The Willamette Valley is an area in Oregon that produces exceptional pinot noir.Okay, so we all know artists are a bit “out there” or they wouldn’t be able to create the amazing works they produce. In an otherwise mundane, complex, stressful and boring existence, artists provide a break from normalcy and present unique perspectives on the world we all share. I love art- even if sometimes I don’t understand a painting, a treatise, a photograph, a bit of music and, yes, even the metaphysical ramblings of some wine makers.

At the recently completed IPNC (International Pinot Noir Celebration) in Oregon, the title and theme of this year’s event was “Sustainability Without Sacrifice.” This theme was touched on in every IPNC symposium. In layman’s terms, it means you can sustain and indeed improve the vineyard by using more organic methods of farming. For example, instead of using conventional herbicides and other man-made chemical in the vineyards, sustainability depends on using what is in nature to produce the best end product.

So far, so good. I can buy-in to the sustainability way of doing things. I can even imagine that the wine produced from a vineyard farmed in this manner can be superior. But the level after sustainability is something called biodynamics. If sustainability is a practical – if somewhat retro- manner of growing grapes, biodynamic farming is part mumbo-jumbo, part voodoo and part snake oil. I ain’t buying this sack of potatoes!

But first more about sustainability. Some of the more recognizable components of sustainability are using natural fertilizers, composting and the cultivation of plants that attract insects that are beneficial to grape vines. Sustainability practices in the vineyard also extend to actions you would not suspect have a relationship to the quality of the vine such as providing areas for wildlife to flourish and allowing weeds to grow between the vines. It also involves using bio-diesel for tractors to reduce emissions and doing everything to limit the carbon footprint in the vineyard. Ultimately, sustainability broadens to encompass the whole eco-system surrounding the vineyard so that all the natural elements work in harmony and in a natural way.

Ted Casteel, an owner of Bethel Heights Winery in the Willamette Valley (and a fellow who produces my favorite pinot gris in Oregon), views sustainability this way: “It’s maintaining biological diversity and ecological balance on the whole farm, minimizing the use of 'off-farm' inputs such as fungicides, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and diesel.”

Hey, I’m with you, Ted -- who wants to sip pinot noir that has nuances of Co2?!

But the biodynamic vineyard movement – which seems to have gotten its start in the Burgundy region of France – is sustainability on steroids! It involves some things that are downright looney. It can include practices such as stuffing cow horns with manure and burying them in vineyards over the winter, fermenting flowers in stags’ bladders, and timing these unorthodox methods of farming with the phases of the moon and the location of the stars in the night sky. Holy Wicked Witch of the West, Batman!

Anyway, a few of the presenters at the IPNC conference actually tried to make sense of this type of agricultural wizardry. Fortunately, most of the wine makers I spoke with privately about biodynamics were as skeptical as me. Some expressed concern that those pushing biodynamic farming were actually harming the acceptance and credibility of sustainability. Others described biodynamics as nothing more than a cheap and confusing marketing ploy.

The purpose of this rant on biodynamics is simply to alert you to the latest wine scam. It is being used by the enemies of ordinary wine drinkers to confuse and make the wine-making process more complicated and mysterious than it already is. So, repeat after me: sustainability is OK, biodynamics is balderdash!

In fact, the next time some label boasts of the biodynamic farming methods used to produce the wine, I’m going to buy a bottle of the stuff, take it to a gentlemen’s club, give it a lap dance, then bury it this fall in the nearest landfill under a quarter moon. I’ll check back next spring and report to you on the results.

A 2004 Montevina Terre d’Oro Amador County Zinfandel ($22) will go great with the recipe below. I must admit: I am a carnivore -- especially when it comes to beef. Give me a piece of red meat and I’ll rub that sucker with loads of black pepper, garlic and a little Kosher salt, and then I’ll build a charcoal fire so big it will create its own micro-climate. Next, I’ll roast the meat until the red inside just starts turning pink, and then I’ll wolf it down with a big, purple wine that will make your lips pucker and your heart sing!

And while there’s nothing better in this whole wide world than any type of meat or even fish on a grill, I must admit that I do enjoy my veggies, too, particularly the ones I procure from our own farmer’s market here in Charleston. For the next six weeks, we’ll have the opportunity to choose from a cornucopia of the region’s most wonderful assortment of vegetables.

I am a fan of peppers! Green ones, red ones and especially hot ones. I have prepared peppers in more ways than the normal person can fathom. I roast them, stuff them, fry them, freeze them, can them and, above all, I consume them almost daily. One of my favorite ways to prepare red, sweet peppers combines stuffing, roasting and grilling. I think you’ll love this recipe. Today, I’m going to share a recipe with you for a special summer time meal combining the best ingredients from my favorite food groups – red meat, vegetables and pasta. Oh, and I’ll tell you about a wine or two that will make the whole experience even more pleasurable. This recipe is for two people so you can increase it depending upon the number you’re serving

A MEATY NOTE: I get most of my meat from Sandy Creek Farms in Ravenswood or Johnnnies Meat at the Capitol Market. Sandy Creek Farms raises its own beef and pork, using only natural feeds such as corn, soybean meal, molasses and oats. It’s about as organic as it gets and it is also terrific tasting. They deliver to Charleston once a week right to your door and you can contact them at 800-487-2569 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Preparing the meat and the peppers 1. Use a one and one-half inch rib-eye steak. Put a few drops of olive oil on each side of the meat and then rub both sides with a mixture of one-half teaspoon of kosher salt and minced garlic and one teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper. Set aside for about one hour.

2. Cut two sweet red bell peppers lengthwise in half. Remove seeds and stems, rub inside and out with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Place peppers on a roasting pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until soft, but still firm and set aside.

Preparing the pasta 4. Boil one-half pound of orzo (little pasta that looks like rice) in a combination of one-quart of water and one quart chicken broth, stirring constantly until the orzo absorbs the liquid and is al-dente.

5.Add salt and pepper to taste and one cup of grated pecorino romano cheese to the orzo. Spoon the orzo mixture into each of the roasted pepper halves and top each with a piece of provolone cheese. The Finish 6. Prepare your charcoal or gas grill and when ready, grill the steak and place the orzo stuffed peppers on the grill, but not over the fire. When the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, let it rest for about 10 minutes and then cut it in one-quarter inch slices and plate it with the roasted and stuffed red peppers.

The WineYou’ll have many choices to match with this meal, but let me suggest these two lovelies: 2004 Montevina Terre d’Oro Amador County Zinfandel ($22) and/or the 2005 Le Gagie Barbera D’Asti ($23). Both of these wines would make delicious accompaniments to this meal.

Enjoy!

Remember the days of old when buying jug wine was a normal practice for most of us who wanted to enjoy a daily glass or two, but were constrained by a limited budget? In days of yore, I uncorked (or unscrewed) countless jugs of Carlo Rossi, Hearty Burgundy, Cribari and a host of other unpronounceable (and sometimes undrinkable) wines.

Today, jug wine still exists in the marketplace, but most of us have traded up to smaller sized bottles where the cost per ounce has increased, but the quality is much improved. The other issue with large format bottles is that keeping the wine fresh over a few days (if it is not consumed on the day it is opened) is problematic.

That problem, though, is easily resolved by either wolfing down the entire jug or pouring the remaining wine into a smaller bottle and eliminating the air space in the vessel so it will not spoil. However, you’re still faced with the quality issue. In recent tastings of jugs versus inexpensive wines in 750 ml bottles (e.g. fifths), the clear winners have been the wines in the smaller containers.

Just about the time I was about to declare the case closed, I had the opportunity to sip a jug style wine from a re-packaged version of an old idea – the “bag in the box.” This particular wine, 2008 Big House Red, is packaged in a 3-liter Octavin (a octagonal box) and is a blend of … get this… 23% syrah, 14% petite sirah, 9% grenache, , 6% mourvedre, 17% sangiovese, 6% algianico, 6% tannat, 5% nero d'avola, 4% sargentino, 3% touriga, 3% barbera, 3% petit verdot.

I’ve actually heard of most of these grapes!

Here’s what the winery says about the Octavin: “Octavin Home Wine Bar's patent-pending package design prevents oxidation. Every glass tastes as fresh and flavorful as if the wine was just opened, even up to six weeks after your first sip. It's the perfect choice for those interested in just one glass with dinner.”

Well, actually, this wine is so good I had more than one glass with dinner. At approximately $25 for the Big House Red Octavin, you get the equivalent of about six bottles of wine at $4 each. And the Octavin actually works incredibly well. I’ve had mine in the refrigerator now for about five weeks and the quality is the same now as when I poured the first glass.

Now, I’m not suggesting that all bag in the box wines will be of the same quality, but this one is really good with ripe and rich dark fruit flavors and decent acidity which allows it to pair nicely with foods such as lasagna, grilled baby back ribs and stuffed red peppers

Washington State is a geographically schizophrenic state, a land of extremes with two distinct personalities. Seattle, situated along Puget Sound with the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Olympic range to the west, is more known for its annual precipitation than its well-deserved reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world.

The other Washington begins once you cross Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains, just 54 miles east of Seattle. The lush, green Alpine landscape suddenly gives way to beige and brown hues as you travel east away from the Cascades along Interstate 90.

Actually, the metamorphosis is shocking. From rainforest-like conditions in Seattle, you enter a sun-baked, high dessert terrain where sagebrush and sand predominate, and where hot summers and bone chilling winters are the norm. The area also has one of the lowest annual rainfalls in the U.S. Welcome to eastern Washington: one of the most promising and exciting viticultural areas on this planet. It's a place where little-known wineries such as Leonetti Cellars, Quilceda Creek, DeLille Cellars and L'Ecole 41 are making some of the finest wines anywhere.

So how can you grow grapes, or anything for that matter, in a desert area with an average annual rainfall of only eight inches? Well, that problem was solved with an amazing series of canals fed by a giant reservoir on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. The reservoir, replenished each year with rainwater and melting snow, feeds the canals and has transformed the valleys of eastern Washington into a fertile growing plain.

Until very recently, this vast region was best known for producing cherries, asparagus, hops, lentils, apricots and... the atomic bomb. Yes, it was near the town of Richland where much of the research and testing was done in the early 1940's for the first atom bomb.

Now the wine industry is exploding! The three principal grape growing regions are the Yakima Valley, the Walla Walla Valley and the Columbia River Basin. These American Viticultural Areas (AVA) and the sub-regions within are beginning to produce world-class cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. The Yakima Valley is a slightly cooler region than either the Columbia Basin or the Walla Walla Valley, but all regions produce excellent red and white wines.

I toured the vineyards of the Yakima Valley and the Columbia River Basin several years ago and came away convinced of the tremendous potential this area possesses to produce among the finest wines anywhere.

The Washington wine industry has grown from 19 wineries in 1981 to nearly 500 today. And while there are a few wineries located in the Seattle area, the overwhelming majority of wineries and vineyards are located in eastern Washington.

The flagship wineries of Washington are Chateau Ste. Michelle and its sister winery Columbia Crest. These pioneering producers have put Washington State on the viticultural map and have served as an inspiration and training ground for many of the wineries that followed them.

So what makes Washington wines so special? It's a combination of geography, soil and climate. The major growing regions in the state lie along the same latitude as Bordeaux and Burgundy and have plentiful sunlight, minimal rainfall and long warm summer days moderated by crisp, cool evenings. The soils are lean, yet rich in minerals.

The resulting wines are characterized by crispness and an intensity of fruit. You might say that Washington State wines have the best of both California and Bordeaux: they possess the forward fruit so prevalent in Golden state; yet they also exhibit excellent balance like the wines produced in Bordeaux. Fruit, alcohol and acidity seem to be knitted harmoniously in most of the wines from Washington, and balanced wines are excellent matches with food.

And while the marquee wines such as cabernet, chardonnay and merlot are made as well in Washington as anywhere, the state is also producing among the most exciting gewürztraminer, riesling and semillon I've tasted in this country.

Probably the most famous Washington State wineries are Quilceda Creek, Leonetti and Woodward Canyon, whose cabernet sauvignons and merlots are legendary, very expensive and difficult to find. However, there are plenty of other great wines from Washington that are available to you here in West Virginia.

Here is a listing of some of my favorite wineries that produce these wines:

Hedges Cellars, Waterbrook, Columbia Crest, Covey Run, L'Ecole No. 41, Chateau. Ste Michelle, Canoe Ridge, Powers, DeLille Cellars, Hogue Cellars, Barnard Griffin, Andrew Will Winery, Kiona, Columbia and Owen Roe.

My advice? Go out and try the wines of Washington State. They represent not only quality, but value when compared to the wines produced in higher profile places such as California or France.

Look, I know I've always preached that wine appreciation is a very subjective undertaking, and that you should drink whatever you want, with or without food. I still feel that way. Yet you may have noticed that most of my wine recommendations also come with a suggested food pairing. That's because I feel strongly that food brings out the best in wine - and vice-versa.

After all, I'm paid the big bucks (EDITOR'S NOTE: When did your bucks become big? The Gazette specifically ordered you be paid small bucks... ;-0) to render an occasional opinion. And that opinion is that while you may prefer your flagon of Vito's Thunder Mountain Chablis on its own, you might be surprised at how much better it tastes when you try it with a complimentary food (like wolf pancreas). Okay, now that I've got your attention, today's missive involves helping you find the right bottle with your meal even when the wine rating experts don't give you a clue.

At least once a week, I get asked this question: 'What is your favorite wine?' My answer is always the same: "It depends." Now, you may think that's a way of avoiding the question, but to me the question is incomplete unless I'm given some type of food context. For example, if the question is stated in this manner: What is your favorite wine with beef tenderloin? I would ask how is it to be prepared? Will the beef be marinated, dry-rubbed (and rubbed with what spices) or just seasoned with salt and pepper? Will it be grilled, pan sautéed or oven roasted?

Based upon your answers to those questions, I would then recommend several wines that would marry nicely with that particular treatment of beef tenderloin. While many wine experts will strongly disagree with me, I don't believe wine can be objectively and properly evaluated on the merits of its own flavors, aromas and textures - without food.

This presents a problem as many of us get our information on which wines to buy from the results of competitive tastings where wines are evaluated without food. The dirty little secret about many wines which score highly in these tastings is that they are usually the ones which are fuller, richer, rounder, higher in alcohol and exhibit characteristics like tropical fruit, blueberries, butter and vanilla, etc.

That's the complaint of many European wine makers (particularly the French), whose wines sometimes are leaner, more understated and generally show very poorly when pitted against new world wines where the only food consumed at the tasting is a cracker or some bland cheese. And I understand the practical problem that tasting panels face when they're trying to evaluate hundreds of wines in order to provide consumers with useful information on which to buy.

So what can you do? Since these tasting panels cannot reasonably be expected to provide the volume and diversity of menu items necessary to judge the sheer volume of wine, you'll need to factor this reality into your decision-making. In other words, try to imagine how well a particular bottle would match the food you intend to serve with the wine.

I know this is not a fool-proof method, but it is a good way to incorporate food into the wine appreciation equation. I guarantee that once you hit the food and wine bulls' eye, you'll understand the value of this type of thinking when you're trying to pick a wine.

One publication which goes to great lengths to suggest the most appropriate pairings of food and wine is certainly true to its name. Food and Wine is my favorite magazine when it comes to emphasizing the importance of properly matching the meals we eat with the most appropriate wine. Check it out.

Speaking of food and wine, here's a pairing I recommend:

Roderer Estate Anderson Valley Brut ($22) - Sparkling wine enthusiasts will love this complex, crisp, yet rich wine made in the traditional Champagne method. Creamy and toasty with flavors of ripe pear, the wine makes a great aperitif with cheese or fruit such as strawberries. It also is a superb match to chicken cordon bleu.