Tim Green, Wood Stone Corporate Chef

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Lanie and Pat Dineen of Dineen Vineyards (Zilla, WA) who recently installed a Mt. Adams wood and gas-fired oven.  I met the Dineen family when we hosted their visit at the Wood Stone test kitchen in March of 2011.  We were excited to have an invitation to visit the winery, experience the wines they produce and celebrate Lanie’s Birthday (Mrs. Dineen) with a wonderful feast from the oven.

We cooked ALOT in the oven during our visit. We sourced ingredients from local farms, prepared fresh dough and had fun pairing Dineen Vineyard’s wines with our food selections. Although their oven is configured to burn both  gas and wood, we had a full day to enjoy the oven so we chose to cook solely with wood and enjoy the ambiance.

We prepared appetizers from the oven, including steamed clams in our Staub cast iron shellfish pot and pimiento peppers fired with olive oil and kosher salt in a cast iron pan – and of course pizza.  The main course included cedar planked King Salmon and New York Steaks cooked to medium rare.

Later in the evening we baked Berry Cobbler and our Chocolate Gourmandize – both topped with fresh whipped cream and a celebratory song of Happy Birthday to Lanie.

Having been a resident of the Napa Valley for a couple of years in the early 1990′s I have always been very skeptical of wineries popping up everywhere.  On this trip I went with an open mind to see what the terra firma ( earth ) had to offer to the grapes of the region and hear the story of the grower.   Each glass of wine was fresh, clean and pungent.  The flavors were BIG.

I am sold on the wines (and food) offered at the Dineen winery and left encouraged to try more local wines from the great Northwest.

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