Three Rivers Winery Blog

New Arrival Coming Soon!

A new arrival is on its way!  The 2006 Svelte, Yes I said Svelte (1. Adjective; Slender, esp. gracefully slender in figure; lithe. 2. Suave)  The name says it all. This will be a high-end blend consisting of 57% Petit Verdot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Tempranillo and 7% Malbec.  Aged in 100% new French oak barrels.  This wine will be bottled in February 2009 and a release date has not yet been finalized. Svelte will only be available for purchase at the winery and will not be put into distribution.  Case production will be very limited (around 170 cases).  If you like big, inky, concentrated and very stylish wines this is it. Besides bringing you this new wine, the Svelte will also feature a new label design. We can't wait to see what you think!

Andy Slusarenko, Assistant Winemaker

Spring Release is right around the corner!

Spring is finally upon us here in the Walla Walla Valley.   The estate vineyard out in front of the winery is about one or two weeks away from bud break. We have been busy with spring cleaning and getting wines ready for bottling in May. For all those I saw at TASTE WA in Seattle on April 6th, thank you for your support and I hope to see you at Three Rivers Winery for the upcoming Spring Release Weekend (1st weekend in May). We will be releasing some great wines that are sure to be crowd pleasers.  Look for our 2006 Weinbau Vineyard Cabernet Franc, 2006 Minnick Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Tempranillo and 2006 Malbec to name a few.  Most of which are only available for purchase at the winery, so don't miss out!

Andy Slusarenko, Assistant Winemaker

Breathable Wineglasses?

I had never heard of breathable wine glasses until a nice lady came into the tasting room as a representative for a company named Eisch.  Eisch is a company from Germany that spent six years of research and testing to create the first ever breathable wine glass.  I was skeptical until I looked at the glasses, read critic reviews and tried them for myself.  The glasses are all lead-free crystal that undergo an oxygenating treatment which gives the Breathable Glass its unique properties by changing the molecular structure in the glass.  A wine poured into this glass for just 2-4 minutes shows signs of aeration equivalent to the same wine that has been decanted and aerated for 1-2 hours.  The affects of the glass can really be seen in a comparative tasting between this glass and any other wineglass of the same shape, size and volume. 

I poured a small amount of Three Rivers 2006 Malbec (just bottled in February 2008) into the breathable glass and into a second 'high end' glass.  I was told the affects can be seen best in a younger wine which would normally require some decanting to open up.  The fruitiness of the wine in the breathable glass was apparent right away and the tannins were also softened, versus the other glass where I could still smell the alcohol more than the fruit, and the tannins were still a little heavy. Overall I was very pleased with the Eisch breathable wine glass, thought it increased the enjoyment of the wine, and have decided to sell them in our tasting room.  Besides my personal impression of these glasses, they are also endorsed by Robert Parker, Ronn R. Wiegand and Dan Berger.  I would love to hear from anyone else who has tried the Eisch Breathable wineglass and hear about your experience!

Amy Locati, Wine Club Manager

Recipe Pairing for 2007 Riesling

Here is another wonderful recipe we had at a recent Winemaker Dinner that pairs magically with our April Wine of the Month, the 2007 Riesling.  Jamison Brandt and his Sous Chef Courtney created this wonderful recipe for dessert.  Enjoy!

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CAKE WITH MACADAMIA NUTS

Ingredients for Cake

1 cup pitted & chopped dates

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup boiling water

2 Tbs. butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1½ cup self raising flour (sifted)

Crushed macadamia nuts

Ingredients for Toffee Sauce

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tbs. butter

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven 375°.  Mix dates and baking soda in heat proof bowl.  Pour boiling water on top and leave to stand.  Cream butter and sugar until pale, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Fold on flour and stir in date mixture (including water).  Pour into a buttered and floured 7” cake pan (bread pans work well also).  Bake at 375° until a toothpick comes out clean. 

For the sauce, combine sugar, cream, vanilla and butter in saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir often and simmer 5 minutes.

Cut cake, pour hot sauce over the top generously, sprinkle crushed macadamia nuts over the top and enjoy!

* Great with vanilla ice cream