A Washington Wine Extravaganza

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   Q: We enjoy being members of the wine club and so far we have enjoyed your choices. We also are officers in our local SLV Wine Club, which features wine tasting dinners four times per year for up to 112 participants. In our next event, we want to feature all wines from Washington state. We would appreciate suggestions for the various courses; 1. onion soup; 2. family-style salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, and rolls; 3. Alaskan king crab legs with drawn butter, served with Yukon gold potatoes with olive oil and garlic, and mixed vegetables; 4. baked apple. Any help you might be able to give will be appreciated...

That's a Heavy Question, Man... Heavy

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    Rex Boller writes in to ask:

     "What is the ranking of red wines, from heaviest to lightest?"

     That's an excellent question, Rex. What makes it so excellent? Well, because it's nearly impossible to...

Fine Dining and...Beer?

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Question: What food matches better with beer than with wine?

       Answer: That's probably a better question for a beer-oriented Web site, but we'll give it a shot.

       Basically, anything that doesn't go well with wine. That may seem obvious, but there's actual wisdom within those words.

       While wine matches with an extremely wide...


Sustainability, Spring Mountain Vineyard-Style

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    Napa Valley's Spring Mountain Vineyard takes green seriously, having always practiced sustainable agriculture.

     The 225 acres of estate vineyard, scattered over 845 acres of pristine land, in many ways resembles a national park. The natural beauty -- the pure mountain streams, groves of virgin redwoods and abundant wildlife -- remind Spring Mountain's owners of their responsibility to protect it.

     What exactly does that mean in a mountain vineyard setting such as Spring Mountain's?...

Queries About Alsace, Sherry and Beaujolais

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    QUESTION: I've heard that it's illegal for wineries in Alsace to use Chardonnay. Is this true?

     ANSWER: Partially. Although there have been some changes in recent years, France still has very strict laws governing many aspects of winemaking. Chardonnay is grown in Alsace, but not in any great quantity. By French law, it may not be used to make what we think of as "typical" Chardonnay. Rather, vintners may use it only to make Cremant d'Alsace, which is a sparkling wine.

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     QUESTION: What grapes are used in...

It's Time to Drink Those Mouton Cadet Wines

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    Susan Conway writes:

     "I found two bottles of wine in my wine rack that my brother gave us several years ago. Could you let me know if they are still good, and/or when we should drink them? 1) Baron Philippe de Rothschild - Mouton Cadet -Bordeaux - 1994, and  2) Baron Philippe de Rothschild - Mouton Cadet -Bordeaux Blanc - 1994."

     Dear Susan: Well, we have some probably bad news and some...

Tips for Displaying.. and Protecting... Your Wine

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    Ryan Cropper writes: "I have a library with very tall shelves that I'm using to display all of my wine. The library has a window, and I'm wondering: How does the light affect the wine? Also, the bottles look much better standing up. How long can I leave a bottle standing straight before I need to worry about the cork drying up? Can I rotate the bottles from lying down to standing up on some kind of schedule?"

     Dear Ryan:

     As you're probably aware, light is one of the three mortal enemies of wine, the others being heat and oxygen. Direct sunlight is the worst, but any kind of light will accelerate a wine's aging process.

     So if there's any way you could replace that...

Extending the Life of an Opened Bottle of Wine

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    Jim Longley writes...

       "Is there any benefit in using a rubber seal with a vacuum pump when storing an open bottle of wine?"

       There are a number of vacuum seal products on the market. The idea behind them is to remove...


Dealing With Vinous Leftovers

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    QUESTION: What's the best way to store partially consumed bottles of wine?

     ANSWER: It depends on the wine, and how long you plan to store it.

     If it's a white wine and you plan to drink it gradually over the...

A Tale of Two Turkeys (Turkey Dinners, That Is)

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QUESTION: What wines are good with turkey?

     ANSWER: That depends.

     If you're eating sliced turkey with, perhaps, some mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, then there is only one wine to have...

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