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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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!

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

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

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?

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

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

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.