Washington Producers Create Some Jazzy Jugs

I felt like Ann Landers without a glib, “go see a counselor”-type response.

A friend asked for advice on buying wine for a large party. She only had $150 and had to please a wide range of tastes.

Frankly, I was stumped and slightly embarrassed. I have become so firmly entrenched in the $10-and-up range that I wouldn’t know a jug from a jar.

I have since discovered that some jug wines - an unfortunate name for a perfectly good category of wine - have made dramatic improvements in recent years.

Among the best bargains are the 1.5-liter bottles (called magnums, if you want to be fancy) from some of Washington’s biggest and bestknown producers.

Gary Hogue, president of Hogue Cellars, said the affordable oversized bottles produced in this state are superior to their California counterparts because varietal grapes are used.

“We don’t use any cheap blending grapes like concord or Thompson seedless,” he said.

A selection of jug wines I sampled recently were impressive for sipping and were even better when served with food. Overall, they were far crisper than I had anticipated, with good varietal character.

These finds come too late for my friend’s function, but they might help with party planning for upcoming wedding receptions, family reunions or other big bashes.

Here are my tasting notes, listed in the order the wines were sampled:

Saddle Mountain fume blanc ($8): This wine had a bright, enticing aroma. It was dry, but balanced with pretty floral flavors. It had hints of almonds and a slight flinty quality usually associated with the sauvignon blanc grape used in this wine. It would be a good match for shellfish dishes, including oysters and crab.

Hogue blanc de blanc ($6): A silly name for a very good sauvignon blanc blend. This had a fresh apple aroma and a perky, tart character. But the crisp quality didn’t make me pucker because it was balanced by nice fruit flavors. Another good candidate to serve with seafood or chicken dishes.

Saddle Mountain semillonchardonnay ($11): This wine had a pretty, pale straw color. It had a pleasant citrus flavor tempered by hints of vanilla (attributed to some oak aging). It was very good.

Hogue harvest dry white ($6): Smelling of apples and peaches, this wine was crisp and light. I also detected a nice touch of apricot. It was impressive, especially considering the price.

Hogue harvest white ($6): It was surprisingly crisp and fruity. I had expected it to be sweet. This wine tasted of pear and honeydew. A good wine to serve as an aperitif.

Saddle Mountain riesling ($7): Another nice surprise, this wine was off-dry (it had only 1.86 percent residual sugar, which is fairly lean). It had great apple and pear flavors. This was the most impressive wine of the pack.

Hogue harvest blush ($6): Gorgeous pink salmon color, this wine had a perfumey aroma, which led me to believe it would be sweet sipping. But it was off-dry, with a nice mild cherry flavor. Not a bad blush wine.

Saddle Mountain cabernet sauvignon ($11): Unfortunately, this was the biggest disappointment of the bunch. While it had a good varietal aroma - the smell of cedar and cocoa - the wine was on the thin side; it didn’t have enough fruit to match the sturdy tannins. There aren’t enough quality reds available in the jug range.

The best bargain for a big crowd wasn’t included in this informal tasting, however. It comes from Worden’s, right here in Spokaloo. They package their Cascade chardonnay and their lovely johannisberg riesling in 18-liter containers.

The chardonnay sells for $120. Containing roughly 130 five-ounce servings, that breaks down to a little less than a dollar a serving. (And they say journalists are lousy at math.)

The riesling goes for $67, which is a tremendous deal.

The 18-liter containers are available at the winery or through area wine shops by special order.

Other Northwest producers that sell 1.5-liter bottles include Preston, Washington Hills and Covey Run.

Sure sign of spring

When tulips bloom and winemakers uncork their barrels for public consumption, it can only mean spring has arrived.

The sixth annual Spokane area winery barrel tasting is set for May 19-21.

The six area wineries - Arbor Crest, Worden’s, Latah Creek, Caterina, Knipprath and Mountain Dome - have special activities planned. Most will have food available for sampling and purchase.

Wineries will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. for that weekend. Call for directions and details.

Yakima Valley wineries will host their annual barrel tasting April 28-30. Participating wineries will feature special educational presentations, along with food samples and entertainment.

For a free brochure listing Yakima Valley wineries, send a long, selfaddressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 39, Grandview, WA 98930.

Odessa bound

Somehow, I missed this year’s Gonzaga Prep wine tasting. On a less grand scale, but for an equally good cause, a tasting will be held on May 5 by the Odessa Healthcare Foundation.

The town, best known for its affinity for brewski during the fall German festival, has been tremendously supportive of the wine tasting. The event is now in its fourth year.

Tickets for the event are $15 and can be ordered by calling the Odessa Memorial Hospital, 982-2611.

What’s in a name?

Few would argue that some winemakers have rather healthy egos. As evidence, check out the new reserve chardonnay from Columbia winery.

The wine is wonderful - rich and tart. But the biggest type on the label is reserved for winemaker David Lake’s name.

Apparently, that’s all consumers need to know to make their selection.

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