Until recently, I played my wine and food pairing cards conservatively. Rarely did I attempt to pair a red wine with poultry, for example. As for chocolate, which I love nearly as much as wine, I avoided pairing the two in fear sweetness in the chocolate would cause my dry wine to taste bitter. I […]
Wine or chocolate on your gift list? Why not pair them? Read More »
After opening a handful of robust California wines for #MerlotMe month, it was back to my home state of Washington for two by Walla Walla producer L’Ecole No. 41. If you were tasting these wines blind, you might not guess they’re related. These two are like second cousins or first cousins, once removed. Aside from
Wrapping up #MerlotMe month with a pair of Washington ‘cousins’ Read More »
Like a person or a cherished pet, a wine has a personality of its own. Some are slow to open up. They’re intense, complex and take a long to get to know. Others are forward and direct, or they may be hearty and easygoing. To me, the L’Ecole No. 41 Frenchtown Red, Columbia Valley AVA,
A Washington red meets Mediterranean-style cuisine Read More »
Ever taste a wine so good it made you cry? Perhaps you can remember the precise moment it changed your life. For Marcus Rafanelli, winemaker at L’Ecole 41 in the Walla Walla Valley in southeastern Washington, that wine was a 1988 Columbia Syrah that he tasted at a birthday dinner. This particular Syrah was the
L’Ecole winemaker feels the love for Washington Syrah Read More »
Walla Walla Valley is predominately a red region. Only about 5% of grapes in this corner of southeastern Washington are white. So it felt kind of special to open a bottle of L’Ecole No. 41 Luminesce and shine a light on their two estate-grown whites, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Family-owned L’Ecole No. 41 was the
Shining a light on white grapes of Walla Walla Valley Read More »