November 15, 2006 in Food

Fresh sheet : Local wines offer preview for holidays

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Want a local Spokane wine to pair with this year’s holiday meal? Thinking of sharing a little taste of Spokane with out-of-town wine lovers?

This is the perfect weekend to stock up. Spokane wineries will host the second open house of the year Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Sample current vintage wines, taste gourmet foods, shop for holiday gifts and enjoy wine discounts at each of the 10 wineries in Spokane from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There are tour maps of the wineries available at each location, or go online to www.spokanewineries.net. Click on “directions/maps.”

Here’s a quick look at what’s happening at each winery:

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars: The Cliff House is decked out for the holidays and it is open for tours. Sample new wines and chocolates.

Barrister Winery: Taste the new 2003 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot and 2004 Columbia Valley Syrah. Cheeses, dips, artisanal breads and chocolate truffles will be served. Also, preview the new wine-tasting bar.

Caterina Winery: The winery will be showcasing reds from both the Walla Walla and Yakima Valley and serving minestrone. There will be live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Grande Rhonde Cellars: Alexei Kazantsev, Russian sculptor, will have work on display. Also, 10 local artists will be showing paintings, wood sculptures and glass art at the downtown tasting room.

Knipprath Winery: Festive food and wine pairings will be featured. Sample the spiced and hot Alpine Wine. Also, Mica Peak and Knipprath wines, including the chocolate and vanilla ports, will be served.

Latah Creek: Traditional food and wine pairings are on the menu at Latah Creek, including fresh smoked turkey and cranberry/horseradish sauce paired with sangiovese and Moscato d’Latah served with homemade Stollen bread. Also they’ll have a second release of Natalie’s Nectar, a sweet red dessert wine made from syrah grapes.

Lone Canary: Lone Canary will be serving all of its current releases with special holiday wine prices, including the newly released 2003 Proprietors’ Reserve. Taste an assortment of appetizers. Gift items, including local hand-made candles, will be sold.

Mountain Dome: Tour the winery to find out how they put the bubbles in the bottle. There will be tastings of the winery’s Cuvee Forte, ranked one of the top 100 wines of the year by British wine writer Tom Stevenson, who has specialized reviewing champagne for 25 years.

Robert Karl Cellars: Sample the new release 2003 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and 2003 Inspiration, a reserve red blend. Taste Moroccan stew and local bread. Vicky Boubel, of Victoria’s Baubles, will be showing her beaded jewelry.

Townshend Cellars: Winery workers will be pouring samples of the recently released 2005 Sauvignon Blanc along with other varietals. Chocolate samples and light appetizers will be served. Special pricing will be available for some wines.

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