tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1 2008-08-21T05:41:09Z The who, what and where of Washington and Oregon wine. Movable Type 3.2ysb5-20051201 tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.193 2008-08-21T06:43:42Z 2008-08-21T05:41:09Z

According to the Oregon Wine Board, there are 393 wineries and 792 vineyards in the state, most of which focus on Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. There are over 17,000 acres planted in Oregon, producing about 39,000 tons of grapes, which result in 1.7 million cases of wine. What makes Oregon unique relative to its northern and southern neighbors is the disproportionate number of smaller wineries, with most producing less than 5,000 cases of wine. The state has also distinguished itself by focusing on sustainability, with 23% of the vineyards certified sustainable, organic and...

Thad According to the Oregon Wine Board, there are 393 wineries and 792 vineyards in the state, most of which focus on Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. There are over 17,000 acres planted in Oregon, producing about 39,000 tons of grapes, which result in 1.7 million cases of wine. What makes Oregon unique relative to its northern and southern neighbors is the disproportionate number of smaller wineries, with most producing less than 5,000 cases of wine. The state has also distinguished itself by focusing on sustainability, with 23% of the vineyards certified sustainable, organic and... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.192 2008-08-14T19:39:45Z 2008-08-20T16:47:48Z

According to the Washington Wine Commission, our state is now home to over 540 wineries, producing wine from more than 20 varieties of grapes cultivated on over 31,000 acres of vineyards. This adds up to a lot of bottles, which represent an ever expanding selection of wine for the consumer. It is easy to become overwhelmed by it all, as evidenced by the confused and confounded faces I often see at the grocery or wine store. There is hope for those needing help in choosing a Washington wine that suits their personal taste, for there are several bloggers who...

Thad According to the Washington Wine Commission, our state is now home to over 540 wineries, producing wine from more than 20 varieties of grapes cultivated on over 31,000 acres of vineyards. This adds up to a lot of bottles, which represent an ever expanding selection of wine for the consumer. It is easy to become overwhelmed by it all, as evidenced by the confused and confounded faces I often see at the grocery or wine store. There is hope for those needing help in choosing a Washington wine that suits their personal taste, for there are several bloggers who... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.190 2008-08-12T21:33:13Z 2008-08-12T22:04:52Z

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) With wild king salmon and fresh asparagus on the grill, I opened a bottle of Westrey 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) to see if this wine measured up to the billing it received on the back label: Westrey wines are styled to be mouth-filling and generous in a context of rich texture and balanced acidity. Winemakers Amy Wesselman and David Autrey craft distinctive wines while allowing each bottling to express its vineyards of origin. In keeping with the philosophy of minimal handling, this wine has been bottled unfiltered. For the salmon, Kari...

Thad What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) With wild king salmon and fresh asparagus on the grill, I opened a bottle of Westrey 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) to see if this wine measured up to the billing it received on the back label: Westrey wines are styled to be mouth-filling and generous in a context of rich texture and balanced acidity. Winemakers Amy Wesselman and David Autrey craft distinctive wines while allowing each bottling to express its vineyards of origin. In keeping with the philosophy of minimal handling, this wine has been bottled unfiltered. For the salmon, Kari... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.189 2008-08-12T04:13:14Z 2008-08-12T04:58:29Z

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Erath 2006 Pinot Blanc ($13) offers yet another addition to my growing list of delightful, inexpensive wines to enjoy this summer. We paired this pinot blanc with a simple meal of grilled chicken thighs, broccolini, and rice pilaf, while enjoying it as an aperitif beforehand. Overall, the Erath's balanced acidity and moderate alcohol (13.8%) offered a nice complement to the Caribbean-style chicken marinade. In fact, it clearly lived up to the promise of the back label, for it is pure fruit enjoyment as a result of being steel fermented: ...a crisp, dry...

Thad What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Erath 2006 Pinot Blanc ($13) offers yet another addition to my growing list of delightful, inexpensive wines to enjoy this summer. We paired this pinot blanc with a simple meal of grilled chicken thighs, broccolini, and rice pilaf, while enjoying it as an aperitif beforehand. Overall, the Erath's balanced acidity and moderate alcohol (13.8%) offered a nice complement to the Caribbean-style chicken marinade. In fact, it clearly lived up to the promise of the back label, for it is pure fruit enjoyment as a result of being steel fermented: ...a crisp, dry... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.188 2008-08-08T19:31:49Z 2008-08-09T22:32:01Z

Here is an expanding list of Oregon and Washington wines we have enjoyed while dining either at home, in a restaurant, at a winery, or in a wine bar. After experiencing each of these wines paired with a meal, I would definitely buy another bottle (or two) to serve again, even it means getting a more recent vintage. I hope you are able to experience the joy we got out of each of these wines at your table sometime soon. Oregon Wine Recommendations Adelsheim Auxerrois Willamette Valley (2005) Andrew Rich Pinot Noir Cuvée B (2005) Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (2002)...

Thad Here is an expanding list of Oregon and Washington wines we have enjoyed while dining either at home, in a restaurant, at a winery, or in a wine bar. After experiencing each of these wines paired with a meal, I would definitely buy another bottle (or two) to serve again, even it means getting a more recent vintage. I hope you are able to experience the joy we got out of each of these wines at your table sometime soon. Oregon Wine Recommendations Adelsheim Auxerrois Willamette Valley (2005) Andrew Rich Pinot Noir Cuvée B (2005) Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (2002)... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.187 2008-08-08T04:52:46Z 2008-08-13T15:27:53Z

Here is an expanding list of Pacific Northwest wineries that have gone beyond the bottle by connecting tasting room visitors to the people and places behind their wines. This alphabetized list contains the places I would recommend (3 corks), highly recommend (4 corks), or found truly exceptional (5 corks) in terms of exceeding specific criteria. Washington Winery Recommendations: Amavi Cellars Basel Cellars Brian Carter Cellars Chatter Creek Covington Cellars Dama Wines Fort Walla Walla Cellars Isenhower Cellars L'Ecole No 41 Novelty Hill-Januik Pepper Bridge Reininger Seven Hills Winery Tertulia Cellars The Tasting Room Trust Cellars Whitman Cellars Woodhouse Family Cellars...

Thad Here is an expanding list of Pacific Northwest wineries that have gone beyond the bottle by connecting tasting room visitors to the people and places behind their wines. This alphabetized list contains the places I would recommend (3 corks), highly recommend (4 corks), or found truly exceptional (5 corks) in terms of exceeding specific criteria. Washington Winery Recommendations: Amavi Cellars Basel Cellars Brian Carter Cellars Chatter Creek Covington Cellars Dama Wines Fort Walla Walla Cellars Isenhower Cellars L'Ecole No 41 Novelty Hill-Januik Pepper Bridge Reininger Seven Hills Winery Tertulia Cellars The Tasting Room Trust Cellars Whitman Cellars Woodhouse Family Cellars... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.186 2008-08-07T04:04:28Z 2008-08-12T15:01:53Z

If you visit the Walla Walla Vintners web site, you will be treated to a great story detailing how Myles Anderson and Gordon Venneri got their start in winemaking and eventually founded the 8th winery in Walla Walla. You will also read about their generous support of other winemakers, having lent space, equipment, and know how to a variety of folks who are now part of the Walla Walla Valley winemaking fold. This generosity extends to Myles and Gordon's involvement with the Institute for Enology & Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College. However, if you visit their winery, you...

Thad If you visit the Walla Walla Vintners web site, you will be treated to a great story detailing how Myles Anderson and Gordon Venneri got their start in winemaking and eventually founded the 8th winery in Walla Walla. You will also read about their generous support of other winemakers, having lent space, equipment, and know how to a variety of folks who are now part of the Walla Walla Valley winemaking fold. This generosity extends to Myles and Gordon's involvement with the Institute for Enology & Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College. However, if you visit their winery, you... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.185 2008-07-31T04:00:04Z 2008-08-05T04:18:52Z

For me, the measure of a good wine experience is how often and to what degree you reflect on it afterward. Since returning from IPNC 2008, I have been thinking a lot about what I gained from attending this event. If I were to distill it down to just a few themes, then IPNC for me was all about connections, context, and community. Connecting to People and Places I heard it said many times during the weekend, that it is the wine that brings folks to IPNC, but it is the people that make it special. That was clearly validated...

Thad For me, the measure of a good wine experience is how often and to what degree you reflect on it afterward. Since returning from IPNC 2008, I have been thinking a lot about what I gained from attending this event. If I were to distill it down to just a few themes, then IPNC for me was all about connections, context, and community. Connecting to People and Places I heard it said many times during the weekend, that it is the wine that brings folks to IPNC, but it is the people that make it special. That was clearly validated... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.184 2008-07-28T03:07:54Z 2008-08-05T04:19:27Z

IPNC Northwest Salmon Bake Dinner The second half of Day Two at IPNC followed a similar sequence to Day One, with several seminars, special pourings, alfresco tastings, and dinner. Mid-afternoon, I dropped by a book signing featuring Tyler Colman, Ph.D., a.k.a. Dr. Vino, and several other authors. Tyler, whom I met earlier in the day, publishes a popular wine blog and has recently released a new book entitled, Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink. I am looking forward to reading Tyler's book, which combines two of my favorite topics. Along with the book...

Thad IPNC Northwest Salmon Bake Dinner The second half of Day Two at IPNC followed a similar sequence to Day One, with several seminars, special pourings, alfresco tastings, and dinner. Mid-afternoon, I dropped by a book signing featuring Tyler Colman, Ph.D., a.k.a. Dr. Vino, and several other authors. Tyler, whom I met earlier in the day, publishes a popular wine blog and has recently released a new book entitled, Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink. I am looking forward to reading Tyler's book, which combines two of my favorite topics. Along with the book... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.183 2008-07-26T22:05:01Z 2008-08-05T04:19:59Z

IPNC Sustainability Without Sacrifice Seminar Today is the second and last full day at IPNC. It began with two wine seminars indoors and was followed by lunch outside on the lawn. In keeping with the theme of this year's IPNC, the two seminars focused on sustainability in the vineyard and winery. Both sessions were moderated by Andrea Robinson with a panel of special guests commenting on the various wine flights in front of us. The first session featured Jasper Morris, wine expert and writer, and Dominique Lafon, of the Burgundy estate, Domaine des Comtes Lafon. Dominique spoke about his...

Thad IPNC Sustainability Without Sacrifice Seminar Today is the second and last full day at IPNC. It began with two wine seminars indoors and was followed by lunch outside on the lawn. In keeping with the theme of this year's IPNC, the two seminars focused on sustainability in the vineyard and winery. Both sessions were moderated by Andrea Robinson with a panel of special guests commenting on the various wine flights in front of us. The first session featured Jasper Morris, wine expert and writer, and Dominique Lafon, of the Burgundy estate, Domaine des Comtes Lafon. Dominique spoke about his... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.182 2008-07-26T06:38:38Z 2008-08-05T04:20:48Z

IPNC Grand Dinner What an amazing evening the first night of IPNC has been... It started with the al fresco tasting event, featuring dozens of producers from around the world pouring recent and past releases of pinot noir. As much as these types of tasting events offer a useful cross-section of wines, I find it challenging to really enjoy wine in this setting without food. The cocktail wines always show well, while the food friendly wines struggle. Following the tasting reception, we all came together for "The Grand Dinner", with a variety of wines and vintages being poured throughout...

Thad IPNC Grand Dinner What an amazing evening the first night of IPNC has been... It started with the al fresco tasting event, featuring dozens of producers from around the world pouring recent and past releases of pinot noir. As much as these types of tasting events offer a useful cross-section of wines, I find it challenging to really enjoy wine in this setting without food. The cocktail wines always show well, while the food friendly wines struggle. Following the tasting reception, we all came together for "The Grand Dinner", with a variety of wines and vintages being poured throughout... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.181 2008-07-26T00:11:16Z 2008-08-09T21:10:18Z

IPNC Vineyard Tour and Winery Lunch What a terrific first day at IPNC. I got started at 8 am joining Craig Camp of the Wine Camp Blog for breakfast. Craig is clearly the man when it comes to blogging about the Oregon wine scene. It was a lot of fun meeting him, chatting about wine and the Web, as well as being introduced to some folks he knows. After breakfast, several hundred attendees gathered on Linfield's commencement green for the opening ceremonies. After a welcome from the president of Linfield College and comments from special guests, each of the...

Thad IPNC Vineyard Tour and Winery Lunch What a terrific first day at IPNC. I got started at 8 am joining Craig Camp of the Wine Camp Blog for breakfast. Craig is clearly the man when it comes to blogging about the Oregon wine scene. It was a lot of fun meeting him, chatting about wine and the Web, as well as being introduced to some folks he knows. After breakfast, several hundred attendees gathered on Linfield's commencement green for the opening ceremonies. After a welcome from the president of Linfield College and comments from special guests, each of the... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.180 2008-07-25T05:57:11Z 2008-08-05T04:22:02Z

On the eve of IPNC kicking off tomorrow, more than a dozen wineries in the McMinnville area are hosting dinners tonight. I had the good fortune of selecting the pre-IPNC dinner event at Lemelson Vineyards winery, which ended up being an incredible evening of amazing food, delicious wine, and best of all, good company. Before getting into too much detail, I want to share something fortuitous that happened earlier today on my journey from Seattle to the Willamette Valley. While driving south, I was listening to the radio when Garrison Keillor came on with The Writer's Almanac, his daily feature...

Thad On the eve of IPNC kicking off tomorrow, more than a dozen wineries in the McMinnville area are hosting dinners tonight. I had the good fortune of selecting the pre-IPNC dinner event at Lemelson Vineyards winery, which ended up being an incredible evening of amazing food, delicious wine, and best of all, good company. Before getting into too much detail, I want to share something fortuitous that happened earlier today on my journey from Seattle to the Willamette Valley. While driving south, I was listening to the radio when Garrison Keillor came on with The Writer's Almanac, his daily feature... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.179 2008-07-23T03:19:57Z 2008-08-05T04:23:25Z

When it comes to running a tasting room, there are wineries that get what it means to provide a truly connected experience. And then there are those that clearly don't. The folks at Seven Hills Winery get it, for their tasting room is one that provides strong connections to the people and places behind their wines. Seven Hills Winery is located in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building in downtown Walla Walla. Their spacious tasting room offers a wide bar with views into the winery's barrel room. The restored wood plank floors, high ceilings, exposed beams, and brick walls provide a...

Thad When it comes to running a tasting room, there are wineries that get what it means to provide a truly connected experience. And then there are those that clearly don't. The folks at Seven Hills Winery get it, for their tasting room is one that provides strong connections to the people and places behind their wines. Seven Hills Winery is located in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building in downtown Walla Walla. Their spacious tasting room offers a wide bar with views into the winery's barrel room. The restored wood plank floors, high ceilings, exposed beams, and brick walls provide a... tag:beyondthebottle.com,2008://1.178 2008-07-19T13:52:28Z 2008-08-05T04:25:05Z

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) For me, a good wine is measured not only by what is experienced inside the bottle, but also on the outside through labeling. Inside, the wine should delight the eyes, the nose, and the palate. Outside, the bottle's labeling should in some way connect me to the people and places behind the wine. Granted, it's not always that I expect a wine to fulfill expectations in both areas. There are many inexpensive wines that do well on the inside, but don't always have to deliver on the outside. However, my bar is set...

Thad What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) For me, a good wine is measured not only by what is experienced inside the bottle, but also on the outside through labeling. Inside, the wine should delight the eyes, the nose, and the palate. Outside, the bottle's labeling should in some way connect me to the people and places behind the wine. Granted, it's not always that I expect a wine to fulfill expectations in both areas. There are many inexpensive wines that do well on the inside, but don't always have to deliver on the outside. However, my bar is set...