Wine of the Month Club “Pick-

Up” Party and Tasting

Friday - March 9

5 to 8PM

Open house style. Make this your day to

come in to pick up your Wine Club Selec-

tions for the month, have a seat and sam-

ple 3 of this month’s wine club wines

paired with 3 of our gourmet cheeses and

breads. Free to Wine Club Members.

$12. for Guests. A great way to taste a few

new wines and unwind on a Friday after-

noon!

Wine of the Month Club “Pick-

Up” Party and Tasting

Friday - April 13

5 to 8PM

Open house style. Make this your day to

come in to pick up your Wine Club Selec-

tions for the month, have a seat and sam-

ple 3 of this month’s wine club wines

paired with 3 of our gourmet cheeses and

breads. Free to Wine Club Members.

$12. for Guests. A great way to taste a few

new wines and unwind on a Friday after-

noon!

Southern Hemisphere: Latin

Lovers and Aussie Shiraz

Saturday - April 28th

6:00 - reception

6:30 - dinner

This evening highlights 8 wines of the

Southern Hemisphere, where its harvest

season now .. So, in a whirlwind tour we

will enjoy 8 Chef Ty creations and Sum-

mer Little’s favorite Latin Lovers, Aussie

Shiraz and others.

$79. includes tax and gratuity for

Members

Marriage of Food & Wine

Continued

Our Upcoming Wine Dinner

in April

Roast Chicken & Paprika

Pictures from February’s

Wine Dinner

The Wine Insight of Charles

Baudelaire

Monthly Club Selections

Don't get me wrong; I like

water. It's a refreshing neces-

sity. But meals with wine are

tastier and more memorable

than any meal with just wa-

ter.

Grapes are food from which

we take juice. Then, the

juice is preserved through

the process of fermentation.

That process renders the

juice dynamic and reactive.

Sure, it preserves it longer

from spoilage, the same as all

fermentation does (think

Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Yogurt,

etc.), but fermentation also

renders its own flavor influ-

ences in addition to that

charming psychotropic effect

that relaxes us. And I can

definitely digest better when

I am relaxed. Trouble comes

if I have too much, I also

think I can dance better.

In Italian, there is not a di-

rect translation for, "He's

drunk." Their phrasing

comes at it from the other

direction. "He has not had

enough to eat." This concept

of food balancing wine is at

the foundation of our rela-

tionship with the beverage;

but it seems fraught with so

many pitfalls.

And this my friends boils

down to the real secret. I

hope I'm not violating any

super secret Sommelier

code, or threatening my job

security by admitting this, but

its one of those secrets we all

know instinctively anyway.

Super simple and, in retro-

spect, obvious. And here it

is: "It is as hard to make hor-

rible food and wine combi-

nations as it is to make to

make amazing ones.". There,

the cat's out of the bag.

Horrible combinations... Let

me think.... Peanut butter

and Pinot Gris are pretty

useless together. Fat King

Salmon and young, tannic

Cabernet Franc are a pretty

good waste of each other's

talents. In fact, milk choco-

late and Cabernet Sauvignon

is a personal match made in

Purgatory. While they are

delicious and somewhat

decadent alone, they remain

perfect foils to each other's

virtues. Same goes for choco-

late and Champagne; who-

ever thought of that was sim-

ply piling luxury on luxury

with the logic that more must

be better. As if putting caviar

on truffles atop Lobster

stuffed with Foie Gras would

be the best dinner. (I think

my cholesterol went up just

typing that.)

There are the somewhat

"classic" mismatches like As-

paragus and any wine

(though we have found Alsa-

Riding a wave of cool European wine selections,

Guests savored 8 courses of adventurous chef-

prepared cuisine with 8 of our best pairings from the

Continent. It was a fine evening of food and wine, dar-

ing and sumptuous; commentary was provided by

Beverly’s own Summer Little. Please join the party for

Beverly’s Wine Club:

Categories of Membership

1. Starving Artist - $20 or less Red, White

or Both These wines are selected with a

price in mind, and they are the best wines

under $20. Period. Some from Europe,

some from Australia, some from Idaho -

but always, the best we have tasted and can

sell under $20. Usually, these are wineries

we have just discovered and they won’t re-

main in this price category very long.

2. Soirée Vin - $25-$50. Red, White or

Both Wine that can last the night long.

Often, wine this good only requires one

bottle to make the entire evening memora-

ble. These wines come from the best sell-

ing “price section” of our extensive wine list,

and it contains wines that command atten-

tion. Look for familiar names here from

Walla Walla, Napa Valley and Piedmont as

well as great discoveries from all over.

3. La Mode - $55.-$100. Red, White or

Both These wines hit the heights of celebra-

tion. Often listed on wine lists above $150.,

these wines are from wineries recognized as

being at the top of their game. In most

cases, these are wines we have in our cellars

and have had the benefit of a few years cel-

laring to bring out the best spectrum of fla-

vor. This feature is incomparable to other

wine clubs. Access to older vintages may be

the single best reason to choose at least one

bottle from this category.

4. Premier Cru - $110. to $200. Red Only

These are red wines with a world-class pedi-

gree. Often premier and grand cru appel-

lated wines from France, well-known Ba-

rolo, aged Amarone, classified growth Bor-

deaux and cult-quality Napa offerings.

These are wines for the serious collector

and are necessarily limited in quantity.

5. Grand Cru - $210 or more Red Only

Wines that top the chart of rarity, august

reputation and price: Romanee-Conti, al

Forno, Hill of Grace, Peter Michael, Quil-

ceda Creek, Harlan, Colgin, and others

round out these choices. There is no better

way to add to a great collection of wines

than by joining this category. These selec-

tions come from our cellars exclusively and

have been carefully treated.

A note to wine@cdaresort.com with your

selection gets you started!!

STARVING ARTIST

7006 - White - 1004 Skylark Chardonnay “Alondra” 2009, Mendocino CA - $20./36.

The distinctive note in this tropical/citrus chardonnay is its lack of oak barrel flavor impressions. Ro-

bust flavors of tropical (not sweet!) citrus and balanced with a creamy texture from lees stirring, round

out an otherwise picture perfect Cali Chardonnay. Small boutique production means hand-crafted…..

7007 - Red - 334 Milbrandt Merlot “Estate” 2006 Columbia Valley, WA - $20./36.

From the sun kissed Wahluke Slope, this merlot boasts of long days basking in the heat of the day. Aro-

mas of dark berries, mocha, earth and leather, give way to flavors of bright red pomegranate and black-

berries, hints of anise and cinnamon. Finishing with smooth, satiny tannins and mellow acids, this wine

is delightful with any number of food selections…..

SOIREE VIN

7026 - White— 826 Olsen Estates Chardonnay, Yakima Valley 2008 54./32.

A creamier NW Chardonnay will be difficult to find. And not creamy like buttery, but the texture of

this wine is simply smoother than the rest. There are balanced impressions of French oak barrels and a

little “butter”, but only enough to balance out the nearly overripe (but NOT sweet) pear and yellow deli-

cious apple characters that mark this wine….

7027 - Red - 3760 Domaine Clape Cotes du Rhone 2008, Southern Rhone, France - $40./54.

This is easily the best bargain out of France’s Rhone Valley I have seen in more than a year. While

Cotes du Rhone typically represent the bottom tier of Rhone wine classification, in this case, Domaine

Clape has made one that rivals every single village wine produced that year….

LA MODE

7046 - White - 831 Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Sonoma County CA 2009 $62./$75.

The loveliest chardonnay from Sonoma, this concentrated and almost “heady” example carries a texture

that most wines have to use oak barrels to achieve. Not this one - the concentration of the fruit and just

a little oak leaves that silky mouthfeel intact and foregoes the bolder vanilla and full-on butter impres-

sion of so many other Cali Chardonnays….

7047 - Red - 2621 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2008 $80./95.

John Abbott’s wines are always among Walla Walla “biggest” versions of Cabernet, and this one seems

to merit a little further cellaring for its youthful tannins and somewhat “closed” flavors as of press time.

That said, the flavors coaxed out with our decanter included more of a hard blackberry, solid minerality

and of course the dark cassis and notes of pure vanilla. Medium-full textured; and to hear the wine-

maker’s description, “old-world Bordeaux flavors….

PREMIER CRU RED

7064 - 4486 Chateau Hosanna 2001 Pomerol, Bordeaux $160./210.

A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, Robert Parker describes this as the Cheval Blanc of

Pomerol. Admirable complexity and purity, it possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as wonderful

notes of blueberries, mint, espresso, and white chocolate. Opulent, rich, and pure, with a seamless inte-

gration of acidity, tannin, and wood, it is a beautiful wine built for drinking before 2015 in my conserva-

tive book (Parker goes out to 2024).

GRAND CRU RED

7084 - 4145 Tenuta Dell’ Ornellaia “Masseto”, Bolgheri 1999 320./425.

Merlot only, so get ready to have your horizons broadened. This 1999 is another powerful, fresh and

vibrant expression of this wine. Still youthful, it is a big wine with layers of dark fruit that open in the

glass shows a looooong finish and remarkable balance. It is stunning vintage as well. My friend Mr.

Parker scores it a 95 (up from his initial 93) and rates its best drinking now to 2019. There is some un-

mistakable “Italian” flavor quality to this wine, but it is aged in small French barrels. It deserves those

barrels too, as it has a powerful concentration of fine tannin, fruit and alcohol that is only neatly touched

by barrique aging. Save this for a few years and let it be an extra sauce next to the Braised Short Ribs

and Demi-Glace.

No matter what your wine cellar needs or wine education level, we can encourage you to enjoy Beverly’s

for a glass of wine and join our Wine Club to broaden your wine horizons!

“If wine disappeared from human production, I believe there would be, in the health and intellect of the planet, a void, a deficiency far more terrible than all the excesses and deviations for which wine is made re-sponsible. Is it not reasonable to suggest that people that never drink wine, whether naive or doctrinaire, are fools or hypocrites….?” Charles Baudelaire, Author of “L’Ame du Vin”, 1857

That Italian wines

provide sommeliers

with the easiest wine

and food pairings?

It’s true.

The native acidity in

Italian wine coupled

with its usual lack of

tannin, or “dry” acid-

ity lets it build gusta-

tory bridges with

food that most other

wine regions would

miss. Plus, they’re a

good value and re-

mind us of our native

NorthWest wine-

making….

Oven-Roasted

Rosemary Chicken

with Smoked Paprika

Ingredients:

8 large bone-in Chicken thighs

5 teaspoons Smoked Paprika

16 sprigs fresh Rosemary

Preheat to 450 degrees. Make

slits across the width of each

chicken thigh.

Mix Paprika with a dash of salt,

lay it into each slit. With an-

other slit, incorporate the entire

sprig of Rosemary.

Place on rimmed baking sheet

and roast for 40-45 minutes.

tian Muscat fares very well), but Kimchi, in all of its incarna-

tions, remains aloof of any pairing outside of really cold, in-

nocuous beer or vodka. On the other side of the coin, I can't

think of a wine that does not go well with polenta... and the

nearly as friendly "Pizza" can be topped to make any wine

more delicious...

I always relish trying the truly great pairings we discover; but

in the middle of all that, most wine goes with most food

pretty well. You almost have to try to screw it up, so relax.

But like any good marriage counselor, there are guidelines

that make the chances of success that much more likely:

1. Pair heartier foods with heartier wines. Not sure which

wines are hearty? Visit some wineries, ask your favorite wine

pro, and taste, taste, taste.

2. Pair heartier, heavier wines with more aggressive cooking

methods. Poached preparations have a delicacy that posi-

tively compliments lighter wines; fire-grilled, charred, manly

meats are also hunting for big flavored wines.

3. When in Rome... This works for classic European recipes

best. If you are preparing Italian cuisine, drink Italian wine.

Duh.

4. Sweet foods make wine seem sharp by comparison; sour

foods make wine seem fruitier. Apples, berries, mangoes and

maple syrup will all make your wine seem crisper; mustard,

vinaigrette, lemon and bleu cheese will round any sharp

edges off your wine.

5. Dry wine carries flavor better. Hot peppers rinsed down

with water makes them seem even hotter, dry wine acts the

same to our palates. Conversely, sweeter wines mask food's

intensities to keep them from seeming overbearing. For the

same reason, make sure the dessert wine is sweeter than the

dessert itself, or the wine will seem sharp by comparison.

And so take whatever makes sense to you and use it pay

close attention to the flavors on your palate. You will find

some new ones, disagree with some old ones, and the whole

process will be more interesting than water.