This Red Stays On The Rise

Merlot isn’t just hot right now. It’s a white-hot supernova.

This lush, fruity varietal is in such demand, it has recently dethroned cabernet sauvignon as king of the reds - in terms of sales, anyway. And there is now more merlot than cabernet planted in Washington’s wine country.

Merlot used to play second fiddle to cab. It was considered little better than a blending grape used to give cabernet more character.

So what’s behind merlot’s rising star?

“It’s an easy name to pronounce. That isn’t a bad thing,” said Caterina winemaker Mike Scott. (Spit it out - mare-low, not murr-lot.) “It’s also softer and fruitier wine, more approachable than a cabernet,” Scott said.

So, merlots can be enjoyed when they are young, rather than needing time in the cellar to mellow out like a cabernet.

Washington is a merlot growing paradise, too. The grapes are hardy enough to winter well and respond to the long, usually warm growing season. The conditions allow the grapes to develop equal amounts of sugars and acid, making for a balanced fruit.

Even in an unseasonably cool summer such as 1993, the fruit seemed to come through fine.

David Lake, Columbia’s winemaker, said the longer growing season that year gave the grapes a chance to develop longer and for the fruit flavors to intensify. The 1993 merlots are now on the market, although the wine has been such a big seller that some producers are already releasing their 1994 vintages.

In the past year, Arbor Crest has seen a 16 percent increase in worldwide sales of its merlot and a 26 percent jump at the tasting room. To Arbor Crest marketing director Joe Algeo, the local numbers indicate that area residents are warming up to reds.

Naturally, Arbor Crest has boosted its merlot production. From its base of 2,000 cases annually, the winery increased to 5,000 cases for the 1995 vintage.

Another bonus for merlot lovers is that the wine seems to match up well with a wide variety of foods. Try it with garlic roast chicken, duck and pizza. It even stood up to the heat of cumin-spiked red bean ravioli (a wonderful find I picked up at Harry O’s).

During that meal I compared Latah Creek’s regular release with Columbia’s David Lake reserve, called Milestone merlot. Both wines were lovely, but quite different. The Latah Creek had an explosive, juicy quality with dried black cherry and faint licorice taste.

The Columbia was a bigger wine that, initially, came off as a raw, tannic powerhouse. But after it sat in my glass for a while, it became velvety and the concentrated berry flavors shone through. I’m betting that a few years in the cellar will only improve this gem.

It was nice to see that vintners imprint their own style on merlot, unlike chardonnay, where every one of them seems to taste similar.

There’s also a contrast in pricing. The Latah Creek was on sale for around $8. The Columbia is more like $20, if you can locate it. You’ll probably have to ask a wine merchant to special order it.

Other recommended Washington merlots, ranging in price from $8 to $15, come from Columbia Crest, Hyatt, L’Ecole No. 41, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Gordon Brothers, Andrew Will, Chinook and Waterbrook.

From Oregon, look for merlot from Seven Hills. These grapes come from the same vineyards used by now-famous merlot maker Gary Figgins in his Leonetti Cellars wines. You can still find Seven Hills on the shelf, though.

My only beef with Washington merlots is that the wineries aren’t more upfront about the amount of cabernet or cabernet franc they use in the blend to give the wine an extra kick. Give us the dirt on the label, please.

So long and good luck

After nearly six years at Worden’s, winemaker Paul Vandenberg is moving on to new challenges.

The 42-year-old Vandenberg has hopes of eventually opening a publicly held winery using grapes grown in vineyards that the company would own and manage.

“I’m looking for 2,000 people to become partners with me,” said Vandenberg, who has been in the wine business for 13 years.

Ideally, he would like to purchase some land in the Yakima Valley to grow vinifera grapes along with gourmet produce that might be marketed to restaurants and specialty stores.

“We’ve seen a high demand for Washington state fruit over the past few years, so much so that we will be in a shortage situation for the next couple of years,” he said.

Vandenberg picked up his experience in the vineyards while working for Badger Mountain and Blackwood Canyon and during a crash course at the University of California-Davis.

During his tenure at Worden’s, Vandenberg has successfully shifted the winery’s focus from sweeter whites to more serious reds. His “claret” is the first commercial blend ever of the spicy lemberger grape and cabernet sauvignon.

“It’s just a shame we have to release that one so early and it gets all drunk up because it ages so well,” he said.

He also takes pride in helping introduce the winery’s organic line, Suncrest, which has taken Worden’s into the worldwide marketplace. And he has enjoyed promoting the use of synthetic corks, which he says eventually saves the consumer money because it reduces spoilage associated with faulty natural corks.

When I asked him to name the best wine he had made while working at Worden’s, Vandenberg said: “That’s easy. A number of people said the 1990 chenin blanc was the best white wine made in that vintage and it was the best white I’ve ever made. The 1992 claret was a close second.”

While he’s working to get his dream off the ground, Vandenberg plans to do some consulting work with grape growers. I’m betting we’ll hear from him again.

His successor at Worden’s has not yet been named.

, DataTimes MEMO: Grapevine is a monthly feature of IN Food. Leslie Kelly welcomes questions and comments from readers about all aspects of wine. Write to Grapevine, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5486; fax 459-5098.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review