Inaugural Holiday Pairing Guide - COMING SOON!

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Festivus to you all! As this season of holidays is well underway, we at The Oregon Wine Blog have done little to recognize the season. That is because as you may have already read we are planning an inaugural Holiday Dinner and Wine Pairing Party! This is a staff celebration for the Holiday Season that will take place in early January. Timing and schedules did not allow for a pre- or mid-season Dinner Party, thus a post-season party is the result.

Alas, this is no regular holiday party, it is indeed a party worthy of a wonderful partner. For our inaugural party we are proud to announce that Willamette Valley Vineyards has graciously partnered with us to provide you, our readership, with the 2007 Holiday Pairing Guide. The pairing guide will provide wines to be paired with a traditional holiday turkey dinner from appetizers all the way through to dessert! Some of the staff favorites from Willamette Valley Vineyards will come out; look for wines like the Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, the Pinot Gris, and even the ever elusive Pinot Noir Port will appear (so elusive no link can be provided!).

Soon after the Holiday Party, when we've all had a chance to confer and compare notes, a summary of the party and subsequent pairings will be posted for all to read. Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to let us know! Our emails can all be found to the right in the staff contact list.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season and take time to enjoy some wonderful wine with family and friends. Also, give the gift to someone that keeps on giving and teach them to enjoy the wonders of the viticulture of the Pacific Northwest.

-Cheers!

2006 Sweet Cheeks Esate Pinot Gris

Sometimes decisions made on a whim yield surprising results! In this case, the result was an award-winning Pinot Gris to go along with the previously reviewed Riesling from Sweet Cheeks Winery in Crow, Oregon.

As with many Gris's, citrus notes dominate the nose and palette of this specimen. However, it is the combination of citrus, melon, acidity, and a hint of fig that define this wine from others of the same varietal. The finish is clean and refreshing with a citrus-mineral linger.

My first paring with this lovely wine was a artichoke jalapeno spread served prior to Thanksgiving-a very good combo. This wine was also used to make the sausage dressing for the same occasion, and then paired with a crab salad. Both outstanding.

Overall, this wine is a solid choice at $15. Below I have noted some of the awards earned by this white gem.

Cheers!

Best Pick Riesling for Oregon Wine Press
Winner 2007 Oyster Wine Competition
Gold Medal Winner West Coast Wine competition
Gold Medal Winner Northwest Wine Summit
Gold Medal Winner Astoria Wine competition
Oregon Press Pinot Gris Best Pick

2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris

It's time for Mr. Red to dabble in reviewing the 'other side'... Considering my venture, I wanted to discuss a white that I have a bit of experience with, Willamette Valley Vineyards' Pinot Gris.

This varietal was one of the first adult grape juices that I was exposed to, and it has had a spot in the wine rack since. Why? Well, it is versatile to pair tasty treats and friendly to less experienced palates (Yep, that was a little Red Snootiness coming through, although admittedly, I am no professional...).

On to the specifics... The 2006 Gris is actually a blend of 91% Colmar clone Gris, 7% Pinot Blanc, 1% Auxerrois, and 1% Muscat that was picked late September/early October. Fermentation was performed in stainless with the 1% Auxerrois, followed by French Oak.

OK, here are my thoughts... 1) the nose on this bottle is mostly citrus with melon and oak components playing second and third place. 2) at first sip, the typical Gris citrus and melon carry through from the nose and the 7% Blanc and oak intensify. 3) the finish is clean, baby-butt smooth, with a touch of mineral; no doubt from the volcanic soils that this blend was sourced.

What about the Auxerrois and Muscat? Sorry folks, I did not detect them. This is not a negative, as previously indicated, this wine will likely always hold a spot in my collection because of its versatility.

My favorite combination for this wine is lemon herb halibut, rice, and fresh veggies, preferably on a warm summer day. Willamette Valley Vineyards says that this is their 'Salmon Wine'. I would encourage anyone to invest $15 in a bottle and figure out what paring works best for you.

Cheers Friends!

Eugene Wine Cellars 2004 Pinot Gris

Recently I've been making a point of picking up a local wine that I haven't tried before when I'm at the store, masking the cost of the wine within the grocery expense and building up a stock of drinkable wine ready to go at a moments notice. A couple of weeks ago, I did the bi-weekly shopping trip to Safeway and ran across one of the Wine Steward's recommendations--the 2004 Pinot Gris by Eugene Wine Cellars. At $15, In the cart it went with few other bottles.

2004 was the fifth vintage produced by Eugene Wine Cellars-out of Eugene, OR if you hadn't picked up on that one. For that year, they rolled out a new label and image: b2. The b-squared title is representative of a number of double-b's that are related to the company, and present it as a new image and focus for the winery. Personally, I find this sort of marketing gimmick to be a bit too trendy and hip. Nonetheless, on to the wine.

This gris was dry on the nose, with a strong floral notes. It had a good mouthfeel, and upon sipping the dryer style of this wine was confirmed throughout with a crisp finish. I ate spicy chicken Italian sausage with this alcoholic grape juice, and the wine tempered the spiciness quite nicely. This particular vintage won a silver medal at the 2006 Tasters International Judging.

Like gris? Why not! Like dryer gris? Definitely check this one out.

For the coming attractions section of The Oregon Wine Blog, keep on the look out for upcoming treatment of:

• Sahalie Wine Bar
• Harvest and Crush
• 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir
• Chateau Lorane

Salud!

Miscellany and stuff

Today was an eventful day in the wonderful world of wine, in oh so many ways. The backstory is important on this one--I had the stomach flu on Thursday night and Friday so that hampered my tasting ability for today. Nonetheless, we started out at a Bite of Oregon in Portland where I introduced my friend Burl from North Carolina to the bounty of Oregon food and drink. He did a bit of wine tasting, and found a little gem after tasting Hip Chicks do Wine, Airlee, and Eola Hills.

Burl is a fan of big, dry reds so the Eola guy suggested that we stop by Zerba and test out their Malbec. Now, I didn't have it, but Burl gives it two thumbs up, and it won a gold medal in the "other" category at the Bite. Zerba is an Oregon winery in the Walla Walla valley--Milton Freewater to be exact. Now, I think this is sort of a cheating way of calling Washington wine as Oregon (not that there is a darn thing wrong with Washington wine). Anyway, Zerba is getting great reviews so keep an eye on it over the next few years.

After Portland, we headed to Dundee to the Torii Mor winery, a small, super-premium winery that focuses on small lots of handcrafted, vineyard-designated Pinot noir in the Dundee Hills AVA. They have a wonderful tasting flight that includes 2 whites, 3 pinots, and 2 dessert wines for $10. While the Noir's were great, I walked away with a 2005 Reserve Pinot Gris. This gris comes from 4 vineyards, and is fruit-forward with flavors of apple, pear, lemon, and some herb spices. It was great upon tasting, and I'll do a more in-depth analysis when I crack open the bottle. On the way down the hill from the winery, I met one of Dundee's finest in a speed trap on 9th street. Beware, they don't cut any slack there and I have a hefty ticket to show for it.

Next was a stop by the old standby, Willamette Valley Vineyards. Of note there today were the new release of the 2005 Tualitan Estate Pinot Noir and the 2005 Willamette Signature Cuvee Pinot Noir. They haven't had a signature cuvee since 2001, so expect good things from that one!