Wine & Country Living

Driving back from cooking demos in Seattle this weekend, I was happy to see the Blue Mountains dusted in snow. I love this time of year, when lo­cal kitchens smell like cinnamon, and everyone dresses in layers of Black Watch flannel, Sherpa and tufted down. My Wine Guy, who's been out of town all week, met me at the door with a bottle of my all-time favorite: Ridge Vine­yards, Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum!

However, I am impressed by one of our local winemak­ers, Richard Funk, who's produced a fantastic 2007 Caber­net Sauvignon you simply must try. The Saviah Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth with silky tannins, juicy blackberries and a rewarding long finish, everything you want in a good cabernet.

But what I like most about this winery is the winemaker himself and his winemaking philosophy: "Winemaking is an exercise in delayed gratification, bound by intuition and patience."

Of course, Richard has gobs of chemistry and microbiol­ogy behind him and a love for morel mushroom hunting, which puts him in my back pocket any day. And, of course, he has a most infectious sense of humor. But, it's his beautiful, fruit-forward winemaking that I would say earns Richard Funk and Saviah Winery 10 Bar­rels from Wine and County Living! The recipe below speaks for itself, created exclusively for Saviah wines.

Steaks Drizzled in Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

Serves 2

½-cup beef stock

Method:

Hear Chef Judith Henderson Speak! @ http://www.chefju­dithhenderson.

com