We were very remiss on making a visit to our buddy David LeClaire’s wonderful new Wine World warehouse, a whopping 23,000-square-feet of everything wine and wine-related that opened last December after a whirlwind six weeks of renovation and remodeling.

Wine World boasts 500 Washington labels alone!

Not to mention Oregon wines. . .

Even Idaho!

Of course, foreign wines are widely available. . .

As is a whole section of Sustainable/Earth Friendly vino.

The massive space is centered by two spacious tasting bars with plenty of room to spread out, sip, and savor during one of the DAILY wine tastings!

There’s a big specialty-food section with cheeses, crackers, chocolates. charcuterie. . .

Such as these beauties.

There’s plenty of cold bubbly and white wine. . .

And microbrews from local favorites such as our good buddies Rose Ann and Charles Finkel of  The Pike Brewing Co.

There are wine-lovers’ gifts galore. . .

Including the latest and greatest books. . .

And magazines including Wine Press Northwest, where I’ve been a columnist the past 11 years (!). J

You can build your own basket. . .

Choose wines that have received ratings of 90 points or higher from leading publications, yet still cost less than $20!

Towards the back of the shop, along long the rear wall, you’ll find Wine World’s Staff Picks. . .

And a lovely seating area with recipe from the Celebrated Chefs Cookbook conveniently paired with reasonably priced wines.

Recipes are ready for the taking!

Two gorgeous event spaces have views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier, and Interstate 5, which David told me looks like a sea of lights come nightfall.

A serving bar and changing artwork displays make for a sophisticated and welcoming place for a glass of wine or three!

Special events and classes are offered frequently. . .

Heck, even the ladies’ restroom is pretty!

Wine World’s Explorers Club offers great discounts and Explorers-Club-member-only events. And there are always Hot Buys just waiting to be snapped up. And most recent news on Wine World’s blog.

So don’t wait another minute. . .Wine World is like nirvana for oenophiles serious and casual.

Bravo, David and team!

I count myself among the luckiest people on earth because I live in the Pacific Northwest.

Apparently, even The New York Times agrees, since recently it listed the San Juan Islands as the #2 place to see in its list of “41 Places To Go in 2011.”

And this spring and fall, Friday Harbor House invites guests to the island for a new series of cooking-class getaways that take advantage of the culinary bounty of San Juan Islands–both by land and by sea.

The Couples Kitchen Mixers (designed for two) will be held at The Bluff Restaurant/Bar/Terrace and led by Chef Kyle Nicholson.

Each two-night getaway includes a cooking class hosted by Chef Kyle, a special welcome amenity from The Bluff, and lunch for two with wine featuring the ingredient or technique learned in class.

The culinary adventure begins on Friday evening with a relaxing overnight stay, followed by a signature continental breakfast on Saturday morning. The kitchen gets mixing at 11:00 a.m. when Chef Kyle introduces the recipes and begins the hands-on instruction. At 2 p.m. students will toast to their hard work with wine and a specially prepared lunch featuring the ingredient or technique learned in class.

Upcoming classes are as follows:

June 10-11, 2011--Chef Kyle will guide the class through “Handling Fin Fish Swimmingly,” instructing on topics ranging from buying to butchering and storing seafood with a professional touch. Students will learn how to fillet like a pro with techniques and tools that aid preparation such as fish spatulas, needle nose pliers, sharp and flexible knives, and more.

September 9-10, 2011–The “Spring into Late Summer Salads” class will have students whipping up light, yet filling, entrée salads bursting with seasonal delights such as heirloom tomatoes, pole beans, huckleberries, gooseberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Discover easy tips on creating the perfect dressings and garnishes to highlight the fresh, seasonal ingredients discovered and discussed.

October 7-8, 2011–During “Entertaining Autumn Cuisine,” Chef Kyle teaches how to entertain with ingredients such as eggplant, chanterelle mushrooms, red torpedo onions, and a variety of peppers such as sweet, banana. and bell guaranteed to make guests swoon.

November 10-11, 2011–Celebrate “A True Fall Harvest” with a tutorial on the freshest harvest items from the islands and beyond, using ingredients such as hedgehog mushrooms, golden and red beets, Hubbard squash, leeks, kale. and potatoes.

Friday Harbor House is located at 130 West Street, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250. Phone 866.722.7356 for reservations.

Since its launch in 2007, Pacific Rim has been extolling Riesling’s virtues–versatility, purity of vineyard expression, and the varietal’s ability to inspire all manner of culinary exploration.

Since Monday, May 16, the winery has passed the torch to its 12,000-plus Facebook fans and a nation of passionate Riesling zealots. Pacific Rim fans and all lovers of this most noble of wine varietals have enjoyed the opportunity to lead the Riesling conversation by sharing their personal “Riesling for Being” on the Pacific Rim Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/pacificrimwine

www.twitter.com/rieslingrules

Each week until July 24, fans will vote to award $1,000 to the author of the most popular weekly submission. Entries are limited to 20 words or less and will be accepted from Monday through Friday.

Voting will occur on Saturday and Sunday. The contest is open to United States residents aged 21 and older in all states except California. Riesling fans can learn more and enter by visiting Pacific Rim’s Facebook page.

Brand Development Director and Co-Founder, Shawn Barvaresco, explains: “We want to inspire our fans to openly express their love for this glorious grape through personal connections and passionate proverbs. We’ve been singing Riesling’s praises for nearly five years… It’s now time for our fans to voice their love of Riesling. All personal anecdotes, creative puns and jokes are welcome–as long as the submissions are relatively tasteful and pertain to Riesling.”

Pacific Rim has over 12,000 Facebook fans. The brand’s fan base of Riesling loyalists was built through several innovative social-media programs launched in the past few years, including the RIESLING RULES BOOK and SAVE WATER/DRINK RIESLING sustainability program (a conservation awareness program promoting the preservation of wild salmon ecosystems). To date, Pacific Rim has distributed over 40,000 complimentary copies of its RIESLING RULES BOOK, which is also available online.

Pacific Rim makes 10 different Rieslings in 10 different styles (from bone-dry to medium-sweet to dessert sweet… and everything in between).

www.rieslingrules.com |

We’re embarrassed to admit it’s been a full two months since we had our first tantalizing taste of a fabulous new tequila that’s just been introduced to Washington State and elsewhere throughout the country–Familia Camarena Tequila–at downtown Seattle’s tony Alexis Hotel.

But more than a tasting, this event was billed as a “Home Mixology Happy Hour,” where my fellow journalists and I got to mix it up, as it were, by making our own cocktail.

Each cocktail showcased one of Familia Camarena’s two grades of Tequila–Silver (unaged) and Reposado (aged two months in new and used American oak), made from 100-percent blue agave.

Both are expertly crafted by the Camarenas, a family that’s been in the tequila business in Mexico since the early 1700s, opened its first distillery in 1938, and bottled its first tequila almost 75 years ago.

Today, the family’s pure, smooth (very!), easy-drinking spirits are stylishly packaged and very reasonably priced at $20 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Just this week I learned that one of the well-crafted cocktails we mixed that heady evening–Copa de Arandas–won the Chairman’s Trophy as the best original tequila cocktail of 2011 at the nationally recognized Ultimate Cocktail Competition held in New York City.

With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to share the award-winning recipe with you. It will make the perfect party sipper for the big day. . .something that stretches geographical boundaries and taste buds beyond the more-common Margarita.

Copa de Arandas

2 ounces Camarena Silver Tequila

1/2 ounce Blanc (white) Vermouth

1/2 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 ounce Italian Amaro

3 ounces ginger ale

Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

1. Combine the Tequila, Blanc Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, lemon juice and Italian Amaro in a highball glass. Mix well.

2. Fill the glass to the brim with ice.

3. Top with ginger ale, and stir gently with a bar spoon. Garnish with mint.

My latest Northwest Edge column for the for the spring issue of Wine Press Northwest features URBAN enoteca, a totally cool new “wine center” just south of downtown Seattle.

Looking for something fun and different to do with the kids (big or small) this weekend? Something that says spring is in the air?

Then venture out to local farms and pick out this year’s bedding plants and garden starts for your garden. This spring on the Red Rooster Route, Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm is introducing its newest farm festival–The Happy Soils Festival–on Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Happy Soils Festival allows youth and adults to learn about the key ingredients to building up tilth in the soil.

Free demonstrations on the farm show how adding compost and the right fertilizer creates an organic space that defends itself from disease and predators. Farm walks will also be organized throughout the day, allowing visitors to learn how a system of food production and distribution promotes healthy living and nurtures the environment.

“Our farm is committed to organic food production and promoting a sustainable lifestyle,” owner and farmer, Mark Lovejoy says. “The goal of our Happy Soils Festival is to take the mystery out of organic gardening and natural soil health.”

Not only does Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm celebrate spring with a variety of nursery items and organic vegetable garden starts, but a host of seasonal produce such as spring mix greens, asparagus, and spinach are available. The farm also features a gift shop, garden center, nursery, CSA box program, and organic-only farm market stand.

This third year of the annual Red Rooster Route will also host a variety of upcoming spring and summer festivals including The Flower Festival during Mother’s Day weekend on May 7 and 8 at Foster’s Farm, The Strawberry Festival on June 18 and 19 at Biringer Farm and Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm, Red Rooster Route Days on July 16 and 17 at all the farms on the Red Rooster Route and The Blueberry Festival on July 30 at Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery.

Offering a self-guided tour through the greater Arlington area, the Red Rooster Route is rich with pastoral views and plenty of recreational and u-pick opportunities. To learn more about the farms on the Red Rooster Route and to download a tour map, visit the group’s website.

Additional Information:

Happy Soils Festival, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free Admission (donations gladly accepted).

Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm located at 3328 State Route 530

Open Daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Red Rooster Route, off Exit 208 on I-5, is a non-profit association of small, family-friendly farms in the Arlington, Washington, area of Snohomish County. The farms are open to the public during the harvest season.

For more information and to learn about individual farms visit the website.

Photos Courtesy of The Red Rooster Route

A recent press release touted an interesting sounding concept: Find it on First, a new urban scavenger hunt created in partnership by BOKA Kitchen + Bar, Fonté Café & Wine Bar, Japonessa, TASTE Restaurant and The Pike Brewing Company.

The five restaurants united to showcase a revitalized First Avenue in a fun and tasty challenge for Seattleites.

“Find it on First” began on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, and will continue on the first Tuesday of every month.  Participants who complete the challenge will earn free menu items and exclusive discounts available throughout the rest of the month.

Upcoming hunts will take place on April 5, May 3, June 7, and July 5, 2011. Here’s how it works:

Pick up a “Find it on First” Stamp Card at all participating restaurants or download from any participating restaurant’s website. Here’s how to begin…

1.       On first Tuesday, visit any of the Find it on First restaurants.

2.       Answer fun trivia questions or find hidden treasures to earn a stamp. (No purchase is required to participate.)

3.       Collect stamps from all five restaurants to receive exclusive discounts and FREE menu items.

• April 2011: Enjoy $3 off cocktails and $1 off beer
• May 2011: Complimentary dessert with purchase of entrée after 6 p.m.
• June 2011: Enjoy $1 Bloody Mary cocktails before 1 p.m.
• July 2011: Complimentary appetizer with purchase of entrée after 6 p.m.

In addition, those who participate in “Find it on First” are invited to take part in a monthly drawing for a grand prize that will be announced at the end of each month. Prizes will range from dining certificates to hotel stays and other prizes from participating businesses. For March, the grand prize was a “Spa Lunch for Two” at Spaahh at Hotel 1000.

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!