...a place to taste

Bad Rap Rose?

2010-07-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

So are you one of those people who still thinks Rose is passé? Perhaps you never quite recovered from the mass produced, overly sweet White Zinfandel trend of the eighties?

Well we are here to tell you that Rose of today does not deserve the bad rap of yesterday! Rose has grown up and they belong at all Barbecues. In fact, the chef and I both believe there is a Rose for every wine drinker. Yessirreee. E-v-e-r-y one of you! If it has been a long dry spell since you have tried Rose, we dare you to try again. :)

Summer time is here and there is no better time than now to put your toe in the water and explore them. Chef Earl will be including a rose in many of the small bite pairings this summer so you can sample without risk.

Meanwhile, here are our combined favorites we have on the shelves right now. Almost all are local – many are small vintners. They are in order of what we’d recommend from white wine drinkers to red wine drinkers – lighter bodied to fuller bodied. Take a look at the grape varietals from which these wines are derived - Yum!

Maryhill Rose of Sangiovese: $15: from Columbia Valley WA

Abacela Grenache Rose: $11: from Umpqua Valley OR

Utopia Pinot Noir Rose: $18: from Willamette Valley OR

Trust Cabernet Franc Rose: $18: from Columbia Valley WA

Memaloose Rose of Tempranillo; $18: from Columbia Gorge WA

Velo Malbec Rose: $16: from Rouge Valley OR

Bestue Tempranillo-Cabernet Sav Rose: $16:

Spain

So what to do you think? Are you game? If we host a rose tasting….would you attend?

Mommy’s Secret Weapon (hint: it's not wine!)

2010-05-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

I have been struck by how just how many of our customers are moms. Moms taking a quick well deserved break to enjoy the tasting; to share a bottle of wine and enjoy music with a girlfriend; or just to steal 5 minutes to find the perfect bottle to enjoy at home.

The thing most of them have in common is a wonderful, supportive individual at home taking care of their little one(s). It may be daddy, grandma, or a neighbor. But it is someone who we can trust with that which we hold most precious.

As a new mom, new business owner, with a full time career – I know how important this is. What would we do without these partners? As much as we love our family, let’s face it, we all need a little balance in our lives. A break from trying to meet everyone else’s needs, which we gladly do out of love. This post is dedicated to the ones who support us and understand that. You keep us sane and we love you for it.

After about 6 years of trying, my husband I were blessed with our son Zane, who is about 9 months old. People talk about mothers giving gift of life, but I am certain it is the other way around. There are not words to express what a gift being his mother has been. I have also been the owner of Korkage for about 3 months. While it is nothing like my 9 month old, it is surely another wonderful “baby”, this business! I could not even begin to pull this off without my husband and family. They understand that to be the best I can be for my family, I need a little guiltless mommy time.

My wish for all the Korkage mommies is that you get a little mommy time this Mother’s Day and all year long. And all you wonderful daddy’s and nanas out there, Korkage sends you a big hug and thank you for supporting our Korkage mommies!

Holiday Pairings!

2010-04-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Looking for a wine for your holiday dinner? Here are a few recommendations that I have to match up with the classics or create the holiday spirit.

For lamb: my choice here is a nice old vine zinfandel. One that is not too jammy and a little lower in alcohol. Coincidentally, we have some select old vine zins from Brazin that were featured in our Thursday night tasting line up. A nice soft cabernet from Washington would be a close second.

Ham: Rieslings, gruner and pinots are the wine for ham. For rieslings, the sweeter the ham the sweeter the riesling is the rue. Gruner can handle any style ham exceedingly well. For Pinots, I would go for lighter, fruitier vintages. 2007 Willamette Valley Pinots, while not up to most critics expectations (not my opinion by the way!), are perfect for the Easter ham.

If you are unsure what the dinner will consist of I suggest Gruner. I know you've heard this one from me before. But Gruner is the wine that goes with just about everything. By itself, it is nothing special but it raises to another level when combined with food.

This is a holiday and Sparklers are all about that. Especially a nice sparkling rose. You can't go wrong bringing a little elegance to the show.

And finally, we also offer kosher wines if that is what you are after.

Have a great holiday.
Chef Earl

Corned beef...and wine?

2010-03-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Looking for wine to go with that corned beef and cabbage?

Sauvignon Blancs are a no brainer. Enough acidity to cut the fat and beautiful fruit and citrus notes that really accent cabbage.

Viognier is also a lovely match with a little more body and structure that will become part of the meal instead of just coming along for the ride.

If red is what you have to have I would suggest an earthier pinot noir. Willamette valley 2008's have been surprisingly earthy and would be a great choice.

Come on by and I can help you pick out some wine to add to your festivities.

Chef Earl

Make the most of your Valentine chocolate with wine!

2010-02-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day - Chocolates and wine, mmmmmmm. My quick and easy rule is the wine should be at least as sweet if not sweeter than the chocolate. I pair Dark chocolates with pinot, merlot and zinfandels. Really dark to bittersweet chocolate needs a cabernet sauvignon.

Milk chocolate can be tricky. Sweeter, fruitier pinot noir tends to do well, as well as sweeter reislings. Ruby port and milk chocolate = yummy!!

If you are into white chocolate then I suggest 2 completely different directions. Big monster zinfandels are a phenomenal contrast to the creamy, buttery white chocolate. Or go with a super fruity muscat, in which case white chocolate will bring out the citrus and fruit.

Super Bowl, Vino Style

2010-02-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

I enjoy a good beer as much as the next -- but wine can work just as well for the Super Bowl fare:

Spicy chicken wings - Sweeter reislings rule with wings. Brut Champagne or other dry sparkler also works. For red, a big bold zinfandel is the way to go with wings and other spicy bits.

BBQ - Similar to wings. If you want white, go with sweeter reislings or semi sweet sparkler. BBQ can be paired with a fruitier pinot but works best with a nice zinfandel.

Sausages - Always good on game day - think "if it grows together it goes together" . Basically german sausages = german style wines, italian sausages = italian style wines, etc. I enjoy a good Italian sausages with chianti or sangiovese. For sweet or spicy sausages go for the zinfande. For Brats or hot dogs a nice crisp reisling.

Chili - Everybody makes their chili a little different so finding a perfect pairing is extremely difficult. A general rule of thumb is to go with wines that are very complex in structure and well balanced. For reds look to big bold blends for the best match with cabarnet or malbec as the base grape.

If whites are what you want to drink then a nice California style chardonnay with a touch of oak will have the body to put up with the chili. Especially nice with chicken or turkey chili. Even better if the chili is a green chili with tomatillos!!

If its 3-alarm chilli you are making, then again, spicy food tends to work better with sweeter wines. I would suggest a sweeter style reisling or full zinfandels.

Nacho cheese dip - Think reisling when you think cheese. The germans have been doing this for a long time. The spicier the dip the sweeter the reisling. Zinfandels also pair nicely unless you are using velveeta, in which case just stick with beer.

Any other ideas for game day food? Please stop in and I would love to chat and make suggestions for what I would drink with them.