Long Time since I posted about wine!

I will be updating more frequently now on some srticles of wine!

I am quite excited to start this again!


I hope you look forward to it!

The Oregon Wine Trail

Oregon is the new “old Napa and Sonoma Valleys.” With so many negative opinions of California’s surge of corporate endeavors, I have been searching for the feel of “Old California.” I found it in Oregon; it has become my region of passion as of late. The quality and boutique feel to their wines has found me researching the backgrounds of the vineyards and the locale. Although I have not traveled there myself you can taste the homely nature in the wines and speaking to anyone who has taken time off to relax there has nothing but happy memories.


The largest wine-producing region in Oregon is the Willamette Valley. Natural boundaries and the Willamette River create the 100-mile long, 60-mile wide Willamette Valley, which is home to more than 100 wineries. The Valley is bordered to the north by the Columbia River, to the south by the Calapooya Mountains, to the east by the Cascade Mountain foothills, and to the west by Oregon's Coast Range. This gives it the perfect cool climate for some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris’.


As an example, in the twelve-mile radius of the town of Dundee located in the Willamette Valley, there are just about a dozen small producing, family owned and run wineries. Visitors can travel from winery to winery tasting and chatting with the locals at their own pace, and like the old times of California most of these wineries do not charge for a taste of their treasures. Your company is payment enough.


Many of Oregon’s wines have made the top 100 of several prominent lists. Sokol Blosser and Argyle are vineyards located in Dundee whose Pinot Noir has been rated in the top 90’s by many reviewers, including Robert Parker and were both Wine Spectator top 100s.

On our list here at CVCC I have included 2 excellent wines that capture the essence of Oregon. Adelsheim Pinot Noir, which happens to be my favorite wine, and King Estate Pinot Gris.

Adelsheim vineyard is everything a small wine producer should be, right down to the labels, which include paintings done by Ginny Adelsheim. These drawings are of their family members and prominent Oregon winemakers. The label on the Pinot noir is of Diana Lett, who founded one of Oregon’s first Pinot Noir producers. This Pinot Noir can only be explained as exquisite, with it’s wild cherry and raspberry notes, it is smooth as silk.

King Estate vineyard is a bit larger at 1033 acres but is fully owned and funded by the King Family and is also home to orchards of pears and apples and plenty of gardens. The orchards play into the King Estate’s beliefs and intentions. “These trees symbolize the past, paying tribute to those who invested time and labor in this valley.” (2005 Press Release, King Estate Vineyards. www.kingestate.com). Their Pinot Gris is exceptionally balanced and has deep flavors of melon and pear with notes of pineapple and honey.

Next time you are thinking of traveling to a wine region for a bit of relaxing and tasting, I suggest a trip to the serene and picturesque Willamette Valley, you won’t be disappointed. Or during your next trip to the Wine Store stop by the Oregon section, pick out something new and take a trip into the bliss of the valley from the comfort of your own home.

Food and Wine

An experiment.


What you will need:

-Chianti (Or any Sangiovese grape based wine)
-Parmesan cheese (Not the Grated kind, a block)
-Glass of Water
-Good Company


1. Take a sip of the Chianti, hold it on the back of your tongue and swallow.
Notice the bitter taste, and any other flavors you sense.

2. Clear your palate with a sip of water

3. Cut a piece of the cheese, and eat it.
Take note on how it tastes.

4. Take another sip of the wine.
Note the differences from the taste before

5. Clear your Palate.

6. Take another piece of the cheese, chew it up and hold it in the back of your mouth. Then take a sip of the wine to wash it down.
Take note on how the differences of the 3 tastes were.


It is really interesting to see how the texture and structure and tastes change with each tasting.

Another few tips on Chianti:

1. Pairing it is extremely easy. Think Hearty Itailian dishes.
I had a wonderful bottle The other night with some chicken parm
It complimented wonderfully


2. Chianti is also Great with Pizza

Food and Wine Pairing

Food and Wine pairing can be an intimidating practice. Since it so subjective with some basic knowledge, techniques, and following what you like anyone can pair a dish with a wine that will compliment it.


Thankfully with complexity of today’s multi-ethnic and subtly flavored foods and the wide range of wines from around the world we can throw the rules of the old world away (primarily red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry).


As an example of this Master Sommelier and TV Personality, Andrea Immer recently paired a Chardonnay with a beef dish. She felt that the full body of the wine stood up to the fullness of the dish. She also felt that the flavors and aromas of the wine complimented flavors used in the dish.


The basic rules to follow when pairing are pretty simple. Firstly, match the weight and body of the wine with the food. For example a light-bodied fish works best with a light-bodied white wine like pinot grigio. But don’t be afraid to mix it up, try salmon which is a heavier fish, with a Pinot Noir. The body of the Pinot is light enough to match with the Salmon, while the salmon is full enough to match with the tannin of the red wine.


Secondly choose flavors that are found in both the wine and the dish, an example of this is Sauvignon Blanc with Chicken in an herb based sauce. The herb and grassy flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc will come through with the herbs from the chicken.


Something else to think about is balancing the intensity of the flavors. Mild flavored food like roast turkey pairs well with light-bodied white and red wines like sauvignon blanc and Beaujolais, but in the context of a Thanksgiving dinner featuring stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other strongly flavored side dishes, a more intense wine might be more favorable. A complex Pinot Noir, a Zinfandel, or a gewürztraminer would balance the intensity of the food.


The world of food pairing is vast and there is much to learn, but anyone can do it. Be creative; try your favorite dish with your favorite wine even if it would not traditionally be paired together. You may be pleasantly surprised.

To Cork or Not to Cork

A large controversy in the wine industry in recent years has been about artificial corks and screw caps. Most people either hate cork or love it or either hate screw caps or are advocates of them. As with most debates all sides have their pros and cons.


The believers in screw caps and artificial cork use the main argument of the development of an off flavor from tainted corks. Corks, being the bark of a tree, frequently have mold growing on or in it. During their preparation for use as wine closures, the corks are bleached, and if the fungus is present in the cork, a highly aromatic compound called Trichloroanisole (TCA) is formed. This TCA has a very disagreeable smell that is detectable in very low concentrations and will quickly ruin a bottle of wine if the wine encounters a tainted cork. Winemakers refer to a wine having detectable levels of TCA as being “corked.” It is estimated that between 3% and 5% of the corks used are tainted with TCA. Unfortunately, there is no efficient way to determine whether a cork is tainted until it is inserted into a bottle of wine.


Synthetic corks are not without problems of their own and have not been widely embraced by the industry. The biggest problem has been the slow passage of oxygen through the synthetic cork, which after a period of time, can result in oxidized wines that exhibit symptoms of browning and the development of a sherry or prune taste. Others are hesitant to put their wines in contact with the elastic polymers that make up a synthetic cork for fear that some undesirable compounds may be extracted from the corks.


More recently, there has been a renewed push for screw caps. The beverage industry has long regarded a screw cap as the nearly ideal closure. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, a very effective seal, and best of all, does not require a special tool (corkscrew) or skill to get at the product inside. Unfortunately, because of all of the tradition and mystique that pervade the wine industry, wine drinkers tend to associate a screw cap with inexpensive wines of low quality. Also with screw caps, winemakers have to purchase all new equipment. This is an expensive venture that many vineyards do not want implement, if they did decide to make the move they would need to raise the price of their wines in order to cover the cost. Another issue is presentation at an establishment. Since the boom of the screw cap there hasn’t been a universal presentation technique implemented, this takes away from allure of the wine presentation.


Everyone has their favorite closures. If you are a cork advocate or a screw cap advocate, I suggest you try a bottle of wine with a closure you normally wouldn’t buy. If you would like some suggestions of good wines with different closures feel free to stop by and ask! Happy Tasting!

The Big Six

In the wine world there is what is known as “The Big Six.” This refers to the main 6 varietals of grapes, meaning these grapes are the most well known and most widely purchased. These varietals are Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc in terms of whites and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir in terms of reds. Each has their own unique characteristics and ambiance.


Cabernet Sauvignon is a noble variety which creates rich and tannic wines. It is the main red grape for the Bordeaux region in France though it is grown in other wine regions around the world. A good Cabernet will have multiple layers of fruit flavors and a smooth but firm tannic structure. It will display flavors and aromas such as black currant, green peppers and chocolate as well as deep notes of spice. The assertive flavors of this grape pair well with rich foods such as Lamb, beef and other red meats.


Merlot is a distant relative of Cabernet Sauvignon with the main difference being that the skin of the Grape is thinner than that of Cabernet; therefore Merlot tends to be less tannic and less full making a soft and round wine. It has generous fruit flavors of plums, blueberries and cherries. Since it has a hearty nature it will also pair well with beef, but also enjoy it with well seasoned ethnic foods.


Pinot Noir is the lightest bodied of the main three reds, but don’t let that fool you it has deep flavors and aromas of cherries, raspberries and has smoky notes to it as well as a velvety richness. It is the main red grape of the Burgundy region France but due to its temperamental nature it is difficult to grow elsewhere, though Oregon produces some of the best examples due to its long cool growing season. It is also the grape used in Champagne’s Blanc De Noirs. Pinot Noir is the most versatile pairing grape of the reds; enjoy it with a hearty fish or pair it with your Thanksgiving Turkey.


Chardonnay is the most popular and versatile grape of all the grapes in the world. They are used to make the famous dry whites of the Burgundy region. It is also the sole grape in the Champagne Blanc De Blancs. It has deep aromas and flavors of Vanilla and tropical fruits as well as toast and nutty flavors. It has a moderate body with a high acidity which causes it to pair well with shellfish and most seafood. Good Chardonnays to enjoy without a meal are produced in Australia; their generous fruit flavors and mild acidity stands well on its own.


Sauvignon Blanc’s hallmark qualities of bright and crisp are hard for wine drinkers to adjust to at first but given some time to learn the allure of it many people fall in love with heavy acidity of it. It has flavors of Lemon and Citrus as well as earthy notes of cut grass and herbs. This makes it excellent pairing with light seafood dishes in an herb sauce. An alternative vilification of Sauvignon Blanc is Fume Blanc, coined by vineyard owner, Robert Mondavi, in the 1960s. This alternative produces a heartier and richer wine that is styled after the legendary Pouilly-Fume of France. The more substantial Fume-Blanc can be paired with Chicken, veal and even pasta.


Riesling is much like Pinot Noir in that is enjoys cooler temperatures to ripen. Many people consider Riesling to be too sweet, but many great Rieslings are dry. Some of the driest will be found from the Alsace region of France. Fruitier Rieslings come from Germany which have deep flavors of apricots and peaces as well as crisp citrus notes. Riesling is also like Pinot Noir in that it pairs well with many different types of dishes from seafood to chicken.


“The Big Six” are a good way to work your way into the world of wine. Learn about each one and the flavors and aromas of each to find to one you love most. Then branch out from there to find some great varietals that share characteristics with your favorite.