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Wine Pairing Weekend Group Goes Under the Radar
This month, our Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group members are highlighting wine regions which are overlooked, the Cinderellas of the wine world. Come along and look under the radar with us, you might find something new! Scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to all the great ideas for food and wine from less well known places!

See if you can find the Columbia Gorge AVA – it’s the tiny dark green spot on the Columbia River. Image courtesy of oregonwinepress.com

Just east of the spine of the Cascade mountains (see Mt. Hood) the CGAVA lives in a rainshadow and gets progressively drier as you move east.

A view to Washington from the Oregon side. Idiot’s Grace Vineyards sit behind this point, and if you look very close, you might also see CGAVA vineyards across the river.

Columbia Gorge AVA – Under the Radar in Spectacular Surroundings
The Columbia River separates Oregon and Washington, and a drive west from Portland towards Walla Walla is a spectacular one, indeed. The dramatic cliffs along the river were scoured by multiple ice age floods from Glacial Lake Missoula caused by a sudden break in an ice dam. The most recent event was 13,000 years ago, explaining the lack of softening of the landscape by eons of weather.

For wine enthusiasts, the Columbia Gorge AVA (CGAVA) is a tiny outpost between hugely popular Willamette Valley south of Portland and Walla Walla, a four hour drive east along the Columbia River. The CGAVA spans the Columbia River and includes land in both Washington and Oregon, quite unusual for an AVA in the US. It sits just east of the spine of the Cascade mountains with lush pine forests on its western edge and high desert on its eastern edge, a mere 20 mile distance. Think about famous wine regions worldwide: Moderate climate, sloping topography close to a river, local dramatic wind, significant impact of a mountain range rain shadow. The CGAVA has it all, yet it’s all but unknown!

Images from My Last Visit – October 2018

(click on any photo for full-screen slide show)

Like so many famous wine regions, the CGAVA is located in proximity to a river. Here, the Columbia River

Some of the last grapes still handing in early October

Idiot’s Grace is an organic farm. They have mature cherry orchards…

…and there is plenty of woodland surrounding the vineyards

In a corporate setting, this might be viewed as a mission statement. Here, it’s handwritten on the inside the big access door in the winery.

Much larger than the original barn, the winery is set up for gravity operation

There is a beautiful tasting room on the farm at Idiot’s Grace

Sometime, we’ll be able to return inside. For now (2020) they have set up a tent for safely tasting outdoors

Brian McCormick of Idiot’s Grace

Idiot’s Grace Winery – Finding What Works
Our introduction to what is today Idiot’s Grace was with Memaloose, headquartered in a tiny barn above Lyle WA. The winery started as a collaboration between Brian and his dad Rob. Rob farmed the Washington side property and Brian had purchased and started his property over on the Oregon side.  Over time the business has shifted over to be more centered at Idiot’s Grace, hence the name change.

From the beginning, they have farmed organically and made wines with a restrained, traditional approach. Their wines offer refreshing acidity, light extraction and little new oak, perfect for the dinner table.  Over time, I came to understand another of their missions: to figure out what grows best in the Gorge. Not content to just follow the typical grapes found in Columbia Valley (next door), they have planted a wide variety, so we have had the opportunity to explore as well with our wine club shipments.

As another feather in their cap, Idiot’s Grace has been included in the most recent versions of the Slow Wine Guide, which has expanded beyond Italy to include California and Oregon wineries! There are a few articles about Idiot’s Grace, and this one in Oregon Wine Press even includes a clue about the name “Idiot’s Grace”

A round-up of recent food and wine pairings featuring Idiot’s Grace Wines

Marsanne / Roussanne is a common white blend in the Southern Rhone, but you don’t see it much in the US.

Delicious served with shrimp risotto

Chenin Blanc is at home in the Loire Valley, and the Columbia Gorge!

Perfect with an edamame green curry served with quinoa

Not just France, Italian origin grapes too!

A humble burger dressed up with a bit of Sangiovese

Barbera with lasagna and a fall salad

An old label but one of my favorite wines, their estate Cabernet Franc

Other Under the Radar Recommendations from Our Wine Pairing Weekend Crew
Our posts go live today and tomorrow. If you see this in time, please join our chat on twitter, Saturday Nov. 14 at 10am CST. Just look for us at #WinePW

• Nicole from SommsTable writes “Cooking to the Wine: Acquiesce Grenache Rosé with a Glazed Stuffed Pork Loin Roast”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Mahalo Plenty! Hawaiian Sips and Nibbles
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm adds Let’s Celebrate Thanksgiving by Eating and Drinking Locally
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! brings Idiot’s Grace: Explorers in the Columbia Gorge AVA
• David from Cooking Chat posts Cranberry Jalapeño Dip with New England Wine
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass suggests Raising a glass of PA Cab Franc – paired with a Philly cheesesteak
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator  showcases Local Love: 6 Ventura County Wines from Local Vines paired with Watkins Beef, Ventura Fresh Fish #WinePW
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen shares “Is Virginia For Wine Lovers? #Winepw”
• Susannah from Avvinare posts about Wines from New Mexico Paired with New Mexican Style Beef Chile.