Fall 2020 P A I R T H I S W I T H . Newsletter No 4 Fall 2020 Newsletter No 4 O ur siNcere apologies to aNy vegetariaNs out there — SPANISH ALBONDIGAS these two recipes will Not work for you uNless you omit the Most of us thiNk ItaliaN wheN it comes to meatballs. But SpaiN meat. Which basically omits the whole recipe…But for those C L I F F C L U B has a loNg, delicious history with these succuleNt treats. FouNd of you who caN eNjoy these recipes, here are some dishes to at most tapas bars iN SpaiN, you too caN have these ready to warm your boNes aNd keep your belly full this fall! eNjoy with your wiNe of choice! RED WINE BEEF STEW INGREDIENTS Is there aNythiNg more comfortiNg aNd savory thaN a good beef stew iN the colder moNths? Especially with a Nice red wiNe. FOR MEATBALLS FOR SAUCE Here is a classic reNditioN, courtesy of epicurious.com. We ~1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil ~1 tsp olive oil have slightly edited the recipe to our taste... ~1/2 oNioN, miNced ~1 oNioN, miNced ~2 cloves garlic, crushed ~2 c crushed tomatoes INGREDIENTS ~1/4 c beef stock ~1/2c Cascade Cliffs ~1 Tbsp parsley Horsethief Red or PaisaN ~4 lbs sirloiN, cut iNto 2iN. pieces ~1 c fresh bread, torN iNto pieces ~1/4 c beef stock ~1 1/2 tsp kosher salt aNd grouNd black pepper ~1 egg ~1 tsp paprika ~3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ~1/2 lb grouNd pork ~1/2 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp olive oil ~1/2 lb grouNd beef ~1/4 c tomato paste ~2 Tbsp grated MaNchego cheese ~2 c Cascade Cliffs PaisaN or CaberNet SauvigNoN ~1/2 tsp salt & black pepper ~4 c beef broth ~1/4 tsp black pepper ~1 large yellow oNioN, quartered T hey say, “...all good thiNgs must come to aN We dug back iNto the past to add the 2017 CaberNet ~2 bay leaves DIRECTIONS ~4 sprigs thyme eNd." ANd despite the maNy challeNges we’ve all faced SauvigNoN, aN elegaNt old-world style of Cab. Our ~4 cloves garlic 1~IN a small sauté paN, heat ½ Tbsp oil over medium heat. this year, it has iN fact beeN a good year for us; with 2018 Petite Sirah, dark as Night aNd full of equally Add the oNioN aNd garlic. Sauté uNtil softeNed, 3-5 miNutes. ~10 med carrots (about 2 lbs), peeled, aNd cut iNto 3iN. pieces New, taleNted staff members, multiple awards, a larger, dark fruit, is at the heart of the liNeup. There’s also Set aside. ~1 1/2 lbs baby gold or red potatoes, halved more effective oNliNe preseNce, aNd a stellar viNtage our Newest rock star, the 2018 PaisaN, a Super-TuscaN 2~Place the torN bread iN a small bowl aNd pour the stock DIRECTIONS over it. Let the bread soak up the stock for 2-3 miNutes. (2018) to show off all year, we are grateful to have bleNd of Cab-Merlot-SaNgiovese. ANd battiNg cleaNup experieNced such positive chapters iN this year’s story. is our Columbia Valley Barbera, a powerful aNd lip- 1~Preheat the oveN to 325°F 3~IN a medium bowl, combiNe the grouNd pork, grouNd beef, 2~SeasoN the meat with salt aNd pepper, place iN a large egg, grated cheese, parsley, salt, aNd pepper. Add the cooled smackiNg remiNder that we are, above all, a Barbera bowl, aNd toss with the flour. oNioN mixture aNd soaked bread. UsiNg a large fork or your Of course, the best News all year has beeN your house. 3~Heat the oil iN a large Dutch oveN or wide-bottomed pot haNds, mix the iNgredieNts uNtil eveNly combiNed. faNtastic support. Through it all, you stuck with us aNd with a tight-fittiNg lid over medium-high heat. Cook the 4~Heat the remaiNiNg oil iN a large sauté paN over medium had our backs wheN maNy other small busiNesses CurreNtly, we are briNgiNg iN, crushiNg, aNd pressiNg meat, iN batches, uNtil well-browNed oN all sides, 6 to 8 high heat. suffered crippliNg ecoNomic loss. Have we beeN the fruit from 2020. This viNtage is shapiNg up to be a 5~Roll the meat mixture iNto 1-iNch balls aNd add them to miNutes, traNsferriNg the pieces to a plate as they are affected by the paNdemic, the fires, aNd eveN the maNy great year, despite obstacles beyoNd our coNtrol. Fruit the hot paN, beiNg careful Not to overcrowd them. BrowN the browNed. Pour off aNd discard aNy drippiNgs from the pot. NatioNal riots? You bet we have. But we take great loads are lighter iN volume thaN typical but show 4~Add the tomato paste, wiNe, broth, oNioN, garlic, bay meatballs oN all sides, 5-7 miNutes. TheN, traNsfer them to a pride aNd comfort iN our wiNe club members — exceptioNally good readiNgs of sugar (brix) aNd acid. leaves, thyme, aNd 2 of the carrots aNd briNg to a boil. paper-towel liNed plate. (DoN’t worry if the meatballs areN’t without them, this Newsletter doesN’t get writteN, aNd We are adjustiNg our wiNemakiNg techNiques to meet ReturN the meat aNd juices back to the pot (the meat should cooked through, they will coNtiNue cookiNg iN the sauce.) be barely submerged iN liquid), cover, aNd traNsfer to the CoNtiNue cookiNg the meatballs iN batches uNtil all your we’re likely Not iN operatioN at this time. So thaNk the Needs of this year’s harvest — while still oveN. Cook for 2 hours. meat mixture has beeN used. you, from the bottom of our hearts (aNd glasses!), for remaiNiNg true to our style of wiNe. The whites will 5~UsiNg toNgs, remove aNd discard the cooked vegetables. 6~ONce all your meatballs have beeN browNed, add a little allowiNg us to coNtiNue what we love to do: make coNtiNue to be crisp aNd vibraNt. The reds will remaiN Add the potatoes aNd the remaiNiNg 8 carrots to the pot, oil to the sauté paN, if Needed. Heat the oil over medium high great wiNe aNd share it with you. The Fall Cliff Club is bold aNd racy. ANd the passioN that goes iNto heat aNd add the miNced oNioN for the sauce. Sauté the oNioN cover, aNd returN to the oveN. Cook uNtil the meat aNd the partiNg shot of our Cliff Club for 2020, a delicious, produciNg these wiNes will Not waver. This year will uNtil softeNed, 3-5 miNutes. vegetables are fork-teNder, about 1 hour more. dreamy mix of wiNes. Horsethief Red, our SpaNish- be remembered as oNe where we all had to adjust aNd 7~Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, wiNe, paprika, aNd salt. Mix well aNd briNg the sauce to a simmer. styled red bleNd leads off with a spicy pop aNd sizzle, improvise. Really, there was No choice but to embrace 8~Add the meatballs aNd reduce the heat to medium low. followed by oNe of the most pleasaNt, easy-driNkiNg the chaos aNd fight back. ANd fight oN, we will — for Simmer the meatballs aNd sauce for 20 miNutes, uNtil the white wiNes you’ll fiNd — GrüNer VeltliNer. the wiNe, for our busiNess, aNd for you! meatballs are cooked aNd the sauce is thick. 9~Serve the meatballs with crusty bread aNd a glass of With good cheer, Cascade Cliffs red wiNe. ~All of us at Cascade Cliffs ViNeyard & WiNery Fall 2020 C L I F F N O T E S Newsletter No 4 Fall 2020 W I N E R Y N E W S Newsletter No 4 2018 HORSETHIEF RED 2018 COLUMBIA VALLEY BARBERA AND THE The Facts: Horsethief Red (HTR), like our Goathead Red, is The Facts: Barbera is oNe of the most flexible varietals a bleNd that chaNges every time we make it. The curreNt available to wiNemakers; oNe caN use this ItaliaN grape to viNtage of HTR takes oN a SpaNish theme with TempraNillo create excelleNt examples of rose, red bleNds, light/bright METAL GOES as the base of the wiNe, followed by smaller amouNts of reds, bold/rich reds, aNd eveN sparkliNg wiNe. Our Newest GreNache (GarNacha), Merlot, aNd Syrah to rouNd out the Columbia Valley (CV) Barbera falls somewhere betweeN a bleNd. Versatile, well-balaNced, aNd iNtriguiNg, this ViNo de more traditioNal, dry style aNd the more moderN, New-world la Casa caN be utilized for family celebratioNs, casual style of fruit first, fruit last. The aromas aNd flavors scream TO... sippiNg, or well-plaNNed food pairiNgs. The fruit is more with iNteNse, bright red fruit, aNd the New oak used iN its dark thaN light, with taNgy berry aNd plum Notes, followed agiNg gives the wiNe added structure aNd texture. AN by a dry, zippy fiNish. impressive, showy wiNe that will age well thaNks iN large ~Pair this wiNe with: SpaNish tapas such as ham croquettes, part to its high acid, but also a delicious wiNe right Now. bravas potatoes, aNd SpaNish alboNdigas (see back page) ~Pair this with: Sweet ItaliaN sausage, LasagNa, aNd salty, A s meNtioNed oN the froNt of the Newsletter, we ~AgiNg: Short-term (Now to 2023) dry cheese. were blessed with a haNdful of awards this year for some ~AgiNg: Mid-term (Now to 2025) of our 2018 wiNes. We do Not eNter our wiNes iN every 2018 Reserve CaberNet SauvigNoN competitioN that is out there — aNd we do Not feel the Silver Medal Need to have our product validated by aNyoNe but you! 2020 WashiNgtoN State WiNe CompetitioN 2019 GRÜNER VELTLINER 2018 PETITE SIRAH But it is gratifyiNg aNd appreciated to have our fellow The Facts: If you're uNfamiliar with this AustriaN grape, you The Facts: You say toMAYto, I say toMAHto.