Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
august 2018 / the tasting panel / 65 Our Northwest-inspired cuisine is a natural fit with wines from the region, from Walla Walla all the way to the Willamette Valley. It's an easy choice to parlay the food into the wine." When it comes to pairing Spoken Barrel with Scout PNW's cuisine, Simcik said he seeks to avoid the "go-tos" for Cabernet—red meat or "a nice heavy braise"—in favor of a more dynamic match. "I wanted to create a lighter dish with similar flavors and settled on steak tartare," he explains. "To emphasize the bell-pepper notes naturally found in the Cabernet, we charred and blistered red bell peppers, then dehydrated them to give them a texture and bounce that resembles raw meat. We then blended the minced peppers with raw beef in equal portions and topped the tartare with a sous-vide duck egg yolk to match the texture and richness of the body of the wine." By contrast, Simcik says the flavor profile of the Meritage is particularly well-suited to a mushroom dish that's "satisfying and meaty" without being "super heavy." "We chose a blend of locally foraged mushrooms—morels, hen-of-the-woods, trumpets, and baby shiitake—and seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, shallots, butter, and white soy," he continues. "A fresh herb purée of blanched, strained parsley on the bottom of the plate imparts bright- ness and lift, and the slightly peppery, fig-like umami influence comes from the addition of black garlic sho¯ yu. The sweetness of the sho¯ yu counteracts the black pepper in the wine and plays beautifully with the wines' juicy red- berry notes." The "New Cool Kid on the Block" From a thriving neighborhood pub to a restaurant recognized as one of "Seattle's 10 Best New Restaurants of 2016" by The Seattle Times, Spoken Barrel has confidently established the versatility and welcoming appeal of its wines not only in its home state, but for venues nationwide seeking to delve deeper into the Pacific Northwest in their beverage programs. For Maurine Johnson, however, the innate sense is that the project is just beginning to gain altitude. "The Washington wine industry has just begun to hit its stride," she says. "The state's wine pioneers are giving way to second and in some cases third genera- tions of viticulturists and winemakers who carry on the same passion for making world-class wines. As the new cool kid on the block, it's an exciting time for Washington wines, and we're proud to share Spoken Barrel with consumers looking to discover more of what they have to offer." Daniele DelleCave, Restaurant Manager and Wine Director at Scout PNW, introduced the popular establishment to Spoken Barrel wines.