Our wine consultant, Michael Teer, is the owner of Pike and Western Wine Shop. We asked him to give us an update on what is new on our wine lists
People often ask how I come up with the wines for the lists at Etta's Seafood and Palace Kitchen. It's a good question and I always feel like I should have a well thought out answer. But I don't. You see, writing a wine list is something I only do for Tom and Jackie. I have never studied the art, science or business of wine list writing. Rather, it could best be described as an organic effort, simply because I spend my life tasting wines. And over the years, I have eaten enough of Tom's food to know which wines work well with his style of food. In other words, I love eating and drinking!
I like to drink and sell what some folks might thing of as "esoteric" wines; wines that may not be well known but are great matches with their food. I've attempted to make the lists in the restaurants as user friendly as possible. It's all about good wine, period. In fact, this is a tradition that dates back to Tom's days at Café Sport. When you sit down to look at our lists, you will see a brief description of many wines which tell you how the wine tastes, or a little background on the winery. Also, the wait staff has tasted many of the wines on the list and they can help you make your selection. I want wine to be enjoyable, not intimidating. For me, it's simply a part of the meal.
But enough about the how's and why's of the wine list. I've added many new wines to our lists for the Spring season, but here are a few highlights:
Because the Palace is primarily a red wine house, I like to make sure there is a broad range of affordable but distinctive reds available. The 1997 Pikes Shiraz from Australia is a satisfying mouthful of wine if there ever was one. The rich, spicy fruit in this wine begs for something off the rotisserie. Closer to home, we've added the 1996 Soos Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. This micro Washington producer is quietly making some of the nicest Cabernet in the state. It's hallmark is a combination of ripe, almost juicy fruit and beautiful balance that makes it both appreciable at a young age and a worthy candidate for the cellar. If you are in the mood for something white, try the 1997 Beaucastel Cru de Coudelet Blanc. It's a richly flavored white, loaded with fruit that works well with most seafood on the menu, yet can also stand up to meatier dishes.
At Etta's, the seafood reigns and so does white wine. One of the best whites I've come across in some time is the 1998 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. This wine literally bursts with flavor, showing classic Sauvignon Blanc flavors but with more texture and seemingly more flavors (think straw, pineapple, fig) than is usually found in a single wine. A good example of an obscure but delicious wine is the 1997 Domaine du Poujol from the south of France. The grapes are Rolle and Roussanne, which you have probably never heard of but there is so much oak and fruit here that any Chardonnay lover should be happy with this wine. And because you can drink red wine with salmon (especially Etta's salmon) try the 1997 Willakenzie Pinot Meunier from Oregon. It's a cousin of Pinot Noir that shows more berry-like flavors, as opposed to the red cherry fruit typical of Oregon Pinot Noir
A ten year anniversary is something special and a ten year anniversay for a restaurant is remarkable. To commemorate the Dahlia's tenth birthday, Tom (in keeping with his love for big bottles) has decided to feature magnums of 1994 Chinook Cabernet Sauvignon at the restaurant. Being the contrarians they are, owners Clay Mackie and Kay Simon acutally give their Cabernet enough bottle age that it is drinkable upon release. 1994 was a stellar year for Cabernet and this will be a delicious accompaniment to the food at the Dahlia. Happy Drinking!
