To order additional wines from the featured selections, call the WSWC office 206-619-WINE Members receive 10% off case purchases.

JM Cellars 2004 Sauvignon Blanc
JM Cellars is a small, family-owned winery located in Woodinville, Washington on the hill above Chateau Ste. Michelle. Founded in 1998 by John and Peggy Bigelow at their Seattle home, JM Cellars specializes in handcrafted, premium Washington wines. JM Cellars' first commercially available wines were released in September 2001. Only 200 cases of the 2004 Sauvignon Blanc were produced.

Suggested food pairing: Winemaker suggests shellfish or grilled halibut.

Saviah Cellars 2002 Columbia Valley Syrah
Located in Walla Walla, WA Located on 10 acres of land bordering the Walla Walla River and is surrounded by the beautiful blue Mountains. The 2002 Columbia Valley Syrah is a combination of grapes from the Stillwater Creek Vineyard and the Pepper Bridge Vineyards. Only 177 cases were produced.

Suggested food pairing: Roquefort Stuffed Pork Chops- see recipe inside.

Carpenter Creek 2003 Reserve Chardonnay
Carpenter Creek Winery is situated on seven acres at the end of a country lane in Mount Vernon, Washington. The facility is nestled amongst tall pines and cedar groves just far enough off the beaten path. With the namesake gently burbling in the background, it is an idyllic place to sample fine wines, for a winery tour or event, or to simply enjoy a picnic along the beautiful shores of Carpenter Creek.
Suggested food pairing: Grilled summer vegetables

Foolish Oak 2002 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a brand new producer in Washington State; the winery currently produces Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Foolish Oaks wines are representative of the finest vineyards such as Sagemore, Red Willow, Otis and Wycoff .

Suggested food pairing: Winemaker suggests lamb or pasta’s with cream or red sauces.


We have attached information about this months featured wineries, which includes wine compositions, wine maker notes, any awards the wine has received, and winery & tasting room locations.

WASHINGTON - A White House plan to impose additional fees on the wine industry has been rejected by a Senate subcommittee, with Sen. Patty Murray saying the proposal would have especially placed an unfair burden on Washington state's small wineries.

Earlier this year, the administration proposed various new fees for such things as permit applications and certificates of label approvals administered by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

The Senate Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development appropriations subcommittee dropped the new fees in the spending bill it approved late Monday.

Murray, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, argued the fees were essentially a new tax on the wine industry, which already pays almost $550 million in federal excise taxes annually.

"We need to invest in the infrastructure and resources to help our wineries grow, not saddle them with fees that impede progress, economic development and future tourism," Murray said in a statement.

Many of the state's wine producers are "small, family-run vineyards," Murray said, that would be most damaged by the additional fees.

Representatives of the Washington state wine industry said they were relieved the Senate dropped the administration's proposal.

"Sen. Murray has been very helpful," said Steve Burns, the former director of the Washington State Wine Commission who recently moved to California to open a consulting firm.

Burns said wineries are regulated and taxed on the local, state and federal levels, and the administrations plan "came out of the blue. Anytime they want to raise fees it is a concern and it would have been especially hard on smaller wineries."

By some estimates, the new label approval fees would have cost wineries an added $1,000 to $2,000. The administration also proposed a fee of up to $600 to certify a new type of wine formula and a $3,000 fee to certify a new viticultural area, a government-recognized wine-producing region that wineries can use in marketing their products, Murray's office said.

Wine now is a $2.4 billion-a-year industry in Washington, and the number of wineries has doubled to more than 250 in the past five years. Also, wine production in Washington has more than doubled in the past decade and the industry supports more than 11,000 jobs.

~ 4 1-inch-thick pork rib chops or boneless pork loin chops 
~ 3 tablespoons butter 
~ 1 ½ cups small cubes of French bread
~ 1 cup chopped mushrooms
~ 2 tablespoons minced onion 
~ ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, finely crumbled 
~ ½ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese or blue cheese (about 2 oz)

 
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each pork chop horizontally in half to bone (or almost through if using boneless chops), making pocket for stuffing.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add bread and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add mushrooms, onion and rosemary and sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add to bread. Refrigerate until mixture is completely cool, about 15 min.

3. Mix Roquefort into bread mixture; season with salt and pepper. Insert stuffing into pockets in pork, dividing equally. Skewer pockets closed with toothpicks if necessary. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.

4. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add pork to skillet; sauté until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Place skillet in oven. Bake pork until cooked through, about 25 min.

Serves 4

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