Recently, I was provided with two lead-free glasses from Eisch, a third-generation glass making family in Europe.  The glasses are known for being breathable and claim to aerate the wine in your glass in a fraction of the time that it would take to do so in a decanter while making your wine more complex and better balanced.   The Superior Red Wine Sensis Plus glass retails for $30.00 and the Superior Red Wine Classic glass retails for $22.50. 

Over a few days, we tasted two red wines – the 04 Sojourn Cabernet and the 05 Groom Barossa Valley Shiraz.  These are bigger wines that needed some more time in a decanter to develop.  Our taste test included my wedding crystal, Royal Doulton Ascot, which was apparently discontinued many years ago; the two Eisch glasses and our Riedel Vinum Extreme Cabernet glasses.

I learned a few things – friends do not let friends drink out of wedding crystal.  Both wines were absolutely awful – tasting almost medicinal and overly tannic.  Seriously beyond bad.  If you came to my house in the early days of my marriage and I served you wine, I owe you a big apology.

The Eisch glasses were interesting. Because we had two – the one with Sensis Plus and the classic glass – we spent some time comparing them.  I found that the SensisPlus glass made a noticeable difference.  On the Sojourn, I was able to distinguish the layers of the wine – truffle, blackberries, liquorice, but I struggled with finding balance in the blend.  With the Groom, I thought the flavors definitely came through more – cocoa, currant, cherry.

I did find that my Riedel glassthat retails around the same price as the Eisch glass still remained the king of my household.  The wines were brighter, had more complexity and layers.  The earthiness of both wines was more muted and you were able to better taste the balance of the wines.

However, if you are still drinking out of your wedding crystal, I highly suggest grabbing either a Riedel or Eisch glass and conducting your own taste test.  I won’t even ask that you thank me when you discover the difference.

Rather than review another wine, I asked the group an important question – if you were stuck on a desert island with only one brand of Cabernet Sauvignon that you’d have to drink until rescue, what would it be? The initial feedback was that it is August in Texas with 100 plus degree days and white would be better suited to this scenario.  The conversation did finally divert into a discussion about our favorite cabs and why. Understanding that this is a subjective topic, there were a few brands that came up from the group including Pahlmeyer, William Hill Reserve, Lail Blueprint, Hourglass, Tapestry and Joseph Phelps.  Interesting that none of the usual “brand” suspects were mentioned although there was a heated debate on whether Silver Oak was worth the money with no final consensus.

The conversation quickly diverted to over-rated cabs and how many bottles of three figure cabernets were purchased at a winery that seemed magical at the time, but disappointed at home. Maybe we got caught up in the moment? Maybe it was stop number four of a full day of tasting?  But, the reality was that some of those same bottles opened at home with high hopes and a lighter wallet, didn’t live up to the memory.

The subject then shifted to the key to buying higher end cabernet – consistency in the brands that you trust. Knowing that your first (and last) bottle can change based on age, but will remain consistently good. Good cab is a great deal like good shoes. Everyone needs a favorite pair (or eight), but a nice pair of designer shoes better lasts the test of time. And even more importantly, can you ever have enough cabernets or enough designer shoes? And the consensus is no for either choice.

Much to my surprise I also found two iconic women wine makers in attendance.  Carol Shelton, winemaker for Carol Shelton Wines, is often named the most awarded winemaker in the United States with numerous Winemaker of the Year designations.  I always love talking to women winemakers like Merry Edwards or Carol because they stumbled into wine making versus pursuing it as their first career choice.  In Carol’s case, she entered UC Davis to be a poet.  Merry was going to be a biologist.  But the grapes came calling…
 

Carol Shelton and my friend, Susan Hartman

Carol Shelton formed her winery in 2000.  Focusing on Zinfandel only, Carol chooses vineyards with unique terroirs and put her poetry to use with the naming – 05 Wild Thing Zin, 05 Karma Zin, 06 Monga Zin and my favorite, the 06 Rocky Reserve, which was balanced with big blackberry flavor and chocolate notes.

I did a little happy dance when I saw that La Sirena was exhibiting, but did a double take when I saw Heidi and Remi Barrett pouring the wines.  Heidi is a Napa Valley icon, the former wine maker for Dalla Valle Vineyards and Screaming Eagle and was named by Robert Parker as “The First Lady of Wine.”  In addition to her La Sirena wines, she is the winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Au Sommet, among others.

Remi and Heidi Barrett

I had the chance to talk with Heidi and Remi briefly and asked about the Texas market for La Sirena wines, which is booming.  I had the chance to taste all of Heidi’s wines – the 08 Moscato Azul, Napa Valley, which was full of honeysuckle and fruit; the 05 Syrah Napa Valley, which was a traditional Syrah with berry and graphite; the 05 Syrah Santa Ynez, which tasted of chocolate covered cherries and currant; the 07 Pirate TreasuRed Blend, which was full of blackberry jam.  Finally, we got to the 06 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wow!  Black cherry, cassis, chocolate, French oak.  The quintessential Cabernet with a big price to go with it.  However, based on some of the more expensive, “slap you in the face” cabs that I’ve tasted, this is worth the $150 price point.

While I didn’t get to try the majority of the wines offered, I can say that the snapshot of those I did try bodes well for Texans in terms of bringing small production, interesting varietals and wines from around the globe to our neck of the woods.

Whaaaaatttt? While I don’t personally follow the steak to cabernet sauvignon rule, I can understand a local steakhouse having a larger selection of those wines. So, I decided to go for a sanity check. I reached out to Terri Burney, owner of  WineTastic, who told me that while she has some customers that would fit the bill, even more are trying Malbec, Rioja, Albarino and Champagne.

Brooks Anderson, owner of  Veritas, had some great insights. “To say that Dallasites drink only overpriced, big labels of Cab and Chard is absolutely ridiculous and wholly inaccurate. If that were true, Veritas would have gone out of business long ago. We do not carry Cakebread; we do not currently carry Silver Oak; we do not currently carry Caymus; we do not currently carry Far Niente; we do not carry Nickel & Nickel; etc. Instead we carry lots of fun, boutique Cabs and Chards (and other wines from around the globe) that aren’t necessarily cheap and we sell them all day long. There are plenty of Dallasites who love to explore new labels, who would rather offer a delicious wine that their dinner guest has never heard of rather than an overpriced ‘label’.”

He went on to say that “in addition to ‘not cheap’ Cabs and Chards, we sell loads of Chateauneuf du Pape, Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Amarone, Sancerre, etc. Dallasites are trying inexpensive wines like White Rioja; White Bordeaux; Gavi; Albarino/Alvarhino; Cotes du Rhone; Spanish Garnacha; Carmanere; Malbec; Baby Super Tuscans; Nero d’Avola; etc.”

So, where do we go from here? We need to take a stand. While there is a place for Cabernets, Chardonnays and other mainstays in our lives, let’s try some new varietals.

I had the recent opportunity to meet Anne-Laure Helfrich of Helfrich wines to try wines produced in her family’s Alsatian vineyard. The price points were fantastic — $14.99 for the Noble Tier wines that were really good (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gerwürztraminer). The Grand Cru wines with the same varietals were fantastic and priced at $24.99. The Grand Cru Riesling was elegant with orange blossom, apricot and minerality. The Grand Cru Gewurztraminer had a floral nose with honeysuckle, citrus and a floral nose. I personally am adding these to my wine “off the beaten path” selection list.

In Dallas, you can find these wines at Whole Foods, Costco, Majestic Liquors (Fort Worth), Winestyles (Arlington and Fort Worth), Vino 100 and Veritas.

Let’s prove to Tim that we’ve moved from a “safe label zone” and into wine drinkers that have the courage to put an unfamiliar bottle on the table.

I first met, Simone Perez, the Tapeña ambassador over the weekend, and her enthusiasm for the wines and culture of Spain was contagious.  Our first event took place at Cafe Madrid and coincided with the Texas sky opening into a torrential downpour.  But Dallasites were ready to “represent” and more than 110 people came out to taste. 

Our next event was at WineTastic the following day and approximately 80 people showed. I had the opportunity to finally meet a number of Dallas Wine Chick fans, which was absolutely a blast.   You can click here to experience both events for yourself.

This was the photo that I got from my lead footed husband as he made the solo drive from the Portland Airport to join me on a tour through Prosser, Red Mountain and Yakima.  I was lucky enough to have one of the top experts, Margot, and her husband, Dave,  show us Washington “wine o’clock” style.

You see, John didn’t join me until after #wbc10 was over. He’s a bourbon boy from the South and while he has a strong appreciation of wine and a collection that reinforces that point, seven days of wine tasting would render him to a state where he would want to poke his eyes out with a fork.  For the sake of our marriage and my enjoyment of the experience, he arrived late on Sunday. 

Unfortunately he missed out on some wonderful experiences.  Our first stop was family-owned L’Ecole. The name, L’Ecole Nº 41 is French for “the school”.  The winery is located in district 41 in historic Frenchtown, a small community outside of Walla Walla that was named for the many French Canadians that settled there in the early 1800s. 

We arrived at the converted schoolhouse that serves as the tasting room and were greeted by Jamie, a fun new friend who hosted us for a fantastic vertical tasting of library wines.  We began with a refreshing glass of the 08 Estate Luminesce ($19) that I loved, but alas, it was completely sold out.  We then tasted the 99, 03 and 07 Apogee from Pepper Bridge Vineyard and the 03 and 07 Estate Perigee from Seven Hills Vineyard.  I personally loved the Apogee – especially the earlier vintages that tasted of earthiness, black cherry, cassis and notes of chocolate.  The evolution in the glass was noteworthy and I left with a case of my own to taste test in the future.

Our next stop was to Va Piano Vineyards to meet Winemaker Justin Wylie.  Its motto: “Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano.” The translation is “He who goes slowly, goes safely and goes far” – an old Italian saying and the winery’s approach to living. This recommendation came from Greg Kassanoff, who owns Pioneer Wine here in Dallas.  We started with two Brunos Blend I and VI wines, one Sauvignon Blanc and one red blend as well as the Semillon.  Father Bruno Segatta, who Justin met during his time at Gonzaga University, is an artist and selfless priest.  Father Segatta inspired Justin to give back to the community. When the Bruno blends are sold out, Va Piano donates a portion of the proceeds to a charity of Father Bruno’s choice.  We tried two Syrah’s – the 07 Syrah and 08 Estate Syrah, which were inky black, spicy and fabulous.  But it was the 07 Cabernet that made me a card carrying member of Va Piano’s wine club.  At $38 a bottle, it rivaled some of Napa’s heavy hitters currently in my cellar.  Let’s just say that I cancelled my Far Niente membership because I liked it that much (the rule in my house is that if I add a wine club, I must cancel a wine club – actually my husband made up this rule after one particular Visa bill).

The next day, we made a brief stop at Airfield Wines where my favorite wine was the Aviator ( $30). It was a big Bordeaux style blend and since my cousin is in process of finalizing his clearance to be a fighter pilot, I loved the history of the winery.

The next day we headed to visit Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  Because Margot and Dave were wine club members, we were given VIP treatment and access to the back room, where we tried more than 16 wines on their tasting list – we even showed restraint as they have 21 varietals.  My favorites included the 07 Jet Black Syrah, 09 Rousanne, 08 Quarry Butte (ah Quarry Butte…), 07 Cabernet and 08 Crawford Viognier.  We also had the chance to sample some older vintages – the 03 and 05 cabernets and merlots from Alexandria Nicole’s enomatics system.  Again, the evolution in the glass and the changes over a two-year period were notable.

Then it was time for lunch.  I was excited to finally meet Scott who has been a long-time friend on Twitter, but I wasn’t prepared for the red carpet that was rolled out by my new Washington friends.  We went to eat at Tuscany and were met by Coop, Sara and Kevin.  Coop brought a bottle of his not yet released 08 Pinot Gris and it paired perfectly with the delicious food.

Mark your calendars for the debut of Cooper Wine Company’s Red Mountain grand opening on Sept. 11.  If his Bordeaux-style reds rival the Pinot Gris, you won’t be sorry. 

We left Tuscany and I had the chance to experience Fidelitas Wines in Red Mountain.  We originally planned to visit several wineries on Red Mountain, but were drawn in by Charlie Hoppes’ big red wines at Fidelitas Wines along with the hospitality of Marilyn and Cindy.  Let’s just say that another case of wine now has a home in Dallas that includes the 07 Red Mountain Cabernet Franc ($40), the 07 Jaguar red ($20), 2007 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet  ($60) and 07 Red Mountain Red ($50).   

P.S. Here is a photo of the not debuted yet packaging…

Our last and final stop was Sean Gilbert at Gilbert Cellars in Yakima where we tasted an array of reds, whites and a Rose’ of Mourvedre paired with cheeses, olives and Marcona almonds.  While I enjoyed every one of his wines, it was the 07 Cabernet Sauvignon ($28) and 07 Cabernet Franc ($32) that will be joining us in Dallas once the Texas heat has diminished.

Sean also talked us out of our dinner selection and sent us to an unmarked sports bar with a hunter complete with a scoped rifle as the signage.  Thankfully we trusted him and enjoyed a great dinner with a bottle of Gilbert Cellars’ Malbec.  We ended the evening hanging out with Margot and Dave in their room where we told stories and toasted a wonderful trip with a few special favorite wines.

Courtesy of Desert Wind Winery

Desert Wind Owners Greg and Amber Fries served as exemplary hosts from the moment we arrived and greeted us with a refreshing glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the spacious patio.  We had some time to relax in a fabulous, fully-stocked suite that had everything one could need from bottles of wine to munchies to luxurious bath products (and I love luxurious bath products). 

Just when I didn’t think it could get any better, we started our food/wine experience. We began with a tour of the winery and had the opportunity to barrel taste the 08 Petite Verdot, 08 Barbera and 08 Tempranillo. I was impressed that Greg was so willing to go off the beaten path of the varietals to  see what wines would blossom with his talent.

Chef Frank Magana and Darren Dewalt from Picazo 7 Seventeen treated us to a multi-course dinner paired with Desert Wind and Duck Pond wines (Greg is also the wine maker).  The food parade started with Dungeness Crab Cakes with Chipotle Aioli Firecracker Prawns, Patatas Bravas, various wonderful cheeses, Marcona Almonds and Olives, paired with Desert Wind’s 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and  2009 Viognier.  My foodie and chef hobbyist husband was absolutely in heaven.  I innocently asked Chef Magana exactly how many course were coming and realized some restraint from the appetizers would be necessary in order to stay the course.

The good news is that you too can enjoy Mojave by Picazo at Desert Wind, which is open noon – 3 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.  But back to this meal, this glorious meal….

Our first course was Prosciutto-wrapped Mixed Field Greens with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette, paired with 2009 Dry Rose’ and 2008 Semillon. If you read this column regularly, you know I’m not the biggest fan of Rose and I’m allergic to pork, so I choose the Semillon and had a special menu adaptation.

We moved on to the Basil-Stuffed Salmon with Tempranillo Pan Sauce, Blue Prawns & Trumpet Mushrooms with Cream paired with a 2008 Tempranillo and 2006 Duck Pond Cellars ‘St. Jory’ Pinot Noir, one of the many library wines we tried. Loved, loved, loved this course.

And then came the beef – the filet of Beef Tenderloin Ruah Sauce, Black Truffle Risotto followed by Grilled Lamb Chops with Ruah-Garlic Marinade was delightful. The meats and sauce paired perfectly with a vertical of Desert Wind Ruah wines from 04, 05, 06 and 08.  Sublime.

I was glad to have run that morning (even though I got lost like an idiot) because the dessert plate … well, it rocked.  It was a trio of Espresso Crème Brulee, a Chocolate Crème Brulee and then a Gorgonzola Truffle.  It’s been a few weeks now and I still fantasize about that darn truffle matched with a 04 Duck Pond Port.

When I returned from my run the next morning, there was a food basket waiting for us with yogurt, fresh fruit, baked goods, coffee and other assorted goodies that we enjoyed on our balcony.

If you are looking for a great winery and gourmet food married with a five-star resort experience that is centrally located near several great wineries in Prosser, I highly recommend checking out the hospitality of Amber and Greg.  It will certainly be an experience that you will always remember and I’m certainly looking forward to my return.

Thursday, June 24

The moment I’ve been waiting for – I’m here.  I’ve survived the wine bloggers road trip and the confused GPS due to a newly-opened highway.  We have reached the Marcus Whitman Hotel.  It’s historic and lovely.  We were greeted in the lobby by William with an open bottle of wine and Riedel glasses.   I think I’m going to like this place.

After trying to figure out which pre-party to attend,  several of us made our way to Basel Cellars where several wine makers including Reininger Winery were pouring some excellent wines.  My favorite wine from Basel Cellars was the 06 Basel Cellars Inspired, which was made in a traditional Bordeaux style blend.  It was a well balanced wine with stone fruit and spice.  My favorite wines from Reininger included the Helix Red 05 with big raspberry, oakiness, blueberry, plum and black currant as well the 07 Cabernet Sauvignon.

We received a tour and were shown  the “man cave”.  This is the ultimate finger in the air room to the divorced wife.  When we jokingly asked about the stripper pole, we quickly found out that it had been removed just for our visit.

So we just call this photo, “Bloggers Gone Wild.”

Friday, June 25

I thought I’d start the conference out on a good note and went for a run though the town of Walla Walla.  Never before have I been to a conference where registration opened at 10 a.m. and there was wine served freely in the registration area.  Liza (my roomie) and I decided to take a quick walk through town in an attempt to not overindulge this early.  I found that we were definitely a curiosity to the locals.  We were asked many times about how we made a living by blogging.  I think we dashed many hopes when we explained that most of us just had a passion for wine and did this on our own time and funds.

The conference opened with a taco truck tasting lunch.  Very humorous to see the décor of what looked to be a Texas BBQ but featured chicken, Walla Walla beef and beef tacos.  With a big syrah, I have to say that they rocked.

So, it’s now 2 p.m. and the conference officially begins (my kind of start time).  We kicked it off with the wine blogger awards and I attended the Advanced Wine Blogging session with Joe Roberts, Jeff Lefevere and RJ Hilgers.  I admire and respect these guys and they had some great advice for someone who aspires to be a better writer, increase my readership and make Dallas Wine Chick a top wine experience destination.  As expected, I have a long way to go, but thanks to them I have a great foundation to get there.

We then experienced speed dating for wine. Picture 300 bloggers at 60 tables with computers, iPads, iPhones, Blackberries and every other technology device known to man.  Imagine 60 wine makers, who are given 5 minutes per wine to pour, describe and answer questions.  And then…. switch.  Our table tasted 12 wines – a mix of everything from high end to box wine.   This was a great way to get to know a variety of different wines and wine makers.  Obviously spitting was mandatory and it was funny to see the very honest comments on the big screen Tweetup.

After dinner, we advanced to the Walla Walla Walkabout with the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance or as we called it the WWWWWVWA.  Basically it was a progressive tasting room party that allowed us to get a feel for the wines of the region.  We ended up at the Charles Shaw party where they served rock star wines out of plastic cups since we missed the library tasting earlier.  It was quite the burlesque show, but when the dancers’ pasties started to flame, I realized I was a little …. old. Judging from the amount of bloggers that stayed out until after 4 a.m., I missed quite the party.

Liza and I found an open tasting room and proceeded to be amused by a really drunk couple.  When the man left for the bathroom we watched the woman pop no less than ten huge chocolate covered strawberries into her mouth.  I can’t imagine the sugar and alcohol induced highs and lows that she must have experienced later.

Saturday, June 26

You couldn’t have attended this conference without hearing through the grapevine it was my birthday.  Not because I was obnoxious about letting everyone know, but because my friends broadcast it everywhere I went – by mouth, by Facebook, by Twitter.  I’m jumping ahead a bit, but it was such an awesome surprise to be invited by Margot and Dave over for a glass of wine and find an awesome chocolate cake with my name on it!  The bottles of wine that I received as birthday gifts were absolutely amazing and everyone’s generosity continued all day – from bloggers, wineries and distributors.  Thank you, thank you, thank you all for making a birthday that was spent away from my family one that I will remember forever.  It really was nice to coincide #wbc10 with #mbc10 (melanie’s birthday conference).

We started the conference that day early with a departure before 9 a.m.  We randomly picked a bus as no destinations were given and I was thrilled to find Kevin Pogue, a renowned geologist whose talk I missed that morning while I was in the gym, was our leader.  Our first stop was Waters Winery, which was founded in 2005.  We stopped at the Forgotten Hills vineyard and learned about Jamie Brown’s approach of celebrating the land by making distinct, “old world” wines that express the “time and place.”  We tried the 09 Rose ($18) and the 08 Forgotten Hills Syrah ($40).  The syrah was a big boy with earthiness, truffles, pepper and mushroom.

We had a little time to kill, so we stopped by Cayuse Vineyards, a miracle started by a French winemaker that fell in love with a few acres of farmland that was covered in stones.  Fast forward a few years and Cayuse is one of the most acclaimed wineries in Washington.  While we didn’t get to try their wines, I am absolutely intrigued with the terroir and what they are able to produce from the land.

Our next stop was my favorite – Leonetti Cellars where we had the great opportunity to try two other wines.  Tom Schafer from aMaurice poured Sparrow Viognier, which is made by his daughter, Anna.  The wine tasted of big peach, citrus and other stone fruits with almond on the nose.  I really liked this, but with only 37 cases produced, it is long gone.  Winemaker Ken Hart from Tulpen Cellars poured his Dryland Cabernet Sauvignon.  It needed some more time in the bottle, but it had nice balance and a big berry/currant taste.  Then we hit the mecca – Leonetti Reserva 05.  I described it in my tasting notes as a “symphony in a glass.”  Big blend of morels, clove, blueberry and cinnamon that could age for another 20 years.

We then ventured to Cougar Crest Winery where they had a nice lunch for us and we were able to taste a variety of their wines.   I loved that Cougar Crest sold wine for “medicinal purposes” throughout Prohibition.  My favorite wine there was the award-winning 05 Reserve Syrah that was spicy with big fruit.

Then back to the conference.  I attended a great session given by Andrea Robinson, Barbara Evans and David Honig about growing your audience from other bloggers to consumers and got some great advice from some talented and successful bloggers.

It was then that I rebelled when I found out the “unconference” was occurring on the patio outside.  I went to my room and proudly got my bottle of Turley 05 Petite Syrah from Haynes Vineyard.  And, that’s when I found out I was an amateur.  We had vintage Bordeauxs, expensive champagnes, big California cult cabernets and everything in between along with conversation, laughter and one blogger with a cigar.

We ended the afternoon with live wine blogging with a focus on red wines.  Lesson from that – be sure to bring the package of Wine Wipes to keep your teeth from turning purple.  Our dinner that night was sponsored by the Washington Wine Commission with a keynote from Lettie Teague of the New York Times.  The food was awesome, the wines at our table were delicious and Lettie’s insight about the wine industry was spot on.  We adjourned to an after hours party hosted by Rias Baixas Albarino and wines from Spain where we tasted a multitude of albarino wines.  We were then whisked away by Reininger for a midnight party. I continued my enjoyment of the Helix Red and tried a secret spooky wine that I loved but can’t tell you any more detail.  Sorry — what happens at Reininger stays at Reininger.  It’s the rules of fight club.

Sunday, June 27

The next morning came quickly, but the morning session with Andrew Lazorchak, fellow Texan Ben Simons and Joe Herrig entitled “Top Gun Blogging,” was well worth the time.  The highlight of the day was a wine/food pairing seminar with Chef Jeffrey Saad, who was smart, entertaining, well spoken and discussed some great overall trends about wine, cheese, meats and other new/old pairings.  We then had a fabulous lunch that the Click Wine Group and Chef “Bear” Ullman hosted with a variety of well-paired white and red wines with everything from sliders to tuna tartar to a goat cheese tart that I still think about.

Unless you are not following the Wine Bloggers Conference or you slept in that day, you know about the announcement that the Wine Bloggers Conference 2011will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia.  A controversial, yet interesting choice.  Aside from my initial reaction from my Virginia wine tasting last month, I think I’ll reserve my judgment until I’ve researched more about what Virginia wines have to offer.  At a minimum, I’ll have a great time seeing the wine blogging mafia next July.

So why don’t I start at the beginning?  I was lucky enough to be invited to an unofficial pre-conference trip that originated in Portland going to the Willamette Valley.  Since I was arriving later than the rest of the bloggers I fully expected to fund my own cab for the hour plus trip that began at Solena Grand Cru Estates.  But no, this is Oregon wine country so  I found myself in a car with Amy, a delightful tour guide and person who welcomed me with the biggest chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies covered donut that I’ve ever seen.  After ripping it in half and handing half to Amy, I joyfully took a bite of my first donut in probably five years.

Voodoo Donuts

As we reached the gates of Solena, our bloggers chariot awaited — a candy apple red double decker bus.

The Double Dutch Bus Coming Down the Street

The day only got better from there.  We toured the winery and got to experience “do it yourself blending.  If you didn’t like the blend, you could only blame yourself, but it is hard not to succeed with so many good wines at Solena.

Rolling out the red carpet

We were then seated for a four course lunch prepared by chef Matthew Howard matched with Solena Estate’s wines.  The first course, early summer corn soup with fingerling potatoes, prosciutto and basil oil with 08 Solena ElvenGlade Vineyard Chardonnay.  The second course, Plank-roasted wild sockeye salmon with fava bean puree, shaved fennel salad, rhubard and nectarine compote with 07 Solena Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir.  The third course, grilled cascade natural flat iron steak with yukon gold potato and leek hashbrown with heirloom cherry tomato relish with an 08 Solena Hyland Pinot Noir.  Our dessert course matched a rosemary and fleur de sel shortbread, oregon strawberries, Bellweather Farms carmody cheese with an 08 Solena Late Harvest Riesling.

Early Corn Soup

Plank-roasted sockeye salmon

Our next stop was Soter Vineyards where we were greeted with a glass of sparkling rose.  Even though it had rained for six weeks straight in Portland, we had an absolutely gorgeous day.  My favorite was the  2007 Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir with big notes of plum, earth and cherry.

Time at Soter

We wrapped our winery tour with Anne Amie, which is well known for its Pinots, but offers a wide array of affordably priced red and white wines.  I was familiar with the Pinot Noir because I discovered it at Veritas Wine Bar in Dallas and it sold out quickly.  We were surprised to learn that the winemaker Thomas Houseman first had a career as a modern dancer.  This was something interesting to try to reconcile after several glasses of wine.

Thomas Houseman, wine maker and former dancer

We were feeling lucky, so our bus stopped off the beaten path so we could buy Powerball tickets and beer.  I can’t imagine what the gas station attendants were thinking when our fire engine red bus stopped and Liza ran in with a fist full of money.  Alas, we were too late.  Powerball had closed.  We decided to donate our money to next year’s Wine Blogger Scholarship Fund instead.  So I thought… but I recently learned that a different scenario actually took place.

Our hospitality continued with a BBQ at Mary and Sean Cressler’s house, who live in the city in a fabulous home in a charming historic neighborhood.   Their backyard was made for entertaining.  Sean had spent the day smoking a pork butt for us.  The wines flowed freely, the weather on their back patio was spectacular, the conversation was hilarious and the food, oh the food.  Because I have pork allergies, I tried everything else from the tofu that they grilled for me (which was surprisingly tasty), the smoked salmon dip, the veggies, freshly baked bread and anything else that I could cram in my mouth.  Everyone else raved about the pork actually before, during and after the conference.  This was the day the diet died…

It was close to midnight so I was dropped off at my hotel – or so I thought.  The Marriott Courtyard had bumped me to another hotel.  When I got there, I was given the only room left – the one with the handicapped bathroom.  I was tired and in hindsight, trying to navigate the shower was pretty humorous the next day after an hour run throughout the city.

We were then off on our next adventure – the caravan to Walla Walla.  Mary had set up a private tour with Bob Morus of Phelps Creek Vineyards where we spent a great deal of time learning about the intricacies of the winery and harvest.  Since I geek out during conversations like this with the winemaker, I was in heaven and thought it was fascinating that they have two wine makers — one American and one French that make two entirely different styles of Pinot.  I personally loved the 08 Cuvee Alexandrine, a big Burgundian style Pinot.

Bob Morus from Phelps Creek

My husband can attest that I am not usually a road trip person and I was a little hesitant to spend hours with folks that I’d met only on Twitter.  However, this was not your usual road trip.  From blasting tunes that I enjoyed from elementary school with Jason (Duran Duran and Missing Persons if you must know) to having a conversation imposed “time out” to force Doug to work on his client deadline while I became even more addicted to the Zombies and Plants game on my iPad, it was an experience that I’ll never forget and definitely hope to have again.

A special shout out to Lynette (and Amy) for their unmatched hospitality.  You truly gave as an experience that will be hard to replicate.

2. Under any circumstances possible, schedule your birthday to coincide with #wbc11. Trust me on this. From the presents of bottles of birthday wine to a fun surprise birthday party to being poured non-stop Velvet Glove wine from the Molly Dooker folks months before its US debut (thanks  Brian Pasch), it was an amazing time and every one is really nice to you on your birthday. I prefer to refer to #wbc as #mbc (“Melanie’s Birthday Conference”).

3. Get to know your local distributors, wine representatives and others in the industry. Thanks to Greg Kassanoff, CEO from Pioneer Wine Company, I was invited to several special events and had the chance to spend some time with Justin Wylie from J Piano, whose wine club I immediately joined after the tasting.

4. Share a room. As a married person for almost 16 years, I was planning to have my own room until a mutual friend asked if I’d mind sharing with another female blogger who needed accommodations. I ended up with the most fun roommate in Liza and she became my running buddy at all events.

5. Attend the unconference events. In the midst of one of our sessions, a note was sent out on Twitter that an unofficial wine tasting was in process on the back patio. As I slipped out in between the sessions, I found the bottle of Turley that I brought from home paled in comparison with the vintage Bordeaux’s, high end champagne and other cellar selections from other bloggers. 

6. Bring your list of Twitter handles included in the #wbc handbook. It was so much fun to put faces and names with personalities that I’ve come to know and love over the past year and a half.

7. Spit. Thankfully this is a lesson that I didn’t need to learn. If you were to ingest all the wine that is offered to you especially during speed tasting, you would end up curled up in a ball in a corner somewhere. You already need a bionic liver to hold your own here anyway.

8. Open your mind and try to put aside preconceived notions. While I can’t say I left the conference with a differing opinion on rosé, I did try it and know that there is one person on a mission to convince me to change my mind.  Mary, I’m happy to continue trying….

9. Partner with the local experts. I had the opportunity to spend three days with one of Washington’s top wine bloggers Write for Wine and her husband, Dave. They taught me so much about the region, introduced me to some amazing wines and truly rolled out the red carpet.

10. Exercise daily. Just trust me on this. It clears your head, jump starts your metabolism (you desperately need this based on the 6,000 calories that you consume daily with food and wine) and there is not a better way to see your surroundings.  The reactions of your fellow bloggers as they pass you in the exercise room on the way to the conference are priceless.

11. My bonus tip is to buy flair. The ribbons are sassy, fun and help define your personality. Find Thea and know that your money will go to the scholarship fund to send a deserving blogger to #wbc11.