Philip R. Alper, MD

Does the wine taste better in Paris?What better place to answer thisquestion than at the venerable HotelMeurice (www.meuricehotel.com). Let'sadmit that environment does count. Mywife and I were primed to savor the filetof bar, sea bass, with a piquant sauce. Idecided to do a bit of reality testing withthe choice of wine. The house Chablis, at43 euros, was an opportunity to check forattention to detail along the low end ofthe price spectrum.

Our Chablis 2000, produced by Corinneand Jean-Pierra Grossot, viticulturers atFleys, was delicious. Ample mouth-fillingfruit, combined with citrus and flinty overtonesthat spoke "Chablis," complementedthe fish flawlessly and left us with a satisfyingfinish. It was a perfect choiceâ€”reasonablyprofitable to the house, a necessityto maintain the quality of service andamenities, but not disappointing to thecustomer. I heartily approved.

 an internist andprofessor of medicine at the Universityof California at San Francisco,has been published in theWall Street Journal, Diversion, andInternal Medicine World Report.

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Drinking Chablis at the Hotel Meurice

Wine tourism is a given in France.Even the wealthiest and most cultivatedParisians seek out the often modestlocal 

to pair with regionalfoods when they travel. In the UnitedStates, wines are produced in all 50states, but wine tourism is in its infancy.

Several islands in the Puget Sound,north of Seattle, Washington, and notfar from Canada's Vancouver Island, producewine. The climate is cool but moderate,owing to the shelter provided bythe Cascade Mountains on the OlympicPeninsula. This atmosphere favors northernFrench and German varietals, andproved to be a worthwhile destination—not just for the wine.

Whidbey Island and its world-famousInn at Langley was my first stop (360-221-3033; www.innatlangley.com). I arrivedby ferry in a car I rented at the Seattle airport.Sandy and Steve Nogal, theinnkeepers/chefs, welcomed me to Langley,introducing me to its solid comfort(devoid of any unpleasant pretentiousness).That evening, in an open kitchen,Chef Nogal prepared delicious local PennCove mussels (the best I've tasted sinceBrittany) in an immense wok.

Whidbey Island Winery is only a shortdrive away (360-221-2040; www.whidbeyislandwinery.com). It is a small operationand does not figure on Langley'scarefully chosen wine list. But I visitedthe tasting room and brought back abottle of the Madeleine Angevine, a drywine with good acidity and a sprightlinessthat reminded me of the varietal'sLoire Valley origins. It was aromatic andterrific with the mussels.

The second bottle, a Siegerrebe, Ireserved for sipping on my balcony whilegazing at the Saratoga Passage during alazy afternoon that ended with a fabuloussunset. The additional spiciness andhint of sweetness in the Siegerrebe comefrom crossing the Madeleine Angevinewith German Gewurtztraminer. In all, itwas a nice surprise for an area that Inever knew could produce wine.

Crossing Deception Pass, located atthe northern tip of Whidbey Island, Icaught the ferry to San Juan Island atAnacortes. Friday Harbor House overlooksa port bustling with ferries,yachts, and Kenmore Air seaplanes.There's a lot to see on San Juan, includingmesmerizing whale watching fromthe shore and a charming hotel visitedby Teddy Roosevelt.

Near the end of a loop tour of theisland, San Juan Vineyards offers winetasting (888-983-9463; www.sanjuanvineyards.com). The wines tasted aremade both from locally grown and moredistant Washington State grapes. Thispromising new winery isn't yet knownmuch beyond the Seattle area. A finedinner at Friday Harbor House, featuringlocally grown ingredients, freshly caughtsalmon, and the local Gewurtztraminercompleted a wonderful day.

Orcas Island has no wineries, but it'son the way back to the mainland and itfeatures Mount Constitution and itsnot-to-be-missed view of the entire SanJuan Island group, snowcapped MountBaker, and the Canadian Rockies. Istayed at the tranquil and picturesqueResort at Deer Harbor (888-376-4480;www.deerharbor.com), enjoying thehot tub on the deck of my cottage aftera bit of climbing.

Once the morning fog cleared, it wastime for whale watching on one of themost exciting boat rides I have evertaken. Weaving between the islands,with Deer Harbor far behind us, weencountered one of the resident pods ofOrca (so-called "killer" whales). Theseblack and white salmon-eating beautieslive as long as humans and swim togetherat a steady 10 miles per hour. I knowbecause we clocked them. That evening,I forgot about the wine. 

Discover the Pacific Islands' Wineries

You don't have to fly toFrance to find world-classwineries. You don't evenhave to leave the country. You onlyneed to find your way to the PacificNorthwest's Washington state.Contrary to popular belief, grungemusic and Starbucks coffee aren'tthe only byproducts of Seattle andits surrounding cities and towns. Infact, just a short distance outsidethe home of the Space Needle is thelush city of Woodinville, where thewine is as impressive as the trees.

Seattle is a good base for exploringthe wineries of Woodinville. Besure to visit the Grand HyattSeattle's 727 Pine Restaurant (206-774-6400; www.grandseattle.hyatt.com), which has its own privatewine cellar below the main diningarea. Another restaurant to includein your Seattle wine tour isCampagne (206-728-2800; www.campagnerestaurant.com), which islocated just down the street fromthe Grand Hyatt Seattle. Here,Shawn Meade, the 

(director of wine), confirmed thatSeattle is a serious wine city.

When you finally do arrive inWoodinville, head over to its 2famous wineries: the Chateau Ste.Michelle and the Columbia Winery(no relation to Columbia Crest).Conveniently located across thestreet from each other, there's noexcuse not to visit both.

The Chateau Ste. Michelle(800-267-6793; www.ste-michelle.com) offers an outstanding 1997Northstar Merlot. Northstar managesto beautifully balance a bignose, full body, and great finish. Thedry 2001 Eroica Riesling, with itsmedley of fruit and floral aromas,would make a delightful dessertwine. Before you leave, make sureyou try the delicious 1997 ColSolare Red Blend, which is madewith the help of the Antinori familyof Italy. 

Make areservation to visit the VintageReserve Room to taste the limited productionpremium wines.

You'll be just as impressed withthe Columbia Winery (800-488-2347; www.columbiawinery.com).Their "Block 6" Otis VineyardChardonnay has a herbaceous nose,with peach aromas, intense flavors,and a very prolonged finish. The1999 Red Willow Sangiovese has adeceptively light nose, but layeredflavors that build to another long,powerful finish. The highly structured1997 Sagemoor CabernetSauvignon is delightful on thepalate, with a lovely berry nose andsoft tannins. 

Head West to Find World-Class Wineries

Bonny Doon (www.bonnydoonvineyard.com) is a funny namefor a serious winery, but winemakerRandall Grahm adores experimentingwith words to makenames as much as he adores experimentingwith grapes to make wine.

Consequently, the 6 bottles of wineI obtained for an upcoming dinner/wine tasting all had 1-of-a-kind labelsand were only available throughGrahm's Distinctive Esoteric Wine Network(866-666-DEWN).

Bella Mangiata Caffe (650-343-2404) in San Mateo, Calif, is an authenticsouthern Italian restaurant, completewith paper table-coverings. Itprovided the perfect backdropto a wonderful evening ofwining and dining. 

 Good food,a relaxed atmosphere, impeccableservice, and a corkage feeof only $7 per bottle put everyoneat ease, including the host.

Our quaint dinner party of 9began the evening with achilled bottle of 2001 MuscatL'Etoile as the aperitif. Not toosweet and very aromatic, the2001 Muscat L'Etoile was aninstant hit. The 1999 My FavoriteMarsanne, another eyeopeningwhite wine from a lessthan noble grape, accompaniedthe salads and appetizers. Oursecond white wine ofthe night combinedintense flavor withfabulous mouth-feel.

Two red wines accompaniedthe main course. Our dinnerparty had a choice of salmon,sea bass, or rack of lamb.Despite the fact that someguests ordered fish and someordered meat, no one at thetable fussed about the accompanyingwines. How could theywhen the Italian 2001 Barbarad'Asti Superiore (made in Italyin collaboration with Grahm)was so delicious?

I paired it with the 1999 Fish Out ofWater Ripasso. This special wine is ablend of 3 Italian varietals, which aregrown in California and fermented onRecioto grape skins in a process forwhich Valpolicella is famous.

After dinner, all 9 of us were in suchgood moods and so busy talking thatwe went directly to coffee and port.We enjoyed a bottle of NV BouteilleCall, the "Framboisified Port of Syrah,"a rich, viscous, and raspberry-flavoredport. It was a perfect finale.

, an internist andprofessor of medicine at theUniversity of California at SanFrancisco, has been publishedin the Wall Street Journal,Diversion, Medical Economics,and Internal Medicine World Report.

Philip R. Alper, MD

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