A Winemaker’s Dinner in Woodinville

I’ve been teasing this dinner for two days now, wait no longer here it is…

While doing research for our trip Pam learned that one of the Woodinville wineries, Covington Cellars, was hosting a winemaker’s dinner. The event was earmarked for their wine club members, but it appeared to be open to others if seats remained. Before committing we thought it best to first taste their wines to see if we liked them. As it was, we did, especially the Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. After a nice tasting and good conversation with Donovan Claflin, assistant winemaker and general manager, we asked if seats remained for Saturday’s dinner. Lucky for us two seats at the banquet table were available and so with a swipe of the credit card we were in.

Covington has a young-gun of a winemaker, Morgan Lee. Under the direction of owner David Lawson, Morgan and Donovan craft some very nice wines that exemplify the greatness Washington State fruit and contemporary wine making techniques, and great talent produce. Morgan greeted us and all the guests at the door and we were soon handed a glass of their Rough House Red, a blend featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.

As you might imagine, a winery like Covington is going to host a party most befitting it–small, intimate, unpretentious, informative and fun. The table was set for 18; a perfect number of seats for this winemaker’s dinner. Even though we knew no one at the party (few did) we all had a common tie that bound us to the event which made it easy to get to know one another. We had a grand time dining next to an Australian couple who, because of positions of employment, spent most of their adult lives traveling the world. With the husband approaching retirement soon our newest friends could rely on life experiences to add color and flavor to the conversations. This is the hidden jewel at events like this: your common appreciation for wine and food and desire to learn more about each creates the perfect environment for complete strangers to intersect lives on a rainy evening at the back end of a warehouse district sitting at a grand dining table.

The evening unfolded with a tour of the production facility for some, and a brief cooking demonstration for others. Each of the seven courses prepared by Executive Chef Trinity Mack was paired with a wine. Mid-way through the courses we took a break. Morgan lead us back to the fermentation tanks to discuss the latest vintage and how he chooses to work the fruit in the tank and also to sample a yet to be released wine. We made our way back to the tasting room to continue our dining and conversation. As we enjoyed the meal our conversations gravitated towards the state of Washington wines today and how Morgan found his place in the industry.

To say that the food and wine was a wonderful way to end a day of wine tasting goes without saying. The important take-aways include the fellowship with new-found food friends and the added layer of knowledge gained about Washington State boutique wines that we could only have experienced through an evening with a winemaker, a chef, and a dozen or so people with unique points of view.

What we ate, what we drank…

Tray passed

Smoked Salmon Stuffed Petite Yukon
Wild Mushroom Smoked Gouda Tart
2006 Rough House Red

Amouse Bouche

Seared Scallops with Eggplant Truffle Caviar & Roasted Garlic Fried Kale
2008 Dress White

Soup

Chorizo Clams & Mussels with Goat Cheese Crostini & Sweet Pea Vines
2009 Josie Rosé

Greens

Bed of Baby Spinach with Poached Quail Egg, Capicola Ham & Balsamic Beet Candied Almonds
2007 Prima Miscela

Palate Cleanser

Cranberry Wine Infused Sorbet

Entrée

Braised Porcini Pork Shank With Cauliflower Potato Puree & Bacon Beurre Rouge
2007 Cabernet Franc

Sweet Bite

White Chocolate Crème Brulee With Lace Cookie & Blood Orange Shooter
2006 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

From Water to Wine

We leave the city center of Seattle and head north to the Woodinville wine country.

After breakfast it was time to pack our bags, pick up the rental car and make our way out of the Emerald City and head north to Woodinville.  Woodinville sits just 25 miles outside of the city and so it seemed to me a bit peculiar to think that we would be in a major vinicultural center so close to a metropolitan area.

With each driving journey we never take the shortest distance between two points. Why? Because America exists on the roads less traveled and it is why we make the trip. This day was no different as we drove along the Puget Sound shoreline to visit the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Near the town of Ballard this complex of locks serves the shipping lane of Salmon Bay for access to Lake Washington. The park-like site is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and is a great place to stop for a picnic and watch the ships pass through the locks. The lock system integrates a fish ladder which allows migrating salmon to swim upstream around the locks on their way to Lake Washington where they will spawn. The fish ladder has observation areas, including a sub-surface mini-amphitheater where you can watch the salmon make their journey from sea to fresh water.

We eventually make our way to Woodinville were our first stop was Covington Cellars. It was a little tricky to find because they were tucked away within a business complex. We soon learned that in Woodinville this is the norm – they call this “the warehouse district.” Outside of Chateau St. Michele and Columbia Winery you just won’t find the big, opulent estates that you become accustomed to in other wine regions. In part this is because many of the wineries from this area are small, family-owned boutique wineries that source fruit from eastern Washington and the Columbia Valley and then produce and sell wine in this more populous area. That’s okay if you’re coming here to taste great wine. Not so great if you want to experience a more bucolic setting.

Our wine tasting at Covington was near exceptional… enough so to book two seats for the next evening’s winemaker dinner. From there we traveled a block away to visit Efeste Wine and then moved across the street to Gordon Brothers Winery. Gordon Brothers is one of the few estate wineries with vineyards and production in the Tri-Cities/Columbia River region.

After wine tasting it was time to check in to our room at the Willows Lodge. I won’t go into too much detail with this post, but I will tell you that if you’re ever in the area, this is THE place to stay–beautifully appointed rooms, two outstanding restaurants on site, a great bar, a micro-brewery, day spa… you get the point.

Lastly, dinner – a fabulous meal at Purple Cafe. Purple offers a casual setting, a broad menu, diverse wine list and good food for the right price. We both chose selections from their three course prix fixe menu plus wine pairings. Highlights were the baked brie with house made crackers, meatloaf like no other, and lobster macaroni and cheese. If there was a bad thing about the meal it would have been that a plate rarely leaves me with morsels left, but this night I couldn’t finish the mac and cheese.

Tomorrow we’ll tell our tales of a day of wine tasting capped off by a winemaker’s dinner.