frost, and winemakers keep thinking "a little more …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Narrowing the field
We have often mentioned that many weeks, we taste 40 or 50 wines. Our great group of local distributors does a wonderful job of putting new wines and new vintages of wines in front of us that we already know. Couple this regular flow with winemakers and importers who periodically …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Market shock?
We received news last weekend that a powerful 6.0 earthquake centered just north and west of the town of American Canyon shook the iconic wine country of northern California. While the majority of the coverage and video that ran on television focused on the damage to the historic town of …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Wine camp
This past weekend, we held a new and what will likely become an annual event for wine consumers. In conjunction with ROW Adventures (or River Odysseys West, which is their full and formal name), we attended our first annual Wine Camp. It is hard to imagine that folks from North …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Finding balance
Smooth, silky, seamless, elegant and yes, balanced. In our time talking to folks about wine and learning what they like, the lion's share prefer wines that are balanced, regardless of the term they use to describe it. The important thing for wine consumers is to find wines they like the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Good signs
We were recently asked by a reader - and have been asked several times previously - if there is some predictable pattern to good years and not-so-good years for domestically produced wines. A related question we have received a number of times is whether a good year here in "the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Bigger is better
As wine professionals, we have been told for forever that big bottles age better than small ones. Magnums, double magnums and all of the larger formats going as high as 21 liters are said to hold the clarity and flavor of wine better than the standard 750ml and smaller formats. …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
2014 crop preview
Each year about this time we start to get feedback from growers and winemakers around the Western U.S. about how the wine grape crop is looking as we get to mid-summer. While much can still transpire in the vineyard between now and harvest that commences in August and concludes in …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
What were once just homes...
Back when I was first getting started in the wine business, I had the fortunate experience of spending some time with a good friend. Bill Phelps, son of Joseph Phelps and current president and CEO of Napa powerhouse Joseph Phelps Vineyards, kindly invited me over to the winery and provided …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
The Chardonnay article
Based on domestic sales statistics, the two most purchased and consumed varietal wines are Cabernet and Chardonnay. According to Wine Spectator, an impressive 20 percent of all wine consumed domestically is Chardonnay. No doubt that some of this consumer demand is comfort. Many of us, when out to eat, will …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Big times in Walla Walla
Our recent trip to Walla Walla with our auction lot purchasers who contributed so much to Hospice of North Idaho was in short, a blast! We found the town to be vibrant and in so many ways updated from the last time we were there. One of the ironies of …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
One stone at a time
We just returned from Walla Walla and an extraordinary wine tour that we put together as an auction lot fundraiser for Hospice of North Idaho. We will have a second article next week about the entire trip but this week, we wanted to report on some of the wonderful conversations …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Wine and art
We have long known that a better-looking label or overall packaging on wine sells better. Every time you show two bottles of equivalent price and quality to a customer, the better-looking package sells. Whether it be the great graphic designs from Jim Carey that adorn the Long Shadows wines or …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Our summer favorites
Our first couple years, for Mary being back in the Northwest and for me living here for the first time, we frankly wondered if summer would ever arrive. Of course, that was the springs of 2008 and 2009. This year, spring has been spectacular and summer appears to be on …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
The state of tasting fees
Visiting wine country is one of the most enjoyable times for wine consumers of all experience levels. Whether it is the many appellations of California or those more close to home in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, it is a chance to get up close to the winemaking and grape-growing processes. …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Wine descriptors
Whenever we hold a tasting or send out wine club, the wines are accompanied by tasting notes: descriptions of what to look for in the aromatics and palate flavors of the wine. Keeping those notes fresh, though, often leads to getting a bit flowery in our language, which seems to …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Fascinating oak perspective
We just completed a winemaker dinner and tasting with the iconic California winery, Ridge. They have been around since the mid-'60s and their director of winemaking, Paul Draper, has been with the winery since 1969 - a lengthy tenure, by any standard. Christina Donley, who joined us from the winery, …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Shortcuts
Owning a retail wine shop, most of our evenings, save for when we have events like tastings and dinners, are pretty quiet. We make dinner at home most times and of course we have some wine but they are, in short, quiet. At times I contemplate while making dinner, "Maybe …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
The making of a great palate
We have all tasted with folks who have great palates. You know the ones. They can identify every nuance in the flavor and depth of wine as they taste. When we go to dinner with them, they pick wines that they know they will like, but also appeal to their …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Idaho's rising star
In 1998. there were 13 wineries and about 800 acres of wine grapes grown in Idaho. By 2012, we had 50 wineries and twice the acreage planted to wine grapes. Still small by most any standard, but it shows how well-regarded the appellations of the Snake River Valley and our …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Five things to drink right now, and what to eat with them
Spring release is upon us and spring weather is hopefully not far behind. This time of year, we get to taste many new things as our distributors bring around all of the newly released wines. We get to see the trends as they emerge and revisit new vintages of old …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Vacation confirmation and indications
We traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina last week, a chance to stay with and see friends and family who have relocated to the area. Like most trips, though, we also took the chance to check out wine shops and restaurant wine lists to see not only confirmation of the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Hearing it firsthand
Tasting wine - whether it is at the winery, a wine tasting, or a winemaker dinner held locally - is always the best way to buy wine. You try it, you like it and you buy it - or you try it, think "not so much" and decide not to …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Tributes
Like many folks, we watched the Oscars last week. Outside of the awards and the hoopla surrounding the event, there is always one striking part of the broadcast. The tributes to those in the film industry who passed in the last year are poignant and emotional. They cause us to …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
New, old and combined
In the first quarter each year, it is normal to see some shuffling of wineries and importers among distributors. In recent years, it was largely a bad thing. The tough economy resulted in many producers being dropped from portfolios and distributors leaving the business, resulting in access to even more …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Lists, scores and awards
The Top 100, Award of Excellence, Best New Winery, 89, 92, 100, the list of lists, awards and scores bestowed upon wines and wineries is virtually endless. Seems that those of us in the wine press can't help but try to rate in an objective manner what is purely a …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
The non-interventionists
We have long preferred a non-interventionist approach to winemaking. The style that is more common among European and smaller lot producers domestically and abroad focuses on letting the wines become what they are meant to become while at the same time recognizing that changes in approach are necessary, vintage to …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Of sulfites and drought
While we try to keep our articles to a single subject so we can get depth of information out to wine consumers concerning the weekly subject, we received multiple questions this week on the drought currently gripping the state of California, including the wine grape-growing regions. We also learned some …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
The bright spots of 2010
From the coldest summer in 50 years in California, to early fall rains, to countless stories of wine grapes rotting on the vine before they could ripen throughout the western U.S., the 2010 vintage is well-documented as a very tough one for domestic wineries. As more red wines are released, …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Champagne, Cremant, Cava and Prosecco
The four main categories of sparkling wine from Europe have similarities and differences, so what is it that determines when a sparkling wine from France, Spain and Italy can be called by the names that are so familiar to sparkling wine enthusiasts? The big differences lie in two categories: varietals …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Aromas that take you back
The human sense of smell is widely regarded as the most powerful of the human senses, not only for the role it plays in taste - 95 percent of what we taste is actually what we smell - but also for its ability to evoke the strongest of memories. Smell …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Leavenworth: Go for the wine and the wine lists
One of the drawbacks of owning a retail wine shop is that it makes it tough to get away and explore wine country, even the nearby ones. Not that we don't get to try new wines - we do, virtually every week. The experience of getting out to wine country …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
The good in Idaho liquor law
As the New Year starts and the State Legislature starts to gather and plan its session for the coming year, the subject of liquor law and the potential for deregulation always seems to come up. As we have in past articles, we continue to urge caution as the debacle in …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Navigating Italy II: The Regulations
Old-world producers France and Italy remain the two largest wine producing countries in the world. The practice of fermenting grapes into wine goes back to the days when the Romans and Greeks controlled much of Europe and likely fought over most everything, including wine! When a population has been working …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Six years of perspective
The dinner party opened six years ago last week. During that time, we have seen the wine industry change much, both from the supplier side of the equation and the consumer side, as well. Mary and I cannot thank all of our customers enough for the tremendous support over these …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
NIES: A chance to learn while you enjoy
Most of us who work daily in the wine business here in North Idaho would be impressed to know that the North Idaho Enological Society, NIES for short, has been around for 30-plus years. Impressed because as wine professionals working in the wine world daily, we have seen the marketplace …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO
Navigating Italy and its many varietals
Italy is known for some of the most wonderful food, and produces all of the great wine to go with their culinary masterpieces. When it comes to pairing wine with food there is no place, in our opinion, where enjoying wine that is made where the dishes originate is more …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO
Wine self-doubt
Around the holidays and other special occasions, many of us delve into our collections of special bottles of wine to share with friends and family. It is, in short, that time of year when we not only want to treat ourselves but those close to us with a bottle that …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO
Giving thanks
I was thrilled when I recently read that The Coeur d'Alene Press and editor Mike Patrick were looking for stories from readers on all that they were thankful for. After all, it is the time of year when we think of all the great fortune we have in our own …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO
The best food and wine holiday
Thanksgiving is about our favorite holiday, and while we still stay pretty close to the traditional dishes and preparations in our celebration, it is still one of the great wine and food pairing opportunities. The gatherings, for most of us, are larger than our normal, which also gives us the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO
The benefit of glass time
A customer of ours stopped in the store this week and ordered a case of wine called Barinas. Barinas is a delicious wine from the Jumilla region of Spain, known for producing some of the very best Monastrell, which is also known as Mourvedre. The wines can be quite massive, …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
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