We asked our friend and wine consultant Michael Teer to give us an update on what's new on our wine lists for the cooler season.
Fall is a time of change for our wine lists as well as the weather. What I'd like to do here is highlight a few wines, most of them new, that are particularly appropriate for what might appear on the menus at the three restaurants.
Although oysters are now available year-round, this is prime time for them so I have to include an appropriate wine with my Fall recommendations. The 1999 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, available at Etta's and by the glass at the Palace Kitchen, defines the crisp, bracing, yet full of fruit style of Sauvignon Blanc that comes from New Zealand. There is no oak to get in the way so the flavor of the oysters or other fish dishes you might drink this with come through loud and clear.
At Etta's I often find that white wines that are crisp yet have a lot of fruit work well with a wide variety of the seafood dishes on the menu. The 1998 Ca del Solo Malvasia Bianca, made by Bonny Doon Winery, is a perfect example. The exuberant fruitiness (not sweetness!) of this wine coupled with a mouthwatering freshness make it an ideal match for many of Etta's more Asian inspired seafood dishes.
When I think of wines to go with food at the Palace and the Dahlia Lounge, I think of wines that pack a lot of flavor into the glass yet have an easy to drink quality about them. While the well known Cabernet and Merlots will work fine, it's a wine like the 1996 Jade Mountain that really gets my juices flowing. A little bit of bottle age has softened it nicely and there is a smoky, plumy fruit character that makes it a perfect wine for any number of autumnal meat or poultry dishes.
Because of the success of Nouveau Beaujolais, many people do not know that there is such a thing as "serious" Beaujolais. Fortunately there are vignerons in Beaujolais who still take it seriously and make wines like the 1998 Foillard Morgon. Even though it is not a big, inky red it packs as much flavor into a glass as any red wine out there and has the benefit of being so easy to drink, you might find your glass empty before you know it. It's perfect for washing down a roast chicken, or a Fall-inspired soup. In fact, it just might go with just about anything.
A few Washington wines of note:
1998 Gordon Brothers Chardonnay: This winery gets my vote for Comeback of the Year. In reality, the comeback started a couple of years ago when the brothers (yes, this is a family winery) hired a talented new winemaker. 1998 is her first complete vintage and she shows a deft hand here. The ripe, exuberant fruit characteristic of Gordon's vineyard is tempered by just the right amount of wood and a bit more crispness than is usual in their wines.
1997 Hightower Cabernet Sauvignon: The word is that a new winery is opening in Washington every thirteen days. Well, here is one of them and I'm pleased to be able to put it on our wine lists. Production is very small and quality is very high (there is not always a correlation). What I liked about this Cabernet is that it was elegant, not a big woody, tannic wine that we would have to cellar before we put on the list. There's a drinkability here that is missing in way to many wines these days, which means that it will be a great accompaniment to your meal, not competition for it.
Michael has a great wine newsletter of his own - please e-mail him at wines@pikeandwestern.com if you would like to be on his mailing list. His shop, Pike & Western Wine Shop (located at the corner of Pike and Virginia) also carries the wines mentioned above.
