July 27, 2005
A look at sake
By CLEVE TWITCHELL
Asked to define sake, most of us would say it’s rice wine, usually served warm, encountered primarily at Japanese restaurants.
Michael Giudici of John Michael Champagne Cellars in the Applegate Valley has come up with a different twist — sparkling sake. It’s a logical fit for him. He specializes in making
sparkling wines and has won some major awards along the way. This time, instead of using pinot noir, chardonnay or the like, he’s made one with rice wine.
It’s called Ronin, a sparkling, bottle-fermented, semi-dry rice wine. Ronin, a Samurai term, means "outside the norm," Giudici explains. It tastes somewhat like champagne and also
somewhat like sake — yet different. It’s on the dry side and is 12 percent alcohol.
Giudici first got interested in sake when he was in college. A friend taught him how to make it. Years later his interest was rekindled by visits to Japanese restaurants. "I like Japanese
food, but what do you drink with it?" He didn’t care for the warm sake usually available and red or white wine didn’t seem to work for him either.
With sparkling sake he feels he has come up with the ideal beverage to go with tempura, sushi and the like.
Ronin comes in a blue bottle and sells for the same price as his champagnes, $25 ($5 less if you buy a case). It’s sold only at the winery, at 1425 Humbug Creek Road, for now, since
supplies are limited. If restaurants show an interest, he may produce more. But it takes time to mature properly, close to two years. "You can’t rush it," he says.
The winery is open for tasting from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, other days by appointment at 541- 846-0810.
BRIDGEVIEW VINEYARDS IS near Cave Junction, but the winery opened an Applegate Valley tasting room last year on North Applegate Road, about 1½ miles west of the town of Applegate.
It’s open again this year. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Labor Day, or
maybe a little later.
Bridgeview is one of the state’s largest wineries, producing 80,000 cases a year. Compare that with nearby Troon, making 3,000.
WEISINGER’S WINERY OF ASHLAND IS currently offering Jazz Sundays, from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors enjoy live jazz music to accompany the regular wine tastings. Melissa Schweisguth plays
piano on July 31 and Aug. 14 and 28. Tim Church will play guitar on Aug. 7 and 21.
Visitors can enjoy a glass of wine and regional artisan foods (Rogue Creamery cheese, Dagoba chocolate, Rising Sun tortas) in the picnic area or on the deck, which overlooks the Greensprings area
mountains. Eric Weisinger says the music has often doubled Sunday attendance.
Also coming up at Weisinger’s, 3150 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, is its annual Grape Stomp on Aug. 27.
THE REDROCK ITALIAN restaurant in Medford offers a pretty good wine list, with 18 of its nearly 25 labels available by the glass as well as bottle. Prices by the glass start at $4.
Four local wines are featured, plus one from Douglas County.
I enjoyed a glass of Brandborg Pinot Gris with the salad course and Valley View Merlot with chicken parmesan.
SINCE THE McGRATH’S FISH HOUSE company is based in Salem, it’s perhaps understandable that no Rogue District wines are on its list. But it does offer some good Oregon choices,
like Eola Hills, King Estate and Rex Hill. I enjoyed a glass of some excellent Eola Hills Chardonnay for $4.95 with an order of halibut parmesan.
WHEN YOU THINK OF WINE in a box, visions of 5-liter containers usually come to mind. Now, there’s something new — smaller cube-shaped boxes that hold 1.5 liters of varietal wine.
They’re designed to fit inside a refrigerator door.
One brand called Wine Block is sold at markets like Albertson’s and Fred Meyer. The brand has three wines on local shelves — 2004 Chardonnay and 2002 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They
sell for $9.99.
The chardonnay is quite good — a pleasant, middle-of-the-road wine. The reds are described as fruit-forward. They are uncomplicated — not great, not bad.
Target has also started selling wine in small cube-shaped boxes, but it’s a different brand.
ALSO SAMPLED RECENTLY:
Willamette Valley Vineyards 2004 Pinot Gris. This is a delicious white with intense flavor, $14 a bottle. It may be the best pinot gris yet from the winery up near Salem.
The Little Penguin 2005 White Shiraz. Here’s a nice alternative to white zin, an Australian blush made in semi-dry rose style. It seems a bit too sweet at first but grows on you. Retail
is about $8.
Rosemount Diamond Shiraz. A high-quality red from Australia that paired well with prime rib at the Hungry Woodsman in Medford recently where it was $4.75 a glass.
Cleve Twitchell is a retired Mail Tribune editor and columnist. E-mail him at clevelinda@msn.com
