The Cold Hardy Grapes from Minnesota

13 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Travel, Wine Culture, Wine Reviews

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This year I’ve taken the plunge, a deep dive into non-vinifera grape varieties. The wines we are all familiar with—Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay—almost every wine you find on the shelf in the supermarket or wine shop are made from the grape species vitis vinifera. This is the grape that grows well between the 50 degree and 30 degree latitudes and accounts for most of the global wine trade. The reason vitis vinifera is hard to find outside those coordinates is because winters are too cold, or summers are too hot, or the climate is too humid to produce healthy grapes. Frigid winters are especially damaging to vinifera which will not survive in extended sub-zero temperatures. Sustained hard freezes rupture cells in the roots and trunk leaking fluid and causing the plant to die.

But people who live outside those coordinates or who live in regions that experience exceptionally cold winters would like to make grape wine as well—it seems everyone wants in on the act. And so for many years researchers, both amateur and professional, have been searching for new cultivars that can survive the harsh winters of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

The History

Two names have been essential to the development of grape cultivars that will survive in the cold: Elmer Swenson and the University of Minnesota.

Inspired by an early grape breeder, a Texan by the name of T.V. Munsun, Elmer Swenson began experimenting with grape varieties in 1943on his family’s Wisconsin dairy farm by crossing French hybrid grapes with the local species called vitis riparia. Vitis riparia would survive the cold winters but made bad wine. By crossing the hardy riparia vines with French species known for their capacity to make drinkable wine, Swenson hoped to be able to produce reliable, high-quality fruit. In addition to the breeding program on his own farm, Swenson began caring for the fruit crops at the University of Minnesota where he was able to use their facilities to conduct his research. His work at the University resulted in two hybrids, Edelweiss and Swenson Red, both of which he jointly released with the University. Other hybrids were independently released; Swenson was generous with his cuttings giving them to almost anyone who asked. Here’s a list of the Swenson varietals.

Swenson died in 2004 but The University of Minnesota has remained at the forefront of this search for cold-hardy varietals. Prior to 1978, the university’s program was largely dependent on Swenson’s efforts. But in 1978 they formally launched their wine-grape breeding program with a state-of-the-art enology lab coming online in 2000. Their 12 acres of vineyards are planted with about 12,000 vines with various genetic characteristics, the product of which will go through rigorous testing to discover how they will perform in the field. It takes about 15 years to bring a new variety to the market.

The Grapes

Frontenac Gris

Thus far, this breeding program has produced these 5 varietals that can be found on tasting menus throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada:

Frontenac was introduced in 1996, a hybrid of V. Riparia and an obscure French hybrid called Landot 4511. This vine survives temperatures as low as –33 degrees, produces good yields and is largely disease resistant. The University of Minnesota might not welcome my assessment, but Frontenac makes a dreadful red dry wine. It’s acidity is off the charts and should you venture to imbibe, your mouth will feel like a battleground featuring sour cherry and lemon. Talk to winemakers about Frontenac and you will get a discourse on acid-reducing techniques. But with added sugar the wine achieves some balance and it makes an truly outstanding port-style dessert wine. Hint: If you want wine lovers to leave your tasting room impressed, don’t serve dry, red Frontenac. (Although see my review of Alexis Bailey below)

Frontenac Gris was introduced in 2003. This varietal started out as a mutation of Frontenac, producing gray fruit (hence the name gris, which means gray in French) which creates a light amber-colored wine. It has all the good-making qualities of Frontenac but also happens to make a really flavorful wine with explosive tropical and peach aromas. The high acidity is a virtue creating a powerful, long, refreshing finish. This is not a subtle wine but its rich flavors and aromas make this a promising grape.

La Crescent, introduced in 2002, is probably the most popular of the cold hardy white grapes. A hybrid of two Swenson varietals (which were themselves hybrids), this is a hardy grape which produces an intensely aromatic wine reminiscent of Gewurztraminer or Riesling. It shows peach, citrus, and some tropical fruit aromas. It is usually made with some residual sugar to balance the acidity giving the wine a fleshy, medium body. I’ve found these wines to be generally interesting and refreshing.

Marquette is the most recent addition having been introduced in 2006. This is a complex hybrid from many species some of which are related to Frontenac and Pinot Noir. Wine growers love this grape because it’s easy to handle and produces great yields. Winemakers like it because of its high sugar and relatively low acidity. It has bright cherry flavors, black pepper, and spice notes and handles oak reasonably well. I wouldn’t call it a “big red” but it has some weight to it and achieves elegance when handled properly. I get the impression winemakers are still experimenting with this grape but the results are promising.

Frontenac Blanc is a mutation of Frontenac and Frontenac Gris. (This Frontenac family seems to be as genetically unstable as Pinot Noir). It has a peach and citrus nose with a dry, crisp finish. I found this wine to be austere when fermented dry but refreshing and a wine that will pair well with seafood.

The latest release from Minnesota is Itasca. Since 2017 is the first year it has been released to vineyards, I haven’t tasted wines made from it yet.

Wine made from Swenson and University of Minnesota varietals are not the only wines found in Minnesota. Some of the French hybrids such as Marechal Foch and Leon Millot are moderately cold hardy and play a prominent role on tasting menus.

The Wineries

Our stay in Minnesota was brief and we had time to visit only 5 wineries in the Minneapolis area, two of which deserve mention.

Alexis Bailey Vineyard

Alexis Bailey’s family planted the first vineyard in Minnesota in 1973 and were the first to produce wines made of 100% Minnesota grapes. Their strategy today is to guarantee that in each wine 51% of the grapes are Minnesota grown. They create many interesting blends using California, New York, and Minnesota grapes but their 100% Minnesota wines, which were our focus, were also outstanding. I noted above that Frontenac seldom makes a good dry red. But this one actually had some finesse despite the high acidity, showing an attractive lifted midpalate and some grain on the tannins to stand up to the acidity. Their Voyager, a blend of Marachal Foch, Leon Millot, and Frontenac had prominent berry and vanilla notes, a soft, round midpalate and an electric finish with refined tannins. With 1 year in New American oak, this is the best wine we tasted in Minnesota. Their hybrids survive the winter because they lay the vines down on the frozen turf and cover them with straw to preserve heat.

Winehaven Winery and Vineyard

Winehaven was founded in 1995 but the Peterson family has been growing fruit for 4 generations. Winehaven occupies a favorable microclimate on a hillside surrounded by three lakes keeping some heat in the vineyard. They can actually grow Riesling here although it’s risky and takes lots of care. I was especially impressed with their Frontenac Gris and La Crescent—each with explosive aromas and a richly textured mouthfeel. Among the reds, the Marquette Reserve was intense and complex, full bodied yet refined. But the show stopper was a grape unique to Winehaven. Called Nokomis, it was developed and patented by the Petersons. The black cherry, spice and elegant medium body was reminiscent of Pinot Noir—very well made Pinot Noir. I certainly want to find out more about this grape and watch it’s development.

With the resources of the University pumping out new varietals adapted to the climate here, Minnesota is edging its way onto the wine map although it will take years to figure out the best methods of growing grapes and making wine from these varietals. As of now, quality is spotty but these two wineries give us a glimpse of what is possible.

In Wine and Food There’s No Such Thing as Flyover Country

06 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Contemporary Food Culture, Travel

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4 Elements Winery, Fruit wine, Kroll's, Matt's Bar and Grill, the Boiler Room, The Mason Jar

I have no historical attachment to the Midwest, but the term “flyover country” has always struck me as insulting. It not only ignores the Midwest’s great natural beauty but fails to acknowledge the cultural mix that enlivens these communities. In fact, when it comes to food and wine, there are experiences to be had in the Midwest that cannot be found elsewhere. The population of many Midwestern states is an amalgam of German, Scandinavian, and Irish ancestry among others, and they all had to marry their cuisines to the local ingredients creating unique food traditions that survive today. There is a reason why lefse, the Scandinavian flatbread, is popular in North Dakota and Minnesota, while beer and brats make Wisconsinites proud of their German heritage.

Truth be told some of these dishes are lovely only to the people who grew up with them; others deserve wider recognition. Nevertheless, they survive not as pillars of aesthetic beauty but as ceremonial icons richly evocative of the past, reinforcing attachments to one’s home but also as markers of distinctiveness, as a kind of resistance to the colonization of the global food culture.

I’ve spent several weeks in the upper Midwest, mostly in Wisconsin but with forays into North Dakota and Minnesota. Wisconsin will get a post of it’s own, but here are some of the regional dishes that distinguish North Dakota and Minnesota.

Lefse

This is apparently a closely guarded secret—I haven’t seen Lefse in the rest of the U.S. This potato-based flatbread is so good only an intentional strategy of silence would explain their lack of prominence. Lefse is of Norwegian origin and is made by ricing potatoes or using leftover mashed potatoes. Lefse looks like a flour tortilla but has a more delicate, sweeter flavor and a lighter, thinner, more supple texture. They are typically served with melted butter dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Fargo North Dakota has its very own Lefse supplier where you can get a dozen for about $5. But don’t just buy one bag—they are addicting.

Knoephla Soup

This is a thick soup of German origins made with chicken broth, potatoes and dumplings. It has the flavor of the sauce in a chicken pot pie; the thickness of the sauce will vary according to personal taste. It is satisfying comfort food available at the iconic Kroll’s Diner in Bismarck. It’s rich and satisfying, worth seeking out on a cold winter night.

Fleichkuechle

This is bound and seasoned ground beef wrapped in a deep fried, thinly layered, turnover crust. Served with gravy and mashed potatoes at Kroll’s in Bismarck, this is another dish of German origin worth seeking out if you’re hankering for fried food. With the thin, layered, crispy crust, It’s head and shoulders more tasty than the pasties found in Montana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Hot dish

Minnesota and North Dakota loves them some hot dish. The basic idea is a one dish, inexpensive casserole containing meat, a starch, and a canned vegetable all held together with mushroom soup, perfect for reunions, church suppers, and potluck meals. Since the 1950’s, the hot dish has been covered with tater tots. Yes. You heard that right. That greasy, salty staple of the school lunch cafeteria is now a delicacy. In Minnesota they have competitions to decide the best amalgam of cheap meat, canned soup, overcooked vegetables, and tater tots. Go figure. In the U.S. we like to compete for “Top Tacky”. But truth be told, the hot dish is pretty good—you can’t go wrong with salt and fat. I tracked down an authentic version at The Mason Jar near Minneapolis.

One current trend is to update the hot dish. At Fargo’s The Boiler Room, the vegetable was caramelized onions, with lightly breaded sweet potato fingers in the shape of “tater tots” playing the role of starch, all bound together with sausage gravy, bacon and some quality cheddar cheese. I’m sure the traditionalists disapprove but this was a casserole I can get behind. It’s still a homogeneous mass of salt and fat but this one had lots of bright flavor with the sweet potato providing the anchor.

Walleye

When you’re a thousand miles from an ocean, you don’t expect seafood to be a regional specialty, but Minnesota has lots of lakes which at one time were teeming with Walleye, a member of the Pike family and Minnesota’s state fish. It has become so popular and overfished that the state has outlawed commercial fishing of walleye although private anglers can still legally fish for it if they don’t sell it. Most of the restaurant walleye comes from Canada. At any rate, you can hardly find a restaurant serving American cuisine in Minnesota or North Dakota that does not serve walleye. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor with some earth notes, lean and moist but will firm up when deep fried. It’s best served with sauces that are not too assertive.

The Jucy Lucy

No discussion of Minnesota food should be without the contribution Minneapolis makes to burger lore. That would be the Jucy Lucy from Matt’s Bar and Grill. Back in 1954 one Matt Bristol had the brilliant idea of placing American cheese inside two burger patties, and sealing the edges–the Jucy Lucy was born. (the misspelling was a mistake carried forward intentionally) Matt’s bar is still there, a shabby little building in one of Minneapolis’s older neighborhoods. It was packed on a Thursday evening serving as many burgers as would fit on a tiny griddle at the end of the bar. It’s just burger meat but the melted cheese is piping hot and flows like lava when you bite into it. It’s an experience burger hounds should not miss.

Rhubarb Wine

I’ll have more to say about Minnesota grape wines in a future post. But in our brief stay near Fargo I couldn’t resist venturing into North Dakota’s wine country. We visited 4 Elements winery, a relatively new operation making wine from cold hardy grape varietals that will survive the frigid temperatures here. While we enjoyed their lineup of grape wines, especially an aromatic La Crescent, I was particularly enamored with their rhubarb wine, of which they make both a dry and sweet version. The aroma is flinty and slightly herbacious. On the palate its crisp with round rhubarb notes and citrus accents, with balanced acidity. Exotic fruit wines have left the root cellar at the farm and are being made by serious, professional winemakers. They can be quite delicious.

Missoula, Montana: Meat, Mead and Mountain Wine

28 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Contemporary Food Culture, Restaurant Reviews, Travel, Wine Culture, Wine Reviews

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Blue Canyon, Hidden Legend, Lisa's Pasties, Mead, Ten Spoon Winery, The Red Bird

The vineyards at Ten Spoon Vineyard and Winery

Can they grow wine grapes in Montana? There are some hardy souls who try. Excessive cold, meaning sustained temperatures below –10 degrees, will damage the wood on all vitis vinifera varietals, the species of grape that includes the familiar varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. For some varietals such as Merlot or Syrah 5 degrees above zero is risky territory. There are a few growers who persist with vinifera in Montana’s unforgiving winter climate but the consensus is it’s a losing proposition. So most growers are planting the cold hardy grapes—French-American hybrids and native varietals that are bred to survive deep freezes. Most wine drinkers have never heard of these grapes; many probably never will. The quality level of wines made from these grapes is, shall we say, improving. But you have to go to war with the grapes you have, and the allure of winemaking is so strong, many are willing to endure years when severe crop losses effect even the cold-hardy varietals.

Andy Sponseller, co-owner of Ten Spoon Winery in Missoula, went so far as to bring in helicopters twice in one season to blow frost off his vineyards, an expensive proposition for a marginal business. He started growing Pinot Noir in 2003 but has since abandoned it using fruit from Oregon to satisfy Pinot lovers and planting the cold hardy grapes for those seeking local flavors. It was actually cherry wine that got Andy and his wife Connie through the lean years; now since 2014 he is showing a profit making a satisfying St. Pepin (a aromatic white wine with a plump palate) and a field blend of 5 cold-hardy grapes called Range Rider that features a big, spicy nose and full body. And that Flathead Cherry wine? It’s delicious. Making wine in Montana is not for the feint of heart but with the right grapes and some non-grape wine to fill in the gaps it can be done successfully.

Ken Schultz of Hidden Legend Winery had a different solution. He was an amateur winemaker when he moved to Montana from Ohio in 1979, long before the more recently developed cold hardy grapes were available. But one thing Montana has in abundance—bees. And so Ken started to make honey wine, aka mead. You might think mead would be sweet and heavy, like honey. But not in the hands of a master mead maker. After all, mead is wine, you can ferment it dry where it becomes light and refreshing, age it in oak so it picks up caramel and coffee notes, ferment it with elderberry or chokecherry to add complexity, add carbonation for sparkling mead, or blend it with maple syrup which can be warmed and served for breakfast. He makes a line of traditional, i.e. sweeter, meads from clover honey and a line of contemporary meads, lighter and drier, from wildflower honey.

Like wine grapes, mead’s flavor will depend on local characteristics, not the soil obviously, but the type of flower that the bees are pollinating. I lack the experience with mead that would enable me to distinguish Missoula mead from any other, but tasting through Hidden Legend’s lineup was eye-opening with regard to the savory complexity and multiple expressions of this ancient beverage.

Ken has not forsaken grape wine. He makes several Montana-grown, cold hardy varietals such as a scintillating St. Pepin, as well as Marquette and Marechal Foch. But the most surprising taste sensation was his crisp, light-bodied dandelion wine showing delicate herbal notes. In a blind tasting I probably would have guessed Pinot Grigio.

There are only a handful of wineries in Montana but their definition of “wine” is as expansive as their Big Sky.

What does grow well in Montana is bison, elk and other game, which can often be found on local menus. Buffalo burgers have become a staple of some menus in the U.S. But what you’re actually eating is bison. Buffalo as in “water buffalo” or “African buffalo” are native to Africa and Asia and are part of the same bovine subfamily as bison but are a different species. Early explorers in America called bison “buffalo” because of their resemblance and the name stuck.

Although “buffalo burgers” are reasonably common, I seldom see bison steaks on menus but in Montana it’s relatively easy to find. I found a bison tenderloin at The Red Bird, Missoula’s fine dining restaurant. It’s leaner than beef with a milder flavor and a dense, yet delicate texture, but the accompanying shell filled with molten roquefort cheese to be lavished over the tenderloin was a bit much conquering the subtleties of the meat.

Another dish that Montana can claim as its own are elk meatballs, especially when served with a sauce made of huckleberries, a fruit grown in abundance here. Blue Canyon’s elk meatballs were slightly gamy, reminding me of ground lamb, but with a softly crumby texture like good sausage. The huckleberry sauce was perfectly balanced, slightly tangy with bright berry flavor.

And finally, Montana’s traditional comfort food is a dish they share with the rest of the upper midwest—a meat pie called a pasty (rhymes with nasty, although it’s not). Legend has it that pasties came to the U.S. via Cornish immigrant miners who needed a portable, hand-held lunch. They consist of cubed or ground beef, potatoes, and sometimes onion (in Wisconsin they add rutabaga) wrapped in a shortcrust and baked. Montanans, at least at Lisa’s Pastry Pantry, serve them with brown gravy. I’m sure if you grew up eating pasties it’s the bee’s knees but I find them a bit dry and uninteresting, a good vehicle for gravy but not something I would voluntarily seek out. However, I will be in the upper Midwest for the next several weeks and I feel duty bound to investigate pasties further.

Of course, when visiting Montana, even the most finely-honed food and wine obsession will be subordinate by the unsurpassed natural beauty of this place. My quest for the perfect Pinot seems trivial.

Basque’n in Boise

21 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Contemporary Food Culture, Travel

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Bar Food, Basque Cuisine

Like most wine regions, Idaho’s Snake River Valley has a growing food scene anchored by the city of Boise. They boast several highly recommended restaurants serving contemporary American cuisine, but when visiting a region I always look for something unique that is hard to find elsewhere. In Boise that would be finger steaks. Finger steaks are finger-sized pieces of steak, breaded, deep fried and served with a classic cocktail sauce for dipping. It’s only bar food but it’s a thing here in Boise. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. I imagined tough, gristly, overcooked meat with greasy breading. But at Lindy’s, the widely acknowledged masters of finger steaks, they take this dish seriously. The thick, crunchy batter was crisp and the meat, medium rare and very tender. I can’t claim to be a connoisseur of bar food but these were damn good.

However, Boise has a lot more to contribute to the food revolution than bar food. They feature a long-established Basque community that brings plenty of Iberian flavor to the Mountain West.

I’ve written about American Basque cooking before—one of my favorite things to do (on second thought, the only thing to do) in Bakersfield, California is to dig into a plate of pickled beef tongue accompanied by cabbage soup, pinto beans and salsa served at the many Basque restaurants there. Washed down with glasses of picon punch, it’s all a set up for a plate of oxtail stew or roast lamb. This rustic, family-style, amalgam of American comfort food and traditional Basque cooking traces its origin to Southern French Basque immigrants from the French side of the Pyrenees who were drawn to California by the gold rush in the mid-19th Century. When that didn’t “pan” out their traditional skills at sheepherding came in handy in the ranchlands of Southern California.

By contrast, the Boise Basque community hails from the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, along Biscay Bay, via the 19th century silver mines of Northern Nevada. And their cooking reflects their Spanish roots. Paella, pintxos (small tapas-like dishes), Spanish chorizo and croquettes are ubiquitous. This cooking is refined, includes lots of seafood, and features pimenton as a prominent flavor ingredient. Close your eyes and you might think you’re in San Sebastian.

The most prominent Boise Basque restaurant is Epi’s, a quaint, homey spot with a remarkably welcoming staff. You will be greeted by Chris the owner like you’re part of the family. It’s comfort food—lamb stew, tongue in pepper and tomato sauce, a scrumptious bean soup, fried chicken—but all prepared to perfection.

For a more casual experience, Bar Gernika downtown has outstanding croquetas and solomo (a pork loin and pimento sandwich) with a good beer list as well. The croquetas are addictive, bite-sized balls made from a stiff Bechamel, rolled in bread crumbs, and then deep fried. Soft and pillowy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and sometimes stuffed with ham, if I had to choose between croquetas and finger steaks for consummate bar food—I would just order both.

The Spanish meat balls in a brown sauce at Leku Ona, another downtown Basque restaurant, were good although I can’t recommend their service.

But the best overall Basque food experience can be found at the Basque market for Wednesday or Friday lunch. At 11:00 they put various pintxos on display—Banderillas, marinated olives, glidas, jamon and toast w/ tomato jam, etc.

Then at noon the seafood paella (pictured above), cooked outdoors in the (updated) traditional paella pan, is ready to be served until they run out. The flavors were spot on, the seafood perfectly cooked, and the rice firm but tender. Unfortunately, the formation of socorrat (the crunchy crust at the bottom of the pan) was incompatible with serving the paella on time, so the experience was not utter perfection. But short of a trip to Madrid it’s the best paella I’ve had in the U.S.

I wouldn’t quite call Boise a foodie destination yet, but with a burgeoning wine region and fascinating Basque cooking, its well on its way.

Idaho Wine: Will Work for Grapes

16 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Travel, Wine Culture, Wine Reviews

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Idaho Wines

The Snake River Valley

Idaho is probably not the first state that comes to mind when the topic of U.S. wine comes up. But if you’ve been paying attention to the wine press lately, Idaho, especially the Snake River Valley AVA near Boise, is beginning to get some attention. And for good reason. They make good wine here. After all, the Snake River AVA crosses the Washington border and Eastern Washington is, of course, a prime wine grape region. In fact, you can think of Idaho as Washington’s adolescent off-spring, still dependent on mom and dad but quickly gaining autonomy.

Idaho, like Eastern Washington, has a continental climate (6-8 inches of rain per year) with hot, dry summers producing concentrated fruit flavor and cold winters allowing vines to go dormant and killing off diseases that threaten the vines. Both occupy a northern latitude so they have summertime daylight well into the late evening, and both have strong diurnal temperature shifts with nighttime temperatures dropping into the 50’s for much of the summer helping to keep acidity in the grapes. The differences are primarily in the general soil types and elevation. Idaho has soils formed from volcanic ash; Washington does too but with a higher percentage of glacial deposits. Perhaps more importantly, Idaho vineyards are generally much higher in elevation, reaching as high as 3000 feet above sea level which explains one of their biggest challenges—getting their vineyards to survive winter kill and early autumn frost.

Case in point—2017. While Washington vineyards suffered some crop losses from this unusually cold winter and as of this writing yields are uncertain, Idaho vineyards were devastated. The Boise area typically gets only 4-6 inches of snow per year. The winter of 2017 dumped 37 inches of snow on the region with unusual cold snaps that extended for days on end. Extended cold weather destroys the fruit buds that had formed the previous summer sharply reducing yields. Only the vineyards with good air flow draining off the cold air will get much yield this year. Happily, since most of the vines are own-rooted and have no grafts exposed to the elements, the vine trunks and root systems survived and vineyards should be back to normal in a year or two. There will be plenty of grapes to make wine in 2017 but they will have to rely on fruit from Washington State where many Idaho producers have long term relationships and contracts.

There are now over 50 wineries in Idaho (up from 11 in 2002) and most are located in the southwestern portion of the Snake River Valley with a few scattered though the eastern part of the valley. The Snake River AVA became official in 2007 and now includes, as a sub-region, the Eagle Foothills AVA just north of Boise. The Lewis-Clark Valley AVA was added in 2016 and occupies the border of Idaho and Washington in the northern part of the state where the Snake River intersects with the Clearwater River. All of this activity is testimony to the enormous potential of this region. Although Idaho has about 1200 acres under vine, a recent survey concluded that theoretically there is the potential for about 50,000 acres.

The main difficulty is securing enough local fruit for the burgeoning wine business in Boise. As noted, most of the wineries here have a tradition of getting some fruit from Washington. Many wineries would like to make wine exclusively from Idaho grapes and they do so when possible. But the need for more vineyards was a constant plea we heard in talking to people in the Idaho wine business. As Moya Dolsby, Executive Director of the Idaho Wine Commission told us, “If we’re going to reach our potential, we need to get more vines in the ground.” Furthermore, when I asked one prominent winemaker if the growers here were grape growers or wine grape growers, he smiled and said “no comment”. The demand for quality grapes is outstripping supply even when the weather cooperates.

In Idaho, winemaking is a bit more advanced than the viticulture in part because lots of winemaking talent from Washington and California migrated here seeking the less crowded, less expensive, slower paced, yet nevertheless urban lifestyle offered by Boise. That probably also explains one of the really unique facts about Idaho—the high percentage of female winemakers. I don’t have comprehensive stats but, according to one count , 22% of the winemakers in Idaho are women including several of the top ten Snake River wineries. Melanie Krause, winemaker and co-owner of Cinder Winery, told me that she returned to her home in Idaho after working for Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle because it was a better atmosphere for raising her family. Many women in Idaho’s wine industry have made a similar decision.

Vineyard workers at Koenig Vineyards

Warm to hot, daytime, summer temperatures allow most varietals to ripen in Idaho despite the short growing season. Bud break is typically around the 2nd week of April and harvest is usually finished by Halloween. Riesling, Chardonnay and the Bordeaux grapes, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, have been the primary varietals but there is a lot of excitement about Viognier, Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, and even Petite Verdot and Petite Sirah, although plantings of the latter two are miniscule at the moment. My own personal opinion: It’s a bit hot for Riesling here. The Riesling we tasted was acceptable but not special, although Cinder’s off-dry Riesling was an exception. The Chardonnay was mostly clunky with too much oak. Viognier, although a difficult grape, is more promising and we tasted several brilliant examples that had the aromatic intensity and generous mouthfeel expected of that grape. As for reds, the playing field is wide open although Cabernet Sauvignon gets sufficiently ripe only in the best vintages. I asked Earl Sullivan of Telaya if there was a distinctive flavor profile that distinguished Idaho from other regions and, he replied, “not yet”. “We’re still trying to figure out what Idaho wine is”. Melanie Krause of Cinder thinks Idaho reds tend to be more elegant with softer tannins than comparable wines from Washington. I agree with her observation but whether that has to do with the soil, the climate, or stylistic choices among winemakers, it’s hard to say. There are too many microclimates and soil types and only a few examples of some varietals being grown here to make generalizations at this point. Diversity may be their strength here.

With Boise’s rapid growth, a population increasingly interested in wine, available land, and its position as a gateway to markets in the the Mountain West, there is great potential here and I suspect we will continue to hear good things about Idaho wines.

The largest winery in the state has long been Ste. Chapelle (est. 1975) which produces 125,000 cases per year. But they use mostly Washington fruit and have not as yet made a commitment to developing Idaho as a region. Moya Dolsby said most wineries produce between 3000 and 7000 cases per year so this is a region where artisan production reigns, and it is those small producers that we focused on in our tasting.

Here are the wineries we found to be most impressive:

Cinder Winery

All the wines from this urban winery near Boise hit my sweet spot. Winemaker Melanie Krause achieves an elegant, graceful style picking grapes at around 21-22 degrees brix to achieve great balance and freshness. Each wine in their lineup has finesse, pure fruit expression, and complexity. The Chardonnays (2015 and 2016) were head and shoulders above others in Snake River, largely because of Melanie’s deft hand with new oak. A gorgeous Viognier (their flagship wine), an intriguing blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc called Laissez Faire, and an off dry Riesling that was the best of this varietal we tasted rounds out the whites. The Laissez Faire red (Sangiovese and Mourvedre) makes a fine table wine, but the 2014 Tempranillo, 2014 Bordeaux-style blend, and the 2015 Syrah were outstanding. See my review of their “foot stomp” Syrah here. I don’t normally assign points when making winery visits but all these wines are in the 90-92 point range and can compete with comparable wines from Washington or California.

Telaya

Winemaker Earl Sullivan is a stickler for cleanliness, perhaps a holdover value from his years in the pharmaceutical industry. As far as I know, his is the only winery that seals their production room and blasts it with ozone every night to kill any critters that might be lurking. Telaya uses about 60% Idaho fruit, filling in with grapes from Washington State when the Idaho fruit doesn’t meet Earl’s exacting standards. The results of his attention to detail are wines of great clarity and precision all with the silky textures that define his style of winemaking. A tasty Viognier, and an especially vibrant, textured Grenache Blanc were the standout whites. A Malbec featuring bright, bing cherry aromas and a luscious mouthfeel, a blend of Syrah, Malbec and Merlot called Turus (2014) which showed intriguing smoke and meat aromas, and the outstanding 2015 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (see my review here) completed the tasting menu. Telaya is one of several urban wineries along the Boise River just north of the city. They serve food and host frequent musical performances as well giving the burgeoning Boise population a full service venue in which to indulge their wine cravings.

Split Rail Winery

Every wine region needs a maverick to keep complacency from settling in. In the Snake River Valley that person is Jed Glavin. From his use of egg-shaped, concrete fermentation vessels to his attempt to market wine in cans for the hikers and campers who need their wilderness wine fix, Jed is one of those creative types who seem to have a new idea every minute: he’s interested in natural wines, is experimenting with a pet-net (a sparkling wine made by allowing the CO2 to develop from the first fermentation in the bottle), and wants to make a sour Chardonnay by inoculating the wine with Brett (a form of yeast that induces funky flavors often considered a flaw). It’s a good thing he makes good wine. The 2016 Exploding Mirror (Roussane and Viognier) was refreshing and full of flavor as was the 2016 Dry Rosé made from Cinsault. The blend of Mourvedre and Syrah was spicy with white pepper and a Rhone-like blood and iron flavor note. But my favorite was the 2014 Petite Verdot, a grape getting some attention here, despite being in short supply, because it seems to grow well in Idaho. Split Rail’s is floral, soft on the palate with spicy tannins providing structure. (See my full review here) Split Rail is another of the urban wineries just north of Boise.

The following wineries are in the Sunnyslope area west of Boise near the Snake River:

Huston Vineyards

Greg and Mary Alder grew up on an Idaho farm, but a visit to Napa and the opportunity to acquire land and vines at a good price convinced them to grow grapes. Their Huston label is 100% Idaho grapes; their Chicken Dinner label is table wine sourced from all over the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it was the vintage; 2014 was an incredibly good year. But these reds are lovely. A rich, earthy, Malbec, and a juicy, lush Cabernet Sauvignon with refined tannins impressed but the star is their Private Reserve Petite Sirah (2014). Rich fig, chocolate, and berry notes supported by fine-grained yet structured tannins. There is only about 1 acre of Petite Sirah in the whole state. More of this please.

Koenig Winery

Using all local grapes, this winery does an excellent job with Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a difficult grape to get ripe in Idaho at least in some vintages. Koenig deals with this problem by making a more European style Cab—earthy, structured with high acidity. Their Hell’s Canyon 2014 Cab needs more time to settle down but it’s a serious wine. The Fraser Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is softer and more accessible. They also feature a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah blend called Cuvee Alden 2012 that was drinking well, showing berry and chocolate notes with a lush mouthfeel; and an accessible 2014 Syrah with ripe berry notes and sleek minerality. Among the white wines, the 2014 dry Riesling was impressive–delicate but textured with lovely lime and apricot on the nose. Their 2016 Viognier was fresh and crisp showing floral and tropical notes.

Fujishin Family Cellars

Sourcing almost all their grapes from within a 20 mile radius of their winery, Fujishin’s flagship Viognier from 2016 was definitely impressive. Pear and floral notes introduced the lovely, textured mouthfeel and long mineral-driven finish. (See my full review here). The Cabernet/Syrah blend was rich with berry and earth notes and offered a smooth midpalate with a long, somewhat rustic finish. But the red wine that attracted my attention was their 2013 Petite Sirah—lots of berry, smoke, cocoa and tannins under control from 2 yrs. in American oak

Fusion Cuisine: Marriage or Mashup?

02 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Contemporary Food Culture, Travel

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5 Fusion, Barrio, Chef Joe Kim, Fusion cuisine, Spork

5 Fusion’s Beef Bourguignon Be-Bim-Bop

We recently spent a few days in Bend, Oregon which seemed like a good place to do some hiking and think about fusion cuisine. The food scene in Portland Oregon has found its way to Bend, so there is lots of self-consciously creative cooking here and many restaurants advertising their fusion bona fides.

Three distinct types of cooking are commonly referred to as “fusion”.

The first is a restaurant that serves an eclectic mix of dishes from various cuisines. For instance, the fast-casual restaurant Spork served a standard Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Stir Fry) but had Pozole Rojo or a Grilled Vegetable Green Curry on the menu as well. The flavors of the Green Curry were spot-on Thai. For apps the Burmese Fried Cheese or Fried Green Tomato Salad were enticing. Although a meal might consist of mixing and matching dishes from various cultures, the dishes themselves consisted of traditional ingredients (to the degree they can be found using local suppliers) with traditional flavor profiles. There was no attempt to meld flavors not typically found together. This is a fusion of cultural horizons I suppose, disconcerting if you’re looking for a simulated culturally immersive experience. But Spork is really more of a celebration of multi-culturalism than a genuine fusion.

The second is a restaurant that serves dishes clearly situated within a food tradition but with highlights and flourishes imported from other traditions. This approach to fusion was well represented by Barrio, a tapas-style restaurant serving mostly Latin American or Spanish themed dishes with influences from all over the world. Green Chile Caesar salad with cotija cheese, Falafel with poblano harissa, Lamb-stuffed Piquillo Pepper with chile rajas, corn nuts, tzatziki, or Patatas Bravas with chili-infused aioli, and smoked poblano crema were among the more fusion-type dishes we sampled. What struck me about all of these dishes was how familiar they tasted. The imported flavors were nuances that never overwhelmed the main thrust of the dish.

If this is a genuine fusion, it’s the sort of fusion that has been going on since time immemorial. Humans have always been nomadic and had to use whatever ingredients were available where they set up camp without compromising the familiarity of their food. Immigrant cooking is always more or less fusion cuisine. And food traditions have long been porous incorporating new influences while striving to preserve the taste of home.

Finally there is cooking that intentionally seeks unusual flavor and texture combinations from two or more cultures and brings them together in a single dish. Sometimes this innovation is done carelessly. Who can forget the wasabi mashed potatoes trend or “Burmese” crab Rangoon (wontons filled with crab meat and cream cheese) These are more mashup than marriage, interesting perhaps but not something to try twice.

Only in the hands of a chef concerned to find bridge flavors and to be very precise with regard to finding the right balance between flavors does this kind of cooking succeed.

5 Fusion, featuring James Beard Award semi-finalist Joe Kim, is Bend’s contribution to creative, crave-worthy fusion cuisine. Toro with Italian truffle, Unagi (eel)/ oatmeal cookie nigiri, Sweet and Sour Tortilla Soup made with tonkatsu bone broth, Raman Carbonara with tonkatsu broth, pork belly and a quail egg, Seared Foie Gras with raisin puree and granola, and Beef Bourguignon Be-Bim-Bap were among the highlights. Amazingly it all worked although the unagi/oatmeal cookie pairing was genuinely weird. The tasting menu included some familiar flavors to allow your palate to rest, such as this Halibut in yazu vapor, but the fusion dishes were striving for something else—to de-familiarize the ingredients, show them in an utterly new context, yet allow them to harmonize. Genuine fusion should not be too comfortable, should challenge the diner, yet not taste like an arbitrary juxtaposition with no communication among flavors.

So fusion cuisine is not new. All cuisine is a fusion because cultures have always collided, sometimes peacefully sometimes not, and so cooks had to innovate. The difference today is that intentional creativity and innovation combined with the speed of global communications have replaced the slow succumbing to necessity and conservative celebration of tradition that marked fusions of the past.

Oregon’s Umpqua Valley

27 Thursday Jul 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Travel, Wine Culture

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Southern Oregon Wine, Umpqua Valley Food

The whimsical outhouse at Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards

In the wine world, there are advantages to being less well-known. There are fewer expectations so you can focus on what you want to do rather than what is conventional or popular. There is no basis for pretension so being down-to-earth is second nature and there are lots of incentives to be welcoming to anyone who takes an interest in what you do. That innovative spirit and welcoming attitude are on display in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley.

Even the bulls were friendly in Umpqua.

The Umpqua Valley AVA is part of the Southern Oregon AVA which also includes the Rogue Valley. I wrote about the Rogue Valley recently and much of what I said about the Rogue holds true of Umpqua. Most of this AVA (excluding Elkton) has a semi-continental climate with significant rainfall in the winter but hot, dry summers. It’s warm enough to get most varietals ripe, but the growing season is relatively short due to late spring frost and early autumn rains so varietals that ripen quickly do best. Also on the plus side, the mountainous topology creates a wealth of microclimates for winemakers to play in.

However, Umpqua has unique characteristics that make it worthy of its own post. It is smaller in terms of area under vine than the Rogue—2856 harvested acres in 2015 vs. Umpqua’s 2443. But there are many fewer wineries—50 in the 3 Rogue Valley sub-regions vs. 27 in Umpqua and Elkton. Because Umpqua Valley is roughly 100 miles north of the Rogue Valley it gets a bit more rain and more marine influence and so temperatures are more moderate than in Rogue Valley. The culture of the Rogue Valley is influenced by the popularity of Ashland as a tourist destination. Umpqua, although a gateway to some great hiking and camping in the nearby mountains, is anchored by the smaller, less tourist-centric town of Roseburg, for years a logging town until the wineries arrived. Rural and untamed but gracious and civilized describes Umpqua Valley—its wines and its people.

At the north end of the valley, especially in the Elkton area which is now a distinct AVA within Umpqua Valley, vineyards are only about 25 miles from the coast and thus enjoy significant marine influence and about 50 inches of rain per year, helping cool climate varietals such as Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer to flourish. The area northwest of Roseburg is higher in elevation at about 1400 feet and has a warmer, drier climate with about 33 inches of rain per year. Thus, a mix of cool and warm climate varietals will thrive including Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The area south of Roseburg is even warmer and more arid, similar to Rogue and Applegate Valleys, making irrigation necessary. Warm-climate varieties, including Tempranillo and Syrah thrive in the South. Unlike the Rogue Valley, the vine louse phylloxera has a presence so most vineyards use resistant rootstock.

LIke all wine regions, Umpqua Valley has some great stories. Against all advice, a young horticulture student Richard Sommer first introduced vitis vinifera to Oregon in 1961, planting Pinot Noir and Riesling on an old turkey farm near Roseburg. He later established Hillcrest Vineyard, the state’s oldest continuously operating winery, thus launching the modern Oregon wine industry. That legacy of innovation is now carried on by Dyson and Susan Demara who purchased Hillcrest in 2003. Dyson has been in the wine business all his adult life having made wines for Mondavi in Napa and Wiengut Heinz Schmitt in Germany’s Mosel, among others. From his patented fermenters, dry-farmed vineyards to 30-60 day skin contact on some of his red wines, Dyson continues to chart his own path in the spirit of Richard Sommers.

As Dyson told me “Umpqua is a land of individuals” . That about sums up this region.

Again, against the advice of people who claimed to know, Earl and Hilda Jones, owners of Abacela winery, although lacking any winemaking experience, came to Umpqua in 1994 specifically to test the hypothesis that Tempranillo can be grown here. That hypothesis has been confirmed over and over. According to some, Tempranillo is now destined to become Southern Oregon’s signature grape, and Abacela has turned their attention to proving Albarino can flourish here as well.

Another regional innovator Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards, Northwest Winery of the year according to Winepress Northwest magazine, was the first U.S. Vineyard to plant the Austrian varietal Grüner Veltliner in 2003. They now make several stunningly successful cuvees of this grape including a reserve and a smaragd-style sweet wine.

A few years ago Dyson Demara invited his old friend Scott Kelley, whom he met while working at Mondavi, to come to Roseburg to make wine. The result is their joint project, Paul O’Brien Winery, an urban winery sitting on a busy intersection in downtown Roseburg. Dyson and Scott are unique because of their experience. Most winemakers in emerging wine regions got their start in another occupation and gravitated toward the wine business only after becoming established elsewhere. By contrast, Dyson and Scott have been at it their whole adult lives making wine all over the world. With those contacts they could have put down roots anyplace but cast their fate with Umpqua largely because of that freedom to be themselves (along with ideal weather, good soils, and cheap land). All that worldly winemaking experience combined with the successful pioneering legacy already in place here is helping the Umpqua Valley achieve their aim of producing world class wines.

Situated on Interstate 5, the main north/south corridor in the Pacific Northwest and with lots of inexpensive grape-friendly land to entice winemakers fleeing the expensive, crowded regions to the north and south, Umpqua is a region to watch.

Dining in Roseburg

As expected of a town of just over 22,000 people, dining options in Roseburg are limited but promising. The Parrot House, a fine-dining option housed in an attractive, renovated historical building has been open for a year and will satisfy wine lovers’ cravings for contemporary American cuisine with a European twist. The Calabrian-style meatballs served over grits and a sun dried tomato sauce were delicious, as was the “whole hog”, pork shoulder, grilled pork loin and pork belly served over polenta. True Kitchen is a more casual contemporary American option with a modern vibe, interesting menu and well-designed dishes although the execution was problematic on the night we visited. And if you’re heading into wine country northwest of Roseburg don’t miss the Lighthouse Bakery. Wonderful breads, homemade soups, and vegetarian cuisine that will make you forget about meat rule here. Even carnivores will love their Rueben made with tofurky. No, it isn’t authentic but it’s only modestly hyperbolic to say it’s as good as it gets west of New York.

Here are the best wineries we visited in no particular order:

Abacela Winery

The earliest Tempranillo pioneer in Southern Oregon and winner of many awards, this long established winery is the largest producer we visited with an annual case production of 12,000. Their several bottlings of Tempranillo are very good (see my review of their 2013 Barrel Select here). The Albarino, Syrah and Malbec are all excellent. But I was most intrigued by their Graciano (a Spanish varietal seldom seen as a stand alone bottling) and a beast-like, soul-stirring Tannat that needs time to soften but will provide much satisfaction. Abacela is well-established but are not resting on their laurels, always pushing the envelope with new varietals showing the versatility that defines Southern Oregon.

Hillcrest Vineyard

As noted above, this is Oregon’s oldest continuously operating winery now owned by Dyson and Susan Demara. One of the attractions is Dyson’s outsize personality matched only by his robust wines, the result of his many decades in the wine business. There are lots of unusual bottlings here (see my review of his Umpqua Ribera Tempranillo and his Bull’s Blood) but the whole lineup is interesting and delicious. Dyson takes great pride in making wine using very traditional methods but of course supplemented by his comprehensive knowledge of modern winemaking and ceaseless striving for originality. Lovely Pinot Noir, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo plus a variety of interesting blends, and a gorgeous Tawny Port just scratch the surface here. Wines that Dyson makes in Germany and Spain are also available in the tasting room.

Paul O’Brien Winery

Co-owned by Dyson Demara and Scott Kelley who met while both were working at Robert Mondavi, this is an urban winery housed in the building of an old Chevy dealer. Sourcing grapes from local vineyards, Scott Kelly makes very modern-style wines with lots of polish and fruit power (see my review of his Cask 11 Tempranillo and his skin contact Riesling .) The Sangiovese, Syrah and Tempranillo marry elegance and power, while several Pinot Noir cuvees show classic velvet textures and intense aromatics. The white wines are equally compelling—a scintillating bone-Riesling, Gewurztraminer, a food-friendly Pinot Blanc/Chardonnay blend in addition to that outstanding skin-contact Riesling.

Girardet Vineyards

The oldest continuously owned winery in Southern Oregon, Girardet was founded by Swiss rocket scientist Philippe Girardet in 1971 who toured the U.S. in a Volkswagon bus with his wife Bonnie to fine cuttings for their new vineyard. Philippe has turned winemaking duties over to his son Marc but he can still be found regaling customers in the tasting room with stories about his family’s tradition of making wine in Switzerland. Bush-trained vines and varietals seldom found in Southern Oregon such as Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Marchal Foch are among the charms of this small production farmhouse winery. The Baco Noir was a revelation, but their conventional varietals including Riesling, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo were wonderful as well. Rustic wines but with lots of flavor and personality.

Reustle Prayer-Rock Vineyards

Lovely views and a charming, whimsical winery atmosphere welcome visitors to Reustle. The tasting presentation was designed to highlight this charm. Tasting flights were served while patrons are seated on the patio overlooking the valley and accompanied by well conceived food pairings. We were able to taste their Rosé, their flagship Gruner Veltliner of which they were the first in the U.S. to plant in 2003, a Pinot Noir, and Malbec. All were top notch. The Pinot Noir was among the best we tasted in Southern Oregon and the Malbec was certainly the best. Their several signature Gruner Veltliner bottlings deserve the many accolades they have received. (See my review of their Gruner Veltliner Reserve here.) They bottle 12 varietals from all estate-grown grapes.

Spangler Vineyards

A bit of an outlier in this group because they source a lot of fruit from the Rogue Valley, tasting through their lineup shows why. These are big, bold wines that require the warmer weather in the south to get the grapes sufficiently ripe for this style. The spicy, smoky Cabernet Franc, the Bordeaux-style blend called Claret, and the Cabernet Sauvignon were highly extracted and richly oaked. The Tempranillo, Malbec and estate Syrah were slightly more reserved but still full of flavor. Petite Verdot, Dolcetto, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouchet (from California’s Amador County) round out the lineup. The Dolcetto was especially noteworthy. In Italy this grape often makes a thin, forgettable table wine. Spangler’s version is rich with mint and earth notes supplementing the fruit. For these wines, sufficient age is essential and many of these wines are given extensive barrel and bottle age prior to release.

Elkton AVA

For fans of cool climate winemaking, Elkton AVA situated northwest of Roseburg and part of the larger Umpqua Valley AVA is worth visiting

The highly acclaimed Brandborg Vineyard and Winery makes several outstanding, spicy, silky Pinot Noirs including a pretty, floral white Pinot Noir. But for me the show stopper was their gorgeous, richly aromatic 2013 Gewurztraminer. Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc round out the whites. Sangiovese, Syrah, and surprisingly a Gamay were the additional reds available. But really you come to Brandborg for the Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer.

Elkton also features Bradley Vineyards, a small, farm winery featuring 100% estate grown fruit from vineyards first planted in 1983. Their Pinot Noir is excellent but especially noteworthy was a skin-contact Gewurztraminer called L’Orange and an outstanding Reserve Baco Noir 2015. This grape, a hybrid of the French grape Folle Blanche and an unknown North American varietal is rich and full bodied with meat and caramel on the nose but very soft tannins. The hybrids can be a challenge for those of us raised on vitis vinifera but Baco Noir has great potential.

Rogue Food: Farm to Table in Southern Oregon

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Contemporary Food Culture, Travel

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Tags

farm-to-table, locavorism, Rogue Valley

The farm to table thing has metastasized from fetish to fad to flim-flam. What began as a foodie obsession with freshness and an anti-corporate ethos has become a marketing device for conventional restaurants whose idea of a farm is 500,000 chickens stacked in cages sitting on manure lagoon.

“Farmwashing” is now common with even fast food joints displaying photos of weather-beaten farmers toiling in their fields. Truth-be-told, most restaurants don’t have access to fresh ingredients throughout the year even if they’re intention is to source locally.

It’s hard to know when a restaurant’s claim to farm-to-table is genuine but it’s usually evident in the dish and in the frequency of their menu changes. If they have the same menu every week, they aren’t farm to table. My guess is that Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley is mostly on the level with their locally-sourced food—the area is packed with small farms, many restaurants have their own gardens supplying produce, continually-changing, seasonal menus are the norm among the restaurants who advertise FTT, and the fresh flavors were explosive in most of the restaurants we sampled. Another indicator of their commitment to locavorism—lots of local wines on the menu.

Any discussion of local, sustainable sourcing in the Rogue Valley starts with Ashland’s Standing Stone Brewery. They raise their own beef and chickens from which they get their eggs, and which are fed leftovers from the kitchen and brewery. Most of the grain and hops used to make their excellent beer is locally sourced as well as is most of their produce when in season. Nearly 100% of their paper is recycled, 99% of their to-go packaging is plant-based and 64% of their by-products are reused by local farms and bio-diesel. Their goal is to reach zero-net energy use. The burgers from their own grass-fed beef is excellent and their beer line up among the best—try their Jasmine rice-based lager. It’s outstanding.

I have already blogged about New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro—an extraordinary dining experience with produce and herbs sourced from their own garden.

Lorella’s in Ashland has a constantly changing menu of exquisitely prepared, creatively designed Contemporary American dishes depending on what’s fresh that day. The Grilled Celtuce with Braised Frisee, French Lentils, Sauce Gribiche and Grilled Bread (picture above) was one of the more interesting dishes I’ve had this year.

Of the many fine dining restaurants in Ashland, Alchemy seemed to have the most creative and enticing menu and it didn’t disappoint. Seared duck breast with prickly pear gastrique, corn puree, charred nopales, and pistachio brittle was a stand out, as was the crab and sea bean salad.

If you want to take a break from wine tasting in this up and coming wine region, the burgers at Jasper’s Café are unusual. You can get burgers made from Kangaroo, bison, elk, Kobe beef, pulled pork on wild boar—you get the picture.

Even small towns in the area have interesting food. Grant’s Pass features The Haul, a well-priced gastropub advertising local ingredients and featuring an eclectic menu of pizza, pasta, sandwiches, tacos, falafel, etc. all designed and prepared with flare and enough creativity to set them apart.

And in Medford do not miss the holy trinity all on the same corner—the outstanding Rogue Valley creamery for some stinky cheese, Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Chocolates for such delights as chocolate covered bacon and smoky blue cheese truffle spread, all washed down with Ledger David’s great wines.

As I discussed in an earlier post, Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley is soon to be on the wine map and they already have a thriving food scene to support it. If you’re into wine and food destinations put this on your itinerary.

The Wines of Southern Oregon

06 Thursday Jul 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Travel, Wine Culture

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Rogue Valley AVA, Southern Oregon Wine, Umpqua Valley AVA

The view from Serra Vineyards

As wine regions go, Southern Oregon is under-the radar, sandwiched between the long-established California regions to the south and the more recently prominent Willamette Valley to the north. My crystal ball is as cloudy as anyone’s but, if I might hazard a prediction, you will be hearing a lot more about Southern Oregon in the next decade. The reason is only in part related to wine quality which is quite good here (see below). There is a lot of good farmland available suitable for wine grapes at a relative bargain. The weather is warm enough to ripen almost any varietal and getting warmer as climate change pushes temperatures up. Yet winters are relatively mild, with only occasional damage to vines from hard freezes. The prime growing regions in California are already planted and land is enormously expensive there. The same is true of Willamette Valley where the big corporate wineries are already moving in snapping up vineyards and, of course, bidding up prices. So if you aspire to grow grapes and make wine and don’t have a fortune we’re you gonna go?

Southern Oregon.

Because it’s located near the prime West Coast wine regions, the population is already reasonably sophisticated about wine. Because Ashland in the southern end of the Rogue Valley is an established tourist center hosting the highly-regarded Shakespeare festival during the summer, the restaurants and lodging options are fabulous, and with the food culture of Portland trickling south even small towns boast good places to eat. Situated on the I5 interstate, the major corridor through Washington, Oregon and California, there is plenty of traffic to keep tasting rooms full. And the gorgeous mountain scenery is a reliable attraction.

Of course, without good wine this will never pan out. But for many years, Southern Oregon has been a mecca for California-trained winemakers seeking a quieter life, and all that knowledge is permeating the wine culture here with quality rapidly improving.

A good comparison might be Sonoma 30 years ago. Small wineries in a rural, general agricultural community experimenting with many varietals trying to find out what will grow, with some locations growing into destinations, and plenty of Bay Area transplant alt-types to spread cultural capital. If this isn’t a recipe for success I don’t know what is. One thing that makes this region unique is that it is some distance from a major metropolitan area. Portland is 4-5 hours away; Eugene is on the small side. Thus, limousine traffic is minimal and the hordes that descend on Napa and Sonoma unlikely to materialize. The region will grow, but at a comfortable pace with less population pressure than the more populated California regions have experienced. Corporate influence is not in evidence yet, although many of the vineyards here supply fruit to the large, commercial producers in Willamette Valley.

The Southern Oregon AVA is divided into two distinctly different appellations—the Rogue Valley AVA in the south and the Umpqua Valley AVA in the north. I’ll focus on general characteristics of both but the Umpqua will require a separate post.

Every wine region needs people who can effectively get information to the public about what the region has to offer. In the Rogue Valley one such person is Liz Wan, assistant winemaker at Serra Vineyards, who was kind enough to explain what makes Southern Oregon tick. The character of this region is determined by the surrounding mountain ranges—the Coastal range and Siskiyous to the west and south and the Cascades to the east. The confluence of these mountain ranges create a rain shadow that limits precipitation from the severe winter and spring storms rolling in from Alaska. Rainfall in most of the Rogue and Umpqua Valleys is about half of what the Willamette Valley receives. Although the Illinois Valley sub-region of the Rogue, nestled up against the Coastal Range in the West, receives significant marine influence, as we move inland to the other two sub-regions, Applegate Valley and Upper Rogue, that marine influence recedes and temperatures are higher. Furthermore, as Liz explained, vineyards near the city of Medford in the Rogue Valley are influenced by the built environment that retains heat. Thus, inland valley temperatures, especially the Upper Rogue, are hot during the summer reaching 105 degrees on some days. Spring temperatures are cool with late frost sometimes an issue and fall rains arrive early. Thus, Southern Oregon has a short, hot growing season, with average growing degree days about 2300 compared to 3400 for Napa. But the vines receive lots of light during the growing season due to the northerly latitude, and the diurnal temperature shifts are enormous with night time temperatures often dropping into the 50’s during the summer. The result is sufficient heat and light to ripen almost all varietals, very little disease pressure during the dry summer months, but cool nights that keep acidity in the grapes, resulting in wines that are fresh and crisp with comparatively low alcohol levels.

The ancient clash of the earth’s plates forming these mountains and the sediment from the many streams flowing into the valley have distributed a complex mixture of soils throughout the region, and the foothills of these mountain ranges punctuate the topology of the valleys leaving an incredible array of microclimates. Reports estimate there to be 170 microclimates in the Rogue and Umpqua Valleys. Some vineyards have so many soil types that winemakers have given up trying make sense of it. Hence the diversity for which Southern Oregon will be famous. The list of varietals being planted here is enormous. Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay are grown in the cooler sites. The Bordeaux varietals grow in the warmer sites with Syrah and other Rhone varietals, especially Viognier, appearing almost everywhere. Italian varietals are less plentiful but they do well on some sites as well.

As you might imagine, there is now a debate raging among the locals about the region’s identity. Some people argue that the flourishing of so many varietals harms regional identity using Willamette Valley’s commitment to Pinot Noir or Napa’s penchant for Cabernet Sauvignon to buttress their arguments. Soil scientists and viticulturalists have designated Tempranillo to be the-big-red-of-the-future here because it requires a shorter growing season; thus many wineries are promoting it. No doubt the grape does well here, but as a skeptical Herb Quady, owner/winemaker at Quady North and one of the most prominent of the vintners here asked, “are people really clamoring for more Tempranillo” since the Spanish have that market cornered? Tempranillo is surely part of the mix but the diversity fills out tasting menus and makes the region attractive to wine companies seeking to expand their portfolios. That said, Tempranillo shows a unique expression in Southern Oregon. Winemakers are generally restrained in their use of oak. It’s mostly French and mostly older barrels, so the wood, vanilla and dill pickle aromas found in Spanish Tempranillo are muted here allowing more earth and leather to shine.

Herb Quady notes that what matters is that we make “acceptable versions” of each varietal. Sites that can’t get Cabernet Sauvignon ripe should not be growing it and the Cabernet grown here will always be lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than, say, Napa’s version of Cabernet given the shorter growing season in Southern Oregon. “We should embrace that diversity”, he argues. I doubt this controversy will end anytime soon.

And one note of caution. Southern Oregon’s relative isolation means they have never confronted phylloxera, the vine louse that has destroyed vineyards in many parts of the world including California. The solution to the threat of phylloxera is to graft vines onto resistant rootstock. Southern Oregon is still using own-rooted vines that lack that resistance. But as more trucks and tourists find their way here, the threat of phylloxera will grow.

Wine Tasting the Rogue

Since the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley AVA’s have distinct characteristics I will cover their respective wineries in separate posts. Here I will focus on the Rogue Valley and it’s three sub-regions—the Illinois Valley, the Applegate Valley, and the Upper Rogue. (Here is my account of Rogue Valley cuisine)

Tasting rooms in the Rogue run the gamut from small, barebones additions on a farmhouse to elegant, well-appointed venues with stunning views of the valley, entertainment and food service. Apparently the economics of the region support chic, alluring properties on, in some instances, a case production of only 3000 per year, mostly sold out of the tasting room and to wine club members. Go figure.

Where are the best wines to be found? I use a combination of reviews by professional critics and recommendations from the locals to narrow down our search, and then extensive tasting to arrive at conclusions about the top producers. We look for overall consistency among a winery’s offerings rather than individual bottlings that might impress. Here’s our rundown of the Rogue Valley’s finest all of which use exclusively Southern Oregon fruit.

Three wineries are at the very top of my list:

Plaisance Ranch Winery

In addition to great wines, this Applegate Valley winery has one of the more interesting stories you will find in the wine world. Owner/winemaker Joe Ginet is a third generation American whose winemaking family hails from Savoie, France. Joe wanted to make wine as his family had done for generations but he lacked the money to start a winery and couldn’t get financing. So he and his wife Suzy had to raise cattle for years building a ranch business that eventually generated the cash to get the winery off the ground. Today, he still raises cattle but also makes highly awarded, small batch wines, many of them from cuttings brought over from his family vineyards in Savoie. I adored every wine we tasted including a gorgeous Rosé and rich, succulent Merlot, Tempranillo, and Malbec. But an additional selling point are the unusual varieties—Carmenere and Mondeuse (as far as I know the only one in the U.S.) The Mondeuse was out of stock but the Carmenere was deep, rich and spicy.

Cowhorn Vineyards

As their name suggests, this is a state of the art biodynamic operation, as of now, the only one in Southern Oregon. Every wine we tasted was exquisite. The luscious, off-dry, white Rhone blend called Spiral 36 was textured and rich; the Viognier expressive and also richly textured. Both briefly see 20% new French oak. A pretty, strawberry-inflected Grenache with a mineral core was followed by a blockbuster Syrah from 2013, with the chalky minerality I often find in biodynamic wines. (Here is my review).

Kriselle Cellars

The best of the Upper Rogue, everything on their tasting flight was just a cut above. We tasted several versions of Sauvignon Blanc in Southern Oregon during our stay. Only Kriselle’s approached the grassy, gooseberry-driven flavors typical of this varietal. The same with their Viognier which stood out for its expressive, tropical aromas and rich mouthfeel. Their 2013 Tempranillo was to die for, so good it overshadowed their elegant Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and two beautiful blends, a Bordeaux blend with some Tempranillo call Di’Tani, and a Super-Tuscan of Sangiovese and Cab. These wines were not only elegant but unique with slightly funky, herbal and earth notes that made them interesting as well as delicious.

Other high quality producers include:

Red Lilly Vineyards

The location of perhaps the prettiest winery grounds we visited as they encourage tasters to meditate on their wines down by the charming river that runs through their property. This winery specializes in Spanish varietals—a lovely, off-dry Verdejo, a pretty, yet structured Rosé of 70% Tempranillo, a spicy,leathery Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Red Blanket, and their 100% Tempranillo 2013 which was very complex but needs a bit more time to integrate tannins. These Tempranillos are powerful, complex, yet utterly charming wines.

Serra Vineyards

Scenic views of the Applegate valley from their tasting room set the mood for impressive Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah (see my review). Their Cabernet Sauvignon may be the best we tasted and their Syrah near the top as well, both with great complexity and depth.

Quady North

Several Rosés, intriguing, vineyard-designate Viogniers and structured, expressive Cabernet Franc from Herb Quady one of the early California winemaking transplants in the Rogue. He specializes in red Rhone varietals as well which we did not have the opportunity to taste.

Dancin Vineyards

This is a relatively new winery that has rocketed to the top garnering a 2017 winery of the year award from Wine Press Northwest. Co-owner Dan Marcon thinks of winemaking as a ballet and his elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir live up to that conceit. Their Assemblage 2016 Chardonnay was the best Chardonnay we tasted in the valley and the several versions of Pinot Noir from various vineyard blocks and clones all achieve that magical, silken quality expected of this grape. For Pinot lovers this is a fascinating tour through various expressions of Rogue Valley Pinot Noir. Their full service restaurant on premises was hoppin’ the day we visited.

Ledger David Cellars

Maybe it’s the location, a tasting room situated on the same parking lot as the world famous Rogue Creamery and the extraordinary Lillie Belle Farms chocolatier, but we found this whole lineup delicious. The whites were good. Their off-dry Radiant White which includes mostly Chenin Blanc was crisp and expressive; the 2016 Viognier and a Chardonnay balanced and flavorful. But the red wines were extraordinary, all elegant and structured, especially the 2014 Cabernet Franc and a super-Tuscan-style blend called Sublimus. But the show-stopper was the Orions Nebula blend of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot and Syrah with complex dark fruit and earth on a stalwart frame. The reds show a touch of rusticity which gives them great character.

Devitt Winery

A farmhouse winery in the Applegate dedicated to small-batch, aged wines. They hold wines back many years until ready for release. A 2005 Merlot and a 2006 Syrah were just gorgeous. If you want to know how Rogue Valley wines age, this is the place. In fact, if you want to discover the essence of wine, this is the place.

Also worthy of note:

Weisinger Family Winery

A solid lineup, especially the Viognier, a Marsanne/Viognier Blend, a red blend called Mescolare made of Syrah, Tempranillo and Portuguese varietals, and their estate Tempranillo.

Pebblestone Winery

All around excellent wine but the white wines stood out. Outstanding Pinot Gris, Viognier, and a nice Albarino.

Folin Cellars

Their 2013 Grenache was outstanding and a Mourvedre-dominated blend called Misceo was very good.

Augustino Estate and Vineyard

Located in the Illinois Valley, their Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon were quite good. But their tasting room is their claim to fame. It is a tree house overlooking the river, a lovely site ideal for spending an afternoon sipping wine. Not to be confused with their other property in the Applegate.

As for the food available in Southern Oregon that is worthy of a post of it’s own, available here.

Sonoma Pilgrimage

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by Dwight and Lynn Furrow in Restaurant Reviews, Travel, Wine Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

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Chez Panisse, Donkey and Goat, Idlewild, Littorai

A quick stop in Sonoma before heading to Southern Oregon was part pilgrimage and part voyage of discovery.

The pilgrimage was to the place that launched the food revolution on the left coast—Alice Water’s Chez Panisse, still going strong in the same location not far from the UC Berkeley campus. In the 1960’s, Waters was ensconced in the hippie/free speech culture at UC Berkeley when a sojourn in France convinced her that the revolution must be catered. Upon her return, despite the fact she had no culinary training or experience, she opened Chez Panisse in 1971, dedicated to serving exquisitely prepared food using only fresh, local ingredients, a radical, new idea at least in the U.S.

Chez Panisse played a large role in my book American Foodie helping to develop themes regarding the importance of culinary pleasure in one’s life. But I had never had the chance to eat there until recently. Lunch in the upstairs café was the only option; no dinner reservations were available until next month. Iconic restaurants often have trouble maintaining their quality and cachet since people interested in food are notoriously fickle and perpetually seek out what’s new. But I’m happy to report that Chez Panisse is still at the top if its game. This salad of cucumber, Tokyo turnips, and radishes à la crème with watercress pictured above was as delicious as it is pretty, and the grilled lamb chops and braised shank dressed with yoghurt and mint sauce, accompanied by crisp, smashed then fried potatoes and greens, was the epitome of the up-dated, French country cooking for which Chez Panisse is known.

A second icon checked off my list was Littorai Wines. Biodynamic winemaking is still controversial but it is increasingly becoming accepted by the wine culture mainstream as a disciplined approach to vineyard management that forces winemakers and viticulturists to pay close attention to the ecology of their vineyards. Ted Lemon, owner and winemaker, was a pioneer of biodynamic winemaking long before it was cool. Having worked in France for many years, he had long noticed the failure of conventional farming to solve problems in the vineyard. Soon after starting Littorai in 1993 he gradually began to introduce biodynamic principles into his vineyard practice replacing fertilizers with compost and controlling pests with the strategic use of herbal teas and an army of chickens, ducks, goats and other animals that contribute to ecological balance. Biodynamics, as originally developed by Rudolph Steiner in the 1920’s, involved a lot of questionable metaphysical beliefs such as making harvest decisions based on the phases of the moon. Ted takes a bemused attitude toward most of that and bases harvest decisions on his judgment about when the grapes are ready. For him biodynamics is practical—healthy soils create healthy vines which produce better grapes for winemaking while preserving the soil for the future.

A tour of Littorai is one of the better tours you’ll find in the Napa/Sonoma area. The Littorai property is a fascinating study in biodiversity and the staff at Littorai do an excellent job of explaining how all the elements fit together to create healthy vines. We were fortunate to be able to chat with Ted for a considerable time about his life in the wine world and his fascinating approach to viticulture. The flora and fauna on this property are interesting in themselves independently of their contribution to wine quality. But does all of this lead to better wines? It’s hard to say. But his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs sourced from Sonoma and Anderson Valley are fresh and elegant with significant tannic structure and an electric minerality that sets them apart from more typical Sonoma Coast fruit.

After all this history, it was time to seek innovation. I wanted to focus on wines made under the banner of “natural” which is the source of a lot of the energy and novelty in the wine world today. Unsurprisingly, Berkeley supplied the venue. Donkey and Goat is a small urban winery in downtown Berkeley sourcing grapes from the Sierra Foothills, Napa, and Mendocino with a yearly case production of about 6000. Their approach to winemaking is low intervention, meaning unfined and unfiltered, using only native yeasts and no additives or additional enzymes in the winemaking process, allowing fermentations to take their own course when possible. But they aren’t dogmatic about it. They use minimal sulfur when needed and will intervene if a ferment is going south. After all there is no point in wasting a good barrel of wine just to make a point. Their approach to winemaking is evidence that the natural wine movement is growing up, becoming more pragmatic and less ideological. Of course that means “natural wines” are not much different from traditional, artisanal wines which have long been made without much intervention from winemaking technology at least in good vintages.

What is different about these winemakers flying the “natural” banner is that they aren’t afraid to be unconventional. And winemaker Jared Brandt is no exception. His Twinkle bottling is a light Mourvedre that hovers uncertainly between a Rosé and a California GSM, airy and bright but with a tannic foundation that provides textural contrast and structural integrity. And his “orange wine” called Stone Crusher (see my review here) is an hedonic assault on the senses, one of the most distinctive wines I have sampled . The 2013 Syrah (Fernaughty Vineyard), (2015) Perli Vineyard Chardonnay, and a white Rhone blend called Eliza all had electric acidity and layered textures, taut, complex, and savory.

Thanks to a recommendation from Donkey and Goat’s tasting room manager, we headed up 101 to pay a visit to Healdsburg’s Idlewild Wines. Like Donkey and Goat, they profess commitment to low intervention winemaking. But what is extraordinary is their commitment to making wine, not only from Italian varietals, but exclusively from varietals found in Piemonte. Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo, sourced from mature vines from a vineyard in the hills of central Mendocino Valley, all were delicious and varietally correct albeit in a somewhat riper style than you would find in Italy. The Barbera was especially dense and fruit-forward; the Arneis surprisingly full bodied and luscious. But for sheer originality, Idlewild’s version of Cortese wins the prize. 25% of the grapes were fermented on the skins like a red wine and then left to macerate after fermentation producing a wine of extraordinary body and texture. But alas my heart was won by the Nebbiolo, because I’m always a sucker for Nebbiolo. Some very carefully handling of the grapes has produced a seductive, accessible wine with all the standard characteristics–rose, fennel, dried cherries, and tar–but without the mouth ripping tannins that require 15 years of bottle age to calm down.

With temperatures soaring alas we had to abandon wine tasting in the valley and escape to Bodega Bay in search of cool temperatures, oysters and crab, happily consumed under this jealous eye.