The Spokane Winery Association is an alliance of Spokane-area wineries that work to promote regional wine products.  The Spokane Winery Association’s mission is to promote communication and interaction between the wineries of Spokane, to promote economic development through winery tourism and to increase the awareness and profile of the wineries in the Spokane area. Members of the alliance produce an eclectic blend of distinctly Washington wines ranging from intense, rich reds and crisp whites to complex blends.  For more information visit www.spokanewineries.net

Space. The final frontier. At the beginning of the year we set out with three goals in mind. 1) More food options. Last week we announced an expansion of our menu with some unique partnerships with nearby restaurants. 2) Market more like a winery. More on this in the coming weeks. 3) Greater focus on our event rental business. That brings us to today’s big announcement. We have entered into an agreement to lease the adjoining 1000 square feet next to Nectar (formerly known as the LaunchPadINW Training Center).

Over the next several weeks you’ll see the space transform into what we will be calling “The Barrel Room.” We will continue the modern vibe into the space by adding one of our signature chandeliers, a soft seating area, matching color scheme, window branding, and a wall of wine barrels. The additional space gives us the flexibility that we’ve been missing during our first year in business. With The Barrel Room we can now host private events up to 40 people while we are open for business. We can even rent out the Nectar side and move our normal wine tasting business to The Barrel Room.

Rental rates will be $75 per hour for The Barrel Room, $125 per hour for Nectar and $175 per hour for all 3000 sq ft. All event inquiries can be directed to Sulo or Lauren at events@nectartastingroom.com or visit http://drinknectar.com/event-rental/ for more information.

MEMBERSHIP JUST GOT EVEN SWEETER

With this additional space, our Club Nectar membership just got even more valuable. Club Nectar members can rent the space at 25% off the published rates. Imagine, host one party and your $75 annual membership fee is paid for. For more information about our clubs (and to purchase) click here.

*****PRESS RELEASE – NECTAR EXPANDS TO INCLUDE THE BARREL ROOM*****

Nectar Tasting Room, at 120 N. Stevens, just got even bigger with the announcement of the acquisition of the adjoining 1000 square feet next door. The new space (formerly the LaunchPadINW training center), will be decorated in the same urban modern style of Nectar and will also include a wall of wine barrels. “The Barrel Room gives us the flexibility to host private events, small and large, while we remain open to the public,” says owner Josh Wade. “A focus of 2012 is to expand our event rental options and take advantage of our beautiful space and convenient downtown location.” The Barrel Room plans to open on April 1. With their expanded food menu and the additional square footage for events, Nectar is continuing its focus on being a top spot in Downtown Spokane. “We can now rent the space in three different ways, 1000 sq ft, 2000 sq ft or the full 3000 sq ft for large groups,” says Josh. For event inquiry contact events@nectartastingroom.com.

Nectar Tasting Room is a shared space of five Washington wineries from various regions across the state. Visitors can enjoy an educational wine tasting of five wines (rotates weekly), wine by the glass, and purchase wines to take home and enjoy as well. “We are a winery just like any local winery, we just happen to have 45 wines on the menu to choose from,” says Wade.

The patio is open, the patio is open! After about 6 weeks of delays (mostly due to waiting for the fence), we’re finally excited to celebrate on the patio. With temperatures soaring close to 90 degrees, grab a bottle or two of Rose, bubbly, or Sauvignon Blanc and head out with friends to enjoy the weather and the wine. As the hot summer nights continue, don’t miss out on a single sip at Nectar Tasting Room.

Two Important Announcements:

Do you own a home based business (jewelry, candles, cosmetics, etc)? We have a deal for you. Contact us for an awesome opportunity for you to use our space for your next meeting.

Did you see our press release on the Quarterly Cheers for Charity? No? Check it out. We’re pleased to do our small part to give back. Nominations are open through August 12.

info@nectartastingroom.com

August 4-6

Have you seen and heard the incredible talent in Spokane? For one night each month, Spokane shines a little brighter in downtown. Nectar is a proud participant in the Downtown Partnership’s popular First Friday event.

• THURSDAY – Thirsty Thursday continues with 1/2 price appetizer plates when you purchase a bottle of wine. Glass prices start at $5 too.
• FRIDAY – First Friday activities begin at about 6:00 with live music from Maxie Ray Mills and music from the very talented Bill Werle
• SATURDAY – Don’t miss out on the sale wines from Northwest Cellars and The Final Sip (from 9-10pm).

August 11-13

• THURSDAY – MonaVie healthy energy stops by to showcase their Acai berry products.
• FRIDAY – Karrie O’Neill graces us with her beautiful personality and voice 6:30-9:30
• SATURDAY – Tipsy Muse Painting With Spirits: Learn to paint this beautiful Tuscan Landscape while you sip. Bring a friend or two and make a day of this event. $55; register here

>> The return of the RESERVE FLIGHT – Enjoy five of our highest end wines for just $10 <<

August 18-20

• THURSDAY – Second annual Pinot Noir day. Join us online or at Nectar as we celebrate the world’s most expressive wine grape. Which region will win the battle
• FRIDAY – Acoustic variety from Joe Davis 6:30-9:30
• SATURDAY – We welcome Coeur d’Alene Olive Oil Company back for a vinegar and oil tasting from 1-4pm. Fingerstyle blues and flamenco guitar from Joe Caruso 6:30-9:30

August 25-27

The QUARTERLY SIP is almost here. Sign up for our quarterly wine club and get 20% off of 5 select wines, 4 complimentary wine tasting passes and 10% off of all other wines purchased. The QUARTERLY SIP is only $99per quarter. Trust me, you’ll love this quarter’s wine selections. The last of an iconic Nectar wine, a pre-release of a unique varietal, and a super award winning wine that is not stocked at Nectar. To sign up, stop by or email us at mailto:info@nectartastingroom.com?subject=Quarterly Sip Sign Up

• SATURDAY – Music from a Nectar favorite, Mike Dwyer; 6:30-9:30 and The Final Sip from 9:00-1000

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most planted wine grapes (second to Spanish grape Airen). A major component in Champagne (and other sparkling wine), Chardonnay is known as a winemakers grape because of the ability for the winemaker to impart their stamp on the overall outcome. Chardonnay is crisp and clean in Chablis and has a reputation for being thick and buttery in California, although many wineries are moving away from this trend.

In Washington, Chardonnay is still king with nearly 6,000 planted acres (Cabernet Sauvignon is a very close second). While producing predominately red wine, a handful of Spokane wineries showcase the best qualities of Washington Chardonnay.

Spokane Chardonnay

2010 Arbor Crest Chardonnay

Sourced from two quality vineyards (Connor Lee and Bacchus) the 2010 Chardonnay sees moderate time in new and used French oak. The malolactic fermentation gives a nice full round mouth feel that is accompanied by hints of oak and honey. Light aroma and moderate acidity make this a good Chardonnay for the price. At $14 retail 3+/5

2009 Arbor Crest Connor Lee Chardonnay

Sourced from Conner Lee vineyards this premium Chardonnay is barrel fermented in new French oak with malolactic fermentation. Enjoy big flavors of apple cinnamon crisp and toasted walnuts. The touch of sweet honey and good acidity are reminiscent of many traditional American Chardonnay. $20 retail 4/5

2010 Barili Cellars Chardonnay

This nearly naked Chardonnay is 75% stainless steel and 25% eastern European oak providing a great balance of crisp and clean with a hint of toasted almonds. Enjoy the green apple and pear flavors with smoked salmon or fruit salad on a summer day. $15 retail

2008 Caterina Chardonnay

100% Preston Vineyards fruit. The wine spends six months in 50% new French oak. Very impressive with thick juicy flavors. A subtle effervescence greats the tip of your tongue and then gives way to an abundance of fruit. Lots of subtle layers in this full bodied white wine with honey, crisp pear, vanilla, and peaches. The finish on the wine has moderate acid and dissipates quickly. At only $12 this wine outperforms many at twice the price. This is a strong recommend and a definite re-buy for any food appropriate dinner or Chardonnay lover. 4/5

2008 Latah Creek Chardonnay

Fruit from Conner Lee Vineyards; full malolactic fermentation and 2 months in French oak. Mild nose with hints of pear and honey. Big and rich butter, vanilla and pear. No oak to speak of. Felt thick and meaty. Finished with a beautiful acidity that washed across the back of my mouth. At a retail price of $12, this is a very well made Chardonnay. I score it a 4+. So far this is one of the best “value” Chardonnay’s that I’ve had. Kudo’s, Mike!

“Sweet lemons, pineapple, & Golden Delcious apple aromas. The entry is exotic and hedonistic with more apple, banana, & lemon custard flavors, balanced by a remarkable tartness that targets your cheeks.”-WinePressNW 2010

2009 Townshend Cellar Chardonnay

This stainless steel fermented and lightly oak aged wine has scents of lemon, pear, honey-dew melon with a hint of cinnamon and flavors of baked Granny Smith apples sprinkled with nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon. $9.99

2011 Chardonnay Day

Celebrate the second annual Chardonnay day (May 26) with any of these fantastic Spokane Chardonnays. Join the conversation by tweeting about your experience. Add the hashtag #chardonnay and do a Twitter search and you can see the tweets from thousands of people worldwide. For tips on how to participate, visit here.

Nectar Tasting Room is joining the celebration. Stop by all day for ½ price glasses of Chardonnay from Terra Blanca and Northwest Cellars. Order a full bottle and get your appetizer plate ½ price (open 2-8pm).

I am not a huge fan of turkey. For Christmas I’d rather have ham, for Easter, I’d rather have prime rib. For Thanksgiving, we’ve established a tradition of lasagna and cheesecake. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate turkey. If you’re going to invite me over for Thanksgiving dinner, don’t think you have to serve something different. Just don’t serve me mushrooms, brussel sprouts or liver and onions.

Every other year my wife and I end up alone for Thanksgiving. With family in Portland, some in Phoenix, and shared custody of the boy, we stay by ourselves in Spokane on the even years. When we first got married we decided to try something different. Rather than make a big turkey dinner for the two of us, we, well mostly me, decided, “Why not make my two favorite things in the whole wide world?” Enter, lasagna and cheesecake.

Our good friends, Tim and Tracy Nodland (owners of Spokane’s Nodland Cellars), were gracious enough to provide us with three of their newer, recently released and soon to be released wines.  Not one to be very patient, I jumped at the opportunity to pair these three wines with our non traditional Thanksgiving meal.

For more information on Nodland Cellars you can see my full interview with Tim and Tracy here.

The NectarView

2008 Nodland Cellars Bebop Riesling

The Nodland’s make a Riesling only when the vintage is right. Tim loves the old world Mosul style Riesling full of petrol and minerality. I recall the 2005 Bebop having aged very nicely to display these characteristics. The 2008 is a very bright golden delicious apple color in the glass. A slight effervescence jumps out on the aroma. Further scents of slightly sweet peaches and tropical flowers add to the beautiful bouquet. On the sip, the Bebop strikes a nice chord or a hint of sweetness and a mild tartness. A little steely minerality spikes up on the mid-palate and the wine has a really good acidity which helps to cleanse the palate.

We used ½ cup of the Riesling in the raspberry puree reduction for the cheesecake.  The dry Riesling was a great pairing for the tart sweetness of the raspberry sauce. The medium acidity provided a great wash after each bite of the thick white chocolate cheesecake. At $20, some may find this Riesling to be a tad out of their normal budget for white wines, but if you like a gently sweet dry Riesling, you’ll love this wine. 3+/5

2008 Nodland Cellars Bad Attitude

The first release of the Nodland Cellars Rock-n-Roll series label, Bad Attitude, has been a huge success. Tim and Tracy have only made one red wine in their previous vintage releases. At $35, their traditional Bordeaux Red Blend can be out of reach for most people’s every day drinking wine. The Bad Attitude uses the same great Seven Hills fruit but rather than aging the wine in $1200 French oak barrels, the wine is aged in $500 American oak barrels. This year’s Bad Attitude is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Malbec (two of the more amazing grapes grown in Washington).

The swirl showcases the light characteristics of Merlot with a fairly translucent color. The wines aromas begin to showcase their rock-n-roll attitude right from the beginning. A huge power chord of vanilla, blueberry and charcoal reverberate from the glass. In the mouth the wine is also very gentle. This wine reminds me more of a gentle Over the Hills and Far Away rather than the driving Black Dog (bonus points for those that get the reference). In the mouth you can feel the use of American oak. For me, it’s nicely integrated and I like the play of the overly cooked marshmallow, vanilla and graham cracker. At $20, the Nodland’s have a number one single on their hand. 4/5 Instant Classic!

2007 Nodland Cellars Avant-Garde

From the back label:

“Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo. This wine is made from the obscure Carmenere grape, referred to a Grand Vidure in French.”

Carmenere is rarely used, and when it is, it is used as a blending grape. The original traditional Bordeaux blends included Carmenere, but it has since been mostly neglected. Nodland Cellars uses Carmenere in their Red Blend release. For 2007, they held back a small portion to be released as a 100% Carmenere, a showcase of the varietal.

On the swirl the Avant-Garde has a thick center core of plum that fades to more translucence around the edges. Typical of all Nodland wines the aroma is full and big. Strong bouquet of blueberries and exotic spice (not sure how to describe it) are most prevalent. On the sip the wine is full and lush with a gentle mouth coating feel. A hint of cherry sweetness graces the front palate and strong minerality of lead and rocks poke through the mid palate. One of our guests didn’t care for the minerality and described it as a little biting. There is a slight alcohol heat on the finish. The spice of the wine wasn’t a great pairing with the spice and acid from the tomato based lasagna. A better pairing for this wine would be beef, or a Pork Osso Bucco. Personally, I loved the wine and the uniqueness of flavor. At $32 it might not be for everyone. Unless you know you’re a spicy Carmenere lover, I suggest you head to the tasting room for a sip of this wine before dropping the cash. Personally, I’d buy TWO, one to drink now and one to see how the magic evolves in five years. 4/5

The Avant-Garde is being released on Friday, December 3 at the Nodland Cellars tasting room at 11616 E Montgomery 5:30-8:30. Enjoy a sip and a special discount.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you have any amazing wine pairings? Please share…