Y.E.S! Chapter of the

Enological Society of the

Pacific Northwest

March 2012 A monthly publication for members of the Yakima Enological Society

It’s March and time for…

Our Annual Meeting and Wonderful Member Potluck

The Yakima Enological Society’s Annual Meeting will be held on March 14, 2012, at the Yakima Valley Museum. The Society will furnish the wine. There will be a short business meeting and election of new board members. We will also welcome Trent Ball, Chair of the YVCC Vineyard & Winery Program and some or all of the 2011 scholarship recipients from our Platinum IX dinner. It is always nice to actually meet the student beneficiaries of our largest

wine event of the year.

Along with your potluck dish, bring some new and interesting suggestions for future tastings that you think our members would enjoy. You might even consider volunteering to help put on a tasting. It is a great way to meet people and learn about wine. Your Y.E.S. board is always

open to suggestions.

Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Place: Yakima Valley Museum

Time: 6:30 p.m. Registration

7:00 p.m. Potluck dinner

Cost: $10.00 members

$15.00 guests

Bring: Appetizer, Casserole, Salad or

Dessert of your choice, plus one wine glass

Registration must be postmarked or paid online through BPT on the Y.E.S. website by March 9, 2012. Reservations by phone to Marie Clark at

697-3364 by March 12, 2012.

~ Virginia Gable

Plan Ahead Y.E.S. Calendar of Upcoming Events

April 14...

Platinum X Annual Dinner

May 9...

Toast of the Town

June 13...

Pending

~ Julie Johnson

Membership Report

Y.E.S. would like to welcome back former member

Teresa Kloster.

Y.E.S. would also like to recognize Gayle Colver for

being the first Y.E.S. member to renew their memberships for the 2012-2013 year.

Membership forms have been mailed out to all past members since 2009.

If you have missed the mailer, we have included the current 2012-2013 membership form in this newsletter, or it is available on the Y.E.S. website at www.yakimawine.org, or send an email to contact@ yakimawine.org and one will be mailed to you. Really, there is no excuse for not renewing your membership.

Continued on page 4...

Page 2 Yakima Enological Society — March 2012

Fudgy Raspberry Brownies

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

2 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1½ cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup almonds, sliced

1 cup milk chocolate chips

¾ cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 13x9-inch pan.

In a medium sauce pan, over low heat, melt together unsweetened chocolate and butter, stirring often (or microwave). Remove from heat. With wire whisk beat in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool slightly. Gradually stir in flour, baking powder and salt, just to combine. Fold in almonds and chocolate chips. Spread about ¾ of the batter evenly in pan. Carefully spread raspberry preserves on top of batter. Drizzle remaining batter evenly over preserves, swirling top lightly

with a spoon. Gently smooth top.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until firm and a toothpick inserted in

center comes out clean.

Cool completely before cutting. Makes 32 brownies.

Notes: • For Fudgy Strawberry Brownies, simply substitute

strawberry preserves.

• These brownies are great when served with whipped

topping and Whidbeys’ Liqueur drizzled over the top.

From The Brownie Experience, 1984.

Recipe submitted by Marie Clark

Wine suggested by Brad Baldwin

Eat this... Drink that

Our recipe this month is courtesy of Marie Clark and was featured at The Blind Leading the Blind January tasting. Serve Fudgy Raspberry Brownies with Thurston Wolfe's "Howling Wolfe Zinfandel" 2009. Regular $20; Y.E.S.

members $16 at Stems.

February Recap: The Lowdown

on Downtown

“It was a dark and gloomy night” in February when an intrepid group of fun, wine- and music-loving Y.E.S. members and guests mingled at Gilbert Cellars

downtown tasting facility in the basement

and “raised the roof.”

We started the evening with a Doc Stewart Chardonnay while we listened to Justin Neufeld, winemaker for Gilbert Cellars, discuss his philosophy and process for making great wine. We then opened it up for members to sample a variety of Gilbert’s interesting and full-bodied reds, including Grenache, Mourvedre, Doc Stewart Syrah and finally finishing with Petit Verdot. All the wines were perfectly paired with chef Jessica Smith’s amazing appetizers, including a decadent chocolate dessert with

the Petit Verdot.

As if the food, wine and ambiance weren’t enough, we enjoyed the smooth jazz and harmonies of the KCJ Jazz Co. —and may I mention that if you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to the group at some of the music venues around town, make it a point to catch up to them at your earliest chance. They were great and it’s a double plus to know that Kim and Connie Eisenzimmer are Y.E.S. members and are

often able to attend our tastings.

All in all, it was a perfect way to celebrate a

birthday!

~ Julie Johnson & Ben Antonio

Page 3 Yakima Enological Society — March 2012

What: Annual Meeting and Member Potluck

When: Wed., Mar. 14 — 6:30 p.m. register; 7 p.m. tasting

Where: Yakima Valley Museum

Important: Please include your phone number.

Yes, we’ll be there...

Name(s) _____________________________________

Name(s) _____________________________________

Phone: _________________________________

Members ---------- _____ @ 10 = $_____

Guests ------------- _____ @ $15 = $_____

---------------------- Total Enclosed: $_____

Please clip and mail this form with your check to: Yakima Enological Society, PO Box 2395, Yakima WA 98907

All reservations must be paid for in advance and are NON REFUNDABLE

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Postmarked by March 9, 2012

Or pay online with Brown Paper

Tickets at the Y.E.S. Website

www.yakimawine.org

If you would like to help with this tasting, please select one of the following:

___ Set Up ___ Food Prep ___ Registration ___ Greeter ___ Pourer ___Clean Up

Page 3

Yakima Enological Society

Membership Application 2012-2013

New _____ Renewal _____

Name: __________________________________

Name: __________________________________

Address: ________________________________

City: ___________________________________

Mail completed application with check to:

Yakima Enological Society PO Box 2395

Yakima WA 98907

Home Phone: ____________________________

Email: __________________________________

Newsletter by email? Yes ________ No________

State: ________________ ZIP: _______________

As a volunteer organization, we encourage our members to be involved. Please check the ways you can help YES:

___ Help with food preparation for tasting ___ Wine research for tastings

___ Help with greeting and guest registration ___ Pouring wine/serving food

___ Help with organizing a tasting ___ Help with set-up for a tasting

___ Board membership/planning ___ Help with clean-up after a tasting

___ Writing/finding articles for newsletter ___ Sharing my wine knowledge at tastings

PLEASE NOTE: Law requires members to be of legal age. Minors are not permitted at tastings.

Membership is non-transferable.

Annual Dues: $40 __ per couple $25 __ per single for membership term from 03/01/2012 to 03/01/2013

Page 4 Yakima Enological Society — March 2012

PLATINUM “X”

Your Platinum committee has been busy with the final touches in preparation for our Tenth Annual Platinum Tasting. Can you believe Tenth? Last year’s event was truly spectacular and we are trying hard to make this year’s event even better. I’m sure most of you have checked out the event on our website, if not… do so now. The list of wines — 19 this year — and the food pairings are very impressive. This year we have eight wines that won a Double Platinum award and 11 wines that won Platinum, so all of the wines for the evening are Platinum winners. Some of the highlights of this

year’s event will be:

Both of the wines that were judged as the “Best of the Best,” Jones of Washington’s Viognier and Kiona’s

Lemberger, will be served this evening.

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery in Oliver, British

Columbia, won six Platinum awards this year and has won 25 Platinum awards over the past 12 years (more than any other winery in the competition). We will have three of the six current Platinum-winner wines at our event, which will be the “Stand Alone Winery” flight featured with our first course of the evening. For a specific list of wines and the menu for each course

please, go to our website at www.yakimawine.org.

In summary, we will be serving five wines — two whites and three reds — during the Winemakers Reception. The dinner will include a course of white wines from Gehringer of Canada served with a Thai-style shredded spicy duck salad, a course of Viogniers served with a Alaskan Halibut, a course of Pinot Noirs served with Prime Washington beef, a course of Cabernet Francs served with an Anderson Ranch lamb chop and finally a course of Petit Verdots served with a Bittersweet

Belgian Chocolate decadence.

As in past years, we will have both a silent auction during the reception and a live auction during the course of the evening. Proceeds from this event, including the auction, go to wine industry scholarships at Yakima Valley Community College

and WSU Tri-Cities school of Enology.

Sponsoring Winemakers Tables this year are: L’Ecole, Steppe Cellars, William Church and Cardwell Hills Cellars. We are working with

others, but only as these tables sell out. If you have shared Winemakers Tables in the past, you already know some of these winery owners and winemakers have very interesting backgrounds and stories to share with their tables. So, consider upgrading to a Winemakers Table and have a special wine evening experience. Also, remember that you get a bottle of wine to take home from that winery — and some of the wines are award

winners or high-end vintages.

The ticket cost remains the same as last year at $130 per person for a regular table and $150 for the Winemakers Tables if the tickets are purchased prior to March 17th. After March 17th the cost goes to $145 and $165 per person. So order your tickets now, as you only have a couple of weeks left before the price goes up. The best and easiest way to get tickets is to go to our website, go to the Platinum event and click on “Brown Paper Tickets” and use your credit card. This event is only open to members of the Yakima Enological Society and the Yakima County Club and their invited guests, so invite your friends and neighbors and enjoy one of

the premier wine events in the Pacific Northwest.

~ Chuck Johnson

Although those out wine tasting for the big Red Wine and Chocolate Event this past weekend may already know this, it is a nice perk to mention you are a Y.E.S. member because many wineries will honor a tasting room

discount for wines purchased by a member. It never hurts to ask!

~ Gerry Amos V.P./ Membership

Membership Report… continued from page 1

Page 5 Yakima Enological Society — March 2012

PO Box 2395, Yakima WA 98907 Email: contact@yakimawine.org

Web: www.yakimawine.org

Yakima

Enological Society Yakima Enological Society PO Box 2395 Yakima WA 98907

We’re on the Web...

www.yakimawine.org

This newsletter published by Jonelle Foutz, Write Mind, PO Box 1194, Yakima WA 98907

President’s Corner March 2012

Everyone is up for a challenge, right?! Why not challenge

yourself to visit at least four new wineries in 2012. By “new,” I mean

new to you. We humans are a predictable bunch and we seem to

harken back to the tried and true when we find a particular wine or

winery that we have come to enjoy. I know I find myself guilty of

visiting a familiar restaurant and re-ordering

what I have already tried in the past because

I have good memories of that culinary treat

from the previous visits. Just like the untried

gourmet delights in the Valley, so many,

many untried wineries await —right here in

our very own Yakima Valley. Take the

challenge!!

Speaking of culinary treats, you are always in for a treat with the

Annual Potluck dinner at the Yakima Valley Museum. Mark your

calendar for March 14th and prepare your taste buds.

For 10 years the annual Platinum event has managed to outdo

itself; and this year will be no exception. It is nice to switch it up and

have our event on a Saturday and get gussied up and enjoy the

beauty of the Yakima Country Club while enjoying the best of the

best that our winemakers have to offer.

~ Sally Baldwin, President

Yakima Enological Society

President: .................. Sally Baldwin

1st Vice President:...... Gerry Amos

2nd Vice President: ... Julie Johnson

Treasurer: ................... Jill Skone

Secretary: ................... Dorene Boyle

Board Members: ........ Ben Antonio

.................................... Brad Baldwin

.................................... Marie Clark

.................................... Virginia Gable

.................................... Richard Hamlin

.................................... Bert McDonnell

.................................... Susan McPhee

.................................... Kathy Michielsen

.................................... Curt Robins