THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Ste. Michelle wine rated No. 1 in the world for 2009 by Wine Spectator

Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington's only unionized winery and the largest wine producer in the state, has earned a prestigious honor that is bringing renewed acclaim to the Northwest wine industry and could translate into big sales.

Out of 17,000 wines, the winery's Columbia Crest 2005 Columbia Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon landed the No. 1 spot on Wine Spectator magazine's top 100 list for 2009. It's the first time that a Washington wine has reached the top of the list of wines from around the world.

The United Farm Workers represents Ste. Michelle's vineyard workers and Teamsters Local 117 represents the barrel room, warehouse, production, shipping and maintenance workers at its Woodinville facility.

Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler says Pacific Northwest grape growers and wine makers have been working for recognition of this kind for decades. In an interview with KPLU, he said, "There are some spectacular wines from the great regions of the world -- Bordeaux, Tuscany, from Napa -- and now at the very top of all of them is a Washington State wine."

In addition to Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle wines, the winery's labels include Domaine Ste. Michelle, Snoqualmie, Col Solare, NorthStar, Villa Mt. Eden, Conn Creek, Stimson Estate Cellars and Red Diamond. These union-made wines all make great holiday gifts!

But good luck getting the acclaimed 2005 cabernet. Ste. Michelle reportedly has about 1,000 bottles left of its Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet that took the top honors. The winery is taking names for a lottery to best sell some of those in-demand bottles.

In awarding Columbia Crest's 2005 Reserve Cabernet a score of 95 points, Wine Spectator called it "ripe in flavor, with a vivid array of black currant, blackberry, violet, black tea and black pepper aromas and flavors that zoom through to a long, expressive finish. Shows subtlety in the layers of complex flavor against a refined structure. Tannins are present but nicely contained."

We're pretty sure that means it tastes good.

But then, so does beer -- which also makes a fine gift. Here's a list of union-made American beers as posted at www.HowToBuyAmerican.com: Anheuser-Busch, Hamm's, Henry Weinhard's, Icehouse, Leinenkugel's, Mad River, Mickey's, Miller, Milwaukee's Best, Olde English 800, Red Dog, Sharp's (non alcoholic), and Steelhead Fine Ale.