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Mother's Day Wine Tour
Sunday, 03 June 2007
tour start
2007 MDT start line
Eastern Washington used to be known for its apples. These days, it’s all about world-class wine from Columbia valley vineyards. Some of the best new producers have set up wineries right here in Spokane, and recently began hosting an annual Spring Barrel Tasting, set the same weekend as Mother's Day. Our group’s first try at visiting a few of the best took place this year – here’s a recap:

The day's group, including members Paul, Marla, Rick, Charlotte, Mark, Brian and guest Pat, met at the Rocket on Cedar. Over coffee and pastries on the patio (warm spring days in Spokane are the best), the route was laid out based on which of the dozen or so wine tour stops seemed most appealing. Equal parts scenery and tastebuds selected Townshend on Greenbluff, Arbor Crest overlooking the river, followed by downtown’s Caterina, the new Vintage Hill, and Barrister.

Stop One: Townshend Cellars
Two things recommended Townshend – the general reputation of the vintner, and the fact that the winery is located in the Greenbluff area north and east of Spokane. It’s scenic getting there, and there are nice views to be had on the Townshend grounds, up in the orchards overlooking the wheat fields of the Peone prairie. A lot of wineries seem to have mascot dogs these days, and Townshend’s pooch soon had Mark and Brian trained to offer chips and cheese on command.
Favorite wine: The 2005 Lemberger was the group choice – and at $15, a fantastic value.

Stop Two: Mountain Dome (detour stop)

the still
ATF-approved distillery!
Mark and Pat saw on the tour map that this winery was in the same vicinity as Townshend, and since Pat knew its owner, everyone agreed try it out. What the map didn’t show was that Mountain Dome’s headquarters are at the end of a steep gravel road, perhaps two miles long. Paul – despite his fear of gravel and with Marla on the back - bravely forged ahead, and everyone arrived safe despite some fairly tight switchback climbs.
Favorite wine: Undetermined. Mountain Dome’s offerings tend toward sparkling wine, and if you’re a fan, these are really some of the best out there. For us, something Mountain Dome doesn’t even offer yet stole the show – their distillery and fruit brandy area. Owner Eric Manz (and Pat’s friend) kindly gave the group a little tour of Washington State’s first legal distillery, something Eric’s father Michael got started in 2004. Sadly, Michael passed away not long ago, and Eric hasn’t had time to attend to both winemaking and brandy. Eric hopes to have a limited brandy release soon however, and we’re looking forward to it!

Stop Three: Arbor Crest
There’s lots to say about Arbor Crest , and it’s likely to stay on our list of must-visits, but it would take wine rating of 98 or so to keep the historic mansion and grounds from stealing the show. Lots of great wines, a full range of varieties, and views, views, and more views. With maybe 500 people on the estate that day, Arbor Crest was doing very well indeed.
Favorite Wine: Hard to say…maybe the 2003 Malbec? At $28 per bottle, not a bargain, but it was pleasantly deep and complex.

Stop Four: Vintage Hill
Paul took the group on a nice detour past the Hutton Settlement estate en route to Spokane’s newest winery, Vintage Hill, located in one of the city’s emerging downtown neighborhoods (we forget it's nickname).
Favorite wine: Another hard pick. No reds available yet, and the whites were completely, utterly unique. We like unique – and apparently most folks in the place did, too - but it was a little telling that no one in our group took home a bottle. We’ll put it on our list next year, and hope we’ll warm up to Vintage Hill's offerings.  

Stop Five: Catarina
Caterina is another great downtown stop that’s nearly as good a venue as it is a winery. There’s the historic building ambiance, the folk-acoustic scene they sponsor in their large tasting room, their outdoor patio, and the head winemaker Monica, a friend of Paul and Marla’s, and a Vespa rider. We haven’t seen Monica at any of our rides yet, but here’s hoping she and her burgundy (what else?) colored LX will show up soon!
Favorite wine: The Cab Franc at the wine bar indoors? Or the Late Harvest Viognier under the umbrella on the patio? Hmmm.

Stop Six: Barrister
Knowing what we do about Barrister , we saved this stop for last, as their big, full-bodied reds tend to steal the show. In fact, Barrister’s offerings have stolen lots of shows recently, taking home gold medals and “best of show” awards in many prestigious competitions around the region. We love Barrister’s pricing, too – not something many of us can afford cases of, but for the quality, a real steal. Add cool digs in another of Spokane’s red-brick warehouse districts, nice art to gaze at, and owners Greg and Mike's friendly and personable attitude.
Favorite wine: Poetic Justice, a nice white diversion from the Barrister line, and the Cabernet Franc, cousin to the 2003 issue that won Best of Show/Best Wine of Washington/Best Red Wine/Gold Medal at the 2005 Northwest Wine Summit.

Unscheduled Stop: Isabella’s
finish line
...and the 2007 MDT finish line.
After the long day and long ride, everyone was starved, so Rick led the group to Isabella’s downtown for great burgers and fries out on the sidewalk patio area. Next year, Isabella’s is expected to have a rooftop garden open for diners, and we’re really looking forward to that – even though the wide, wide sidewalk out front makes for great scooter parking…

Repair Notes:
1) Next year, take more pictures. 2) Stop at Robert Karl winery for another taste of their 93-scoring Claret!

All in all, it was a really long day of riding, but it never seemed that way. Kudos to Paul and Marla for suggesting this ride at the annual meeting this spring, and for acting as official ride leaders. Thanks also to the pair for loaning one of their two ET4 Vespas to Rick and Charlotte so they could come along in the absence of Rick’s Sprint transplant bike. It was a great way to spend a Saturday! dingbat

 
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