Executive Chef, Jeffrey Saad, gives us his take on pairing a High Note Malbec from Argentina, with an empanada and mole sauce. Jeffrey is the Executive Chef at the Grove in San Fransisco, the host of "United Tastes of America" on the Cooking Channel, the author of the book "Global Kitchen: Recipes Without Border", and Food Network Star - season 5 finalist. High Note Malbec is an Argentina Malbec imported by Winebow.  The empanada was prepared by Executive Chef Bear Ullman. Jeffrey was a speaker at a wine industry event hosted by the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla.

Jeffrey Saad

It was a perfect summer evening with friends at Martin-Scott Winery in East Wenatchee.  Our hosts were Mike Scott & Judi Martin-Scott, and the chef was Tim Putnam, formerly of Smoke Blossom restaurant in Wenatchee*. The setting was spectacular with views over the vineyards towards the Columbia River. Our group started with a little of the 2008 Chardonnay and the 2006 Syrah, while mingling with the winemaker & guests. With dinner we had the 2010 Viognier paired with the seafood courses, 2006 Merlot with the chicken enchilada, and 2008 Malbec paired with the roast — all very nice. The evening ended with a cozy fire pit and a full moon. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

* NOTE: Tim is opening a new restaurant in Cashmere, WA this fall.

Martin-Scott Winery

Ian Crawford, of Vinoture, shows off his elegantly designed furniture made from retired wine casks, at The Taste of Washington in Seattle. From bar stools to tables, and sconces to coat racks, each hand built piece is one-of-a-kind and tells its history through the rich tones of the wine-stained wood.
Ian is not only a fun person, but a true artist who takes a lot of pride in his craft.

Vinoture

The Wenatchee Wine Walk was one of several events that was part of Wenatchee Wine Week featuring 14 wineries from the greater Wenatchee, Quincy, and even Leavenworth areas, including St. Laurent, Stemilt Creek, Jones, Baroness, Horan, and Malaga Springs to name a few. The weather was perfect for wandering around downtown Wenatchee on a Saturday afternoon, tasting wine and meeting winemakers. The event was hosted by Wenatchee Wine Country and many retail businesses.

Wenatchee Wine Country

Boudreaux Cellars winemaker Rob Newsom, and his wife Tamara, host a pre-opening party at The Library in Woodinville, Washington. The Library is a unique concept in tasting rooms that features wines from Boudreaux Cellars, Den Hoed Wine Estates and Long Shadows Winery.  The idea is to have a tasting room that wine enthusiasts can reserve for an hour (or more) to have a private tasting of the wines from the three vintners.  It's a small, cozy, library style room with a fireplace that makes for an ideal atmosphere for relaxing and wine tasting. It's located at the SE corner of the Hollywood Schoolhouse turnaround next to the Apex Winery tasting room.

Boudreaux Cellars

This 1 minute video gives you a taste of the gathering Gary & Cindy of Silvara Vineyards, hosted on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The winery is located just outside of Leavenworth, Washington.  For a small fee of $7. they were pouring tastings of every wine they currently have bottled, along with hors d'oeuvre, and lively jazz music provided by Mugsy's Groove. The setting at the winery is spectacular, perched on a hill overlooking the valley and surrounding mountains.  The architecture and decor are northwest lodge with two indoor fireplaces, an outdoor fireplace and in the milder months, two outdoor fire pits.

Silvara Vineyards