Throughout its history, the Northwest has been about exploration, and we continue that tradition with our wines. We are not a region that drinks just chardonnay, riesling and pinot gris. We are a region that embraces new and unusual grape varieties.
In the Northwest, we have so many small-production varieties to try. Muscat in its various forms has been grown here for more than a half-century, and many newer German grapes developed in the past 100 years have been planted in some quantity in British Columbia.
Today, we look at some of the unusual varieties, and we encourage you to search them out and see what you think. Almost all of these will need to be purchased directly from the winery, though check with your favorite wine merchant to see if they can order them for you.
JoieFarm 2010 muscat, Okanagan Valley, $28 CDN: Dry Muscats are rare to find; simply put, they just aren't made. And dry muscats this delicious are a treasure, but we come to expect greatness from Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn, who make some of the most beautiful wines anywhere. This wine, made with the rare yellow muscat grape, opens with amazing aromas of delicate orange blossoms and rosewater, followed by dramatic flavors of oranges and lemons. The acidity is simply stunning, and everything about this wine is balanced and beautiful.
Barnard Griffin 2010 orange muscat, Columbia Valley, $17: Muscat is actually a family of grapes, of which there are more than a half-dozen different varieties. Orange muscat, which reveals orange aromas and flavors, is one of the rarest. Barnard Griffin in Richland has made an orange muscat for a few years with great success. This opens with tell-tale aromas of orange blossoms, as well as cloves, rosewater and baklava. On the palate, it offers flavors of orange zest and strawberries. It's an off-dry wine that is delicious and well balanced.
Abacela Vineyards & Winery 2010 Estate Albariño, Umpqua Valley, $18: This racy white wine is at home on the Iberian Peninsula, perhaps most famously in Spain. Abacela owner Earl Jones is helping to bring it to prominence in the Northwest, and his latest vintage is another beauty. It is clean, crisp and inviting on the nose, with refreshing aromas of honeydew melons, lemons, pineapples and cucumbers. On the palate, the acidity is simply dazzling with amazing brightness and flavors of limes and quince. This is a beautiful food wine, and we can easily imagine it with oysters or a crab dip.
Carpenter Creek 2009 Late Harvest Siegerrebe, Puget Sound, $24: This variety, created in 1929 in Germany, is a cross of Madeleine Angevine and Gewürztraminer, and its name means "victory wine." Purportedly, the grape was brought into North America by the owners of Bainbridge Island Winery west of Seattle, so its history in the Puget Sound region is lengthy. This version is superb, revealing aromas of limes and apples, followed by sweet, ripe flavors of orchard and stone fruit, all backed with bright acidity.
Montinore Estate 2010 Organic Estate Müller-Thurgau, Willamette Valley, $12: This variety was created in 1882 by Dr. Hermann Müller in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, who crossed riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is Germany's second-most-planted grape (after Riesling) and a fair bit is grown in Oregon and Washington west of the Cascade Mountains. This version opens with aromas of apples, limes and minerals, followed by round, plump flavors of ripe peaches and sweet apples. It's a fun, tasty wine.
3 Horse Ranch Vineyards 2008 Estate roussanne, Snake River Valley, $19: Viticulturists in the emerging Snake River Valley are experimenting with new varieties to see what will grow in their high-altitude volcanic soils. This Roussanne offers aromas of lemons, oranges and grapefruits, followed by rich flavors of bold, delicious lemons. It's a lovely wine.
*Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman are the editors of Wine Press Northwest magazine. For the freshest reviews, go to www.winepressnw.com/freshpress.
