Home for the holidays

Over the 4th of July holiday, we squeezed in a few of our favorite summer activities.

Wine tasting is one of them.

So is boating.

So is dancing.

Just like Michael Jackson.  Only better.

                                        

What is it about coming home that makes the kids think they’re rock stars? Long live Wii.

But back to wine tasting. We did a quick swing around Red Mountain, stopping off at a handful of the outstanding wineries there, including Kiona Vineyards.

Owner John Williams pioneered the area more than 30 years ago when he and his partner Jim Holmes, who now owns the famed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard across the road from Kiona, planted the first vines on what was a desolate, grass-covered mountain, before there was a road or even electricity there.

A lot has happened since then. Red Mountain is dotted with a growing collection of outstanding producers. The Williams family, including son and winemaker Scott Williams, now tend around 300 acres of grapes. They bottle some delicious Chardonnays, tasty Merlots and big, robust Cabernets, a wine that grows exceedingly well at their warm, sunny vineyard on the lower elevations of Red Mountain. They also bottle Syrah, Gewurtztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Reisling.

But don’t overlook the Lemberger. It’s a lighter, fruitier quaff than the big Cabernets or Merlots coming off Red Mountain, an easy-drinking wine often paired with patio food – grilled flatbreads, burgers, sausages, barbecue pork. Not a lot of wineries bottle Lemberger. Instead, they turn to softer blends of Cabernet, Merlot and often Syrah as their entry-level wine – the bottle priced to quickly move out the door. But when done well, Lemberger has all the character and intrigue so often missing from “everyday” bottles.

And Kiona’s Lemberger is notable. The Williams first planted it, according to John, to catch the eye of wine writers with something a little different. Not a bad plan.  It’s also caught the eye of quite a few wine judges  over the years.                                                                                                                                                                             What better place to sample it than from the patio at the Kiona tasting room, with sweeping views of the vineyards rolling across the slopes of Red Mountain. It’s a rock star.