6 for $10 at Allyson's of Ashland this Friday

Date: Mon, Sep 20, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

This Friday night (5:30-8 p.m.) at Allyson's in Ashland they will be featuring 6 Oregon wines with food pairings for only $10. Awesome deal. Here is the line-up:

• Willamette Valley Vineyards Dijon Clone Chardonnay- my personal favorite out of all of their white wines plus it carries the OCSW (Oregon Sustainable Certified Wine) logo
• Abacela Grenache Rosé- proving rosé season is not over!
• Foris Vineyards Pinot Noir- it will be fun to compare a Southern Oregon pinot with the following
• The Four Graces Pinot Noir
• Passive Agressive- a fabulous Syrah/Petite Sirah/Tempranillo blend made by Folin Cellars
• Del Rio Vineyards Claret- which recently received 90 points by Wine Spectator

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Quady North mixes up two cocktails

Date: Fri, Sep 17, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Last night we wandered over to the Quady North Tasting Room in Jacksonville to attend their Thursday Night Mixer. Zoe was the mixologist crafting up two unique cocktails from Quady Palomino Fino Sherry and Quady North Rosé. Recipes included in the videos.

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Wine Who Wine: Tomorrow 11-5 p.m.

Date: Fri, Sep 10, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

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New Southern Oregon section on OregonWine.com

Date: Wed, Sep 8, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

OregonWine.com has proudly debuted a section dedicated to Southern Oregon wines. Here are three new pages of stories, recommendations and travel tips featuring:

• 5 Superb Southern Oregon White Wines
• Winemaker's Notes: Rob Folin on Tempranillo
• Bill Steele of Cowhorn Wines
• Herb Quady of Quady North
• Seared Scallops with Del Rio Vineyards Chardonnay
• Drink local at these six restaurants
• Lodging and attraction recommendations

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Eat Local Challenge 2010: Sept 10-19th

Date: Tue, Sep 7, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

• A Supreme Locavore- All food consumed during the week will be grown, raised or produced within 200 miles (I even agree to give up coffee, chocolate and non-local spices).
• Locavore- All foods consumed during the week will be grown, raised or produced within 200 miles (but I still want my coffee, chocolate and non-local spices).
• Taster- All food consumed during the one meal per day throughout the week will be grown, raised or produced within 200 miles.
• Sampler- All foods that I consume during two meals throughout the week will be grown, raised or produced with 200 miles.

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Gaga over the Saga of Footstone Jive

Date: Mon, Sep 6, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read the newest article by the Medford Wine Examiner, Janet Eastman:

"For those of you who remain gaga over the saga of Canadian businessman Steve de Jaray and his attempts to open Footstone Jive Winery somewhere in the Rogue Valley, here's a new slice of the story:"

Unstoppable Footstone Jive Winer?: Steven de Jaray's 21 minutes of claims

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New Location, New Jobs, New Retail Realizations

Date: Mon, Sep 6, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

It may be a little delayed in announcing that we have moved to Southern Oregon since it happened over a week ago. Chris received a great opportunity to work under Rob at Folin Cellarsthis Harvest, so I eagerly followed with a few new jobs of my own including creating the position of Southern Oregon Correspondent for OregonWine.com, continuing my social marketing work for a few local wineries and taking a Wine Specialist job with Harry & David Country Village.

Last Wednesday I started my new job of Wine Specialist at the Harry & David Country Village Wine Cellar in Medford. Until 10 days before that I never knew Harry & David made or sold more than the Moose Munch my Dad's office secretary gave us for Christmas one year that I promised myself I wouldn't eat the entire bag, but failed miserably. To my pleasant surprise, Harry & David carries a great deal of speciality foods and a huge selection of wine at their Country Village location.

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Earl and Hilda Jones grace the cover of Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

Date: Mon, Sep 6, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Earl and Hilda Jones of Abacela Winery were pleasantly profiled in a new cover story by Paul Greggut in Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. It is a very informative article featuring their quest for prime tempranillo-growing land and pursuit of making fine wine in the Umpqua Valley. Paul writes, "Don't be surprised if "America's Last Great Undiscovered Wine Region" has to change its motto one day soon."

Read the full articleHERE.

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$8 Wine Flights at Larks Restaurant in Ashland

Date: Thu, Sep 2, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Great deal alert! Build your own wine flight at Larks Restaurant in the beautiful Ashland Springs Hotel for just $8.00 through the month of September. Choose any three wines to complete your flight.

With a wine list like this (one of the best in the region for highlighting local wine) you'll have a tough time choosing:http://www.larksrestaurant.com/menu_wine.php.

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Seattle's Sustainable Sommelier impressed with Umpqua Valley wines and green efforts

Date: Tue, Aug 31, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Sustainable Seattle recently visited three Umpqua Valley wineries and came home equally impressed with their wines and environmental efforts:

More News from our Sustainable Sommelier

A recent trip to Southern Oregon brought me to visit quite a few of the plentiful wineries exploding in the Umpqua River Valley. I tasted quite a few great wines, but wanted to pass on three wineries to our readers who are really doing things the right way. Not only making great wine, but practicing sustainable farming and taking great care of the earth that supplies them with their grapes. Definitely worth a trip to visit. Or pick up a bottle from your favorite wine retailer, or ask them to procure one for you if they don't yet carry it.

ABACELA
I hold on for dear life as Earl Jones’ tractor careers along the steep grade of his Umpqua vineyards, and he explains to me why he and his wife decided to set up a winery in this little known corner of Southern Oregon:
He was sipping a phenomenal little Ribera del Duero (Spanish wine made from the Tempranillo grape) while eating chorizo cooked in ahormo—Spanish slow cooked stove –while in Spain on travels, when he suddenly became incredulous. “It iscriminalfor America to not produce a great Tempranillo!” he thought to himself, and thus the search was on.

It took almost ten years from that moment to the first planting of grape vines, but after researching sites throughout the US, he found a little spot of very hilly land in the Umpqua Valley that mimicked qualities of some of Spain’s top Tempranillo producing regions. He and Hilda set up about ten acres and slowly over the years, the winery has expanded and production now includes Tempranillo, Malbec, Garnacha, Dolcetto and Syrah for reds, and Albarino and Viognier for whites. They also make a lovely port style wine out of traditional Portuguese varietals like Tinto Roriz, Bastardo (my favorite name for a grape!), Tinta Cao and Touriga Nacional.

Earl and his wife’s backgrounds were in medicine, not winemaking. So the start of this new venture led them to both learn a lot about the geology and growing conditions of their little microclimate. The vineyard land sits on a fault line of the Juan de Fuca plate in between the Klamath and Oregon Coast Range mountains, and causes intense variety of soil types and steep hillsides. Blue schist and volcanic soils mix with jasper on the incredibly steep terrain. The challenge of growing grapes in such conditions has created the need for innovation as well as the replacement of many tillers on the tractor! Because dry farming is not possible on such a rocky site, they take extreme measures to conserve water use. They have developed a modified sprayed irrigation system that diversifies the water to the perimeters of the vine roots in order to spread the depth and increase tenacity of the vines in such rocky soil. He experiments with different clones of the Tempranillo variety, looking for those that will grow with themost ease to make great wines on the site, and plans for a clonal test vineyard are already underway alongside the plans for the newly expanding winery.

The viticultural practices are sustainable, though not certified, and Abacela joined LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enologyliveinc.org) this year. He works with the neighboring Wildlife Safari to obtain “zoo doo” as compost in trade for the pomace from the winery which is used in the elephant bedding materials.

Between the Fault Line and Chaotic Vineyards, Hilda works with orchard experts to help retain some of the property's extremely old apple and pear trees. This natural preserve within the vineyards also acts much like a biodynamic wineries “wild space” allowing various birds and wildlife to create homes and diversify the ecosystem.

Tasting Notes of some of my favorites:
Albarino 2009– dominant peach flavors are enhanced by early removal of the North slopes leaves to allow full ripeness of the grapes. Great acidity and subtler mineral notes. Versatile white, especially with seafood—crab!
Garnacha 2008– overwhelming fruit on the nose with lighter color and bright acids. Lighter bodied red for early in meal—seafood.
Tempranillo Reserve 2005– really dark color, incredibly complex nose. Spice and chewy cherry and fruit leather with a velvety mid palate. Roast and braised meats, charcuterie and pork.
HILLCRESTThis winery has undergone several iterations, beginning in 1961 with Richard Sommer, pioneer of the Oregon wine industry. Not only was it the first estate winery in Oregon, but it produced the very first Pinot Noir! Having then undergone some less than favorable forms over the 80s and 90s, Hillcrest has now emerged as one of the top producers of boutique wine in the region. Dyson Demara and his wife Susan come from California wine backgrounds, and produce only about 1400 cases of wine annually. Their motto is “the trick is there are no tricks” and they believe in small production with limited handling of the fruit.

Their wines are allterroir(place) driven, and the vines are some of the oldest in Oregon—still from the original Sommer plantings back in the 1960s. They are all dry farmed using sustainable practices and year-round cover crops, and yield about one and a half tons and acre. Dyson’s wines parody in name some of the top wine regions he admires and endeavors to pay honor to.

Tasting Notes of some of my favorites:
Right Bank 2006– a play on the Cheval Blanc wine of Bordeaux’s right bank. Absolutely gorgeous. Cab Franc driven nose, with pure cassis and clear purple fruit on the mid palate and finish. Pair with lamb!
Old Vine Zinfandel 2006– 20% dried fruit added back to the fermentation. Mimicking an Amarone-style wine from Italy. Dark, intensely jammy nose but not cloying at all on the finish. Really berry driven but not insipid. Tougher food match, but great HUGE wine. BBQ!
Nonich 2006– a play on the region Chinon, known for herbaceous and food friendly Cab Franc driven wines. Incredibly fresh fennel on the nose with hints of thai basil and rosemary. Warm herbal notes over a bright bing cherry body and really clean finish. Yum with grass fed beef.
Syrah (San Roc) 2006-- a play on the region of Cornas in the Rhone known for some of the most tannic brutish versions of Syrah in the world. Foot treading on all the skins and a scorcher of a vintage led to this GIANT Syrah. Sinewy textures from grape stems included in fermentation added more depth and weight. This is a bruiser of a wine with chocolaty deep leather and chew. BIG red for all types of winter stews and hearty dishes
Riesling Ambrozia 2009– completely Germanic in style, this wine could be used alternatively as perfume as well as wine! Philosophically complex nose with hints of kerosene and tons of lemon peel and apricot. Bone dry with great acid. Mosel style and SO lovely. Pair with flavors of summer herbs and game meat terrines.

PALOTAIThis may be the only winery in the United States to claim an Hungarian influence! John Olson has been making the wines here for three seasons, and he’s the one new winery every winemaker in the Umpqua seems to have an eye on. He also may be making the only domestic Bull’s Blood in the United States. Famed in Hungary, this wine is a blend of Kekfrankos (also known by the monikersBlaufrankishandLemberger) and Kadarka. Kadarka is one of the few red wine grapes where the pulp is actually red as well as the skin, and this makes wines made from the wine an incredibly blood-like red.

The notorious story of Bull’s Blood and the Siege of Eger goes like this: Suleiman the Magnificent was leading the unbeatable Ottoman army into Hungary. The small and underprepared Hungarian army was fed a grand meal including copious amounts of the local Kedarka-based wine to calm their nerves before what was to be their inevitable defeat at the hands of the Turkish forces. After much consumption, the dark red wines had fully stained the beards of the Hungarian soldiers. The Turks, seeing these seemingly “blood stained” beards rumored amongst themselves that the Hungarians must be feasting on the blood of bulls to strengthen themselves before battle. Fear and panic spread through the Turkish army, and with their morale defeated, the Hungarians emerged victorious even in such an unmatched encounter. The wines have retained the nickname “Bull's Blood” ever since.

John’s winery is small—with literally every spare space growing vines. To get to the winery, you actually have to drive between two narrow rows of vines! The fermentation tanks and all the equipment for processing is outdoors, with the gorgeous view of the Umpqua River lazily meandering by. John believes the outdoor winemaking adds to the sense ofterroir(place) in his wines, although he confesses that come November, the outdoor winemaking facilities are less than ideal. He’s meticulous about what is near and around his wines—he won’t even let visiting tourists smoke on the property! All the vineyards are dry farmed and use no pesticides, and all the grapes are hand harvested.

Tasting Notes on some of my favorites:
Dolcetto 2006– Nice spicy notes and pretty grippy acid. Brambly raspberry fruit and medium weight. Great with bbq or braised meats
Syrah 2006– Dark, chewy leather and dark fruit. Intense and brooding color and long finish with slightly granular dusty notes.
Bull's Blood 2006-- Intense, dark rustic red with hints of orange peel and spice on the mid palate. Really fun wine to experiment making traditional paprikash!

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See you tomorrow at the World of Wine Festival!

Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Sorry for lack of content this week, we were moving, but we hope to see you all at the World of Wine Festival tomorrow night at Del Rio Vineyards. We drove by today and saw the gigantic white tents set up amongst the vines and got very excited to taste wine from over 40 Southern Oregon wineries in one location- plus music from One Horse Shy and food from local artisan producers.

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Griffin Creek gets better with age

Date: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Griffin Creek Wines, made by Willamette Valley Vineyards,got a nice feature in today's Medford Mail Tribune. Nice to see the popularity of grapes coming from Southern Oregonvineyards spreading.

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Dinner in the Vines (a Farm-to-Fork production) this Saturday

Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

With the hugely popular Farm-to-Fork events this summer, the organizers have added a few additional dinners just in case you haven't been able to attend any of their other sold out evenings.This Saturday, August 21st, Agate Ridge Vineyard inEagle Point will be hosting a dinner in the vines with 5 gourmet courses all paired with their estate wines. This is a great time to see the vineyards up close, because verasion (my favorite time in the vineyard where the grapes turn from green to purple) is taking place. The farm tour will begin at 5:30 with dinner served from 6-9 p.m.

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Taste of Harry and David Wine Competition Results and Labor Day Event

Date: Sat, Aug 14, 2010 Wine Tasting Wine Business

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