Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

With the promise of a new day and a new wine, partnered with friend and cookbook test kitchen gourmet, Desi Kitchens, we happily ushered in Labor Day Weekend visiting wineries of the region.

The Wine: Vine crawling and leaf-peeping through the Southern end of Walla Walla County, we came upon Bunch- grass Winery. This well-established Walla Walla winery produced its first vintage in 1997 and continues to produce a scrumptious line of white and red wines.

On this particular tasting, the 2009 Bunchgrass Melbec, a 100 percent vintage, stood out with luscious earth in a glass nuances; chopped truffle, graphite, figs and sandalwood ending in a luscious cassis finish. A wine aged 22 months in French Oak, the 2009 Malbec is best sipped with friends around a fall fire, paired with delectable autumn stews, tuna steak larded in anchovy even a vegetarian stir-fry of tofu, chard, feta and forged mushroom caramel. For sale in the Bunchgrass tasting room, the '09 Malbec is reasonable at $38 a bottle; a best buy through fall.

The Winemaker: Tom Olander is a well-respected region- al restaurant professional turned certified wine maker with a vision. First, as a local sommelier and now Bunchgrass winemaker, Tom brought his food and wine knowledge to the cellar. With each wine recipe, Tom pairs food and en- courages his wines' integrity.

Wine Honors: When a wine hits the price point of the Bunchgrass '09 Malbec and offers such lingering flavor and mouth feel, that's when yours truly, Judith Henderson of Wine & Country Living, honors the winemaker, Tom Olan- der with 98 Points of Wine Perfection.

Congratulations Team Bunchgrass! Bunchgrass Winery is open April to December: 509-540-8963

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination!"

Mushroom Caramel

Stir-Fry Tofu Chard Feta

Serves 4

1 tablesppon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ pounds sliced cremini mushrooms

2 cracked cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt, pepper, grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup red wine

Method: In a sauce pot over medium heat, add butter and oil; melt to shimmering. Add mushrooms, garlic and spices; sauté to caramelized. Add honey, red wine, deglaze pot, simmer 30 minutes to thicken. Add mushroom caramel to stir-fry of tofu, chard and crumbled feta cheese; pair with Bunchgrass '09 Malbec. Hear Judith's Food and Wine Commentary at: www.chefjudithhenderson.com