Set in the Columbia River Gorge, with stunning views and an outdoor concert venue, Maryhill Winery is a destination in and of itself. But for their annual wine club dinner, Maryhill owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold choose to pair their award-winning wines with the tall picture windows, stone fireplaces, comfortable accommodations and fine cuisine of Stevenson, Washington’s Skamania Lodge.
After appetizers in the welcome reception, guests were invited to seat themselves for the first of new Executive Chef Mark Henry’s four courses, which placed Northwestern ingredients front and center. For a starter of seared sea scallops, cheese grits and aged balsamic, Maryhill paired a sparkling wine, made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes sourced from California.
With a salad that featured asparagus tips, local smoked goat cheese and mushrooms harvested from the Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill matched the greens with their 2011 Grenache. This previous summer, the fruity, mellow, berry-scented wine won Best Grenache at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, which helped Maryhill garner the award for Winery of the Year at that same competition.
For the main course, in which Henry served an herb-crusted pork tenderloin with a grilled prawn and creamy pearl barley, Maryhill served their 2011 Marvell. A sweet and smoky wine that assistant winemaker Scott Sabbadini compared favorably to the seasonal winter classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Marvell is made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre grapes that is quickly gaining in popularity.
And finally, a visually striking dessert of pumpkin terrine, berries and sweet cream, accented with a clear, bright green shard of pepino brittle, was paired with a 2013 Viognier. This smooth, fruity and exotic wine—the tasting notes include honeydew, macadamias and grilled pear, but we also caught hints of banana and clove—was also made from a blend of Rhone varietals that lent themselves towards an enjoyable but very out-of-the-ordinary white wine.
As the evening drew to a close, guests began to drift from the dining room to magnificent stone fireplace in the lobby, or back down the long hallways of the lodge to reflect on the meal. The lodge was a dramatic setting for what proved to be a meal of local fare and virtually unlimited pours of award-winning bottles—an experience definitely worth repeating.
Skamania Lodge || 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson, WA || skamania.com
