Two Winemakers Battle 'Iron Chef' Style

Date: Wed, May 30, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Wine Country's Biggest Weekend

Date: Thu, May 24, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Jumpstart your summer with a Memorial Day Weekend of vines, wines and and creating good times courtesy of Southern Oregon's top winery destinations.

The long weekend is one of the best of the year to visit and one of your last chances of the year to celebrate Oregon Wine Month. Many of the wineries will be featuring new releases, live music, food service and winemaker meet & greets.

In addition, on Saturday, the wineries of the Rogue Valley, will be teaming up to host their bi-annual Roam the Rogue. Tickets are on sale for $29 and include a commemorative wine glass, tasting and food pairings at the nine participating wineries.

Oregon Wine Press

Applegate

Ashland

Bonanza

Central Point

Eagle Point

Elkton

Gold Hill

Grants Pass

Jacksonville

Medford

Oakland

Roseburg

Ruch

Shady Cove

Talent

Umpqua

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Del Rio 2012 Summer Concert Series

Date: Sun, May 20, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Del Rio Vineyards is looking forward to hosting their second annual Summer Concert Series. For 2012 they are offering a fun lineup featuring local talent. From the rock-n-roll of the Roadsters to the country honky tonk of Jef Fretwell & The Detractors, they have a variety of music scheduled. Join them on Friday evenings; bring a blanket and a picnic dinner; and enjoy their beautiful grounds. Wine will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle. Admission is $7.50 for the public and $5.00 for Del Rio wine club members.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Young Rogues in the Rogue Valley

Date: Tue, May 15, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

The Northwest Wine Anthem featured the wines and efforts of God King Slave Wines today on their site. For those of you that don't know, that would be the efforts of Chris Jiron and myself. It was incredibly neat to wake up to the facebook alert below and article. It ranks among the best feelings since becoming an entrepreneur.



Young Rogues in the Rogue Valley; God King Slave Wines

They say that in youth, everything seems possible. The youngest wine-making operation in Oregon right now believes just that. Christine Collier and winemaker Chris Jiron have taken their sense of possibility and theircommitmentto the wines of Oregon to the state's southern reaches. They hope in their loyalty to this part of the state and in the creation of their own label,God King Slave wines, that both the region and their wine can become an important part of the Oregon wine conversation.

Read the full articlehere!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

OPB Documentary Chronicles Oregon Wine Pioneers

Date: Wed, May 9, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

If you are like me and missed last night's Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Oregon Experience documentary on the making of the Oregon wine industry, you are in luck, because there are alternative opportunities to watch it. The hour-long program is described by The Oregon Wine Board as possibly being, "the consummate piece on the history of the wine industry." It follows the paths of the pioneers and tells the story in their own words, not to mention offering some breathtaking video footage.


The next airing dates include:

• Thursday, May 10th at 1 am
• Sunday, May 13th at 11 pm
• Tuesday, May 15th at 4 am

For those of us that sleep, you can also stream the program on your computer and smartphone or watch the embedded video below.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Applegate UnCorked Spring Barrel Tour 2012

Date: Wed, May 9, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Two Southern Oregon Wines Earn 2012 Oyster Award

Date: Sun, May 6, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

After three tiers of judging wines, Foris Vineyards 2010 Pinot Blanc and Brandborg Winery 2010 Pinot Gris were selected as one of 10 West Coast wines awarded the coveted, "Oyster Award,"at the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition as a best mate for oysters.


Sponsored by Taylor Shellfish Farms, wineries were invited to submit their best "oyster wine," typically dry, crisp, clean-finishing white wines. Over one hundred entries were judged blind with Kumamoto oysters. Judges chew the oyster well, smell and taste the wine and then look for a finish that doesn't get in the way of the next oyster, referred to as the "bliss factor."


Final judgings were held April 24th at the Water Grill in Los Angeles, April 25th at Kuleto's in San Francisco and April 26th at Anthony's HomePort in Seattle. Scores from the 25 judges in the three cities were combined to select the top ten 2012 winners.

Ted Gerber, founder and winemaker at Foris noted, “Pinot Blanc is a variety that realizes its full potential when grown in cool climates and on thin soils. We have found the perfect match at our estate vineyards here in the Illinois Valley of Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley Appellation.” The Foris 2010 Pinot Blanc has a nice juicy feel with flavors in the realm of Bartlett pear and Golden Delicious apples over an underlying thread of mineral on a clean, lively, dry finish. $14.00, 825 cases produced.

The Brandborg Pinot Gris is ferment cool in tank to preserve the fresh floral, herbal and tropical notes and refreshing acidity. The aromas are a lush combination of golden apples, pineapple and guava with spice notes of jasmine highlighted by white pepper and sage. The wine finishes bone dry and yet the fruit and texture suggest a continuing sweet fruit impression. $16.00, 547 cases produced.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

May is Oregon Wine Month!

Date: Sun, May 6, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read Full Wine Blog Post

UnWine'd Unfolds with Success

Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

The crowd in on the top-floor tasting wineries H-Z

Michael Donovan pours RoxyAnn Wines

Carole Stevens shows off Folin Cellars Tempranillo

Bob Denman chats with attendees about his Slagle Creek Wines

The Brandborg's pour a vast line up of wines from the Umpqua Valley

Mike Wisnovsky from Valley View Winery shares and explains Viognier

Nora and Scott from Kriselle Cellars debut their wines in Portland

Craig from Del Rio Vineyards

Herb & Meloney Quady pour the new Pistoletta and Rosé along with their Syrah and Cabernet Franc. A very popular table!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

I hope...

Date: Sat, Apr 28, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

... to see a lot of you at tomorrow's UnWine'd event that kicks off Oregon Wine Month!

Left Bank Annex, Portland
3-6 pm

www.unwined.oregonwine.org/

Recap to follow.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Hitting the Sand to Spread the Southern Oregon Story

Date: Sun, Apr 22, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Cooperatively spreading the word about the Southern Oregon wine region, eight Southern Oregon wineries traveled down to Dana Point, California to participate in the two-day California Wine Festival.

With a Friday evening "Sunset Rare and Reserve Wine Tasting," wineries were asked to pour 2-3 library or exclusive offerings to an intimate crowd of wineaficionadosat the Dana Point Yacht Club. Wines included Abacela's 2005 Paramour Gran Reserva and Troon Vineyard's 2008 Zinfandel Reserve.


The following afternoon 2,000-3,000 guests flocked to the grassy, palm-lined "Beachside Wine Festival" for unlimited tasting of Californian fine wines with Southern Oregon being the highlighted guest region. RoxyAnn Winery showcased their 92-point Viognier and signature Pinot Gris and Claret while Cliff Creek Cellars displayed a variety of big reds.


"The event was made by Oregon being there. People came back again and again saying we had the best wines as a collective group," describesChris Martin, Vintner of Troon Vineyard.

Earl Jones of Abacela, relayed the same sentiments.

Mark Wisnovsky of Valley View Winery was pleasantly surprised with how open attendees were to trying new regions and varietals, even if they couldn't pronounce the Viognier (vee-own-yay) and Tempranillo (tem-prah-nee-yoh) he poured. Plus, he said not one person was surprised that in Oregon we produce Cabernet Sauvignon, too. He said consumers didn't know a lot about Oregon wine, but they knew it had a good reputation.

Mark further explains, "We wouldn't have poured at this festival alone. It is too difficult to stand out. It took a group effort, not just a single producer."

Many of these wineries have secured California distribution and are working to gainrecognitionof their wines in this huge market.

Mark Wisnovsky, Valley View Winery & Chris Martin, Troon Vineyard

Michael Donovan, RoxyAnn Winery

Line up of guests at the Abacela tent

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Earth Day Recycling at Del Rio

Date: Thu, Apr 19, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Roam the Rogue Spring Passport Tour

Date: Mon, Apr 9, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

The wineries of the Upper Rogue invite you to their biannual Roam the Rogue Passport Tour. The spring event will be held 10 am - 5 pm on May 26th, the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, the weekend that kicks off the peak season.

This year nine wineries will be participating - Agate Ridge Vineyard, Cliff Creek Cellars, Crater Lake Cellars, Daisy Creek Vineyards, Del Rio Vineyards, Folin Cellars, LaBrasseur Vineyard, Ledger David Cellars and RoxyAnn Winery.

The Roam the Rogue tour is a self-guided exploration of the Upper Rogue, from the hills of Shady Cove, along the Rogue River, to the peak of RoxyAnn in Medford. Each winery will be highlighting two of their wines as well as food pairings.

Tickets are $29 per person and include a commemorative Riedel glass along with tour map and passport. All tickets must be purchased prior to the event through their website www.roamtherogue.com.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Backyard Golf with Pyrenees Sauvignon Blanc

Date: Sat, Apr 7, 2012 Wine Tasting Wine Business

Read Full Wine Blog Post