The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Friday evening my wine guy suggested we go for wine tasting and share a platter of artisan cheeses at Vintage Cel­lars, downtown Walla Walla. After arriving we were shown a new red wine blend by Rhone Ranger, Sean Boyd of Rotie Cellars. The VDP '08 is an exceptional blend of 88 percent Pepper Bridge Syrah and 12 percent Horse Heaven Hills Mourvedre swirling in macer­ated dark fruits and caramelized mushroom. I particularly love the little caramelized tinge left rolling over my tongue with each sip and Wine Guy was amazed at the lushness of this bottle. Sean Boyd's ability to take Washington grapes and blend them into succulent, forthright wines is a work of art and earns Rotie Cellars 10 Barrels from Wine and Country Liv­ing. Rotie Cellars wine tasting room is located at 31 East Main, downtown Walla Walla, and should not be missed on your next tasting-room crawl.

Here's a recipe pairing the VDP Rhone Style blended wine that will please both red- and white-wine drinkers. The time-honored recipe can be easily doubled, even tripled, and will please salmon-lovers as well!

Late Summer Salmon Zucchini Cakes

With Fennel-Coleslaw

Serves 2

4-tablespoons mayo

Juice of 1 fresh lemon juice

4-tablespoons onion, chopped fine

2-tablespoon grainy mustard

1/6-teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2-teaspoon sea salt

1/2-pound chopped fresh raw salmon meat

8-crushed saltine crackers

1-1/4-cup grated zucchini

4-tablespoon olive oil (for frying)

Method:

In a large bowl, add all ingredients except oil and mix well. Make two patties of mixture and lightly sprinkle each patty in cornmeal. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and once shimmering add patties and fry until well browned on both sides. Plate patties with a side of coleslaw made with 1-cup grated fresh fennel bulb, 2-cups thinly sliced green cabbage and ½-yellow onion chopped fine. Toss slaw well in a dressing made of 1/4-cup mayo, 1/4-cup sour cream, 1/2-teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 3-tablespoons honey, cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Contact Judith @www.chefjudithhenderson.com