What fun I had with my friends, the "Media Mavens"!

Pam Pearson, Cathi Hatch, Nicole Vogel

Yesterday, Nicole Vogel, Founder and Publisher of SagaCity Media (Seattle Met Magazine, Portland Monthly Magazine plus 25 other magazine publications) and Pam Pearson, General Manager of Q-13 FOX TV and JOE TV in Seattle and NW 32 TV in Portland joined me at my home to taste wines together for our new Virtual Vino LIVE online shows.

Brian Calvert & Cathi

It was a blind tasting (though our moderator, Brian Calvert, kept saying that "We were blindly tasting . . ." which was not true!) of three separate Sauvignon Blancs.  Our job was to taste each wine, select a favorite and then try to guess the retail price of each wine without yet seeing what it actually was.  We each selected charities of choice and a portion of sales made to online viewers of the wines that we tasted are donated to the charities which we choose.  Yesterday, we chose Junior Achievement of Washington and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. 

It is also a good deal for the wine buyer because they get an automatic 20% discount from the retail price and it is great for the wineries because they have a chance to introduce their Northwest wines to some potential new buyers.

Nicole, Cathi, ZiZi, Pam

Most importantly, we had a wonderful time while tasting some delicious, affordably priced wines together.  The show is focused on showcasing wines at a retail price of less than $75.   Brian, whose role is to explain the show's format and move the process forward and keep us on track was hard-pressed to get a word in edgewise since we were having so much fun together!  This started before we had even tasted one sip of wine.

If you would like to see the 30 minute Sauvigon Blanc show or even just a portion of it, you can go to Virtual Vino LIVE Sauvignon Blanc Show.  Do let me or our "behind the scenes producer" Blaine Millet know what you think and be sure to share this blog post with anyone else that you think might want to support the charities and buy wine.

Brian with the Show Producer
& Man Behind the Camera, Blaine Millet

Also, my little Yorkshire Terrier, ZiZi keeps putting in a fleeting appearance throughout the show.  How many times did you catch a sighting of her?

Day #4 and Final Day of our Walla Walla Spring Wine Adventure

Chuck Reininger, Reininger Winery

We awakened to a sunny day!  Twelve wineries down with just TWO to go.  As we departed Walla Walla, we drove to Reininger Winery where we were greeted by Owner, Chuck Reininger and treated to a wine tasting and tour in his beautiful winery just off of old Highway 12.  Reininger has long-term contracts and buys most of his grapes from vineyard owners throughout the area.  As a result, he had several one-of-a-kind wines available from various vintages which we had a chance to learn about.  One of the wines which we purchased which I am looking forward to opening is a 2004 wine named "Anomaly".  Following the tour, we picked up our bag lunches for the road and journeyed on to Red Mountain.

Wine Adventure Group at Hedges Family Estate

Dear friends, Tom & Anne-Marie Hedges, Hedges Family Estate owners were there to greet us when we arrived at their winery on Red Mountain.  We first went on a tour of their new kitchen under construction on the first floor and then went upstairs to see their Wine Library and their private living area that has a sweeping view of the vineyards and valley.  As we stood on the balcony, we felt like we had been transported to Europe with old-world architecture and landscaping reminiscent of a French chateau.  Definitely a magical place!

Anne-Marie had laid out a beautiful charcuterie selection of meats and cheeses in their private tasting room and we enjoyed tasting Tom's wine which is a Red Mountain Cabernet blend and then Anne-Marie's wine which is a 2009 Syrah blend named "Descendants Liegeois Dupont".  I loved Anne-Marie's Syrah blend so we purchased several to bring home with us to drink later.

Douglas Howe

Robin Du Brin & Ken Hatch

Douglas Howe and Ken decided to take control of Robin Du Brin's stylish sun hat and happily modeled it for the group.  Personally, I have to say that it looked MUCH better on Robin!

With Tom's offer of a 30% discount for everyone in our group, there was quite a frenzy of wine buying.  In addition to the wine they had purchased for themselves throughout the trip, Eric and Vladlinna departed with four cases of wine and two wooden wine boxes that Joe Sasenick purchased at Hedges but didn't have room to transport since he and Betty were riding with Bonny & John Midby.  I was rather impressed that I was able to fit SEVEN cases of wine (both John & Sarah Rindlaub's wine and our wine) in the trunk of my Porsche Panamera!

We arrived home tired and ready to give up wine for at least a few days.  But now, a week later, the question is where should we go and which wineries should we visit for our next wine adventure.  Thoughts, anyone?

Day #3 of our Walla Walla Wine Adventure

Norm McKibben, Pepper Bridge

Aboard our "Coach"

Norm McKibben & Adventurers in Pepper Bridge tank room

A week ago today, we once again boarded our coach with our first stop being the Pepper Bridge Winery.  Owner, Norm McKibben, was there to greet us as we arrived and took us on a personal tour of his squeaky clean, gravity-flow winery.  He shared some great stories about wine making, but my favorite was the story about the woodpecker that scared him in the middle of the night when he was creeping down the stairs in the tank room trying to find an intruder.

Mike Reynvaan

Diane, Lillian, Ken, Cathi

Jim, Sam, John

From there, we went on a beautiful drive through rolling vineyards and valleys to our next stop which was Reynvaan Family Vineyards.  Owners, Gale and Mike Reynvaan, were there to host our group for a wine tasting lunch in their small boutique winery.  A favorite wine we tasted there was one named "The Contender", a Syrah that is sold out now and only available to purchase as 2009 futures.

Billo Naravane, Rasa Vineyards

Rasa Vineyards

After lunch, our next stop was Rasa Vineyards, a new winery that I not yet experienced suggested by our good friend, Kathleen Schafer, where we met Owner/Winemaker, Billo Naravane and tasted a variety of his wines.  His story is interesting because he was an MIT graduate specializing in applied mathematics and computer science with a very successful business when he decided that he wanted to open a winery.  His parents, who are very conservative East Indians, believed that their sons should only become engineers or doctors and discouraged artistic and creative thinking as Billo, and his brother and Co-Owner of Rasa, Pinto, were growing up.  Billo, with long straight black hair that reaches to his waist and who is absolutely brilliant, finally convinced his parents that he could be unhappy for the rest of his life working in computer sciences or happy doing something that he really wanted to do, so he went back to school at UC Davis and got degrees in Viticulture and Enology simultaneously.  He now also plays classical piano for fun and appears to be having a wonderful time running the winery.

Bonny with Casey McClellan, Seven Hills Winery

Bonny, Eric, Vladlinna, Betty, Joe, Ann

We returned to the hotel and actually had time for an hour's nap before walking across the parking lot to Seven Hills Winery for a tasting and tour with owners, Vicki and Casey McClellan.  Their winery is located in downtown Walla Walla in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building. Built in 1904 as a woodworking mill the building was transformed in 2000 to house Seven Hills and the Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant. The renovation was carefully planned and carried out to preserve the working character and emphasize the architectural charm of the building. We were able to view the wine barrels aging in a high-ceilinged room with an unusual clerestory atop letting in natural light.  They share the building with Whitehouse-Crawford, the restaurant and the location of our final dinner of the trip.

After the tasting, we walked around the corner to the restaurant entrance where we were seated in a private room.  The dinner was fantastic with choices of beef, halibut or chicken and we consumed wines from most of the previous stops on our ZINO Society Walla Walla Spring Wine Adventure.  I loved receiving a signed copy of Steve Roberts' Wine Trails of Walla Walla book signed by our entire Wine Adventure group.  And to conclude the evening, Judith Kindler and I announced a few recognition awards.

• Best Conversationalist:  Joe, the Coach Driver followed by Joe Sasenick (actually a distant 2nd)
• Leading Financial Best Friend:  John Rindlaub
• Biggest Couples' Antagonist:  Kyle Johnson
• Most High Maintenance Couple:  Sam Baker and Jim Rose
• Sexiest Couple:  Newlyweds, Diane & Paul Birkeland 
• Most Useful Wisdom and Advice:  Paul Birkeland 
• Best Vocalist and Entertainer:  Mark Soltys
• Most Stylishly Dressed:  Jamee Nunnelee
• Best Shoes:  Betty Sasenick
• Most Unseasonably Dressed:  Ken Hatch (gale force winds, no jacket and a bright yellow aloha shirt!??)

Our Walla Walla Wine Adventure - Day #2

Chris Figgins, Sam Baker, Jim Rose

2011 Walla Walla Wine Adventurers at Leonetti Cellars

On the second day of our ZINO Society Walla Walla Wine Adventure, we awakened to cloudy skies and cold winds.  Once we boarded our coach, we departed for a vineyard tour of Figgins Family Wine Estates and Leonetti Cellar.  When we arrived at the vineyard, winemaker Chris Figgins was there to greet us and we had a spectacular view of the rolling hills covered with grapevines.  Though it was visually spectacular, it was freezing outside and there were gale force winds so we didn't last long outside the coach and decided to go straight to Leonetti Cellars and continue our conversation inside.  Somehow Ken had missed the location of where we were spending the weekend (maybe thought Hawaii instead of Walla Walla??), so showed up in a bright yellow aloha shirt without a jacket.  Brrrrr!!

After our winery tour, it was a delight to meet Chris' sister, Amy, in the tasting room, where we enjoyed tasting several Leonetti Cellars and Figgins wines over lunch.  Though several of us were already on the Leonetti allocation list, this was one stop where our group could not buy wine, but were able to sign up to be added to the waiting list for Leonetti, the list for Figgins and for their new Lostine Cattle Company grass-fed, free-range beef.

Darcy Fugman Small

 After lunch, we were off to Woodward Canyon Winery where we were greeted by owner, Darcy Fugman-Small and treated to a private wine tasting in their beautiful, new VIP wine tasting room.  This was new since my last visit to Woodward Canyon and several pieces of original artwork from which wine labels had been made were hanging on the walls throughout.  We missed seeing Rick Small this time since he had just had a flat tire while driving back to Walla Walla from Seattle.

Vladlina & Eric

Judith, Kyle, Douglas & Allen Sh

Barrel Tasting

This turned out to be our most exhausting day because we visited FIVE separate wineries and met with the owners and/or winemakers of SIX wineries.  Our next stop was Long Shadows Vintners where owner Allen Shoup, had just flown over for the day to greet our group and take us on a personal tour of the winery.  What an impressive winery, both in the public areas replete with Chihuly blown glass art pieces and chandelier and in the cavernous tank room and barrel room where the wine is produced and aged.  In addition to tasting each of the nine various labels that Long Shadows produces in conjunction with winemaker partners, we also had the opportunity to barrel taste and then to purchase a new Rose called Dazzle and a new Bordeaux blend, bottled but still unlabeled called Shoup.  Because we stayed at Long Shadows a little longer than planned, when we returned to our hotel, there was only time to change clothes before it was time to re-board the coach for our next stop.

Douglas, Ken, Joe and Charles Smith

Joe, the coach driver pulled into the driveway next to Charles Smith's charming home for our visit to K Vintners and in addition to Charles, we were greeted by three small dogs and Charles' beautiful wife.  We entered a very small tasting room and tasted a delicious Rose and his famous Syrah before it was time for us to depart for our last stop of the day.

Kathleen Schafer at aMaurice Cellars

We arrived at àMaurice Cellars just as the sun was setting and were greeted by good friends, Kathleen & Tom Schafer, Lillian & Anthony Bay and their son, Stephen.  The Bays were assisting the Schafers with dinner that evening featuring their new rotisserie business.  It was a fantastic dinner featuring lamb meatballs and Dolmades appetizers and petite chickens cooked on the new rotisserie and served with Moroccan accompaniments.  Though I billed it as "Advanced Wine 101 " in our trip brochure, it was much more than that and we were entertained after dinner with complex wine knowledge by Greg Harrington, owner and winemaker at Gramercy Cellars and Anna Schafer, daughter of Tom and Kathleen and winemaker at àMaurice Cellars.

Anna Schafer, aMaurice Winemaker

Greg Harrington, Gramercy Cellars

As we rode back to the hotel, we all agreed that it had definitely been a very full day!

Our Walla Walla Wine Adventure-Day #1



Gordy Venneri, Owner/Winemaker
Walla Walla Vintners



Myles Anderson, Walla Walla Vintners Owner



Paul & Diane Birkeland

This past weekend has been a non-stop adventure for 24 ZINO Society members and friends as we ventured to Walla Walla for an insiders' wine tour and tastings.  We managed to meet the winemakers and owners of 14 different wineries in the area and tasted over 60 wines during that time.

Steve Hall & Leslie Ritter

Cathi Hatch dreaming of driving the forklift

ZINO Society member and wine aficianado Paul Birkeland, ZINO Society Wine Professional member and winery owner Kathleen Schafer of àMaurice Cellars and I worked together to put together what turned out to be a fantastic trip chock full of special insider opportunities for the guests. 

We arrived in Walla Walla on Thursday afternoon, checked into the Marcus Whitman Hotel and met our coach driver, Joe, who would take us from place to place for the next three days.  Joe is quite an entrepreneur and salesman and sequentially tried to sell us a home he had built, an antique car that he has for sale, land in Walla Walla, his services as a contractor, YMCA membership and future wine tours and trips led by him.  He and his wife own Dream Ride Charters and are in the process of adding another larger coach to their fleet as soon as he arranges a business loan.  Once he realized that banker, John Rindlaub along with wife Sarah was onboard, he began selling himself in earnest.  And in his spare time, Joe is also a fireman. 

Paul provided insider information, wine education and discussed interesting facts about the winemakers and the wineries we would be visiting as we were enroute to each winery. Our first stop was Walla Walla Vintners where we had a tour and tasting led by owners, Gordy Venneri and Myles Anderson.  We were very pleased to find Myles in good health after we had heard a false report of his demise.



Mike Dunham



From there, we were whisked to Dunham Cellars for a tour and tasting led by Mike & Joann Dunham, owners, and then a casual, farm buffet supper.  Winemaker and owner, Eric Dunham joined us later during dinner.  Dunham Cellars is a visual treat for the eyes with Eric's paintings lining the walls, many of which have become wine bottle labels and sparkling white lights hanging in cloud clusters from the ceiling.  Their three rescue dogs are all part of the charm of being there and we so enjoyed our time there with Mike, Joann and Eric. 

Then back to our coach and off to bed for some in our group and martinis and guitar playing and sing-a-long for others. 

The muse for Dunham Four-Legged White.



Eric Dunham, Ken Hatch, Douglas Howe



Helping Keep Gilda's Club Door Wide Open

It was a great party at the Chihuly Boathouse on Thursday evening to raise money to keep the doors open at Gilda's Club Seattle.  Gilda's Club, which offers a broad, community-based program of social, emotional, and educational support for cancer survivors, has been struggling with reduced contributions as have many non-profits during the past year or so.  When Anna Gottlieb, Gilda's Club Seattle Executive Director and Founder, contacted supporter Dr. James Bianco, to ask for help, he immediately agreed to pull together a committee to plan a fundraiser to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gilda's Club Seattle.

Jim Bianco & Ken Hatch celebrate party success

Numerous planning meetings were held in the lobby of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel with primary planners in addition to Jim being Mike Kunath, Kate Harrison and Ken Hatch.  Other steering committee members included Teri Citterman, Bryce Fisher, Sherrie & Jerry Henke, Steve Kutz and Courtney Womack, JJ McKay, Cindy & Kevin Swett, Betty Tong & Joe Miner and me.

Courtney Womack, Stacy Lill, Cathi Hatch, Steve Kutz

Of course, the location was spectacular!  I so enjoy visiting the Boathouse whenever I get the opportunity.  First, there is the excitement of being in the Hot Shop and hearing the roar of the torches and the Glory Hole and watching the gaffers handle the hot glass so ably.  Seeing so much gorgeous and colorful Chihuly glass art in one place including the dozen or so chandeliers above the endlessly long log table in the Evelyn Room, and the colorful glass sea forms in the swimming pool,  the eerily greenish-white glass art in the aquarium along with Dale's other fascinating collections of masks, buddhas, string dispensers, Indian blankets and baskets is always such a memorable experience!

Jonathan Roberts, Ken Hatch, Michael Hatch

Great food was served courtesy of William Belickis of Mistral Kitchen, Thierry Rautureau of Rover's/LUC and Michelle Ratallac, of new restaurant opening soon, RN74.  Performing the role of celebrity Sommeliers were Stacy & Greg Lill of DeLille Cellars pouring their own wine and Jake Kossef pouring Long Shadows Pirouette and wines from Owen Roe Winery.

Bryce Fisher and friend

In addition to the Steering Committee, some other friends in attendance supporting the cause were Walter Schoenfeld, Patti Payne, Sue Bianco, Vanessa & Rob Strickland, Len Nahajski, Pat Wallace, Michael Hatch, Jonathan & Elizabeth Roberts, and Dave Bingham of Park Place Motors with two of his beautiful Aston Martin automobiles that were part of a "Drive an Aston for a Day" package for the brief auction line-up.  Also included in the auction were tickets to the Mariners, use of the Lusty Lady marquee donated by Robert Holmes, and two beautiful German Shepherd puppies.

Walter Schoenfeld, Vanessa Strickland

All in all, it was a very successful evening and the doors to Gilda's Club Seattle will stay open!

Celebrate Spring!



Doug McCallum, Spike Anderson


Last evening, we joined friends Carol & Spike Anderson, Arlene Wright & Beni Turan, and Jan Rogers & Lloyd Osborn at the home of Joyce & Doug McCallum for a "Celebrate Spring!" dinner party.

The McCallums have a feature in their home that I covet - TWO kitchens and TWO refrigerators; one for Doug and one for Joyce!  Together from their respective kitchens, they produced an amazing dinner featuring Joyce's mouth-watering puff pastry appetizers and fresh-tasting spring pea soup and Doug's delicious and full-flavored wood-fire roasted lamb tenderloins with roasted potatoes and onions and his dessert of baked plums with fresh creme fraiche and blackberries.

Joyce McCallum, Carol Anderson, Arlene Wright, Jan Rogers

Jan Rogers, Lloyd Osborn

Their dining table was mounded with fresh yellow and white tulips and we had a wonderful time talking together as an entire group since the round table encouraged that interaction.  Both Joyce and Doug make entertaining look entirely effortless (though personally I know this cannot be true!).

Cathi & Ken Hatch

As we departed, Doug turned the table and generously handed each guest couple a bottle of wine from his cellar wrapped in lavendar tissue paper and spring ribbon.  When we arrived home and I removed the tissue paper, Ken and I were both happily surprised with his gift of a bottle of 2001 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thank you, Doug and Joyce!    

Fine Food and Wine In the Shadow of the Fremont Bridge

Rick Fisher, Cathi Hatch, Cindy Hales,
Lisa Mikesell, Damien Wilson

Last evening, ZINO Society produced a lovely Master of Wine Monday at Ponti Seafood Grill in Seattle.  See my earlier blog posting here describing the setting and ambiance of Ponti.   Ponti's Rich Malia, owner, Alvin Binuya, Chef, and Brian Siry, Manager partnered with ZINO Society Wine Professional Member, John Bell, owner of Willis Hall Winery to offer a splendid evening of elegant wines made in the European tradition, camaraderie, and fine food.


 


Jamee Nunnelee, Michael Zachary



The ZINO Society members and guests were greeted with a Willis Hall 2009 Pinot Gris and a Treasure Cove oyster served with Tobiko and by the time we sat down for dinner had had the opportunity to meet and talk with one another.  The first course served at the table was a beautiful and delicious Shaved Fennel and Mango Salad which paired perfectly with the 2009 Willis Hall Roussanne.



Bernie Dochnahl commented on how much the Roussane reminded her of a fine French wine.  Denny & Bernie Dochnahl and Philip & Andrea Mann dicussed Antarctica travel experiences, both past and future and many joined in the discussion about dogs and how much we love our dogs, so we began planning the Dog Days of Summer Party for this coming August on the spot. 

Corned Pork Tenderloin with Lentils

Mary Holmes, Rich Malia

Ann Morford, Cindy Hales

Midway through the meal after the Corned Pork Tenderloin course, we did ask ten of the attendees to switch tables with one another to give everyone a chance to get to know one another.  It was shortly after the switch that Mary Holmes, ZINO Society Chief Marketing Officer, insisted that she saw a raccoon crawl down the wall just outside the window.  We of course tried to take her wine away saying that she was just seeing things, but she finally convinced us all that there really had been a raccoon.

Seven small plate courses were served paired with six different wines including a 2008 Late Harvest Pinot Gris served with dessert.  The entire group appeared to thoroughly enjoy the evening.  I heard lots of positive comments about how delicious and beautiful the food was and how much everyone was enjoying the Willis Hall wines as well.  My favorite food item of the night was a very small, quarter-size Polenta cake with Fontina Cheese.  I was hoping for seconds and thirds!  Chef Alvin is obviously a real culinary talent!  I think we can declare this a successful and fun event for all!

See full menu and pairings below.  All wines from Willis Hall Winery.

2009 Pinot Gris

Treasure Cove Oyster with Tobiko



L-R: Mark Soltys, Jamee Nunnelee,
Ron & Ann Morford



2009 Roussanne

Shaved Fennel-Mango Salad

2004 Merlot

Grilled Alaska White King Salmon

with Huckleberry Beurre Rouge

Corned Pork Tenderloin

2005 Cuvee Reserve

Five Spice Smoked Black Cod

Del Webber, Bernie Dochnahl,
John Bell

2005 Syrah

Washington Angus Flatiron Steak



2008 Late Harvest Pinot Gris

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote