Wine Blog

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:   Montinore Estate, Forest Grove (5) is a vineyard keeping regenerative practices alive, and, with 200…

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…

  What makes the Willamette Valley so special? Of course the wine has a lot to do with it, but who makes the wine? The people! More specifically, we can thank the pioneers who first came here in the 1960’s and planted the first vines. We can also look to today’s pioneers who continue to…

      I was reading the  New York Times magazine last Sunday (yes I am a Luddite, I get it delivered) and an article caught my eye. It was called “Angry Birds: The Art of Ancient Falconry at the Jersey Shore”. 1 Why? First, both John & I were raised in Jersey (no I…

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…

  Winemaker Boyd Teegarden, examining early fruit at Natalie Estate Winery in the Willamette Valley, Oregon What makes the Willamette Valley so special? Of course the wine has a lot to do with it, but who makes the wine? The people! More specifically, we can thank the pioneers who first came here in the 1960’splanted…

  ** New Offer: Win $20 off your next wine tour! Suggest a Willamette Valley winemaker or winery you want to learn more about and if I choose them for a future blog post I will credit you $20 on a wine tour!**   On the heels of 2020 smoke issues and 2021 record heat…

  Who doesn’t love a cold glass of bubbly? Well I exaggerate. Some folks, like my son who doesn’t like anything carbonated including soda and beer(!), do not seek out sparkling wine. If you are one of these people, this blog post is not for you. Moving on to the sparkling fans, here is an…

  ** Spoiler Alert This is a Willamette Valley Ad!**   So you’ve been wine tasting in Napa/Sonoma (or if you are lucky France, Spain, Italy, Germany) and you are looking for something different. Maybe you are still skittish about overseas travel and crowded places. Not interested in sitting in traffic, booking months in advance…

    There are thousands of wine grapes and  wines in production around the world. Each one is different and in a skilled winemaker’s hands the same grape from the same plot of land can be different from the vintage before and after. The lesson? Try every wine you can find to taste and judge…

  Some of our Triangle guests enjoying the views as Vidon Many of you have visited wineries in California and other locations around the world. How many times have you met the owners and/or winemakers while there? Or were you greeted by a tasting room host/hostess reading a script on the history of the winery…

Last week, based on a reader suggestion, I started researching oddball grapes grown in the Willamette Valley. I found too many to include in one post so I concentrated on white grapes. This week I am finishing up with red grapes. Read and be amazed at the variety of red grapes that local vintners can…