Blended reds from Washington are good to go

A taster in our wine-tasting group has a favorite phrase to describe an attribute of some wines: instant gratification.

By instant gratification, she means you can buy the wine that day and drink it that night. You don't have to think about the wine or understand its complexities. It doesn't necessarily need food to be appreciated. It still can go well with food, though.

Washington state wineries make blends of red wines that fit the category of instant gratification. Usually made from grapes including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and cabernet franc, they are usually "fruit forward," wine jargon that means the first and dominant impression you get from the wine is the fruit.

Washington blends tend to be low in tannins, those substances in grapes that, over time, give wine character and structure, but when young can cause the wine to taste astringent. No such worries usually exist in Washington blends. They are easy to drink.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare five Washington state red blends in a blind tasting. Here is what we found:

- 2002 K Vintner house wine at $14.99. Most people associate "house wine" with the low-price basic wine served in restaurants or bars when someone asks for wine but does not specify a brand. K Vintner's house wine is made from a wide variety of red grapes grown in various parts of Washington. This bottle was made from 85 percent cabernet sauvignon, 11 percent syrah, 2 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent merlot. The aroma suggested smoke, spice, orange peel and dried cherries. It had a soft, velvety but not rich texture with tastes of black cherries and a bit of orange. The finish was short.

- 2002 Paul Thomas cabernet sauvignon-merlot at $8.99. The aroma offered white chocolate, cookies and cream with a hint of mint, all backed with dark fruit. Cabernet franc was added to this blend to give it some variety. In the mouth, it was extremely dry, with tints of mint leaf. Unfortunately, the wine was a bit out of balance. It smelled better than it tasted.

- 2002 Hogue cabernet-merlot at $7.99. This wine was 51 percent cabernet sauvignon, 47 percent merlot and 2 percent cabernet franc. The aroma reminded us of coffee and toffee, with savory brine and smoke. In the mouth, it was light-bodied yet round, supple and lush. It had a violet-floral finish. The Hogue finished first in our tasting.

- 2002 Hedges CMS blend at $12.99. The Hedges was a blend of 57 percent cabernet sauvignon, 36 percent merlot, 5 percent syrah and 2 percent cabernet franc. We smelled cherries, black pepper, powdered sugar, a notion of sweetened grape juice, and smoke. One taster said the aroma "makes me think of a campfire." The wine dried out in the mouth, and had a slightly astringent finish. The Hedges finished second in our tasting.

- 2001 Columbia Crest Two Vines merlot-cabernet sauvignon at $9.99. Columbia Crest, which makes one of the finest merlots in the Northwest, blended this wine with 53 percent merlot, 22 cabernet sauvignon and 25 percent cabernet franc. It had a vegetal aroma, particularly bell peppers. It was much better in the mouth, with light fruit suggesting red cherries, black currants and raspberries.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to fsutherland