Monday, November 11, 2013

A Marathon of Wine Tasting Through Wallingford & Ballard - and Woodinville

The last two weeks have been a wine-drinking marathon.  Reds, whites, and more reds.  For many years my wine preferences were seasonal - reds in the colder months, whites and rosés in the warmer months.  But that was years ago, and now it doesn't seem to matter anymore. I'm still a bit of a renegade when it comes to food pairings, however.  Some rules are meant to be broken - either that, or my palate knows no boundaries.  I haven't taken time to figure that one out.  My lack of drinking boundaries is probably what led to the marathon of wine.  Since I'm a Ballardite, I usually drag my bones around the nearby neighborhoods and occasionally venture out to Woodinville, the wine and food Mecca of Western Washington.



So I found myself landing at some old favorites and making a beeline for the barstool.  I'm a fan of tiny bars.  There are a few notable ones around town that are stand-outs (La Carta de Oxaca and Hazelwood in Ballard are the first ones that leap to mind).  Literally four people can sit at these bars.  One of these micro-bars to which I made a beeline is located in Smash Wine Bar in Wallingford, one of my favorites on 45th Street, the main drag.  I can sit there and sip my wine and stare at the wall and no one cares.  Fortunately, they have some delicious Washington wines and because I like to drink local, I usually seek them out.  They cracked open a sumptuous Washington syrah for me on several occasions.  It seems to me that Washington just keeps getting better and better at making this southern Rhone style red blend.

Eventually I found myself at Ray's Boathouse.  I'm not sure how I ended up there, but I do know that even if I was blind I would be able to find my way to Ray's Boathouse.  Neither wind, nor sleet, nor rain...etc.  This time it was for a late lunch, and I can always find a fabulously prepared bivalve or salmon on the menu.  I ordered one of my favorites, the spinach and arugula salad with a 4 oz. piece of coho salmon plunked down on top of the greens.  I could have ordered any kind of red to go with this salad, and an Oregon pinot noir would have been a fantastic match.  But I was compelled to order the lovely Washington sauvignon blanc.  The sauv blanc from Washington is definitely its own style, and very different from the well-known New Zealand sauv blancs, which are famously citrus-y.  The Washington style is crisp and dry, but lacks the citrus tones and reflects the mineraly character of our terroir, which this grape interprets so well.  It was a good lunch, and I had the view for dessert. 


And of course, I couldn't let two weeks go by without slithering up to Woodinville for a couple of tastings.  I enjoyed one of my favorites, the Sur La Mer from William Church Winery, which I tasted in their Hollywood Hill tasting room next door to Purple restaurant.  I also indulged in the stellar Stella Mae bordeaux blend at Sparkman Cellars, also in the Hollywood Hill district.  This and the Ruby Leigh are my perennial favorites among Washington reds, truly impressive blending and attention to detail, good for both sipping and drinking with a meal.  But at some point the marathon ends and it's time to warm up for the next event.  Cheers!

  

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