Wine Blog

Where does the Willamette Valley start? Geographically speaking, if you drive in from downtown Portland, south on Route 99, in under an hour you will reach the first wineries in the town of Newberg. Complete with vineyards, scenic tasting rooms and production facilities, Newberg is truly the gateway to the best of Oregon wines! Once…

You know you have arrived when the New York Times makes you the centerpiece of an article. McMinnville had this honor last week when the Frugal Traveler did just that. Entitled, “Sip Oregon Wine Country, No Driving Required”, McMinnville was highlighted as the rare wine region accessible by public transit from the city center and…

The History Since I am relatively new to the Willamette Valley, I spend my down time researching the history of the Oregon wine industry so I can better educate our tour guests about this unique wine region. I just finished reading “Pinot Girl” by Anne Maria Ponzi, published in 2020. Upon reading, I was surprised…

In part I I discussed the history of Biodynamic farming in Oregon and its connection to regenerative farming. Here I am calling out several estate wineries who walk the walk on Biodynamic and regenerative farming in the Willamette Valley:

Even though Oregon only produces one percent of the wines made in the United States, this states accounts for 52% of total vineyard acres that have received biodynamic® certification from Demeter USA  Oregon has the highest percentage of biodynamic wineries of any state: 15 are officially Demeter Biodynamic certified, while another 30 wineries claim to…

Did you ever wonder why some people prefer bitter tastes and some shy away? I’m talking about grapefruit, arugula, dark chocolate, black coffee, tea and of course tannic (young and thick skinned) red wines. Well, there is a scientific reason for this preference: it depends on a gene which detects Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a bitter, harmless…