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SEATTLE AND PORTLAND'S BEST WATERFRONT SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS |
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WINE BLOGby Salty's Sommelier Tim O'Brien [ Email ] August 2009I have a new cocktail just for you. Bubbles and Squeek, it's all about clean crisp flavors. I almost called it Citrus Squared because it features lemon and grapefruit but whatever you call it it's built to pucker you up and quench your thirst. It's designed to beat the heat. Look for this beverage on our Cocktail Menus under Salty's Stimulus Plan. If you can't make it into Salty's, here's the recipe to try at home. July 1, 2009People are asking to be seated on our decks and patios, and we love
to say, Yes. We have a long-standing tradition of fun fine dining and you won't need your frequent flyer miles to enjoy a taste of summer with a glass of Rosé or one of our newly concocted liquid creations. Our deck-diners have voted the Mango Sunrise back onto the menu because we blend these tropical flavors of summer into a silky smooth sleigh ride for your tongue-it goes down cool and easy. Here's the Mango Sunrise recipe so you can make one in your backyard while you fire up the BBQ. Hello, YUM-O! May 26, 2009
Watch my blog for future wine dinner news! May 2009A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN:
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Animale Wine |
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Nardonne Wine |
And a special thanks to West
Seattle Cellars, who will make all wines available for purchase
that evening!
Tickets must be purchased in advance at http://www.farestart.org/help/events/
or call (206) 267-6223.
Washington Wine Month
Each year in March Washington winemakers ask restaurants to support their efforts by featuring their wines and holding special events that focus on their latest greatest vintage. We have had tremendous fun marketing the “local juice” to all of our guests because Washington wines are such a great value.
In 2004 we received a special award from the Washington Wine Commission for the best Marketing of Washington Wine for our “Washington vs. The World” taste test promotion. Marketing is critical but nothing beats having the best product. We are proud supporters of the wine industry because just like Salty's you can spend a little or a lot but you won't be disappointed. The winning formula is to exceed expectations.
We have had Hogue Cellars as our Salty's label house wine for the past nine years because they continue to impress us year after year. I am brimming with pride reading the March edition of the Wine Spectator because the scores for all the Hogue 2007 wines are through the roof. Check it out:
Hogue, Columbia Valley Cabernet, 89 points “Bright and flavorful. A juicy focused mouthful of raspberry-tinged currant and spice flavors, finishing with velvety texture.” You can get a glass of this for $6.49 at all Salty's restaurants in Seattle, Redondo Beach and Portland.
The Hogue Syrah, Merlot and Fume Blanc all scored 88 points and their Chardonnay received 87 points. The Hogue Chardonnay was described as “Bright and juicy with tangy lime, green apple and vaguely smokey overtones competing for attention.” Drink it when you visit Salty's for $6.29 a glass.
We are thrilled to have locked up more than seven-hundred cases of 2007 vintage of Cabernet and Chardonnay, just in case your wine shop runs out. The scores by the judges are well earned recognition and we salute all the hard-working talented people at Hogue who have been such great folks to work with. Those high scores also reinforce what OUR guests have told us over the years, “Nice wine, I'll have another.” Music to my ears. Thanks and congratulations, Hogue Cellars. Visit them online at http://www.hoguecellars.com then make a reservation at Salty's at http://www.saltys.com/reservations or of course you can call us.
Hope
you can join us at Taste Washington! – a great wine experience
– on April 5, 2009, at Qwest Field Event Center. If you're new
to wine or a seasoned connoisseur, Taste Washington Seattle is the
ideal event to taste new and exciting wines being produced in Washington
State. Hundreds of Washington wineries will be in attendance and delicious
fare from over 75 of Seattle's gourmet restaurants will be provided.
To purchase tickets visit www.tastewashington.org
and be sure to visit Salty's table. We'll be there!
Stop and Smell the Pinot
February's menu features crab-stuffed Salmon and we would like you to try a glass of Pinot Noir with this dish to extract all the savory flavors that our chefs create in this meticulous and imaginative preparation.
The pairing of Pinot Noir with salmon is well documented but I think I can provide a few Pinot Pointers that will make your selection a happy one.
Serve Pinot Noir a little bit cooler than usual temperature for other red wines. Pinot Noir and Beaujolais, both originally from Burgundy, benefit from a very slight chill (around 62-65). Red wine should be served no warmer than 68.
Try to drink Pinot that is at least three years behind the current calendar year. The extra time in bottle allows the wine to knit together in a seamless but bright expression of fruit spiced with oak. The 2005s are singing in harmony right now and they're better to drink than 2006 or 2007 vintages. However many less expensive Pinot Noirs are made to drink young. Here is what you do. If your Pinot tastes a bit rough on the palette or thin on fruit ask for it to be decanted for aeration or just let it sit in your glass and start swirling.
Let the wine sit in your glass and use a proper burgundy glass. More than any other red wine Pinot Noirs bring along a menagerie of spellbinding aromas that evolve and change as the wine gets air. You do not want to miss this aspect. Let time do its thing with the Pinot and you will have a more genuine and fuller Pinot experience. Take time to stop and smell the Pinot. If you have a bottle, pour yourself a healthy glass but do not top off the glass because you will be interrupting the performance of the wine.
One very important caveat if your bottle of Pinot is more than ten years old it may fade and fall apart if it is decanted well ahead of drinking. In this case open right before serving and you will notice how wine changes in the glass more easily.
Okay I'm all done being geeky and you can go back to just enjoying wine. Oh, and be sure to make a reservation before you head over to Salty's- it's easy to do online at http://www.saltys.com/reservations
My last article on Riesling as the perfect pairing with crab piqued your interest and generated many questions. Riesling has been tantalizing and fascinating wine experts for centuries. There are families in Germany who have been making Riesling in excess of 400 years. It is considered by many including myself to be the most age-worthy wine.
I was hooked for life on wine when I tasted my first forty-year-old Riesling. It was nearly an out-of-body experience. But I digress. My aim today is to clear up the misconception that Riesling is a sweet wine. Most people think sweet wine is inferior to dry wine ergo Riesling is second class. Not so. In fact it is considered the most noble of the noble varieties.
Riesling ranges from a viscous, sweet nectar to a bone dry, searingly crisp and sheer wine. The misconception about sweet German Rieslings goes back to WWII when they made sweet Rieslings to appeal to American GIs.
If I had to pick one Riesling to recommend it would be from Germany in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region from the Kabinett category of ripeness. If you like bone dry Rieslings look for the word trocken or halbtrocken on German wines.
Look for Riesling on the Alki and Redondo menus under the heading "Seafood Whites-Aromatic." Find it under White Wine by the Glass on the Portland menu. Here are the menus:
Make reservations today at http://www.saltys.com/reservations and hope to see you soon sipping Riesling at Salty's!
We
have added a new twist to our eighth annual event by inviting Salty's
Chefs to build some bites to pair with our favorite Syrahs. Look for
Alki Executive Chef Jeremy McLachlan, Redondo Chef
Gabriel Cabrera and Alki Pastry Chef Jane
Gibson as they team with Redondo Sommelier Veronica
Smith and myself to share the food-wine pairing fun.