Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

The Weekend: I returned home from California to find the neighborhood Femme Fatale and her new kittens crawling over a month's worth of mail! Know anyone who might need to love a kitten?

This week's Wine: Robison Ranch Cellars 2011 Viognier, $19 a bottle. Among this local winery's port- folio is a brightly "twisted" viognier, a white wine usu- ally known for its tropical fruit nuances. However, the Robison Viognier exhibit's a fall fruit profile wrapped in juicy pear and crisp apple nuances, striking to the cheek, smooth to the tongue, wrapped in chamomile honey.

The Food Pairing: when pairing such a familiar set of wine flavor nuances, the possibilities are endless. How about barbecue pork, honey coleslaw, Southwest- ern grilled halibut and a Thai stir fry of tofu and organic greens drizzled in a raw sesame oil, cayenne, garlic and sweet rice vinegar.

The Winemaker: Brad Riordan is a retired high-tech salesman from Silicon Valley who actually retired to study under the late Stan Clark. After graduating and finding the best grapes possible, Brad went to work developing the Robison Ranch Cellars line of wines. Riordan's 2011 Viognier won Bronze in the Pacific Rim Wine Competition, but personally, I think you have a gold winner here based on originality in style and taste.

The Wine Honors: Brad, because you've taken the term, "dressing for success" in dressing the 2011 Viognier in a new and exciting twist, yours truly, Ju- dith Henderson of Wine and Country Living honors you with 98 points of wine perfection! Congratulations Brad and team Robison Cellars. 509-301-3480.

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art Drink Imagina- tion!"

Honey Coleslaw

1 head green cabbage shredded

1 carrot grated

1 Walla Walla Sweet Onion diced small

½ cup each: chamomile honey, sour cream, wholeegg mayo

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sweet rice vinegar

Method:

In a large bowl, mix all well to coat. Serve with bar- becue pork ribs and a bottle of chilled 2011 Robison Viognier wine.

Hear Judith Speak @www.chefjudithhenderson.com, go to the recipe page and click the red!