A Crest That’s Sure To Impress

Making a perfect marriage of food and wine is often a matter of pure guesswork. But at a recent chef’s competition in Seattle, it was a most savory assignment. (I was one of the nine judges who had to pick winning combinations. I know, it’s a tough job but …)

Top chefs from around the Northwest created dishes designed to show off new releases from Columbia Crest at this benefit dinner for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Foundation.

Not surprisingly, the winner was a classic pairing of beef and cabernet sauvignon. Now, this wasn’t your typical steak and red, but a succulent filet mignon topped with a mild goat cheese and served with garlic mashed potatoes, prepared by Paul Beppler from the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland.

What made this evening truly memorable, however, was the stunning quality of the wine.

When Columbia Crest started, it was viewed strictly as a second label for Chateau Ste. Michelle, a sort-of neglected stepsister to the gorgeous princess.

But under winemaker Doug Gore, Columbia Crest has become one of the respected producers in the state.

Proof positive of that is the latest chardonnay - a lush, buttery wine with a wet kiss of tropical fruit. This beautifully balanced wine proved a fine companion for the second-place winner, Penn Cove mussels in a subtle red curry coconut sauce prepared by Andrew Nordby from The Heathman Hotel in Portland.

The ‘95 chardonnay ($14) is the first of that varietal released under Columbia Crest’s prestigious “estate series” label. That means the wine is made exclusively from top-quality grapes from the winery’s own vineyards. This is terrific stuff.

Also part of the estate series is the powerful ‘93 cabernet ($16), a deeply flavored wine loaded with enough fruit that it doesn’t assault your taste buds with tannins. It drinks velvety smooth. You’ll have to act quickly on this one, because after glowing write-ups in national publications, it’s going fast.

Another winner was the ‘95 late harvest semillon ($21 for a 375-milliliter bottle). It’s bursting with a fruit salad of flavors - peaches, apricots, pears. Yum. And, although it’s sweet, it has a nice, crisp edge to balance that fruitiness.

The only disappointment of the evening was the semillon-chardonnay, which I found boring, especially in the company of the other powerhouses.

Unfortunately, Columbia Crest dropped a better blend - the semillon-sauvignon blanc - because it didn’t sell. Why, I just can’t fathom. It was an elegant French-style wine with a lot of personality. I guess the name didn’t roll off the tongue like charrr-donn-ay.

Taste fest

Last month, we briefly bemoaned the loss of the Gonzaga Prep wine tasting, the area’s largest, most successful sampling event.

Now, comes word that another nonprofit has stepped up to the plate to help fill the void.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (of “Jerry’s Kids” fame) will host a Spring Festival from 7 to 10 p.m. April 25, at the Crescent Court.

Among the participating wineries are Mountain Dome, Badger Mountain, Powers, J. Lohr Estates, Bookwalter, Hyatt, White Heron, Beaulieu Vineyard, Quail Ridge and Yakima River.

There will also be a selection of microbrews available, including Hale’s and Lang Creek.

Tickets are $15 and available at Vino and Huckleberry’s, or by calling the MDA office at 325-3747.

X-rated

Wine Spectator watch out. There’s a new kid on the block.

Wine X is a new magazine designed to appeal to young hipsters, that age group identified by marketing mavens as Generation X.

For a peek at this mag, I checked out the Web site (www.winery.com/ winex). Sadly, I found it pretty lame.

Despite clever ideas like bestowing X ratings on wine (XXX is exceptionally cool), the publication just doesn’t go far enough in the right direction. You want young readers? Write about cheap wines, not $18 and $25 chardonnays.

It tries too hard to be smart-alecky (“Morgan is so boring to write about. Nothin’ to bitch about.”) And it still uses the same tired cliches to describe the delicate bouquets and long, lingering finish (blah, blah, blah).

Wine X is a good concept, attempting to reach an audience without being snobby. If it had a bit more solid info, I just might subscribe.

Good news travels The wine columnist for The Baltimore Sun recently picked a Washington blend for his wine of the week.

The lauded release was from Hedges Cellars, best known for its affordable cabernet-merlot blend. But this particular combo package is sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.

The ‘95 fume-chardonnay sells for under $10, not a big investment to check out what excites the taste buds of those folks back east.

Expert advice

Former Worden’s winemaker Paul Vandenberg will join Loris Stupel of The Spokane Wine Co. at the new Huckleberry’s Fresh Market at Sprague and Sullivan, which is scheduled to open next week.

This guy is pretty opinionated, but he does know his stuff. Stop by and test his knowledge.

Vandenberg has also been making appearances every Wednesday at Mizuna, where dinner guests can sample three of the featured wines for $5. Tonight, he will enlighten diners about wines from southern Italy. For reservations, call 747-2004.

Grapevine is a monthly feature of IN Food. Write to: Grapevine, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5486, fax 459-5098 or e-mail to lesliek@spokesman.com

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