Narrowing the field
We have often mentioned that many weeks, we taste 40 or 50 wines. Our great group of local distributors does a wonderful job of putting new wines and new vintages of wines in front of us that we already know. Couple this regular flow with winemakers and importers who periodically come through town to keep us updated on all the wines they have to offer, and no wonder the numbers reach that high.
For us and ultimately our customers, it is the best way to identify tasty and unique new wines for all to enjoy. With this level of tasting, though, all the wines and wineries do not make the cut. We typically pick two of the lot that make it into our Friday Night Flight program, our weekly wine special. Another 12 annually make it into our wine club, and four more annual choices for our Sommelier club selections. Shelf slots account for quite a few more, but we must account there for the absolute favorites of our clients that stay on the shelf as long as we have supply. So even with this amount of tasting, you can see the percentage that get eliminated because they just don't measure up. As we always say, you don't need a million choices - you just need the right one for your palate.
We narrow the field, too, as to which winemakers and importers we invite to the shop for events. We hold about 10 winemaker dinner/tasting combinations each year. We add a couple of other tasting-only events for wineries that can't make it to the market for two full days - again, a small subset of all the winery folks we know.
This week, wine consumers here in North Idaho and eastern Washington have a unique opportunity to enjoy the company of a winemaker who has made the cut in many of the above areas. Joe Forest is owner/winemaker at Tempus Cellars in Walla Walla. He is also the head winemaker at Patit Creek Cellars, also out of Walla Walla. In short, Joe is a great winemaker; we can't think of one of his wines that we did not like. Not surprising, when you learn that two of our favorite winemakers in Walla Walla - Gordy Venneri and Rich Funk - were instrumental in his early winemaking experience and in helping Joe to get off the ground. This type of early influence will impact an entire career.
We will be hosting Joe for a winemaker dinner this Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Fedora Restaurant. We will be featuring four Tempus wines, each paired with some great dishes designed by the folks at Fedora. Cost is $75 per person inclusive.
Fedora is a new partner for us on winemaker dinners, and we couldn't be more excited! We have found executive chef Brad Case and owner John Malee wonderful to work with. The food we have tasted from Brad has been delicious, so we are looking forward to a great wine and food experience on Friday.
Joe will also be joining us at the shop for a tasting of five of the Tempus wines on Saturday, Sept. 13th at 4 p.m. The tasting is complimentary. Space is limited for both events, so give us a call here at the shop (208) 765-5653 to reserve your spot for either event.
Our job as wine professionals is to always be narrowing the field of great wines and great winemakers, to present the very best to wine consumers. This week when Joe is here, wine consumers have the chance to taste his talent and enjoy wines that have been selected for our shelves, our wine club, and for the second time that Joe has come to town, one of our event weekends. Coupled with a chance to enjoy the great food that Brad and John are turning out at Fedora, it is a wine event that should not be missed. We hope you can join us!
If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene magazine www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop