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Combining 140 of Washington's top wines with 85 of the state's best restaurants guarantees an epicurean's delight. That was the case Sunday at the annual Taste Washington event in Seattle where the best of our regional food is linked with the best of our wines.

I was like a kid in a penny candy store with a dollar in my pocket as I went from booth to booth sampling various gourmet combinations.

A food and wine combo made in heaven pairs American Kobe beef by Seattle's posh Four Seasons Georgian Room with Walla Walla's Reininger Winery 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. Talk about smooth on smooth. The fork tender Kobe beef in morel mushroom veal and cream gravy was so rich that it tasted almost like dessert.

The Reininger's Cabernet was smooth and supple with a richness that could match the rich fare. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven and showed a complete lack of self-control going back for seconds and thirds!

Another tasty treat was Visconti's Italian Restorante of Wenatchee's wild boar ravioli in a fresh cut Roma tomato, garlic, olive oil and basil sauce. The sauce was an explosion of fresh flavors to complement the pasta and meat. A light smooth cherry dominated Mariposa Vineyard pinot noir from White Heron Cellars of Crescent Bar was a fine accompaniment for the flavorful pasta dish.

Closer to home was Richland's Sundance Grill, which matched a chilled duck breast canapé with wild berry compote stuffed in a huckleberry-flavored tortilla shell. This fruity berry dish was matched with Terra Blanca 2000 Red Mountain Syrah on the right and C.R. Sandidge 2000 Syrah, Minick Vineyards, on the left. Right or left, it made no difference, as each wine showed some spice and nice berry flavors marrying well with the almost jamlike duck fruit canapé.

Speaking of savory matches, Mountain Dome nonvintage sparkling rose had great acids and tangy flavors to go with the slightly salty and savory cured sturgeon on three seeds lavish (that's a cracker to us uneducated) with crème fraîche topped by paddlefish caviar.

I've had a few steak sandwiches in my time but nothing close to Morton's of Chicago steakhouse prime filet on a bun. It's charred on a 1,500-degree broiler that sears in the flavor with a fine-crusted outside. The sandwich was a great combo with full-bodied Goose Ridge Vineyard 2000 Vireo Columbia Valley red a blend of one third cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah and with Tamarack Cellars 2001 Firehouse Red from Walla Walla a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. The good tannins and acids matched well with the charred steak.

It was time for a little dessert, and I thought of Krispy Kreme doughnuts but couldn't come up with any wine match. How did a doughnut get into this gourmet affair?

However, I spotted Samson Estate Winery of Everson nearby serving a chilled nonvintage Cassis portlike wine. Cassis is made from currants and this sweet brilliant fruity flavored wine was a fine match with Farestart's chocolate buckwheat bread pudding with almond crème fraîche and candied kumquats. Kumquats, hmm, there is a new flavor descriptor I can try in my next wine column.

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These wines are tasted by a Wine Press Northwest magazine panel. The tasters do not know either the winery or the type of wine when reviewing. A wine must receive a unanimous vote to gain an outstanding rating.

Canoe Ridge 2001 Gewürztraminer, Washington, $13 - Outstanding! This Walla Walla winery that gets its grapes from it own vineyard in the lower Horse Heaven Hills has repeatedly hit the nail on the head with its gewürztraminer. Inviting citrus and tropical fruit aromas and flavors finish with a tangy farewell. A great match for a variety of spicy hot dishes.

Barnard Griffin 2001 Sauvignon Blanc reserve, Columbia Valley, $20 - Always a pleaser and best seller. Spicy citrus with touches of apples and pears. A tangy finish adds to the enjoyment.

Canoe Ridge Vineyard 2001 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $19 -This isn't a Chardonnay for sissies. Huge smoky oak, bold tropical flavors and enough creamy butter components to baste a bird.

Desert Wind Vineyard 1998 Ruah, Wahluke Slope, $50 - Outstanding! This is the new Washington operation for the Fries and Jenkins families that operated Duck Pond Cellars of Dundee, Ore. The families hope to have the Desert Wind Vineyards Winery up and operating in Prosser this September. The Ruah is a big, bold, red blend of cedar, red currants, bittersweet chocolate French roast coffee and cola. This is an assertive wine with big tannins that would matched well with lamb chops. The blend is 48 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 percent Merlot and 12 percent Cabernet Franc.

Waterbrook Winery 2001 Melange Columbia Valley, $13 - Outstanding! This longtime Walla Walla-area winery has been quiet the past few years but no longer with several outstanding big red wines. The Melange is an interesting mix of 31 percent sangiovese, 25 percent Syrah, 23 percent Merlot and 23 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Huge berries from start to finish with lush firm fruit and a sweet tannin finish. The price is right, too, for a Walla Walla red.

Walla Walla Vintners 2000 Red Cuvée, Washington, $25 - Smoky toast and coffee beginnings along with some fresh mocha latte. A bit low on fruit yet with some charm.

Cañon De Sol 2000 Meritage Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $38 - Bittersweet chocolate, cedar and cola upfront leading to plums, cherries, more chocolate and a rich finish. A real sipper. 

Bob Woehler has been writing about grapes and wines of the Pacific Northwest since 1978. His columns appear twice monthly in the Tri-City Herald in Tri-Cities, Wash. and in Wine Press Northwest.

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