Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

It's hard to miss the giant rolls and bundles of hay dotting the countryside today. For the small rancher, the no. 1 step to success- fully storing hay is to first lay a layer of rock to support the hay weight and help in drainage. Stacking hay bundles into a pyramid helps air flow freely, keeping hay rot at bay.

The crush is on! Wineries across the valley are busy with harvest. I stopped at Tertulia Cellars, 1564 Whiteley Road, Walla Walla, to sample a rose wine, so perfect with fall foods.

The Wine: Tertulia Cellars 2011 Rose, a luscious blend of three distinct varietals; mourvedre, counise and Grenache. All three wines stand alone for their floral attributes; lavender and roses. I found this particular rose recipe to be well balanced, aged in neutral French oak; with long cheeky swooshes of red grapefruit, watermelon, crushed anise and zest of tangelo.

The Winemaker: Ryan Raber is a maverick when it comes to taking a creek bed filled with pebbles and growing grape vines. He's also a diverse winemaker crafting wines of extraordinary blends and value.

Ryan's dedication has earned Tertulia consistent Double Gold wine awards and his ability to "talk wine" keeps people spell- bound while sipping at Tertulia. This week in the Tertulia tasting room, the 2011 Rose is on sale at just $14 a bottle!

The Wine Honors: It takes a creative winemaker to envision a wine recipe and keep its vision from first punch to bottle. Ryan Raber translates the winemaking adventure to the people in each and every one of his wines. Because you make wine with panache and style, yours truly, Judith Henderson of Wine & Country Liv- ing, honors you Ryan, with 98 points of wine perfection for the Tertulia Cellars 2011 Lonesome Spring Rose wine. Congratula- tions Ryan and team Tertulia!

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

Brie Melts Squiggled in Rose-Cranberry

Marmalade

½ cup rose wine

1 cup honey

1 cup cranberries

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon culinary lavender

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

In a sauce pan reduce all over medium heat. Cool and swipe on sourdough brie cheese melts paired with Tertulia 2011 Rose.

Hear Judith's Food and Wine Commentary at: www.chefju- dithehnderson.com