Maya moments as close as Woodinville
Published 9:59 pm Sunday, December 23, 2007
I think of wine as inspired experiences in a bottle. Of course, there are other forms of wine containment these days such as cans, boxes, cylinders or kegs but, for the sake of tradition; I’m going with the bottle. (That last statement reveals a big piece of my mantra).
The experience of wine is so romantically captivating that it has inspired us to pursue our dreams, travel the world, or just prepare a great meal and share a bottle with someone special on any night ending in Y and allow the wine to make the meal sing.
In my opinion, one of the all-time great wine related scenes on film was a simple discussion about the ethereal experience of wine. In the movie “Sideways” the character Maya produced a cinematic equivalent of a walk-off homer in the viniferous World Series when she proclaims to Miles: “I like to think about the life of wine. How it’s a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks, like your ‘61 cheval blanc. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline. And it tastes so (expletive) good! You know, the day you open a ‘61 cheval blanc… that’s the special occasion.”
The experience of wine, food and all of the other pleasing sensory trappings surrounding these precious commodities has been the compass that has guided so many of us grape geeks over the millennia to strive for just one more “Maya moment.”
The fact is that those little personal earthquake moments are rightfully few and far between. As you know, you can’t have peaks without valleys but, if you want to summit a peak, you have to keep climbing. I’ve been scaling everything from mole holes and speed bumps to the occasional take-your-breath-away, Dave-James-Cellar-pilfering, awe-inspiring, ‘82 Chateau Latour. Everestlike peaks for many a harvest, and there are so many moments worth savoring (I guess I just revealed a couple) that I’m going to need to refill the oxygen tank. But given that we are now basking in the eve of Christmas Eve and teetering on the launch of a new year, I thought I’d share a few practical, local, accessible and highly enjoyable wine inspired experiences that have occurred recently at some new hot spots just a hop, skip and sip away.
Have you done the “wine thing” in Woodinville and the surrounding area lately? There are so many new and exciting wineries making world-class fermented grape juice it’ll make you head spin — trust me, I mean that literally. Many of which are nestled in and around nondescript industrial parks east of town, which is totally efficient for the winemakers and us thirsty visitors.
Wineries such as Arlington Road Cellars, Covington Cellars, Cuillin Hills Winery, De Voigne Cellars, Edmonds Winery, Gorman Winery, Mark Ryan Winery, Page Cellars, Red Sky Winery and Stevens Winery are open on Saturday afternoons for sampling and experiencing what may be the antithesis of the “Chateau.”
I bet most of these winemakers are proud of their rustic ambience and may even collectively name this other side of the tracks Woodinville wine scene the “chat-no.” This by no means is a slight to the majestic Chateau Ste. Michelle with its glorious grounds, grandiose tasting room and consistently delicious wines; it’s just a different and possibly youthful spin that is paying big dividends in expanding the consumer base, which is the goal of everyone in the Washington wine industry.
Another about-face wine twist in Woodinville is the cranial erupting Novelty Hill/Januik Winery that can be referred to as concrete sheik with an abundance of “linear logic” and oenophilic efficiency or, more appropriately, “way cool!” The wines that are produced at this tremendous facility by Mike Januik aren’t too shabby either and well worth the stop — even without the jaw-dropping architecture.
A few minutes west of Woodinville in the little village of Juanita (technically Kirkland) is a new wine bar andrestaurant called Brix Wine Cafe. This little wine gem was fortuitously referred to me while sipping a wine called Guardian Cellars “Gunmetal Red” (another stellar wine) at Mark Ryan Winery, and it took very little coaxing to prompt a visit. Delicious food, an outstanding collection of rare Northwest wines (even by the glass), and the thoroughly warm and inviting atmosphere was enough to guarantee many a repeat visit.
Another hot tip for an exquisite culinary adventure also comes with a new lodging option in the heart of downtown Kirkland. The Heathman Hotel and the adjoining Trellis Art of the Vine restaurant are tremendous additions to the eastside wine, food and overall pampering experience. (Who has ever said on their last day that they wished for less pampering in life?) After a grueling day of chasing another “Maya moment” or little earthquake in and around the Woodinville wine country, you can pretty much guarantee one, or many, with a respite at the Heathman Hotel and an epicurean adventure at Trellis — I kid you not!
OK, so a few of these inspired wine experiences may set you back a little, but heck, what other experiences in life do we lighten the wallet for? Going to the movies can be $30, and if you want to stop at the goodie stand you’ll practically need to move the decimal a click to the right.
The good news is that many of the best inspired wine experiences come with as little as a spontaneous gathering of friends, a corkscrew, take-out and a couple of bottles yearning to be set free.
Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.
