Liquid Oregon

Is Oregon Pinot Is A Bit Too Expensive? Blame The Weather

2011-08-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Winemaking is another leisurely pursuit of the rich, like polo or yachting.

Wrong. Winemaking is an agricultural act, and farming can be stressful. One's crop is always in question. And conditions change with the winds--literally--so improvisation and preparation are imperative.

Dana Tims, who covers the local wine industry for The Oregonian says Willamette Valley winemakers are looking at an extremely late harvest this fall, and with it, a multitude of challenges.

"Last year was my latest ever in 25 harvests in Oregon," said Joe Dobbes, owner of Dobbes Family Estate in Dundee. "This year, we're behind even that. Now we are looking at the first few weeks in October as being pivotal."

"The fear of a really wet fall is always worrisome," said Steve Price, a Monroe-based vineyard consultant. "The later the fruit has to hang, the less leeway there is."

"In 35 years of growing grapes, this is the most challenging year I've ever faced in terms of ripening," said Hal Medici, founder of Medici Vineyards in Newberg. "It's been a crazy year."

Some growers, like Lange Estate (featured in the video above), are hand-pulling leaves from vineyard canopies to expose their grapes to the sun and boost the number of heat units needed to ripen -- a decision that can add dd up to $200 per acre in farming costs.

Lenné For Lunch

2011-07-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow wino, Dylan Boyd, suggested a visit to Lenné recently. I figured, Boyd knows a thing or two about this, and sure enough he does.

We net the proprietor, Steve Lutz, at the gate just before noon on Friday. He opened up and we climbed his steep hill to taste the estate pinot noir.

One thing we learned from Lutz is his sedimentary soil (which is not volcanic, like the soil in the Dundee Hills area of Yamhill County) is hard to grow things in, but that's what vines want, difficult soil.

Another Reason It's Called Liquid Sunushine

2011-07-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

The total economic impact in Oregon related directly or indirectly to wine topped $2.7 billion last year, according to the report conducted by Berkeley, Calif.-based Full Glass Research.

A similar study, released in 2006, set the same figure at $1.4 billion.

"I'd expected to see growth, even fairly significant growth," Christian Miller, who conducted the study, told The Oregonian. "But I was surprised at how strong that growth really was. Given the economy we've been through, it's pretty remarkable."

The study's key findings traced the improvements Oregon's 418 commercial wineries have made in bolstering out-of-state sales and sales made directly to consumers through wine clubs, the Internet and on-premise tasting rooms.

A 2008 article in Oregon Business puts the total impact of the state's beer industry at $2.25 billion, making beer the perfect compliment to wine, from an economic standpoint.

Adventurous Citizens Of Beervana Raise A Sour Glass

2011-06-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

“Sour beers certainly broaden the flavor spectrum,” Ron Gansberg of Cascade Brewing says, “and they should interest adventurous wine drinkers and beer drinkers both, because the beers are a sort of middle ground.”

And he is right. After facing the long lines at Portland's first annual Fruit Beer Festival, we opted to head over to Cascade Barrel House on SE 10th and Belmont instead. It was our maiden voyage to the newly opened and much praised brewery, and after sitting on their sun-drenched patio drinking Sour Ales, we now understand what the excitement is about.

Check out these two part-beer, part-wine descriptions:

The Vine
8.3% ABV / $5.50 Glass
This NW style sour blends soured tripel, blonde and golden ales that were then fermented with the juice of white wine grapes. It's a delicious offering that appeals to both beer and wine drinkers.

Sang Noir
9.5% ABV / 8 IBU / $6 Glass
This deep, dark double red was aged over a year in Pinot and Whiskey barrels, then blended with a barrel of Bing cherries. This deep and rich NW double red is one of our most complex winter offerings.

Both beers were surprising to our palates, complex and delicious.

“This is a journey,” Gansberg says of the Cascade ethos. “But we want everyone to be a part of it.”

Brady Whalen of The Daily Pull likes the place too. "From the location and the food menu, to the decor and the staff, Cascade Brewing Barrel House has managed to create an extremely accessible and unpretentious environment that works for sour beer enthusiasts and novices alike."

I know I'm looking forward to my next Barrel House visit.

I'll Make You A Map

2011-06-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

I recently leafed through Sunset Magazine and found an interesting feature on Washington Wine 9, a site where Carrie Simon offers personal concierge services to travelers visiting Washington State's wine country.

Simon offers a 45 minute Travel Consultation for $90, and Complete Itinerary Planning and booking for $100/hour (with a two hour minimum). She's not a tour guide who drives you to and fro, she's a vacation planner. I have to say I'm impressed by the idea and her execution of it, digitally speaking, is spot on.

When I search The Google for Oregonians offering similar services, there's Oregon Wine Country Concierge, but they list no rates and no testimonials. I also see that Grand Cru Wine Tours in Monmouth offers self-guided wine tours for $40.

Again, opportunity presents itself...and again it looks like the blog is the free offering with a paid service behind it.

Upcoming Oregon Wine And Beer Events for June 2011

2011-06-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

I searched Google for "Oregon Wine and Beer Events" today and I didn't get the responses I thought I might. Which means there's an opportunity to aggregate content from several sources and be the destination for this information. When you want it done right...

This Weekend

Carlton Quest, June 11th and 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Carlton, Oregon

Berries, Brews, & BBQ’s, Saturday, June 11, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Oregon

1st Annual Portland Fruit Beer Festival, June 11th, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and June 12th, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Burnside Brewing Co. in Portland, Oregon

Upcoming Events

Sisters Wine & Brew Festival, Friday, June 17, 2011 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Sisters, Oregon

7th Annual North American Organic Brewers Festival, June 24-26, 2011, Noon to 9:00 p.m. Fri & Sat and Noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, Overlook Park in Portland, Oregon

5th Annual Festival of Arts & Wine, Saturday June 25, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Mount Angel Abbey, St. Benedict, Oregon

Oregonians For Foch

2011-06-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Marechal Foch (pronounced "mar-esh-shall-fosh"), is an inter-specific hybrid red wine grape variety and a grape that many Oregon growers are fond of. Wine Fauve, which is bottled in Newberg, for instance.

Here's a bit of copy from their 2009 Willamette Valley Marechal Foch:

This wine was made of grapes from Meadow's Vineyard in Halsey, Oregon, on of Oregon's oldest vineyards, planted by Archie Meadows in 1970. They grow only one grape, Marechal Foch, the American superhero of grapes, richer, darker and sweeter than any other grape.

That's well stated. I like a bit of Oregon wine industry history poured into my glass.

Halsey, interestingly, is right across I-5 from our friends' nursery in Brownsville. I'll have to ask Mike why he's not planting Foch on his riverfront acreage. Actually, I'm asking myself why I'm not planting Foch vines in our yard in West Linn. I'll look into it!

By the way, we stumbled upon this particular Foch last Sunday in Canby. We also discovered Ribera Vineyards from West Linn that day. Ribera makes an awesome Rose.

Locavores Take Note: Clackamas County Pinot Noir!

2011-06-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

We moved from NE Portland to West Linn on Friday. On Saturday, we took Lucy to a new dog park on Stafford Road, where we met Howie and his Doberman Pincher, Max. Howie mentioned that he lives next to a vineyard. Naturally, I asked him, "which vineyard?"

"Holloran," Howie said.

Turns out Holloran is a visit by appointment winery, except for Memorial Day Weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.

Perfect! On Sunday, Darby and I took a break from unpacking, shot down 205 to the Stafford Road exit, headed south, then up Mountain Road and Shaeffer Road to find Holloran.

It was a pleasure to meet Eve and Bill Holloran and talk to the winemaker while sampling the winery's lineup of wines. We also walked the land, marveling at the expansive views. I asked Bill Holloran if he tested his volcanic soils before planting vines in his backyard, and he said no, it wasn't necessary. The combination of his south facing slope and elevations ranging from 645' to 690' gave him the confidence to begin.

Holloran also owns vineyard sites in the Dundee Hills and Rickreall.

Value seekers will also want to keep an eye out for this producer's second Stafford Hill label. We took home a $13 Stafford Hill Tempranillo and $18 Stafford Hill Pinot Noir, for instance--both extremely drinkable wines.

Watching Stuff Grow With Alex Sokol Blosser

2011-05-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Alex Sokol Blosser is sharing the details of the spring growing season in Dundee in a new video series, aptly titled "Budbreak to Bloom."

The series details the beginning of the Pinot Noir winegrowing season at Sokol Blosser.

I like how in the second video he discusses the need to "take some of the energy out of the soil by letting the cover crop grow."

The Winemaking Is Front And Center At Pheasant Court

2011-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, while shopping for something local (but not a pinot) at Blackbird Wine Shop on NE Fremont, Andy, the shop's proprietor, steered me to a 2007 Reserve Syrah made with Rogue Valley fruit by a small producer in Philomath, Oregon, near Corvallis.

The $17 bottle from Pheasant Court Winery was truly outstanding, so we went back to Blackbird for more, and we made a note to visit the winery on our next trip south. Thankfully, that opportunity came two days ago. Darby and I veered off I-5, favoring the scenic route from Salem to Corvallis, before setting our sights on The Wine Vault in Philomath, which serves as Pheasant Court's weekend-only tasting room.

"Pheasant Court is a family-owned winery that specilizes in hand crafted wines produced in small lots from grapes that are among the best that Oregon has to offer." When we entered the tasting room on Saturday, Charlie Gilson, the winemaker and winery owner, was there to greet us. After walking us through his full array of whites and reds, we learned that Charlie is an engineer with a day job running a startup ink jet printer company. I mention this because I can sense the engineer's mind at work in this wine.

We opened the session with Pheasant Court's Roussanne, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The Gris welcomes with a burst of citrus and thanks to time in oak barrels, the Chard invites further exploration with its vanilla and buttery qualities. We moved on to reds, sampling Pinot Noir, Merlot, Maréchal Foch, and the 2008 Syrah. It turns out the winery is all out of its 2007 Syrah, but Pheasant Court has much more going for it than its sold out Syrah. The Reserve Pinot Noir and Maréchal Foch are big winners too. The Pinot Noir, in particular, offers something different--the wine is deep in color and bold in taste. In other words, it is Burgundian.

All of Pheasant Court's fruit is sourced from Oregon grower's in the Willamette Valley and Rogue Valley. While I do like to get a sense for the terroir from a winery visit, I can also appreciate the art of winemaking and the benefits that buying the best fruit from select spots and notable growers throughout the state affords.

Also, it's important to me to push past the obvious wineries in Yamhill County into the more unknown reaches of the Willamette Valley. I look forward to visiting Pheasant Court again and sampling more wines from Benton County Wineries.

What's In The Can, Man?

2011-04-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Oregon is India Pale Ale land. It's a hoppy territory where Ninkasi (Eugene) and Terminal Gravity (Enterprise) are vying daily for the capitol. But let's not overlook the outliers. Laurelwood (Portland) makes an amazing IPA and so does Fort George (Astoria). It's this last beer that I'd like to swill for a moment.

I recently purchased Fort George Vortex IPA in 16 ounce cans at Whole Foods Market on Sandy and at Beaumont Market on Fremont. This beer is a serious contender for top dog status.

According to BrewPublic, Vortex IPA and 1811 Pre-Prohibition Lager, also from Fort George, are Oregon’s first 16-ounce craft beers available in cans. By the way, 1811 Pre-Prohibition Lager commemorates the first 200 years of Western organized settlement in Astoria.

The labels for each can were designed by my friends at ID Branding in Portland. Doug Lowell, a partner at ID notes that the cans represent "the next big important step in delivering great beer in its best condition while reducing the brewery’s carbon footprint." Well said.

To summarize, Fort George makes amazing beer in Astoria, an American town enjoying its bicentennial. And the brewers' move to cans is a sign of good things to come. Plus cans are much easier to deal with when camping and you are going camping.

Wallowa County Is Beer Country

2011-04-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

We drove six and one half hours last Saturday to drink beers from Terminal Gravity at the source in Enterprise.

It was a slow night for TG, but we weren't looking for company. We were looking for clues. You see this small but popular brewer in the NE corner of the state makes unreal India Pale Ale, and when that happens a guy wants to know why. And how?

We didn't come away with the answers, but we did learn that the dogs are not welcome and that the place has great food to go with its beer. I nibbled on seared Ahi tuna while quaffing a Double IPA with dinner. We also tasted the Pale Ale, which will soon be bottled and distributed in Portland. And we tasted the Porter, which tasted like coffee. Very good coffee, I might add.

Another discovery for another day is Mutiny Is Brewing in Joseph, Oregon--just five miles from Enterprise. Can't wait to go back to Wallowa County and try the other brewer's beers.

French/Belgian Farmhouse Inspired

2011-03-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Darby and I visited Upright Brewing for its 2nd Anniversary Party. Upright isn’t like other breweries. They take the concept of craft brewing to a higher place. For instance, their seasonal Four Play (which I tasted and enjoyed) spends roughly one year maturing in former pinot noir barrels with Oregon cherries and souring yeast and bacteria. It’s a tart, complex and celebratory brew.

The writer of Seattle PI's Beer Blotter blog, believes Upright's team is one of the Northwest’s "brightest young talents." The beer blogger also notes that in just two years time Upright has managed to gain a much coveted spot on ratebeer.com‘s annual list of Top 100 Brewers In The World. Upright also comes in at number 14 in the top 50 breweries to visit list.

This rapid ascension is no doubt the result of mad skills, but it's also about being different. The Seattle PI writer describes the difference:

For me, being a huge fan of saisons, Upright has become a brewery that I would rank very highly in my own list of most exciting breweries, either new, old or in between. Their use of open fermentation is something that is most intriguing to me. I still don’t know much about it, but it’s clearly working very well for these Portland fellows.

There was a good crowd of happy beer drinkers at the mid-day Sunday party last week. As much as I love Imperial Pale Ale and other heavily hopped beers, a man needs a change. And in this capital city of Beervana, that change is being made and served in a basement brewery near the Rose Garden. It's the kind of place one needs to find, as there are no signs announcing "Farmhouse Inspired Saisons This Way." Not being obvious, again, adds to Upright's charm.

Enjoy The Fruits Of Many Labors In NW Portland

2011-03-16T16:17:00.001-07:00

When you live in Portland you don't need to go far to taste locally produced wine. In fact, there are two winemakers—Grochau Cellars and Boedecker Cellars—tucked into one industrial building on NW 30th Avenue. The two share space, equipment and a tasting room; yet they are two distinct brands from two distinct companies.

In my mind, the individuality combined with a cooperative spirit is distinctly Portland.

I've seen the lower case "gc" labels in the store before, but last Friday we came upon gc's generic looking RED label at Blackbird Wine Shop on NE Fremont, near our home. Andy, the shop's proprietor, was tasting wines from Walla Walla and he decided to toss gc's 2008 RED in the mix, even though the fruit is from Columbia Valley. The great tasting wine is 62% Merlot, 33.5% cabernet sauvignon and 4.5% cabernet franc.

When we visited gc's tasting room on NW 30th on Sunday we picked up a half case of this wine and it really delivers for the price ($12.50/bottle with gc's half case discount). We're going to return on another weekend day to sample the offerings from Boedecker.

It should be noted that one can wander across the street to MacTarnahan's Brewing Company for hopped beverages and food, which is exactly what we did, enjoying a spot by the fireplace and a couple of tasty burgers.

For fans of brandy, grappa and fruit-based liqueurs, no drinking trip to industrial northwest is complete without stopping in at Clear Creek Distillery on NW Wilson.

To recap, one can drink wine, beer and spirits at the source of production without leaving the city limits. You just have to know where, and when, to look.

Craft Brewing One Barrel At A Time

2011-03-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Oregonian produced a feature article for its food and beverage magazine last month on nano-breweries.

Beetje Brewery, perhaps the smallest federally licensed brewery in Portland, operates nights and weekends out of garage of the brewer's Southeast Portland home.

Brewer Mike Wright (above) is an IT project manager for Multnomah County by day. Here's how he describes his passion play:

At the risk of being too romantic, imagine a small, rustic farmhouse brewery (in the inner city). The beers are generally going to be every day drinking beers, not super-complex-monster-bombs. There are plenty of breweries covering that arena.

Wright and other nano-brewers use a one barrel system to make their beer. It takes just as much time to mash, boil and ferment a barrel and a half of beer as it does the hundred or more barrels that the Widmer or Deschutes brewers make in one batch.

"Nano isn't a comment on quality," says Ian Guinness, who with his partner, Natalia Laird, runs Natian Brewery on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. "It is a way to show the public how hard that brewery is working," Guinness says.

Images From A Recent Trip To Yamhill County

2011-02-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Bringin' It Back Home With Gary Vee

2011-02-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

In this latest episode of WineLibraryTV, host Gary Vaynerchuk swirls three local and lovely pinot noir varietals from Benton Lane, Adelsheim and Lemelson.

I like how in his intro to the region, Vaynerchuk says, "they've been making Pinot that matters for a long long time" in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Penner-Ash Profits From Direct-To-Customer Selling

2011-01-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

Dana Tims of The Oregonian covers Washington County government, business, development and Oregon's Wine industry.

This week Tims shares a "new economic snapshot" of the industry care of a study conducted by Kurt Wittman at Northwest Farm Credit Services, an agribusiness lender.

Well-established wineries with strong brand recognition in the marketplace and solid business plans are still positioned to succeed, Wittman said. But newcomers who thought only of making wine, without considering the parallel need to sell it, aren't likely to be around much longer.

Tims points to one local winery that meets those standards.

Penner-Ash Winery in Newberg saw the downturn coming two years ago and moved to compensate for projected losses due to distributor consolidation by aggressively selling directly to its customers.

The move appears to be paying off, said Ron Penner-Ash, a winery principal. By offering special deals to wine-club members and launching an online newsletter, the winery increased its gross sales figures by 30 percent in 2010 and is on track to make fully 50 percent of its sales this year directly to consumers.

"From a business standpoint, there's a huge margin between wholesale and direct sales," Penner-Ash said. "That's what we were going after, and it seems to be working."

As a person who buys direct from Penner-Ash, I'm glad to know I'm helping to support a small business that believes deeply in the craft of Pinot Noir cultivation and winemaking.

I'm Not Gary Vaynerchuk, But I Do Like Wine

2011-01-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

We rolled up on Methven Family Vineyards, south of Dayton, on this brisk, slightly wet Saturday to find an open but empty tasting room.

Will Kobyluck, General Manager, greeted us and poured us two whites and four reds, while sharing stories and generally extending a warm sense of hospitality.

All the wines at Methven are estate wines, which means the fruit is grown on the property. For me, tasting and learning about the wine while visiting the land where the grapes grow is an important part of understanding the vineyard's terroir.

Darby and I purchased a 2007 Citizen's Cuvee Pinot Noir and a 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Here I am trying to figure out the '06 on camera, on the fly.

Correction: In the video, I gave the wrong price for the 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It's $25, not $22. The 2007 Citizen's Cuvee Pinot Noir is $22.

More Wine, Better Prices. Better Prices, More Wine.

2010-12-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

Thad Westhusing of Beyond the Bottle notes that there are lots of good deals on Oregon pinot noir these days.

Westhusing explains:

Rather than drop prices on existing brands, some producers have chosen to launch new bottlings of pinot noir at price points as low as $15. At the same time, others have pulled back on bottling more expensive wines, opting to put their high quality fruit in lower priced, entry-level products. Along the way, the retail channel has been discounting most of it in order to move inventory before the flood of wine from the 2009 vintage arrives.

As a result of all of these approaches, there is a lot of high quality Oregon pinot noir available to consumers at extraordinarily low price levels.

Two years ago $25-$30 was the entry point for a good Oregon pinot noir. At today's prices a pinot lover can purchase twice as much Oregon wine as before. I'd argue that's a good thing for the local industry and consumers.

According to AC Nielsen scan data, the average price of a bottle of wine sold in the US is $11.46. It is very difficult to find any Oregon pinot noir at that price point, but I have found one, Yamhill Valley Vineyard's 2007 Pinot Noir, which is listed at $9.00 on Yamhill's site. I've purchased a few bottles of this vintage at retail in Portland and while it's no Sokol Blosser, it is a highly drinkable wine, nevertheless.

Wine In The Glass, Film In The Camera

2010-10-15T10:20:00.001-07:00

A group of filmmakers from Corvallis are in production on a documentary about Willamette Valley and Pacific Northwest winemakers.

Vino Veritas: An American Wine Movie is slated for release in 2012. But before that can happen, the team needs funding and they're using Kickstarter and local events to reach out to fans of the project.

According to Gazette Times, David Baker, an Oregon State University employee in multimedia web production, and three filmmaking friends brainstormed this summer.

We want to focus on the local level, but we also want to make it national,” Baker said. “And we’re not just looking at the wine-makers. We’re focusing on the wine geeks and wine lovers, too.”

East Side!

2010-08-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Dana Tims at The Oregonian is reporting that Oregon's wine industry is under intense pressure to change and that big changes are indeed underway.

At a time when recessionary pressures on the state's $1 billion wine industry are threatening to leave tons of grapes unpicked this year, Ken Johnston, general manager of vineyard operations for Winemakers Investment Properties, is developing more than 550 acres of vineyards west of Silverton -- huge by Oregon's traditional mom-and-pop standards. His business model relies on efficiencies of scale to help keep long-term costs and consumer prices down.

Industry insiders are impressed.

"It's absolutely a game-changer," said Joseph Wagner, whose family founded Napa Valley's Caymus Vineyards, which has relied largely on mechanical harvesting for the past five years. Not only has the method worked, he said, but it has actually increased the quality of the fruit at harvest.

There is no way, he said, to underestimate its potential for Oregon's wine operations.

On the surface, automation doesn't sound too appealing. It smacks of factory farms and corporate agriculture. And that's not Oregon! Yet, a higher yield of fragile pinot noir grapes will drive prices down, and that's something that desperately needs to happen, if Oregon pinot noir and pinot gris is to become more than a niche product.

Tims' article also points out that Silverton is nowhere near the Dundee Hills, but a perfect place for pinot grapes nevertheless. This is the kind of news I get excited about. Yamhill County is a special place. But there are lots of special places in Oregon that are ideal for cultivation.

I love Oregon pinot noir, but I do not love paying $25 to $60 for a great bottle of great local wine. I do it because I'm a fiend, but I also look favorably upon Washington state's broader range of varietals in the $10 to $20 price range. And I discovered a wonderful wine merchant in SE Portland who specializes in unearthing amazing ten dollar bottles from Spain, Italy and France (and California and Oregon on occasion).

Price is important. Quality is important. May the two frequently meet.

Cheers.

PNW Weekender: Elkton And Florence, Oregon

2010-07-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

We first tasted Pinot Noir from Oregon's Umpqua Valley a few years ago while living in South Carolina. Brandborg Winery has pretty solid distribution in The Lowcountry and our local wine merchant, Claude, stocked the Elkton-made product. The wine created--as wine will sometimes do--a curiosity about the terroir. This weekend we got a chance to experience it up close and personal.

See more photos on this Flickr Slideshow from the weekend

Brandborg's tasting room is one of the more obvious structures on the town's main drag. We found Terry, the proprietor, enjoying his lunch and some wine on the deck adjacent to the entrance. He followed me inside the building after a bit, and said he'd be my host today. I said great, sell me a bottle of your Estate Pinot Noir. After getting me to taste his other two pinots, and telling me about the winery's recent writeup in The New York Times, he did.

Soon thereafter, Terry's wife Sue appeared unexpectedly at our table with complimentary cheese, chips and watermelon. Sue also informed us of the couple's favorite restaurant in Florence, told us about a good six-mile hike in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and about house rental options in town, should we want to return. Terry also had nice things to say about River's Edge Winery down the street, and Bradley Vineyards around the bend.

When we arrived at River's Edge, owners Mike and Vonnie Landt were there to greet us. Mike said Lucy girl could come inside and enjoy the A.C. with us. We sipped pinot noir and Vonnie mentioned that there was a barn dance in the community center that night. She also said Florence is a pretty cool place if we're headed to the coast. Mike and Vonnie seem like good people and their wine is one to stock up on, as it has very limited distribution.

Both River's Edge and Brandborg buy fruit from Bradley Vineyards, so we figured we better head over there too. Bradley is situated on a picturesque southern slope. Unlike the first two venues, here the grapes and the tasting room are situated together. I opened the door to the little cabin and found Bonnie Bradley entertaining another couple, but I managed to buy two glasses of Baco Noir and we found a shaded spot to take in the stunning views of this northernmost section of the Umpqua valley.

After our three wine-centric visits, we headed to a city park and changed in to our swim suits. The Umpqua River is one of Oregon's great waterways and it's particularly inviting on a hot summer day. Lucy doesn't like to swim but she's a strong swimmer. When Darby and I waded out from the shore, Lucy decided she better join us. What a good girl.

The drive from Elkton to Reedsport was easy and the scenery was stunning all the way. Just before town, there's a platform for elk viewing. We didn't stop, but there was a herd of elk lounging in the meadow. At Reedsport, we turned north on 101 and entered the Oregon Dunes. With fresh water lakes on one side and the ocean on the other, it's easy to appreciate this remote area of the Oregon coast. Just before the bridge to Florence, there's a Best Western overlooking the city. Turns out they take dogs, have King beds and rooms with a balcony. I have to have access to the outdoors when I'm in a hotel. It's a rule (and in Oregon, it's typically a reality).

The Siuslaw River Bridge to Florence is a classic 1930s art deco creation, and as soon as you cross it and enter the coastal city of 9000, you hang a right and bing, you're in Old Town. We had been advised to call Waterfront Depot for a reservation, which I did. Matt, the host, told me there were no tables available but he'd fit us in at the bar. When we arrived 25 minutes later, there were no seats at the bar, but Matt said we could sit at his most excellent six top, until the party which had it reserved arrived. Matt's plan, while bold, worked flawlessly! We enjoyed a cup of chowder, glasses of wine and Manchego cheese with olives and marinated roasted red peppers, and soon enough Matt showed us to a great two-top against the wall.

I don't often find the inspiration necessary to rave about a restaurant, but Waterfront Depot in Florence totally impressed Darby and me in every way. The food is great, the atmosphere is great, the service is great, the prices are great...we can't wait to return.

In the morning, we grabbed coffee in Old Town, then headed out to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, just to the south of Florence. The area is popular with ATV enthusiasts, and we saw some on our way in, but when we reached the spit that runs back toward the mouth of the Siuslaw River, there was no one. We parked, the lone car in a beach access lot. On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning in July! We hiked up and over to the beach and ocean stretching forever before us, seemingly untouched by man.

Size Doesn't Matter, Unless It's An Expression of One's Passion For Wine

2010-05-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Top 25 Oregon Vineyards, ranked by acres planted in vines.

Duck Pond Cellars - 840 acres
King Estate Winery - 465 acres
Argyle Winery - 280 acres
Willamette Valley Vineyards - 250 acres
Montinore Vineyards - 250 acres
Adelsheim Vineyards - 190 acres
Elk Cove Vineyards - 180 acres
Foris Vineyards Winery - 178 acres
Bridgeview Vineyards - 165 acres
Lemelson Vineyards - 158 acres
Hyland Vineyard - 146 acres
Shea Vineyard - 140 acres
Cooper Mountain Vineyards - 123 acres
Anne Amie - 108 acres
WillaKenzie Estate Winery - 102 acres
Ponzi Vineyards - 100 acres
Domaine Drouhin - 90 acres
Van Duzer Vineyards - 84 acres
Sokol Blosser Winery - 75 acres
Rex Hill Vineyards - 56 acres
Henry Estate Winery - 48 acres
Kathken Vineyards - 40 acres
David Hill Vineyard & Winery - 40 acres
Broadley Vineyards - 30 acres
Winter's Hill Vineyard - 26 acres

Source: Portland Business Journal's 2010 Book of Lists.

At The Epicenter of Oregon's Wine Industry

2010-05-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Darby and I had the extreme pleasure of finding our way to the heart of the Dundee Hills. After a quick stop at Dobbes Family Estate in town, we motored west and up the hill toward Domaine Drouhin, except we never found Domaine Drouhin. Instead we found De Ponte Cellars.

In winemaking, as in many things, location is crucial to the enterprise, and De Ponte Cellars is on "the hillside" that is home to several of Oregon's top producers. De Ponte's slice of this precious hillside is also home to one of the oldest vineyards in the Willamette Valley. This scenic property was acquired by the Baldwin family in 1999 and soon De Ponte Cellars Winery was born.

According to Dundee Hills Winegrowers Association, the location is mostly about the Jory soils.

This special volcanic soil has excellent minerality and drainage. Also, the Dundee Hills benefits from being drier and warmer than many pockets that surround it. All of these factors together combine to showcase unique characteristics found in the best Pinot noirs from this region. Our wines tend to be very focused with great clarity and complexity. Some of the descriptors are bright red fruits, exotic spices, and a gorgeous minerality in the structure.

So, De Ponte has location, soil, climate and family on its side. De Ponte (pronounced Duh Pon Tay) also has winemaker Isabelle Dutartre. Dutartre learned the art of winemaking in the Burgundy region of France where she's from, and each of her De Ponte vintages reflects her uncompromising commitment to quality and tradition. To learn more about Dutartre, see this video from Wine Is Serious Business.

I think it's important to note that another one of "the hillside's" best winemakers is also a woman--Anna Matzinger at Archery Summit. Pinot is a delicate grape and getting the pure essence of this delicate fruit in the bottle is an art and a science, one being mastered by women. But cheers to anyone who can do it well!

De Ponte also produces pinot noir under the Clay Hills label. We tasted the winery's various offerings, and the 2008 Clay Hill Pinot Noir at $26 turned out to be the wine we were looking for.

See my iPhone picture of "the hill" in question on Flickr.