the unequivocal notion

Who ever would have thought...

...That promoting Treasure Valley wineries would turn valley residents into a bunch of stumbling winos.

I'll cheers to that.

Idaho Statesman on Idaho's female vintners

A good read for this gorgeous summer morning in the Valley.

And we thought we had it bad

Well, I think most Idahoans how are peeved with how our state controls booze realize that as bad as it is here in Idaho; it's a lot worse in some other states (I feel your pain Utahns). At least in Idaho it's easy to get good microbrews from nearly any store and wine is easily accessible. Hell, we at least have wine shops, a lot of states require you to purchase wine and higher alcohol content beer from state run liquor stores. Idaho is also one of only 35 states that allow you to buy wine online (thank God for wine.com) and have it shipped to you.

Pennsylvania, being one of the aforementioned states with extreme booze control is going to try out some wine kiosks in supermarkets. You know, so you can buy a wine to go with that dinner you're planning -- a novel idea indeed.

The idea as a whole is really, really disturbing. One, you'll have to only choose from a selection of about a dozen labels (so this would include your white, red, sparkling wine and dessert wine), and two you have to register with the state to be eligible to even buy the wine from these kiosks.

Vending-machine idea appalls wine crowd

HARRISBURG - For many, the future of buying wine in Pennsylvania could soon look something like this: your arm on a biometric sensor that will determine whether you're old enough - and sober enough - to get your favorite bottle from a machine.

Called a "wine kiosk," it's the latest concept being pushed by the state-run Liquor Control Board as a way to reduce hassles for consumers.

The kiosks - looking like large refrigerators with opaque glass built into a wood frame - would be placed in about 100 supermarkets across the state to finally make it possible to buy wine and food in the same place in Pennsylvania.

[...]

The machines would carry about a dozen different wines and hold up to 500 bottles, and the opaque windows would prevent minors from viewing the bottles (ed. note: wtf?).

To use the machines, customers would have to register at the supermarket with the help of a Liquor Control Board employee. The registration would include providing fingerprints and a valid credit card, and allowing an infrared arm scan.

After that, users could go to any machine and place their arm and hand on a sensor. Once their identity was verified and the machine determined they were not intoxicated, the glass would clear and they could make their selection, which would arrive in a sealed package.

The kiosks would not be staffed, but Liquor Control Board employees at a remote location would track purchases, according to the summary.

Purchasing histories could be monitored to weed out potential problem drinkers. And special identification numbers etched on the bottles would make it possible to trace them back to the buyer.

While we continue to push for fairer booze laws in Idaho, thank your lucky stars that you don't have to register with the state to buy wine at your local supermarket... yet.

Canyon County wineries in the news

The last couple of weeks there has been a lot of press over the wineries in Canyon County. While Snake River Valley Viticultural region does indeed encompass more than just Canyon County, it's important to note that most of the regions wines are produced in Canyon County.

While it's pretty certain that Eagle will continue to stamp their little feet and whine that they deserve to be the "Napa Valley" of the Treasure Valley, it just isn't so. A helpful note for Eagle: building a few vineyettes in the backyards of some McMansions does note make one a wine hub. There are many reasons why people have been growing wine grapes on the west and south side of the valley for so many years and avoided the Valley's sandy northern foothills.

Although I will say that regardless of the pretentiousness or motivations, the more vino in the valley, the better.

The Oregonian - Idaho wine region yearns for recognition
Idaho Statesman - Canyon County looks to become wine attraction
Idaho Statesman - Wine advice: Take a tour of Idaho's wine country
Idaho Press-Tribune - Groups market Canyon County wineries

Make sure you get out there and support your local wineries, heck take a guided tour with Snake River Cuisine Tours, or just take a drive on your own. Just make sure you get out there, because the vines are starting to turn green.

Some food & wine notes

Now the primary is over, we can get back to more important topics; food and vino -- can't let those pesky politics command too much time.

• Mark Bittman, The Minimalist in the NYT, takes on BBQ'ing indoors.

• Rick Bayless and his "MEXICO-One Plate at a Time" has returned for its sixth season on PBS.

• I really dug this: Salmon w/ huckleberry chipotle glaze and Gruyère chive mashers.

• I was on a waiting list for 2 1/2 years to get these two bottles of Sea Smoke Pinot Noir, now that I've got them, I have to wait at least a year for one bottle, and 5 more years for the other before I can crack 'em. Patience, they say, is a virtue. I really, really can't wait to drink these.

• These shall be making an appearance in my kitchen fairly quickly.

• French Laundry at Home "Head to Toe", Part 1 - Pig's Feet, Part 2 - Pig's Head. A must read/see.

Nifty

The buds of Indian Creek's 2009 vintage Chardonnay have just bloomed (w/ pics).

5 pizzas 10 bottles of vino

And some old people playing Wii Sports at 12 a.m.

We went to some of our friends house and had 5 pizzas; each couple was assigned a pizza and charged with bringing a vino that would best accompany the toppings. This was the second time we've done it and it's fast becoming a tradition.

Sorry, no pics of the pies -- we were too busy enjoying them.

Menu 1st pizza party.

Menu 2nd pizza party.

Raise your glass and cheers!

Be it a pint, goblet, pilsner.

Fill 'er to the brim and toast the 75th anniversary of the modification of the Volstead Act on April 7th, 1933 which allowed beer as the only alcoholic beverage in the United States.

The failed social experiment known as "Prohibition" would come crashing down in December of the same year.

If you happen to be in Pocatello you can catch some 10 cent glasses of Portneuf Valley Brewing's new Ligertown Lager. I haven't heard about any brew-centric events in Boise or Nampa... but who knows.

Patrick Orr in the Idaho Statesman has has some back story and how prohibition affected Idaho.

Speaking of... Yesterday residents of South Carolina were allowed to buy beer and wine for the first time ever on a Sunday.

Stores sell beer, wine for the first time on Sundays

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - For the first time in Columbia, stores were able to sell beer and wine on Sundays. Some people didn't waste anytime getting in line to buy.

"You might want to sit back, watch a game or something and drink a nice cold one. Sales will be picking up," said Dennis Best.

I also find it mildly amusing that the bar with the best beer selection in Nampa is "The Doghouse" -- and it is in a guy's basement.

Updated

Serephin of 43rd State Blues fame made it to Portneuf Brewery today for some 10 cent brews...

Brat and brew pic goodness down below.

Blogging winemakers

Indian Creek, my favorite all-around Idaho winery now has a blog, check it out.

Still no meaningful reform

Idaho Statesman has an update on some liquor bills making their way through the legislature:

Alcohol bills bypass review of old laws
With a task force unlikely to offer proposals until next year, some interests say they can't wait.

Members of Gov. Butch Otter's liquor task force are taking a methodical approach to rewriting the state's alcohol laws, but some legislators and lobbyists aren't waiting.

At least eight bills dealing with the state's alcohol laws are winding their way through the Legislature. Most appear to have been written without consultation with the task force.

[...]

The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producing Commission is pushing one bill that would allow a winery restaurant to sell beer and liquor not produced by the winery and another bill to allow two wineries to share equipment. The legislation was brought this session in part because the winemakers have not been included in the governor's task force, said Roger Batt, who lobbies for the wine industry.

[...]

The current quota system, which Otter contends is broken, caps the number of liquor licenses at around 1,100.

With more than 300 people on the waiting list, a license can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on the secondary market.

At least two pending bills aim to make changes to liquor license laws, including one that would allow towns with 1,500 or fewer people to issue licenses to large resort developments.

Another bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, would allow Tamarack Resort to obtain more liquor licenses. He said he went ahead with the bill without comment from the task force because the bill can't wait.

Bottom line, you, citizen still can't get a liquor license at face value (w/out a ridiculous wait), but Tamarack can get their 13. I'm eager to see what Otter's task force brings to the table next legislative session -- it should be interesting as some legislators will be forced to play either their religious or business cards.

I am kinda curious about the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producing Commission's bill, I think it makes sense, and another example as to why the laws need changed. For the life of me I can't think of any wineries that have attached restaurants except for Carmela in Glenns Ferry. I can only assume that this is intended for Polo Cove, the truffle farm/resort/winery that is planned for southwest Canyon County (of which we are eagerly awaiting new info on).   

Indian Creek Winery in the news

Indian Creek, my favorite Idaho winery was in the Idaho Statesman yesterday in a story about ports, namely some Idaho ports. It is a pretty good read if you're into Idaho wines or port wine in general. Myself I'm not the biggest port fan in the world, I do enjoy a glass of it here and there, but my wife, well that is another story; she's a port fiend.

One piece of information that I found out after reading the article is that Silver Trail winery out of Kuna also makes a Pinot Noir -- this I did not know, I'm going to have to check it out. I'm always on the quest for a great Pinot (my favorite varietal), those who know me know that Indian Creek's Pinot Noir is by far my favorite Idaho Pinot and I also put it right up with some of the best ones I've had from other regions. Never watered down, never too fruity, always pretty earthy and always just right.

Anniversary dinner... er, day...

So tomorrow is mine and my wife's 8th anniversary and we decided this year to just stay home, kick back and enjoy each other instead of going somewhere for the weekend. So I planned out the day long menu and we picked up the complete series of Freaks and Geeks and we are going to wine and dine ourselves into oblivion at home. I was pretty excited by this part because it allowed me to spend more on quality ingredients and drinks because I am preparing everything myself and not going out. It's going to be a day long foodie binge with some good drinks along the way. That is if we are still capable of standing by the time the 6th course comes around.

I printed out the menu with drink pairings (which you can download here if you're so inclined) and posted it on the fridge for my wife to see when she gets home tonight. I've pretty much got everything ready to go so tomorrow we can shut out the outside world and just enjoy the day.

Couple things with the menu, the Eggs Benedict were supposed to be quail eggs but they proved rather difficult to procure. Same goes with some of the cheeses, but I managed to find cheeses that are going to be just as perfect for their pairing.

I also promise pics of the dishes that turn out -- we'll just have to see how that goes.

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Breakfast course:
Eggs Benedict w/ smoked salmon and nutmeg hollandaise

-- Served with pineapple and orange mimosas

Wine in 2007

Fermentation has the top 10 wine related stories of 2007.

As I sit here an drink some Kirkland branded Pinot Noir out of Central Otago I find the Costco story the most hopeful.

Speaking of...

While I'm not a fan of Costco's Kirkland branded wine labels the wines themselves aren't really that bad -- as with anything at Costco. But really; can't you at least try to trick me into thinking I'm drinking something else besides a Costco branded wine? Put a little bit of effort into that label? I could have done a better job than that, and then maybe I wouldn't have had to place the bottles in my cart... label down. I mean, I hate to be so shallow, but I'm just being honest.

At least Albertsons and Fred Myers attempt to disguise their house brands with a little bit of labeling creativity.

A few of my favorite things

 

Downtown Nampa's Market Limone is hosting its first Wine & Cheese tasting this Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. My wife and I are baby sitting that day but you can be sure we'll be down there trying some cheeses at least.

You can download the  .pdf flier here for more information.

Local booze in the news

Idaho Statesman has two stories this morning about some local businesses furnishing the valley with top-notch quality beer, wine and spirits.

Great story on the origins of Koenig Distillery/Winery in Canyon County who make an excellent vodka, I'm am sorry however to say that I haven't tried their brandy, I'll have to get on that this winter sometime. I'll also note that Koenig Winery makes my favorite Idaho Cabernet Sauvignon.

Statesman beer columnist Patrick Orr has a good write up on Boise's own Sockeye Brewery's limited winter offering; Winterfest. Looks like I'm going to have to try and convince some Boise friends and Co-Op shoppers to grab one (or two) of the only 780 bottles available once it hits the shelves next week. That is unless a certain market in Nampa winds up with a couple bottles, I can't really see it showing up anywhere else in Nampa.

Updated

Last night I talked to a local wine and beer distributor who agreed with my assessment that Koenig does indeed make the best Cab in Idaho. Just in case you were wondering...

Solving life's little problems

Speaking of wine...

Yahoo! News:

Device created for 'red wine headache'

BERKELEY, Calif. - The effects are all too familiar: a fancy dinner, some fine wine and then, a few hours later, a racing heart and a pounding headache. But a device developed by University of California, Berkeley, researchers could help avoid the dreaded "red wine headache."

Chemists working with NASA-funded technology designed to find life on Mars have created a device they say can easily detect chemicals that many scientists believe can turn wine and other beloved indulgences into ingredients for agony.

The chemicals, called biogenic amines, occur naturally in a wide variety of aged, pickled and fermented foods prized by gourmet palates, including wine, chocolate, cheese, olives, nuts and cured meats.

Old Ste. Chappelle vinos

Got an interesting referral today...

Personally I'd think that a 1980 Chardonnay from Ste. Chappelle might just be little past its prime, but none the less, I'd be game. I have in my possession a 1984 Ste. Chappelle Cabernet Sauvignon (back when Ste. Chappelle was in Washington) that I received as a gift some years ago; I'm still at a loss as to whether or not pop that one open. Right now I'm in the camp of "let's just hold on to it, its probably worth more unopened then it'll be enjoyable". I'm somewhat questioning of the quality of the wine that was coming out of Ste. Chappelle back then, but ya just never know.

But then again, who knows, it might just find itself uncorked this weekend, a wise man once said "there's no better time than now" -- er, something like that anyway.

Treasure Valley wineries

The Idaho Statesman had a good article on Treasure Valley wineries today. It touched on how the newly designated Snake  River Valley American Viticultural Area has really revitalized some local wineries, giving them the recognition that they desearve. And of course, it made sure to note that most of the Treasure Valley's wineries are in Canyon County, not Ada. And of those in Ada, three of the four are right on the border between the counties.

Eagle can do all they want to try and become the center of the Treasure Valley wine scene, but the dirt in Canyon County that the vines are growing in would say differently.

Getting closer to opening day

Revitalizator Laurel MacKinnon and her Market Limone were back in the Idaho Press-Tribune this morning, while we didn't learn much more than we already knew -- it was an "appetite wetter" in regards to the market. It did however have some updates on other downtown projects. The article mentioned that the building adjacent to the ice skating rink on 1st and 13th has been updated to 4 floors instead of 2 as originally planned.

And sadly the ice rink won't be open this year, but sometime next summer. So that means you can put those ice skates back on the top shelf of your closet for at least one more winter. I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

Also this was the first time I believe that Regular Joe's has been discussed in print. Regular Joe's will be a small eatery that will occupy the rear quarter of the building that the Urban Shed now resides in. It's also seeming that the alleyway behind 13th is going to make an appearance as a gathering place of sorts once all these businesses are up and running. I'm seeing a common thread between all of them having alleyway access; which I guess makes sense, because the sidewalks out front aren't exactly wide enough for chairs and tables.

I'm getting vibes that next summer in Downtown Nampa will be a memorable one.

Who says?

Who says you can't go from the Idaho Shakespeare Festival one night to the new season of Survivor on CBS the next night?

Let me just iterate that I really can't stand most all "reality tv" programming, namely because there is nothing "real" about it. That being said, my wife and I have always watched Survivor, we've watched it ever since the final episodes of the first season. It's really the only show we record and make a point to watch whenever it is on. Call me partial, but it also seems to be one of the only "reality shows" on tv that still have a tinge of "reality" to it.

Anyway season 15 took off tonight and so we are once again glued for the next couple of weeks until the 16 contestants are narrowed down to just one. Of course, the opening episodes always kind of suck as the fat is trimmed away from the core who will prove to make it towards the end. This season is taking place in China; opening scene -- a welcoming ceremony in a Buddhist temple. And because it'd just be too much to have a touch of class some contestants showed their true colors, upfront and extremely quickly. Courtney; the waitress from New York City (did I mention she was from NYC? Cause she did, like 16 times) who couldn't be bothered with the simple ceremony. And then there was Leslie; the Christian Radio Host who claimed to "not be very religious" who walked out of the Buddhist welcoming ceremony. Oy, I guess some people have never heard the whole saying about every American being an "ambassador" while traveling abroad.

As for the Shakespeare Festival -- we went and watched "Little Shop of Horrors" last night and it was great. Great music, great acting and great singers. It wasn't by far the best show we've ever seen at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, but being products of the 1980's we of course loved watching this classic.

Speaking of the Shakespeare Festival and in turn, wine; I took along a bottle of Indian Creek Winery's 2006 Pinot Noir that was just released to market this past Monday. I'm not completely sure yet, but as of now I'm leaning towards this being Indian Creek's best Pinot yet. Much more full bodied and complex than its predecessors (God, I loved that 2003 though!), and to find a good full bodied Pinot always makes me just a tad bit happy inside.

We did go out to Indian Creeks Pinot release party this past Sunday to enjoy some good wines and one of the few remaining sunny weekends with some friends. I'll also note that we saw Chef Dustan Bristol of Brick 29 Bistro out there enjoying the wines with his family and gathering some "wine intel". I asked him about adding Indian Creek's Pinot to his menu, I said if he carries it I'll at least buy it. And I'm sure that once more people have tried this phenomenal Idaho wine; they'll be buying it in bulk as well. I'd love to see it added to Brick 29's wine menu sometime in the near future, I'll be able to have it with that insanely good King Salmon w/ blackberry compote he has on his menu.

Truffles coming to Idaho? To Caldwell?

The Idaho Statesman has a story about a boutique hotel that is taking root southwest of Caldwell nestled next to the Snake River. No big deal eh? We've got plenty of hotels, bed and breakfast, resorts popping up all over Idaho, but this one comes with something a little more special:

Unique development takes shape
Canyon P&Z hears plans for hotel, eateries, winery

If all goes well for developer Glenn Mosell, the first part of his Polo Cove vision — a winery, hotel, restaurant, private bungalows and truffle farm southwest of Caldwell — will move from paper to reality by the end of 2008. So far, so good. Earlier this week, an East Coast boutique hotel group signed on to be part of the development near the Snake River in the heart of Canyon County’s wine country.

Ten thousand trees, inoculated with the appropriate fungus to grow truffles, are on order as part of a new crop to be introduced on the land.

Ok, now they've got my attention. It is always good to see things like this taking shape in Canyon County where the majority of the newly appointed Snake River Valley viticulture region lays.

Unlike the news coming out of Eagle a day or two ago, where apparently due to the, um, let us say median income they think they should be the center of Idaho's growing wine industry.

And no Eagle, having the money to plant a vineyard (sorry, vineyettes) does not make you a wine maker. The last thing that Idaho's wine industry needs is to have every yahoo with the money to plant a vineyard opening up a winery and flooding the market with so-so or lackluster wines. One can only wonder if these "vineyettes" are a ploy to take advantage of Idaho's agriculture tax exemptions that the Boise Guardian was talking about a few days ago.

Also note that I say this as an outsider observer to Idaho's wine industry, I know what I like, and I know what Eagle's power grab looks like. Appearances is always half of the battle - and of all places, Eagle should know that.

Marathon tastings

Vinography has a post up on how to survive and garner the most information from mass wine tasting, and it seems pretty on point. Not that we have a lot of options (say the one or two beer and wine festivals a year) in Idaho for large wine or beer tastings, but there was one point that applies even to small single winery tastings:

Don't hog the table, get your wine, spit and move away. If there are spit buckets elsewhere, you can get your wine and walk away from the table to spit.

Amen.

Personally I enjoy the social aspect of any sort of tasting, be it beer or wine, I'm not one to note everything, just the ones I enjoy. Even then it's just a quick mental note to pick the bottle up later, I haven't yet started carting around my own notebook. As some would say, I'm a wine drinker, not a wine taster.

Speaking of marathon tastings; it's getting closer to the  Mountain Brewers Beer Festival in Idaho Falls, only a couple months away.