It’s Friday the 13th, hopefully you are all having a a great evening so far…

Tamarack Cellars is a winery based in Walla Walla, WA that has a great red blend known as Firehouse Red.  They threw just about everything in the pot when making this wine (39% cab sauv, 23% syrah, 12% merlot, 11% cab franc, 6% malbec, 5% sangiovese, 2% zinfandel, 1% petit verdot, and 1% carmenere) and the finished product is nothing short of excellent.  The grapes for this 2009 vintage were sourced out of the Columbia Valley.  This glass of wine had a nice deep reddish purple color to it, and on the nose I got black fruit with hints of spice and oak.  On the palate the wine has nice tannins, with spicy black cherry, blackberry and and nice smooth finish.  This is a very well structured wine, and the alcohol at a touch under 14% at 13.92%, balances it out nicely.  There are no overpowering aspects of the wine, and it makes for a very enjoyable glass.  I would say this would go nicely with a grilled steak or a rib roast.  Definitely one of the best Washington State red blends I have had, and a great deal for the $14 I paid for it.  

 If you have already tried the Firehouse Red, another red blend out of the Columbia Valley you might like is the Desert Wind Ruah.  I purchased this 2008 for $12, and it is a nice Bordeaux blend of 40% cab sauv, 15% cab franc, and 45% merlot.  It has a nose of black cherry with a hint of vanilla, and on the palate blackberry with a note of coffee, and comes with soft tannins and acids and leaves you off with an excellent  finish.  The alcohol is a bit higher at 14.5%, but it also balances out nicely in the wine.  

 Not in the mood for red? Tamarack Cellars also has a great chardonnay.  I tried the 2008 vintage, and it was quite pleasant.  It has a nose of ripe red apples with a hint of oak, and the palate has good acids with flavors of crisp apples and a nice creamy finish.  At $14 it’s a great buy.

 Other news in the wine world:

 There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of days about the news of a wine researcher being accused of fraud.  This University of Connecticut professor had published studies about the health benefits of wine consumption. 

China has become a large wine market, and according to a source has just overtaken the U.K. as the no. 5 wine consuming nation in the world.  On a similar note, the U.S. has moved into the top spot ahead of France and Italy as the world’s top wine market.

Chile produces some great wines, and now is aiming to become one of the best when it comes to sustainable viticulture. 

That does it for now, have a great night!

Cheers,

Seth