Modest Lone Canary truly a hidden gem

The zig zag turns off Sprague Avenue seem like a mistake. And the last turn into the narrow parking lot confirms the wrong-turn feeling – until the Lone Canary sign comes into view. But push open the glass door and the fragrance-heavy air erases any doubt. Eyes closed, the bouquet of fruit and oak could be only one place.

“We may look modest from the outside, but when you step inside there is no mistaking that we are a winery,” says winemaker Mike Scott. By way of a tour, Scott waves a hand at a rack of barrels stacked to the ceiling. The winery he started with investor Steve Schaub isn’t big. Its home is really nothing more than a couple of cement-floor spaces in a little-known industrial park just east of downtown Spokane. But winemaking is not about the bricks and mortar and the roof overhead – it’s the fruit in the barrels at Scott’s foot that matter.

“We settled on this simply because we had to have a place to get started. We couldn’t find then what we thought was the ideal place and we’re still casting about looking for it,” Schaub says. “We’ve been looking for a long time. We’ve been looking since we started.”

Lone Canary started in 2002 when Scott, freshly separated from Caterina Winery, began working to open his own winery. He approached Schaub to talk about different ways to finance the project and by the end of the year they were in business together. Lone Canary released its first wines in 2003. Schaub had long been intrigued by wine and was a fan of Scott’s work at Caterina. He even planted a mixed acre of pinot noir and some white wine varieties at his home south of Spokane.

“At the time that I bought (the house) I thought, ‘Oh, that beautiful place is just crying out for a vineyard.’ So, starting in 2000, I planted grapes on the hillside coming down to my house. Probably the second year of my vineyard I met Mike and he asked, ‘What are you going to do with the grapes you’re growing there?’ ” Although the fruit from Schaub’s house isn’t being used for any wines sold at Lone Canary, it was Scott’s interest in the hobby vineyard that eventually brought them together, Schaub said. (There are wines in the barrel from the little vineyard’s first harvest last year. “There may be just enough for Steve and me to drink,” Scott teases.)

Scott, who got his start at Spokane’s first winery, says Lone Canary will be his last. “This is the winery I think I’ve been moving toward my whole career. Because now what goes into the bottles is a culmination of all the things that I’ve learned along the way,” he says. “Not just how to do things, but why to do things and what I’ve wanted to show about the fruit we grow here.”

To do that, Lone Canary bottles three red blends, a turn away from the American trend of bottling wine made from one kind of grape the European tradition of blending wines.

The blending of regional reds, Scott says, allows him to best express the flavors of Washington grapes.

“It also gives you a much more complete wine,” he says.

Scott has called Spokane home since he left England in 1979. When he arrived, Worden Winery had just opened.

“I had no particular wine skills, no particular wine interest … but I went and applied for a job because I thought it would be an easy job. The guy I interviewed with was Mike Conway, who was (Worden’s) first winemaker. And Mike in his profound way hired me despite the fact that I knew nothing.”

Scott said he quickly discovered the wine industry could be a way for him to get back to the land. Growing up in a rural village, he’d spent summers working in nearby orchards.

“I’m not the rugged outdoors type, so the idea that I could be in the vineyards when the weather is nice was perfect, and when the weather was inclement I could be indoors working on the wine. So, I found myself moving more and more toward the back of the house,” Scott says. When Conway left Worden to open Latah Creek Winery, Scott went with him. “For the next several years Mike was my very generous teacher, so I learned most of my winemaking skills from him.” Scott then left to help open Steven Thomas Livingstone winery. And when that winery became Caterina, Scott made the switch.

“It has been my lot in life to open up Worden’s, open up Latah Creek, open up Caterina and now I’ve opened up my last winery,” he says. Lone Canary’s early days were, well, a little wild. Scott and Schaub originally intended to call the winery Wild Canary, a nickname for Washington’s state bird, the American Goldfinch. However, the makers of Wild Turkey Bourbon notified the fledging winery it had no intention of letting another purveyor of alcoholic beverages use the word “wild.”

“At first, we though it was just ridiculous and we pursued the name Wild Canary a bit further,” Schaub said. In the end, they decided to avoid a court fight and settled on Lone Canary. “And then Mike began to wonder if the Lone Ranger would come after us. But we never heard from him.” Lone Canary produces about 3,000 cases of wine each year.

Scott bottles red blends, including Red, an American-style with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc ($12.95); Rosso, an Italian-style wine made mostly of sangiovese, with some merlot and cabernet sauvignon ($14.95); and Rouge, a French-inspired blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc from older vines ($14.95).

“So the wines that I tried to make show, I hope, elegance and grace and the deliciousness of Yakima Valley fruit, Columbia Valley fruit, but with a tip of the hat to their European heritage. I like to say they express both their birthplace and their ancestry.”

Scott adds: “I believe that a winemaker should be very much like a butler: You should never know he’s there. I like my wines to show the vineyard, show the fruit from that vineyard and not the heavy hand of the wine maker.” He’s received a number of nice accolades for his efforts, including recent “Best Buy” and “Outstanding” ratings from Wine Press Northwest for the three red blends. Scott also makes sauvignon blanc ($9.95) simply because it is his favorite.

The winery has a 2003 DuBrul Reserve ($29.95) that features the best fruit from that vineyard. And he experiments each year with a barbera varietal that sells out quickly. Scott is anticipating another reserve release this year to showcase the best barrels of wine he has made at Lone Canary, the working name is Proprietor’s Reserve.

Scott says sauvignon blanc is what is invariably open at his home. “While my family is deciding on what to eat that night that is the wine that is open because it sets up the palate for whatever comes next.” Try it with oysters or any seafood.

His second favorite, the Rosso, works with “anything Italian.” Steve and his wife Jeanne Schaub say friends claim the Rosso has been wonderful with anything they’ve ever served with it. The Schaubs shared some of their favorite recipes to serve with Lone Canary wines.

They say their philosophy is to use simple recipes and the best possible ingredients and meats, so the flavors come through.

Here are their recipes:

Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Sauce

This dish makes a wonderful holiday dish and the sauce would be delicious even with a less-expensive cut of meat. Serve with Lone Canary Rouge.

2 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

7 ounces shiitake mushrooms or a mixture of wild mushrooms

1/4 cup minced shallots

3/4 cup port or other sweet red wine

1 cup beef broth

2 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare a roasting pan with a rack coated with cooking spray. Rub in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the tenderloin. Bake in the 425-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the thermometer reaches 120 degrees for rare, or 125 for medium rare. Cover loosely with foil and let stand for abut 10 minutes.

While meat is cooking, remove stems from the mushrooms, discard; slice the caps. Use a nonstick pan, heat olive oil. (Jeanne Schaub says sometimes she’ll put in a little butter here if she’s feeling skinny that day.) Add mushrooms and shallots, sauté about 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and port; cook about 2 minutes. Combine the beef broth with cornstarch whisking to remove any lumps. Add to skillet, bring to a boil and cook for l minute. Serve spooned over the tenderloin.

Yield: 8 servings (3 ounces of tenderloin and 3 tablespoons of sauce)

Approximate nutrition per serving: 234 calories, 10 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 41 percent fat calories), 25 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 70 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 355 milligrams sodium.

Linguine with Grilled Shrimp

Pair this dish with the Lone Canary Rosso

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3/4 pound linguine

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

6 large garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced lengthwise

4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped coarsely

1/2 cup kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup freshly grated hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan or Asiago

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare the grill. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Remove and cut into 3-4 pieces.

While shrimp is grilling, cook linguine in a large pot until al dente, about 8 minutes. Save about 1/4 cup pasta water for tossing.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it just starts to brown. Add the tomatoes, olives, shrimp, cooked linguine, and pasta water, tossing until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, mix in the basil and garnish with cheese and whole basil leaves. Season with freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 542 calories, 17 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 28 percent fat calories), 38 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrate, 182 milligrams cholesterol, 4.8 grams dietary fiber, 909 milligrams sodium.

Chilled Leeks with Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Pair this dish with Lone Canary Sauvignon Blanc. If you make this as a side dish, save a little of the vinaigrette to use as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.

4 medium leeks

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped finely

2/3 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons capers

1/4 cup pitted, chopped green olives

1/3 cup olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Trim dark leaves from leeks so only a tiny part of the green remains. Trim the roots but leave attached to leek as this hold it together.

Bring a large pot of water to a steady boil. Add leeks and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes. The leeks should be tender. Remove from water and place in an ice bath. You can hard boil the eggs in the same water used to cook the leeks.

Slice the leeks lengthwise in half, without cutting all the way through the root. Take off the outer dark leaves and clean out any remaining grit between the leaves with a cold water rinse.) Drain and chill for 2-3 hours. If you need a fast chill, place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, capers, and green olives. Drizzle oil into the mixture mixing in thoroughly. Season with kosher salt to taste.

To serve, arrange leeks on a chilled plate. Fan out the tops of the leeks, the bulb is still attached by the roots. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top. Garnish with chopped egg.

Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer or side dish

Approximate nutrition per serving: 292 calories, 24 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 72 percent fat calories), 5.5 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, 106 milligrams cholesterol, 2.7 grams dietary fiber, 513 milligrams sodium.

Herbed Gorgonzola Steak Butter

Since it is now time to grill again and nothing goes better with Lone Canary Reserve than a great steak, we have included this complement of steak butter. It melts over your favorite cut and can even make a lesser cut taste great. For the cheese, use a creamy Gorgonzola or substitute with a blue cheese.

1/3 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 stick unsalted butter

3 ounces gorgonzola cheese

3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a food processor, finely chop the parsley and thyme, Add the butter, process until smooth. Add the Gorgonzola cheese, chives, salt, pepper, blend until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the butter onto a 12-inch length of wax paper. Fold the paper over the butter and, using a spatula to help, form the butter into a 1 1/2 -by-5-inch log. Twist the ends of the paper to secure snugly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To serve, let the butter stand at room temperature for a few minutes until soft enough to slice easily.

Top off your favorite steak.

Yield: 10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 113 calories, 12 grams fat (7 grams saturated, 92 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, less than 1 gram carbohydrate, 32 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 118 milligrams sodium.