Our longtime friend and colleague, Michael Teer, owner of Pike & Western Wine Shop in the Pike Place Market (where we buy lots of our vino thanks to its convenient location right near our condo and excellent selection of both Northwest and global wines), recently opened a second location in the hottest new neighborhood/work area in Seattle: South Lake Union.

A couple of Saturdays ago, braving frigid blasts although the skies were (blessedly) sunny, we hopped aboard the SLUT (South Lake Union Transit) and stopped off near SoulWine.

The gorgeous corner-location shop is in the same complex as Seattle celebrity chef Tom Douglas’s second location of Serious Pie and the Dahlia Workshop, a casual take-out biscuit and breakfast/lunch/brunch spot. Both venues were well populated for lunch the Saturday afternoon we visited.

Photo of SoulWine interior courtesy of Reiner Perry, KPIS

“Pike & Western is like a first born that I have grown and nurtured,” Michael told us. “It was one of the first wine shops in Seattle and has a long history of supporting Washington wines. It has afforded me long-lasting relationships with premium wineries domestically and internationally, many of which find their way to SoulWine.”

Here are some snippets from the press release that went out shortly after SoulWine’s soft opening in early January:

*SoulWine features retail wine sales, a tasting bar and a private event space.

*The name, SoulWine, is rooted in Michael’s lifelong appreciation of wines with soul – wines that reflect a sense of place and a sense of the people who made them – and his love for old-school soul music.

*The collection of wines reflects Michael’s passion for supporting the growers and small, handcrafted producers that put their “soul” into the dirt, the grapes, and the wine they produce, with an eye to unique quality and value across the price spectrum.

*Michael thoughtfully selects every bottle that is offered at SoulWine, many of which reflect his strong ties with Italy, France, Germany and Austria as well as wines from Washington and Oregon.

*The 1600-square-foot space houses a careful selection of both high-end and value wines, a tasting bar that seats six, a window counter for casual tastings that seats six and a private-event space that seats up to 20 and can be used for casual gatherings and educational wine events, complete with wine reference materials.

*SoulWine is open Mon. through Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit the website at www.SoulWineSeattle.com.

Taste Washington, the largest single-region wine and food event in the country, returns for its 14th year on Saturday, March 26, and Sunday, March 27, in Seattle.

The weekend kicks off on Saturday, March 26, with a series of seminars at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. These fun and educational panels feature renowned wine experts from across the country leading in-depth explorations of Washington State wines. This year’s panelists include Dave McIntyre, Wine Columnist for The Washington Post; Chef Michael Mina of Bourbon Steak and RN74; Leslie Sbrocco, contributor to NBC’s “Today”; Sara Schneider, Wine Editor for Sunset; Bruce Schoenfeld, Wine Editor for Travel + Leisure; and Jason Smith, Master Sommelier and Wine Director at Bellagio Las Vegas.

The highlight of the weekend is the Grand Tasting on Sunday, March 27, at Qwest Field Event Center, with more than 200 Washington State wineries and the region’s top restaurants sampling their latest releases and newest creations. The Grand Tasting also features celebrity chef demonstrations; dessert and coffee bars; and a vineyard tasting area, allowing guests to compare and contrast the wide variety of wines that are made from some of Washington State’s most sought-after vineyards.

“Featuring more than 200 Washington State wineries and the Northwest’s leading restaurants under one roof, the Grand Tasting makes Taste Washington the largest single-region wine and food event in the country,” according to Robin Pollard, executive director of the Washington Wine Commission.

A recent press release came with the happy news that The Art Institute Portfolio Restaurant is just about to celebrate its tenth anniversary celebration and that the public is cordially invited to join the students, staff, and faculty in celebrating the restaurant’s big day.

Portfolio serves as an educational dining lab for students from The International Culinary School at AiS. Classical cuisine and white-linen service are de rigeuer here. Last summer, we enjoyed a multi-course meal and perfectly paired wine, thanks to long-time restaurant manager, Dieter Schaefer.

Under Dieter’s direction, upper-level students will create, prepare, and serve several four-course menus to choose from. Wines from Washington’s Willis Hall Winery will be matched to your menu choices.

This event is your opportunity to experience for yourself the outstanding cuisine, unique environment, and lovely Elliott Bay views of one of Seattle’s outstanding culinary institutes.

Event Specifics:

Wednesday through Friday, March 9 to 11, 2011.

Seatings daily at 5:30 and 6:00 pm.

The Art Institute’s Portfolio Restaurant

2600 Alaskan Way, Seattle WA  98121

Dinner with Wine $39, without Wine $29.

Reservations required by phone 206-239-2363.

Info @ WineDieter@cs.com.

Scenes from our 2010 our small fundraising event, La Dolce Vita, held at the Women’s University Club

Last November, I became president of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter, an invitational organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and philanthropy.

Every other year, Les Dames, Seattle undertakes a major fundraising auction, with a smaller fundraising event in alternating years.

This year’s auction, entitled, Drink { Dine } Dash: An Evening of Great Taste, takes place on Thursday evening, March 31, at the Women’s University Club in downtown Seattle.

Drink {Dine} Dash promises to be an evening full of great food (a four-course meal created by our chef and restaurateur members), accompanied by fine wines (many donated or produced by our own members), and capped off by the famous Dessert Dash (a race for your favorite Dames-made dessert).

Tickets cost $125 per person. Please buy early, as the popular event is always a sell out!

Our friends at Woodinville-based winery DeLille Cellars got some welcome news back in December when WineMatch named its top U.S. wineries and wines of 2010.

And DeLille was named Top Winery of the Year!

According to an e-news release, here’s how the wineries and wines were judged:

“At WineMatch, there are only winners. We had a tough time putting together a list of some of the best the United States has to offer. I am proud of these wineries, the quality people behind them, and their contributions to both wine and core values, which all of these folks exhibited.

“We chose a format that we think makes sense as the wineries and the wines truly go hand in hand. So we present the wineries with their offerings that make them truly stand apart.

“The ones with the numbers are our special selections, true standouts in their class and were all profiled this calendar year. The number in parentheses indicates how many of their wines shine, in our humble estimation!

“DeLille Cellars (6) of Woodinville, WA. Top Winery of the Year. A truly amazing winery, with a portfolio of Bordeaux blends we have found to be unequalled. A perfect storm of the people, the soil, the vineyards, with grower Jim Holmes of Red Mountain AVA. The winemaker, Chris Upchurch, is well-focused on the end product. Read the entire story here.

I loved this press release I received about a column written by Washington State University writer Richard Miller. They invited writers to republish it on their Web sites, so I share it with you below. Happy Holidays/daze!

<<Uncle Patrick gargles his wine. “I taste blackberries and cherry and oak,” he says, “and a lot of tannins.”

The only thing you know about wine is that it comes in different colors. But, with holiday meals approaching, here’s how to puncture wine windbags, thanks to Washington State University Professor Kathleen Williams:

*Precipitate saliva. When Patrick says he tastes tannins, you say: “Tannins don’t have a taste. They create a sensation as they precipitate the proteins out of your saliva.” Tip: Stroke your chin sagely as you pronounce “precipitate.”

*Throw in a German word. Patrick swirls the glass. “Good legs,” he observes. You say, “The French call them tears. The Germans call them Kirchenfenster or church windows, because they form an arch.” Want more? Try this: “Water has more surface tension than alcohol. The evaporating alcohol pulls the water up with it. When the alcohol breaks through, the water runs down.”

*Hit him with Brix. Patrick looks at the label. “Oh my,” he says, “14.9 percent alcohol.” You’re ready for him. “Did you know that wines from hot areas tend to have more alcohol? That’s because the grapes have more sugar. As a rule of thumb, every 2 percent of sugar will produce about 1 percent alcohol. So this wine was originally almost a third sugar. Of course, wine makers don’t call them sugars. They call them Brix.” Tip: Refill his glass. Keep refilling his glass. This becomes important later.

*Diamonds are your best friend. He holds the glass up to the light. Tiny crystals stick to the sides. “It’s going bad,” he says. “Not really,” you say. “Those are potassium tartrate crystals, same thing as cream of tartar. They’re a naturally occurring acid in grapes.” Smile tolerantly, and add, “In Canada, they call them wine diamonds.”

*Herbal harmony. Patrick says, “A red wine would overwhelm the turkey.” You say, “It’s not really about the turkey. It’s about the herbs with the turkey, such as onion, celery, and sage. What works well is to contrast the herbs with a fruity wine, such as a Beaujolais Nouveau or a Gewürztraminer.”

*Make something up. By now, Uncle Patrick should be a bit toasted, so hit him with something ludicrous, but difficult to disprove: “Gewürztraminer has an umlaut,” you say. “The word umlaut is derived from the word omelet and Gewürztraminer pairs well with omelets. As a matter of fact, most umlaut wines go well with egg-based dishes, such as quiche. It’s called a bio-linguistic reaction.”

*Fancy footwork. As he sputters to object, quickly change the subject: “Do you know what the best pairing is? Scientists in England proved that it is milk and chocolate chip cookies. Speaking of dessert, how about some pie?”

WSU’s viticulture and enology program offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and certificates. For more information go to http://wine.wsu.edu/education.

Yesterday, my latest article for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine ran. Entitled, “In the Spirit of Tradition,” it chronicled the career of Berle, a.k.a. Rusty, Figgins, a successful winemaker turned craft distiller.

Here is Rusty pictured at The Ellensburg Distillery in (you guessed it!) Ellensburg, Washington.

And here are his award-winning products–El Chalán Peruvian-Style Grape Brandy, Gold Buckle Club Frontier-Style Malt Whisky, and Wildcat White Moonshine.

The spirits pick up color and flavor as they age in oak barrels (just as wine does). Rusty’s Gold Buckle Whisky rests in new American Oak for one year!

Photos by Spencer Johnson

Ever wonder how to muddle a margarita? Stock your home bar? Shake up the perfect martini?

My latest article for Amazon’s Al Dente blog, entitled, A Bevy of Bartending Books, features mini book reviews on two valuable tomes: “Bartending for Dummies” and “The Bartender’s Best Friend.”

Either or both should be on every cocktail-lover’s bookshelf!

We found a little bit of home at Restaurant Koefoed–a top restaurant in Copenhagen recommended by the concierge at our hotel–when we looked at the wine list and discovered Snoqualmie 2008 Chardonnay offered as one of the by-the-glass pours!

The restaurant specializes in contemporary Danish cuisine, with particular focus on seasonal ingredients sourced from the island Bornholm. The restaurant’s Web site says, “Bornholm is an island with a unique richness of nature. Its salty soil and sunny fields give a special foundation for growing corn and vegetables that actually taste of something! Both the spelt, figs, and mulberries grow and ripen under excellent terms on the island.

The Web site goes on to say, “We prefer simplicity over clutter and clarity over confusion. That is why our menu is simple and with few dishes, which are prepared thoroughly down to the last flavor.”

Maybe so, but we found the portions to be small while the price per person was extremely high. Nevertheless, Scandinavian cuisine is hot, touted as “Europe’s next big cuisine” in a recent article in Nation’s Restaurant News.

Just for fun, here’s Restaurant Koefoed’s summer menu:

STARTERS

‘Sol over Gudhjem’ – A la Koefoed | 95,-

Marinated veal, buckthorn, malt bread, & beetroot | 105,-

Lobster, cucumber, herbs & malt | 155,-

MAIN COURSES

Rooster from Bornholm, potato foam, chanterelles & herbs | 195,-

Baked Baltic Sea Cod with foie gras from Bornholm, pumpkin & spinach | 235,-

Beef tenderloin, baby greens, new potatoes, & sauce | 265,-

DESSERTS

Sorbet, buckthorn, blueberry, yoghurt, & raspberry | 85,-

Chocolate, fume, blackberry, & mousse | 95,-

Cheese with crispy & sweet | 115,-

On July 17, one of our favorite places to visit in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill Family Estate, kicked off its Reserve Concert Series, which will feature noted jazz artists and highly acclaimed Canadian operatic and symphony performers throughout the summer.

According to a press release, “The concerts afford a unique opportunity to enjoy a live performance in an unrivalled natural setting. The outdoor amphitheatre provides a stunning view of the Monashee Mountains and Lake Okanagan, sure to enchant audiences on a fine summer evening.”

The Midsummer Magic Okanagan Symphony Gala, celebrating the OSO’s 50th anniversary, kicked off the summer music series. On August 7, musician Wil Campa will perform his unique blend of Afro-Cuban jazz music. On Labour Day Weekend–Friday September 3–Juno award-winning jazz guitarist Jesse Cook will look to repeat his previous 2008 sold-out show at the winery. The finale to the season is a benefit concert on September 18 by the Canadian Tenors with their eclectic mix of classical and contemporary pop, in support of Voices for Bulembu, a Vancouver-based charity doing transformational work in Africa.

Special pre-concert dinner packages to celebrate the cultural festivities will be offered at the Terrace Restaurant, which offers guests breathtaking vistas of the vineyards and lake and has been honored as one of the Top-Five Winery Restaurants in the world. Gourmet fare and Mission Hill’s award winning wines will also be available for sale in the Wine Shop. Save-the-date and more information for the concerts are on the winery website.

Also as part of the summer celebration, Mission Hill is introducing a late-afternoon “Tastes of the Estate” small-plate, shared-experience menu. Complementing this will be a new Affinities Tour, with guided tours of the winery grounds, Estate Varietal Kitchen Garden, underground barrel cellar, and sampling a Tastes-of-the-Estate dish along with wine pairing. The Terrace Restaurant’s innovative cuisine is prepared by up-and-coming young Chef Riley Bennett under the direction of Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey. Riley was a finalist in the recent Bocuse d’Or Culinary Competition in Toronto. Riley continues Mission Hill’s Cuisine du Terroir philosophy, a seasonal and regional approach to dining that is meticulously crafted around the wines and local artisanal ingredients.

Also scheduled for this season is the winery’s popular Sommelier Saturdays classes, led by the Sommelier team of Jesse Harnden, Mike Lee, and Brent Belanger. These fun and informative tastings help hone taste buds and refine palates with a comparative tasting of Mission Hill wines alongside international counterparts of various regions and styles.

All in all, there are many opportunities to taste and enjoy Mission Hill Family Estate on your next visit to the Okanagan!