Oregon

News, Reviews October 14, 2013

Grape Expectations – Eight Wines that Pair With Summer and Fall.

Ok, first-things-first, I didn’t write the title for this article. “Grape Expectations” is way beyond my reaches of my creativity. Secondly; I wrote this article a couple of months ago for the Jacksonville Magazine “Taste” Edition…and I know we’re out of Summer now….but I think it still has relevance…since the weather here is Florida is so bloody-warm well into November! 4 Summer Wines Taltarni “Tache,” Brut Sparkling, Australia Description The term Tache (meaning “stained” in…

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News August 10, 2012

The Popularity of Pinot Noir is a Concern for Some Wineries.

Is Pinot Noir becoming too popular? That is the question being asked by some of vineyard owners in California and Oregon. The primary concern is that due to the increased popularity of the grape, vineyards are planting vines with a focus on high production and low cost. To illustrate this shift, Jason Lett, the owner of Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon confirmed that Pinot Noir vineyards were beginning to appear on the fertile valley floor of…

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Reviews July 6, 2012

Primarius Pinot Noir, Oregon, 2010.

  Grapes 97% Pinot Noir 3% Syrah   Facts If it’s good enough for the President of the Philippines and Hillary Clinton, it’s good enough for you! What am I talking about? Well, the Primarius Pinot Noir was recently served at a June luncheon at the Department of State in Washington DC. Check-out the full menu at the bottom of this post. It’s only been in the last 2 years that I’ve started to grow…

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Reviews January 30, 2012

A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon.

Grape 100% Pinot Noir   Facts I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest the problem that people have with Oregon Pinot Noir, is that for the most part it tends to be quite “pricey”. With that out of the way, I’m not exactly setting myself up for success by starting this review with a slur against Oregon, so maybe I should explain myself a little deeper before I start getting angry hate-mail:…

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Pairings, Recipes January 17, 2012

Spicy Crab Cakes with Mango Puree Paired with Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling.

Yesterday, when I mentioned to the Mrs. that I was going to make crab cakes for dinner, the first words out of her mouth were “Make them like my Mom makes them! They’re the BEST!!!” It’s probably worth pointing out that the main 2 tricks behind how “Mom makes them”  is to use zero bread filling, and to shape them roughly the size of baseballs. Delicious, no doubt; but if she were the chef in…

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Reviews January 16, 2012

Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2009.

Grape 100% RieslingHistorical references to the Riesling grape can be traced back to Germany in the 15th century.   Facts I’ve been a fan of Willamette Valley Vineyards (“WVV” for the cool kids) for quite a while now. Yes, they’re certainly one of the largest Oregon producers (70,400 cases in 2010), but I feel WVV maintain a consistently favorable quality to price ratio. An attribute which I personally note is lacking in a number of…

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Funny, News March 11, 2011

Learn When to Keep Your Mouth Shut.

I’ve always been of the opinion (and maybe I’m in the minority on this one), but when tasting in a group, it’s best to say very little about what you taste as it relates to your overall opinion of a wine. To be totally brutally, I actually have very little respect for other people’s opinions. How arrogant does that sound!?!? I can of course see how you would think that is quite an egotistical statement,…

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