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 Tara and Bill at Amista It’s easy to drive past Amista Vineyards, in the shadow of mighty Dry Creek Vineyards and across the road from the busy Dry Creek General Store. We’ve passed it many times, usually on our way to nearby F. Teldeschi to visit Bill Wertzberger. This year we finally stopped in and were glad we did.
Wertzberger had told me that my old boss, Ross, manages Amista’s tasting room, so we entered the barn winery hoping he’d be there. He was not. Day off. Oh well, so much for not calling ahead. Instead, we met charming Clayton, who poured us through the line while comparing high schools with our daughter, Tara.
While they discussed the relative merits of attending class reunions, we tried the 2008 Rosé of Syrah, made from grapes grown in the estate-grown Morningsong Vineyards, the vines right outside the door. A fine brunch wine, it’s crisp, dry and fruity, but also has the hefty feel of sweet tannins. There are beautiful notes of strawberry, cherry and rhubarb that were lifted elegantly by the lip smaking acidity.
Tasting the chardonnay, Clayton told us a bit about the owners Vicky and Mike Farrow. He said they were inspired to start a winery years ago after seeing a Gallo commercial. Did he mean Gallo of Sonoma? No, Ernest and Julio Gallo, the guys who made jug wine, they inspired the Farrows to start a life of wine. Chemist Mike started playing with garage wine in the 1980s, with success.The couple bought Sonoma County property in the 90s, and in 2003 they released their first commercial vintage. Check out their Owner’s Dream video for their story.
Back to the wine, the 2005 Morningsong Chardonnay tasted gorgeous, and I don’t say that about many chards. Fermented in neutral barrels, this white wine has a full body, a rich, round mouthfeel, and a delightfully long and fruity finish with just a touch of minerality. Its green apples and peaches tasted as fresh as the fruit from our trees, without the oak.
Just then, Vicki stepped in from the sun-drenched patio, seeking a glass of the rosé. She introduced herself and welcomed us warmly before ducking back out to join her “visiting relatives.”
The 2005 Morningsong Syrah was big, bold and smoky with notes of cassis, tobacco and vanilla, and a spicy, mineral finish. With its powerful tannins, it’s a red wine that ought to lay down well. Clayton was kind enough to open the 2004 Syrah to compare, and what a difference a year makes. This syrah was full of plums, cassis, mulling spices and bacon, with pepper on the finish, and was more elegant and well integrated than the 2005.
 Mike and Vicki Farrow relax on the patio at their winery Amista As we were admiring his syrah, Mike walked in from the winery and asked Clayton for a glass of it. He greeted us like family and we complimented him on his wines, and then he too, stepped out to the patio, glass in hand. Watching them, I wondered how I could get this family to adopt us.
When he poured us the Illusión, a brandy-infused dinner wine, Clayton offered us little dark chocolates, as it should be. This port-style blend of zin and syrah seemed to have chocolate built into its warm syrup of cassis and black cherry. The mouth is like velvet smeared with butter and its tannins are chewy as a fresh bagel. I loved it and bought a bottle. We also bought the chardonnay to take across the street and drink with sandwiches at the Dry Creek Store. With better planning, we might have done the reverse: picked up the sandwiches and brought them across to Amista, to sit on that beautiful patio.
Much more was tasted that I can write about here, but it was all good. Amista’s wines are solid, its setting is splendid and the people are genuinely friendly. Now we can cross another new winery off our to-visit list.
 Flowers at King Estate As we drove along Territorial Road in Oregon’s Lorane Valley below the King Estate, I could tell right away that things had changed. A gigantic hayfield was still banking the boundary, but beyond that, last year’s young vineyards had filled out, and more vineyards were visible on the north slope. Our last visit to King Estate gave us the impression of a winery fit for royalty. This time we got the sense of entering a castle village – a thousand acre, Tilth-certified, organic Camelot.
Once situated in the tasting room with our guide, Quentin Ransone, we put a good dent in the wine list before our friends from Eugene – Carolyn, Jody and Bob – joined us for more tasting and dinner in the King Restaurant.
King is famous for its organically grown pinot gris and pinot noir, bottled as estate/sourced Signature and estate-grown Domaine labels.
Acrobat and Next offer drink now, affordable pinot gris, pinot noir and riesling grown responsibly in Oregon and Washington. The NxNW (North by Northwest) labels feature terroir-driven syrah and cabernet sauvignon sourced from the Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley and Walla Walla. All of the wines rocked and we took home a healthy array, including the delicious 2008 Three Bees Pinot Gris, a small lot made from a single vineyard near the estate’s bee hive, and the elegant 2008 Next Pinot Noir.
I found myself agreeing with the most of the descriptions on the tasting menu, so I’ll just go with them here.
While the sun sank to the west around 8pm, it cast a beautiful glow on the Eastern hills just as we were seated on the patio and draped with plush blankets. The view was so vivid, it looked like a mural.
Using local and estate grown ingredients, Chef Michael Landsberg has put together an excellent menu that is both rustic and sophisticated, and features inventive meaty and vegetarian items.
Quentin had recommended the crab cakes and pork chops, so we went for both. The crab cakes were the most pillowy I’d ever tasted, with not a hint of oiliness, and were served with an intriguing sauce of fennel, pickled melon, and roasted garlic.
The 2009 Signature Pinot Gris with its 3% tang of gewürtztraminer beautifully complimented the cakes and our entrees.
Carolyn and Bob had the Seared Halibut with sugar snap peas, fennel confit, corn, fingerling potatoes, lemon-basil nage. The halibut was perfectly flaky and the pea/corn sauce was inspired. Bill loved his Roasted Smoked Chicken with caramelized parsnips and carrots, local mushrooms, asparagus, sherry chicken jus. Tender, earthy, and savory. Jody’s vegetarian Cannelloni was stuffed with local mushrooms, Fern’s Edge goat cheese, smoked tomato vinaigrette and roasted vegetables, and was literally mouth watering. The tender, juicy Smoked Sweet Briar Farms Pork Chop came topped with roasted peaches and ringed with spicy pioppini mushrooms and a polenta that was creamy as mashed potatoes.
The whole meal went beautifully with the 2008 Signature Pinot Noir, which we finished while sitting back and watching the stars glow.
(See more pics of our dinner and the estate.)
Meats served in the restaurant get aged and smoked in the King charcuterie, which is next to the bakery, across from the greenhouses, down the hill near the Vineyard Pavilion. Our entrees had been a little late, owing to the pork dish, and we joked that someone had to run out and kill the pig. The next morning, we realized they probably ran down to the charcuterie to slice a fresh chop.
 Jessie's greenhouse We met up with head gardener, Jessie Russell, who presented us with a bowl of plump raspberries to nibble as she showed us what’s growing on.
Seasonally, she oversees production of apples, pears, plums, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radish, salad greens, shallots, squash, Swiss chard, basil, bay leaf, chives, fennel, lavender, lemon verbena, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, as well as flowers such as; daffodils, dahlias, Echinacea, gladiolas, gypsophilia, iris, lilies, peonies, snapdragons, sunflowers and zinnias.
All of that is either cooked into the lunch and dinner menu, made into jams or lotions for sale in the tasting room, or is outright donated to local communities.
King Estate has greenhouses I would die to have. Complete with high-power lights, industrial fans, overhead irrigation and hot water tubes beneath the beds, these greenhouse are used for raising organic grape vines, vegetables and fruits, even in the cool winter months. Jessie said the lights suck so much power they are rarely used.
But that may change after the next project is completed; solar panels planted on the other side of the estate, down among the wetlands. The panels should provide for most, if not all of King’s Estates power needs. It gives me a buzz just thinking about it.
And I didn’t even mention the basketball court-sized compost piles.
The King Estate Restaurant is open daily from 11am to 9pm, with the tasting room pouring until 8:30 pm. How many wineries are open that late, anywhere?
Just say you’re riding with the King.
 Stoneboat's Martiniuk Family In the sea of Okanagan wines, Stoneboat continues to steer a course of smooth vintages.
Since visiting their modest Black Sage Bench tasting room two years ago, Stoneboat has become one of my favorite BC wineries. At a recent tasting at Taylorwood, I was once again blown away by the quality of their wines.
The Stoneboat story is as natural as the juice. Julie and Lanny Martiniuk began growing grapes 25 years ago, and steadily expanded their Oliver acreage in order to supply local wineries. In 2005 they started making their own wine, bottling it under the Stoneboat label. Now, with their three sons involved, the Martiniuks grow enough fruit in to float a steamship, yet they bottle only 3,500 cases of Stoneboat.
 Tim Martiniuk Twin son Tim Martiniuk kindly poured four of the eight Stoneboat releases. He explained how his dad is reducing his use of oak, fully eliminating it from the whites, which to me, is always a good idea.
2009 Chorus is a wild blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Muller Thurgau, Kerner and Schoenburger. The nose is beautifully assertive with perfumy flowers and ripe grapefruit, which merge on the palate with zesty tropical fruit and lively acidity. A perfect summer sipper or an accompaniment to Asian, Mexican, fish, cheese and desserts. $17.90
The first time I tasted the Stoneboat Pinot Gris was in their tasting room, and looking around that unassuming space gave me an immediate sense of where the Martiniuk’s place their priorities. Oak free and proud of it, the 2008 Pinot Gris has lovely floral, citrus, and honeyed apple aromas and flavors, a full mouth feel, bright acid, and a lovely touch of white pepper. Spicy, savory or sweet dishes would love it. It’s one of my favorite BC PGs. $18.90
The 2008 Pinot Noir is a superb example of Okanagan pinot and is one the best under $25. The nose has pretty floral, smoky, cherry notes that I found intriguingly sniffworthy. The mouth is full with warm red fruit, spice, sweet soil and delicate acidity, showing great balance and finesse. We drank it with grilled veggies and stuffed peppers and it matched the herbal smokiness with fruity alacrity. $23.90
The Martiniuks are the biggest producers of pinotage in BC, supplying fruit for such wineries as Hillside Estates. Being a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir, they think the vine’s Rhone ancestry helps it thrive in the Oliver heat, while its Burgundian roots are suited to the rocky soils and cool nights. I can’t disagree. The 2007 Pinotage has ripe, spicy black berries on the nose, luscious candied black and red fruit on a rich, full mouth, and a long, dry, black pepper finish. Less soft and more elegant than the Hillside, it’s a great steak wine. $24.90
In case you’re wondering, a stone boat is a wooden sleigh used to drag rocks from the fields. Stoneboat is also a winery, riding the waves of a dark wine sea.
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