Uncorking their potential

Like so many good things, it all began with a vacation brainstorm and a trip to Costco.

Doug and Shelly Smith had been flirting with wines for a few years – training their palates with local tastings and trips to Walla Walla and Woodinville.

For Doug, a beer drinker brewing his own at home, the exercise helped him understand something his wife loved, and the next step seemed natural.

“We actually made our first real grape wine …” he begins, then pauses. “Do I want to tell that story?” he asks Shelly.

“I don’t know,” she answers, laughing but letting him decide.

“I actually went to Costco and bought 20 pounds of Sicilian grapes and made wine at home,” he confesses. “That was our first wine production. There’s still some of it at home.”

Shelly adds, “It was an interesting experiment. It’s actually getting better.”

The couple pressed their first commercial wines a year later from 4 tons of Walla Walla Valley fruit – the genesis of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars.

They’ll offer tastes of the wines they made at the Holiday Wine Fest this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The couple converted a small building on Garry Road, overlooking Liberty Lake, into the winery.

Doug Smith works by day as the director of planning and community development for the city of Liberty Lake. He swings in to punch down the fermenting wines early each morning, at lunch and every evening.

Shelly Smith left her job as the director of health and quality services for Premera/Blue Cross in March to become an independent health care consultant and oversee the small winery.

They bought the property for recreation, envisioning an art studio and family hangout. A friend dubbed it the “wine shack” when it became clear that was where they were heading instead.

Their course crystallized when Doug found a set of vintage Liberty Lake postcards on eBay. The couple decided one would look great on a bottle of wine.

“It was almost that the label inspired the winery as much as anything,” Shelly said.

The Smiths produced just 213 cases of red wine from the first vintage in 2005, which included cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah grapes. They released those first three varietals ($22 to $25) and a red blend called First Generation Red ($18) this summer with a booth at the local farmers’ market.

They suffered a minor setback in 2006 when the wine growers they’d just found in Walla Walla decided to retire. A renewed search led them to the Red Mountain grape-growing area, which is now the source for all their grapes.

The Smiths have added cabernet franc to the cellar and reached their maximum capacity of 500 cases each year. They have no plans to add a white wine.

“We decided to make what we love and hope that other people would enjoy it as well,” Shelly said.

They’ll stay small, so they can both still manage their day jobs. Doug says they hope to be a community winery – a modern-day neighborhood watering hole like the small pub that was once down the street.

The couple says they’ve learned a lot in the past four years. Doug is now in the midst of studies in the Washington State University enology program.

They’re still surprised by the sheer amount of work and the chronic space shortage. “It is more cleanup than it is winemaking, it seems,” Shelly says.

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars’ wines can be found at the winery, 1018 S. Garry Road, in Liberty Lake and at Williams’ Seafood Market and Wines in Spokane Valley. They’re served at Hay J’s Bistro in Liberty Lake.

The Smiths shared these recipes for some dishes they like to pair with their wines.

Shrimp-Stuffed Mushrooms

Shelly Smith suggests serving this appetizer with Liberty Lake Wine Cellars’ 2005 Merlot.

24 medium mushrooms

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped tiny shrimp

1/3 cup snipped fresh parsley

2/3 cup soft whole-wheat bread crumbs

2 tablespoons dry red wine

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coat a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse mushrooms; pat dry. Remove stems, hollowing out centers of mushroom caps. Chop stems, reserving 2/3 cup (discard remaining stems). Arrange mushroom caps, stem sides up, in prepared pan.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Cook chopped mushroom stems, onion and garlic in hot oil for three minutes. Stir in shrimp and parsley; heat through.

Remove from heat; still in bread crumbs, wine, basil, pepper and salt. Spoon the shrimp mixture into each mushroom cap. Cover pan with foil.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes; remove foil. Bake 10 minutes more or until mushrooms are heated through. Immediately remove with slotted spoon or spatula. Serve hot.

Yield: 24 appetizers

Mom’s Old-Fashioned Spaghetti Sauce

From Shelly Smith, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars. Serve with 2005 First Generation Red.

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 large onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Lightly brown the ground beef and set aside.

Cook chopped parsley, celery, onions and garlic in butter and olive oil until soft. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Add browned hamburger. Stir well.

Cook very, very slowly for three hours. Then add cheese. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Yield: 8 servings

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

From Shelly Smith, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars. Serve with 2005 Syrah.

For the crust:

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons sugar

2 cups chopped walnuts

3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

12 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup butter

2 pounds cream cheese, softened

2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

5 eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make crust, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, walnuts, graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 10 ½-inch springform pan. Set aside.

To make filling, melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler, stirring together until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer set on high speed, beat cream cheese and sour cream for 5 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and beat for 5 more minutes.

Add cornstarch, sugar and vanilla and mix for another 5 minutes. Scrape bowl while mixing. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Slowly pour filling into pan, being careful not to disturb crust. Place springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake 1  1/2 hours, or until cheesecake no longer shakes when pan is moved. Let cool in oven for 1 hour with door open, then remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour at room temperature.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings