Unusual White Wines of the Willamette Valley (Part 1)
Last week I wrote about the king of Willamette Valley grapes: Pinot Noir. This week, we’re discussing some lesser known grapes a few pioneering vineyards have embraced: Müller Thurgau and Grüner Veltliner, Auxerrois. *Geek warning!* You may never run across these grapes in your wine journey if you’re not looking for them but for us…
April 13, 2022
What’s the big deal about Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley?
If you’ve ever visited the Willamette Valley for a wine tastingone thing becomes apparent: Pinot Noir, the king of Oregon grapes, dominates the wine offerings here in the valley. Why? First, a little history and geography lesson. Don’t worry, the modern day Oregon wine industry only goes back to the 1960’s so it won’t be…
April 6, 2022
Sherry, Port, Madeira, Marsala: Wine or Spirit?
Have you ever been confused about port wine? What exactly is it and how does it differ from “regular” wine? When do you serve it and how long does it last once opened? Let’s start in Portugal, namesake for Port and city of Oporto. Port wine is a separate category of wine called fortified wine…
March 30, 2022
Wine Skins 101
By popular demand (aka my daughter, the millennial) this blog post will be about grapes and wine types. Talking to her, I realized not everyone knows what makes a wine a white, red, rosé, etc. I wrote this blog post to help people understand how the color of a wine is determined. More specifically, I…
March 24, 2022
Wine & Fire in Willamette Valley
Climate change comes in many guises: floods, drought, monsoons, polar vortexes, atmospheric rivers, wildfires. Temperatures soar or drop way above their “normal” or average ranges since records have been kept over the last 100-200 years. Prior to modern record keeping scientists relied on archeological, or literary evidence to give us clues as to how long…
March 17, 2022
To Cork or Not to Cork: Part 2
Who doesn’t love the pop of a cork at the beginning of a dinner with friends or a New Years Eve celebration? The history of cork usage for wine bottles goes back millenia. The natural cork is punched from the bark of the Quercus Suber or cork oak tree, grown primarily in Portugal (50%) and…
March 9, 2022
The Story of Sulfites and “Natural” Winemaking
As I sit in my office/dining room on a typical rainy Portland day in March, I am clearly reminded that weather has a huge impact on wine making. As everyone knows, Portland has a reputation for rain, which I can confirm in my short time here. It seems 3 out of every 4 days has…
March 2, 2022
Wine Faults and Wine Storage
How do you know if a wine is bad and what to do? You are in a restaurant and the waiter pours you a taste of the wine you chose. You take a sniff and recoil at the odor. What do you do? a) Pretend it’s fine. It must be me b) Look quizzically at…
February 23, 2022
Components of Wine— and How to Begin Tasting Them
So what exactly is in that glass of wine? Simple answer: water and ethanol make up approximately 98% of what’s in your glass. Let’s begin there. The Big Picture Ethanol is one of many types of alcohol (from a chemistry angle) which includes methanol (wood alcohol) and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)….
February 16, 2022
Wine History in a Hazelnutshell (Part 2)
Just tuning in? Check out Part 1 of this story here. California Dreamin’ Although the earliest winemaking was recorded in Florida in the 1560’s and the oldest winery in the USwas established in 1839 in New York, California is the center of the US wine universe. The Golden State claims over 80% of US…
February 9, 2022
Wine History in a Hazelnut Shell (Part 1)
Forgive the Willamette Valley reference but I am a proud supporter! For those in the know, the valley floor of the Willamette River is full of hazelnut trees, where 99.9% of the US’s hazelnuts are grown.1 What does that have to do with wine history? Glad you asked! The #1 rule of growing grapes is…
February 2, 2022
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti and Merlot Oh My! On Grape Varietals and Wine Regions
What do Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and Merlot have in common? They are types of wine grapes. What do Chianti and Rioja and Bordeaux have in common? They are regions that describe types of wine. If you have ever confused the two categories, you’re not alone. Though there are over 10,000 wine grape…
January 26, 2022