Keeping Up With The Joneses

FAMILY OWNED. ESTATE GROWN. AWARD WINNING WINES.

[jonesofwashington]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Roses are red Violets are blue Blah blah blah Wine! We hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day today! If you are in need of wine for that romantic dinner or want a place to come have a glass of wine with your sweetheart our Pybus Public Market Tasting Room is open from 12-7pm!

[jonesofwashington]

WE GOT GAME

Ah yes, the big game is in a couple of days and you are having a small gathering. But you just realized you don’t know what you are doing…you don’t even know who is playing in the Super Bowl this year because you checked out after your beloved Seattle Seahawks weren’t even in the playoffs. Well, we got you covered to make sure you are the hostess with the mostess! Here is our nitty gritty guide to Super Bowl LII…

Game Preview:

Super Bowl LII (52) will take place in Minneapolis, MN at the new US Bank Stadium, which will feature the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the New England Patriots with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 pm. So now you are caught up on the football side of things, but what about the food and wine situation? Well there are a couple of different routes to go, but we suggest having a theme with your food. What kind of theme? How about cuisine from the two cities?! Both regions have iconic fare and trust us that this will wow your guests!

Choose Your Teams:

Even though this is not an official holiday, it is one of the biggest wine and food days of the year. So make sure you have your food and drinks planned out with your grocery list ready to go. What kind of food do we suggest if we are sticking with our ‘city’ theme? Well here are some ideas that sound good to us…

Philadelphia –

Food: You can’t get anymore Philly than a cheesesteak right?! Fairly easy to fix and can be a great appetizer or halftime dish (more on this later).

Wine: Merlot would be a nice choice here…soft with good acid and fruit to complement the salty cheese and beef.

Food: Soft Pretzels, another Philly stable, makes for a great game day snack. Soft, buttery, with a little bit of salt…and don’t forget the cheese sauce for dipping!

Wine: We would have to recommend a Chardonnay here (probably a Californian)…big, soft, buttery…se any similarities to the pretzel?!

Food: Chicago has their deep dish, New York has their thin crust, but Philadelphia has their tomato pie. Similar to Sicilian pizza with a thick focaccia like crust, tomato sauce and a light dusting of cheese…pretty simple, but yummy!

Wine: Since pizza has its Italian heritage it only makes sense to drink Italian too! Sangiovese would be our choice here with its complimentary acidity and tomato/fruity flavors.

New England –

         Food: Boston Baked Beans…you got to have your beans on game day! Earthy and a little sweetness from the molasses…maybe even some bacon crumbles!

         Wine: We suggest an Pinot Noir…fruity, earthy and so good with food…this will be a heavenly match.  

         Food: Steamed lobster with golden clarified butter, buckets of clams and mussels, shell-on shrimp, freshly shucked corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, smoked sausage, crusty bread and something to wash it all down.

         Wine: Something…but what? How about a finesse Chardonnay! When we say finesse we mean medium bodied and no oak (or very little). This allows the brightness in the wine to shine. Not a Chardonnay fan, how about a bright and fresh Sauvignon Blanc…perfect for seafood!

          Food: Can’t think of New England without thinking of clam chowder. There are lots of variations of this soup, but we are talking the thick stuff that is hearty on cold winter days.

         Wine: Chardonnay seems to be a big winner with the food with the rest of food we choose, but a full bodied, opulent, oaked Chardonnay is dreamy with homemade chowder.

Pregame Warm Up:

You’ve got the food ready, but before your guests show up, make sure all your serving and eating utensils and dishes are ready to go. Open up those wines that may need a little more time to breathe and open up. Make sure the whites and rosés are chilled and that you have enough glassware for everybody. If it’s a larger party make sure to have some wine charms for the glasses so that guests can make sure to find their glass. Also make sure that pitchers of water are set out…moderation is key in making it through the whole game…and home safely.

Kickoff:

Get the party started right as guests arrive offer them a glass of sparkling wine, which always sets a festive mood. You don’t have to break the bank here as you can find a wonderful Cava from Spain or Prosecco from Italy under $20. One of the great things about sparkling wine is that it goes great with salty party foods…chips, popcorn, party mix and crackers. For those that are not huge sparkling fans offer those guests a crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. For the red fans how about a lighter Pinot Noir, which goes nicely with game day snacks.

Halftime Show:

If your crew hasn’t filled up on all the other snacks, at halftime, bring your guests together and put on your own show with a ‘build your own bar.’ If you are using our food recommendations above this could be a clam chowder bar with a multitude of toppings…bacon crumbles, a variety of shredded cheeses, croutons and green or red onion. Don’t forget the option of providing bread bowls…after all it is the Super Bowl. Another option would be a build your own cheesesteak bar. You could have variety of breads, rolls, cheese, lettuce and other condiments.

Sweet Victory:

Despite the outcome of the game, everybody will want some dessert to satisfy their sweet tooth. Cupcakes are a great options that can be made ahead of time…and who doesn’t love a good cupcake?! If you are a coconut or vanilla person we recommend a little glass of a late harvest wine to pair it with. Lemon cupcake fans…try a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling with their lemony flavors. Chocolate cupcakes fans…try a Port to match those mocha and nutty flavors. Don’t forget the pot of coffee for those who need it!

Terms of the month:

ACID - A compound present in all grapes and an essential component of wine that preserves it, enlivens and shapes its flavors and helps prolong its aftertaste. There are four major kinds of acids--tartaric, malic, lactic and citric--found in wine. Acid is identifiable by the crisp, sharp character it imparts to a wine.

HERBACEOUS - Describes the aromas and flavors of herbs in a wine. A plus in many wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and, to a lesser extent, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Herbal is a synonym, though when the concentration of the aroma is high, and becomes less than pleasant, the term herbaceous is often used.

PALATE - The flavor or taste of a wine; also referred to as different sections of taste in the mouth. As the wine travels through the mouth, it first contacts the front palate, then the midpalate and finally the back palate, all which can process different tastes, such as sweet, sour and bitter.

Fact of the month:

There are 100,000 acres of vineyards of Chardonnay in California, the state’s most widely planted grape. Despite its status today, Chardonnay was once quite rare in California. In the mid 1960s, there were fewer than 200 acres in the whole state. Today, Chardonnay is also the most popular varietal wine in the U.S., accounting for approximately 20% of table wine sales at retail stores.

*Taken from Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible

Quote of the month:

"The best wines are those that take you through themselves and out into another world that you could not have gotten to on your own. Great wine has a strange subterranean current of beauty. It is not something you can summon from a wine; but a great wine can take you there."

 --Terry Theise, wine importer and author

Featured Wine of the Month: 2014 Petite Sirah

Vineyard Site: Estate Unit 7 Vineyard

Alcohol: 15.2%

Production: 219 cases

Tasting Notes: Only our second ever varietal Petite Sirah wine! Neither petite nor Syrah, this varietal comes from a past as dark as the wines it produces. DNA fingerprinting has made this the same grape as Durif in France, but it is more commonly referred to as Petite Sirah here in the US. The 2014 Petite Sirah’s inky purple color with dark garnet tones in the glass foretells the dark, rich aromas and flavors. A powerful nose of cocoa powder and burnt caramel lead to juicy blueberry pie, concentrated dark plum and ripe blackberry. The palate is focused and full bodied with flavors of extracted dark cherry, blackberry preserves, ripe Marionberry and more fresh blueberry pie. Bold flavors are underlined with nuances of sweet vanilla and minerality all wrapped up in muscular tannins and lively acidity. Young at heart this wine will age gracefully and will benefit with an hour decanting.

[jonesofwashington]

PS AROUND THE WORLD Petite Sirah has somewhat of a cult following with some of us wine geeks, but outside of that the popularity declines drastically. Currently there are less than 10,000 acres worldwide. This grape originally made its home in France, but it is nearly nonexistent there now. The United States is the largest grower of Petite Sirah with California dominating as the primary region. From what we found the next largest producing country would be our friends down under in Australia. Other areas that produce notable Petite Sirah are Israel, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina. If you notice you will see a trend with these areas...warm growing regions.

[jonesofwashington]

PS...WE LOVE YOU While we love Petite Sirah around the Jones winery, it is still fairly obscure for most Washingtonians. In the latest acreage reports that that state and Washington Wine Commission puts out as of 2017 Petite Sirah didn’t make its own ledger entry on the reports. It was mentioned, but included the ‘Other Red’ category. We couldn’t find any concrete numbers on current acreage, but if we were to take an educated guess there is probably less than 75 acres grown in the state. Notable AVAs in which it is grown from what we found are the Horse Heaven Hills, with Daven Lore Winery and Alexandria Nicole as top producers, the Wahluke Slope, Yakima Valley and Red Mountain. Pay attention to wine reviews as you are starting to see more and more Petite Sirah varietal wines geting some attention in the press. We also found this interesting…some of our wine friends in the southern part of the Willamette Valley in Oregon are starting to make a name for themselves with Petite Sirah!

[jonesofwashington]

DID YOU KNOW... A slightly cooler temperature (65°) will deliver more floral and mineral aromas along with Petite Sirah’s characteristic bold fruit flavors.

[jonesofwashington]

UPCOMING CLASSES WITH JOW! Was one of your New Year resolutions to try new things or learn new things?! Well then we have the perfect opportunities for you! We have multiple wine classes coming up in the next couple of months. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED...to sign up for any of these classes stop by either one of our tasting rooms, give us a call 509.787.3537 or visit http://jonesofwashington.orderport.net/merchandise/Events.

[jonesofwashington]

SIRAH VS. SYRAH Petite Sirah is sometimes mistakenly spelled "Petite Syrah," which has historically referred to a small berried clone of the Syrah grape by Rhône growers. In California, immigrant vine growers introduced Syrah in 1878 and used the phrase "Petite Syrah" to refer to the lower yields that the vines then were producing in California. Actual Petite Sirah (Durif) was then introduced in 1884.

[jonesofwashington]

THE WINE BIBLE ON PETITE SIRAH If you haven’t checked out our friend Karen MacNeil and her awesome book, The Wine Bible, we highly suggest it. Here are some of her findings and thoughts on Petite Sirah... "What Californians call Petite Sirah is not the same as Syrah, but the histories of the two are interwoven. Vines called Petite Sirah have grown in California since the 1880s. In the early days some of those vines were probably a type of Syrah that had small (petite) grapes. (All things being equal, winemakers prefer small grapes because there’s a high ratio of skin to juice. Since color, flavor and tannin come primarily from a grape’s skin, small grapes yield the most concentrated, flavorful wines.) Indeed, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The wine is mouth filling and often hugely tannic. Over the course of many decades in California’s early history, other vine types were often mixed in with Petite Sirah vines, creating what are known as field blends in the same vineyard. As more and different varieties found their way into California, and as new vineyards were begun with unidentified cuttings from older vineyards, Petite Sirah’s true identity grew more and more obscure. Then, in the 1990s, DNA typing revealed that most California Petite Sirah is actually the French grape Durif, a cross of Peloursin and Syrah created in the 1880s. Today, some of the oldest ‘Petite Sirah’ vineyards remain field blends of many varieties, including true Syrah, Durif, Carignan, Zinfandel, Barbara and even Grenache." -Karen MacNeil

[jonesofwashington]

GO BIG OR GO HOME! If you like big, bold, tannic wines that this wine is for you! In its early history Petite Sirah was used as a blending grape to help ‘beef’ up certain red blends that lacked body and structure. It has often been described that Petite Sirah has ‘teeth cracking’ tannins...making it a contender for long term aging. When it comes to the color in the glass PS is often described as being ‘inky’...meaning that it opaque and very deep in color. Petite Sirah’s typically have full fruit flavors and are not lacking in the alcohol department too. When it comes to acidity it is a little bit more on the moderate side of things.

[jonesofwashington]

NATIONAL BUBBLE BATH DAY! If you got a case of the 'Mondays' then we have a suggestion for you! Today is National Bubble Bath Day...seriously. So on your way home stop by the Jones of Washington Tasting Room At Pybus Public Market and grab yourself a bottle and when you get home draw a bath, pour a glass of that wine and relax...you deserve it! ***Pybus Market Tasting Room hours today are 12-7pm.

[jonesofwashington]

GRAPE CONFUSION Neither petite or Syrah, there seems to be some misconceptions behind this grape with many consumers. First of all it is only petite in appearance. Petite Sirah is a full throttle wine and one that your taste buds should be ready for. High levels of fruit, body, tannin and alcohol make this wine the opposite of petite! As for the Sirah...notice it is not Syrah. While there is a relationship here (more on this in later posts) it is a completely different and its own distinct grape varietal.

[jonesofwashington]

JANUARY = PETITE SIRAH The first month of 2018 our varietal focus is the mysterious grape of Petite Sirah. There is a lot of confusion surrounding this obscure grape varietal, which we hope to shed some light on this month. Throughout this month we will be posting interesting facts and tidbits on Petite Sirah, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled. We can’t wait to share the history, characteristics, trivia, and styles of Petite Sirah, plus so much more! And as always if you have comments or questions feel free to share them on our posts.

[jonesofwashington]

NEW RELEASE OF CHARDONNAY! If you ask us there is no better way to welcome the New Year than with a delicious new vintage of Chardonnay! The 2015 Chardonnay is now available at our tasting rooms, just in time to welcome 2018 in style. This wine has a polished touch of American oak that adds a complexity and nuances to this wine. Aromas of ripe banana, lemon custard, fresh pineapple and a subtle vanilla note jump off this wine. On the palate, it's bone dry with notes of grilled pineapple, Golden Delicious apple, lemon zest and Bosc pear. The finish brings flavors of sweet vanilla and a hint of toasted coconut, with a creamy, balanced mouth feel and a lingering finish. Get yours today!

[jonesofwashington]

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's to a bright New Year And a fond farewell to the old; Here's to the things that are yet to come And to the memories that we hold. We hope you all have a wonderful 2018...may it be filled with love, peace, joy and happiness, cheers! *The tasting rooms are closed today.

[jonesofwashington]

NEW YEAR'S EVE Well it is another year down and another year that has treated us very well here at Jones of Washington. We want to toast all of our loyal friends and fans that continue to support us. We have some exciting things planned for 2018 and we can't wait to share them with you all. We hope you have a wonderful evening celebrating the previous year and welcoming in the new one. Please be safe tonight and we will see you next year...cheers! Tasting Room NYE Hours: -Quincy TR: 12-5pm -Pybus TR: 12-5pm

[jonesofwashington]

Did you know that Cabernet Franc is part of the Bordeaux family of grapes?! When we talk about a red Bordeaux blend we are referring to a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carménère. This blend can be any combination, but historically there usually is a more dominant grape in the blend depending on where the wine is from. For Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux it is usually featured as a sidekick and is used for blending purposes adding to a wine’s complexity. Here is a snapshot of the proportions by varietals that grow in Bordeaux by our friends at Wine Folly.

[jonesofwashington]

LAST CALL FOR HOLIDAY CASES! Whether you are in need some some delicious, affordable wine ring in the New Year, need to restock your wine rack, showing off your wine collection to friends or family, or maybe in need of some vino to sip on while watching the football games this bowl season...we have some great buys and little something for everyone! These specials are good through the end of the year, so get to one of our tasting rooms and get yours while you can. Tasting Room Hours: -Quincy: Fri-Sun 12-5pm -Pybus Market: Wed & Thur 12-7pm, Fri & Sat 12-9pm, Sun 12-5pm