The glorification of native yeasts. Can you hear it? “We only use natural yeasts. We let the terroir of this place speak by allowing the yeast from the vineyard to transform the wine.” Those who spend time in wine country chatting with winemakers or tasting room staff have heard this line once or tw. . . enty […]
Weekend in the Willamette: A Photo Excursion
Last Saturday I ventured to the motherland of Oregon Pinot Noir, the northern Willamette Valley. The Saturday before Thanksgiving has become an insider’s haven. Wine club members and guests come to barrel sample, pick-up shipments, and celebrate the upcoming releases without the throngs of Thanksgiving embibers seeking liquid relief from extended family. A brief photo tour highlights the […]
Breathe
The holidays are coming. Breathe in, breathe out. We benefit from a few deep breaths, and so do most wines we consume today. This past winter I brought a 2012 Owen Roe DuBrul Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon to Minnesota to share with dear friends. We intended to open and enjoy the bottle prior to heading out to a […]
Focus on Fruit
There are no short cuts. As a new “insider” to the wine trade, I walk the hallowed halls with antennas tuned for insight. For one, I hope to uncover the vineyard gems that supply the best value Pinot Noirs in the valley. I, like many of you, spend most of my nights sipping wines in […]
Film Review: American Wine Story
Wine fanatics and Northwest-rooted wine drinkers take note; American Wine Story will leave you swooning for the open air of the West, and an ethereal glass of Riesling (or Pinot Noir or Doubleback). Created by Three Crows Productions, the film will undoubtedly snare those who appreciate wine documentaries like Somm. The opening series expresses well the allure, the caress that captures wine […]
The Aromatic Queen: Alsatian Riesling
I encourage those I encounter to explore distinctive wines. Nearly all mass market concoctions follow a recipe that provides, but fails to entice or seduce. If you seek intriguing wine, start with the Rieslings of Alsace. I already hear the crowd roaring. “Riesling? Really? Plus, I drink red wine.” Yes. Riesling. For one, Riesling uniquely expresses […]
Price Matters: Important Words from Giorgia Casadio
“You must know the price. Ask! You are professionals!” Giorgia Casadio began to preach her gospel. Too many wine professionals had come to her table, tasted her wine, and failed to inquire about the price of each bottle. A group of Wine Bloggers Conference attendees shifted, alert on the chairs and bed corners of a fellow blogger’s hotel […]
Spare Parts Needed: Wine in the Finger Lakes
I step off the flatbed of the vineyard truck and on to the soil I have come to explore. As I brush straw from my pant leg, winemakers and viticulturists John and Mark Wagner, Cameron and Tim Hosmer, and Tom Macinski guide my group of wine writers through one of Wagner’s estate riesling vineyards. This is boutique […]
News Abounds
July has produced a preponderance of news and excitement here at Wagon Wine. First, the wine industry has called my name. The family at Fullerton Wines has hired me to manage public relations and the wine club, maintain and acquire accounts in the Portland area, and help in the cellar. I begin in August. Integrity matters. […]
Notice
Senses open. Descriptors flitting and nesting within your brain. Noticing brings meaning and ultimately peace, balm in our hurried world. Harvard Psychologist Ellen Langer agrees, and suggests we practice mindfulness, the “simple act of actively noticing things” (more here). I propose that engaged wine tasting is mindfulness, a means to appreciate the fullness of life. […]