The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2018

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28  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2018 WHERE WE'RE F or those of us seeking a fine glass of locally produced wine while traveling, a terrible sadness arises when we're presented with a list of selections that can be found in supermarkets near and far. The wines may be eminently drinkable, but it's like finding a copy of the Mona Lisa in every museum you visit—what's the point? And so we seek out wine bars, which have sprung up pretty much everywhere in America. Those in more obvious wine-producing states can now often surprisingly be found in the less-obvious suburbs, like the newly opened Arcwood Wine Bar in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles. Proudly calling itself "the people's wine bar," Arcwood pours roughly 50 wines— some global, but many local, including a fine The White Knight Viognier from Clarksburg, California, and a Moobuzz Pinot Noir from Monterey. Any option should go very nicely with the Cuban- style charred corn and paella del mar from the Latin-skewing menu. If you're heading south to Disneyland, consider a stop at Vino Nostra in equally suburban Fullerton, where you can pair one of several tasty flatbreads with Cherry Pie Vineyard's Cherry Tart Pinot Noir from Napa or Tangley Oaks Chardonnay from Mendocino. Continue east and you'll eventually run into Vines & Hops in Scottsdale, where the list of Arizona- produced wines includes names like Provisioner, Sand Reckoner, Aridus, Stronghold Mangus, and Page Springs Cellars Mule's Mistake. Flights featuring your choice of three Arizona wines for $17 provide a wonderful way to taste the local grapes alongside plates of artichokes, olives, figs, Marcona almonds, goat cheese, piquillo peppers, and, of course, chorizo—a local favorite. Should you have a taste for the wines of the Pacific Northwest, the place to go in Seattle is Bottlehouse, where they serve Farmlands Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and, from Washington State, Kerloo Majestic Red and Airfield Estates Cabernet from the Columbia and Yakima valleys, respectively. Don't miss the Omero Cellars Chardonnay (also from Willamette) served with pickled eggs, Aleppo peppers, and a braised oxtail rillette made in-house. Finally, in the very rural town of Kula on the Hawaiian island of Maui—high above the Pacific on the road to the top of Haleakala¯ volcano—exploring eno- philes should head for the vowel-heavy Ulupalakua Ranch Store & Grill for a glass of Maui's fabled pineapple wine. While it's not exactly subtle, it's decidedly local. Try it with Chef Will Munder's slow-roasted beef brisket from the Maui Cattle Company along with an Upcountry-grown Caesar salad of local Waipoli romaine lettuce, organic radicchio, and housemade Caesar dressing. With several varieties of meat sourced from the business' ranch on Maui and every vegetable arriving from its microfarm, the food is as regional as could be. It warrants mentioning that the view goes on forever—on a clear day, you can practically see Japan. Wayfaring Wine Bars THE SIMPLE JOY OF FINDING LOCAL GRAPES WHILE TRAVELING by Merrill Shindler PHOTO COURTESY OF BOTTLEHOUSE PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCWOOD WINE BAR Bottlehouse in Seattle, WA, serves the Omero Cellars Chardonnay from Oregon's Willamette Valley with pickled eggs, Aleppo peppers, and a braised oxtail rillette made in-house. At Arcwood Wine Bar in Tarzana, CA, patrons can choose from more than 50 wines to pair with dishes like Cuban-style charred corn and paella de mar with chorizo, prawns, and mussels. At Arcwood Wine Bar in

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