Columbia Home & Lifestyle - January/February 2009 - (Page 14) WINE ¿Qué syrah? Written and photographed by Jennifer Larmie Top Ten Wines hosts a tasting featuring the libations from a Central Coast winery Q upé—yep, that’s how you spell it. Qupé is a Native American word for California Poppy. It’s also synonymous with some of the best Rhone varieties of wine you’ll ever taste: Syrah, Grenache, Roussane and Marsanne. Recently, the founder and winemaker of Qupé, Bob Lindquist, made a last-minute stop in Columbia and went to Top Ten Wines to discuss his new releases. Top Ten’s themed tastings always bring out a crowd, and this night was no different. Paul Vernon, owner of Top Ten, usually has 10 wines to taste, but due to the limited availability of Qupé’s wines, we tasted six. Vernon got creative and offered the crowd some of his homemade Missouri peach and raspberry liqueur paired with sparkling wine as an aperitif. After we enjoyed this refreshing start to the evening, Bob Lindquist stepped up to tell us about his award winning Central Coast winery in California. Lindquist’s story begins in 1953 with his birth in Columbia. Though he only lived here briefly, Lindquist has come back to visit a few times. He started his career at Zaca Mesa in 1979, when he met good friend and partner Jim Clendenen, owner of Au Bon Climat. After working on mostly chardonnay and pinot noir, in 1982 he made the move to start his own winery. His first wines were chardonnay, syrah and vin gris—a dry rose; he loved Rhone varietals and was encouraged by famous wine broker, Kermit Lynch, to plant syrah grapes. Lindquist listened and is glad he did, since his winery is now one of the largest producers of syrah in California. Bob Lindquist, Qupe, and Paul Vernon, Top Ten Wines 14 january/february 2009 All wines can be purchased at Top Ten.
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