Oregon Wine Month with Erath

May is Oregon Wine Month.

So many amazing wines are coming from this great state; especially ones that are low production and higher costs. But what about some every day wines?

I get calls on a regular basis from friends in bigger retailers and grocery stores who need help   selecting a wine for dinner or similar gathering.

Erath is one vineyard that consistently produces value wines. I recently tried the 2017 Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, along with a lovely Rose of Pinot  Noir, along with my Grape Minds co-host Julie Glenn and Erath winemaker Gary Horner.

He has an interesting story and takes a look back at what has made Oregon such a great wine making state.

Check it out here...

What's In Your Glass For Pinot Noir Day?

Happy Pinot Noir Day! Not that I need an excuse to drink pinot noir but I had a little fun experimenting today. I started out with a smoky, cherry Rascal Pinot Noir that I was told was the "go to" wine for Oregon wine country locals, looking for a great value.

Next up, a lovely Cuvaison, Estate Grown, full of bright red fruits, violet and a bit of spice. Two thumbs up for this moderately priced one.

While the first two might not be as easy to find, this last one is widely distributed, Mark West. The 2013 releases from California have been great so far and this one is also getting high marks in the best value category; plum, black cherry and a slightly smoky finish.

I know that wine based cocktails are becoming quite popular, although I've yet to get on board with anything other than those that employee Champagne and other things that sparkle.

A friend recently revealed he had a FANTASTIC cocktail of pinot noir and bourbon. So I thought I'd give the mix a try. After a couple of experiments with proportions, I decided the cocktail he had, must've had something else added, a splash of this or that, bitters or juice, because this didn't do it for me. If you have a good recipe, please pass it on and I'll make another attempt.

Otherwise....I'll stick with both my bourbon and my pinot.....straight up!

Summer Series: A Tale Of Two Whites

I've been doing some spring cleaning this summer, going through my whites and drinking the ones that have a few years under their belt. Most white wines lack the same aging potential as reds.

This week I came across two gems from my wine travels. For me to ship or stash a bottle in my suitcase, it has to be something special, something that would be extremely difficult for me to get in Florida, or impossible if not at the winery.

Mendel was a great stop on a recent trip to Mendoza, Argentina and one of only a small handful of wineries that produces a 100% semillon wine. This grape is typically used for blending, often with sauvignon blanc. On its own at this winery, I thought it was something special, special enough to pack and pass through customs.

I found the 2012 in my stash, chilled it, put in a wine bag and brought it with me for a lunch with my travel companion, wondering how it had aged. Much to my disappointment it had lost its luster, but I could still taste a bit of what it once was. I put the cork back in and took it home to use in some dressings and other dishes. I just couldn't let it go.

Another type of grape that is not typical to find at my house is gewürztraminer, and definitely not one from Oregon. But this is another gem that caught my attention on a trip to Willamette Valley a few years ago. When I noticed this was a 2011 my heart sank a little, not again.

The tasting room at Sarver was a bit frazzled when I visited, a wedding was taking place on the property that evening and all focus seemed to be on the event. I remember feeling rushed and wanting to stay and enjoy these wines more. I managed to leave with one bottle, now hoping against hope that it had survived the years.

Wow, it was still brilliant, tropical and fresh. I wanted more and got online to see what the winery was offering. Gewürztraminer, is not currently available for purchase, it could be a winery only selection and why I picked it up.

As for Mendel's Semillon, it is an award winning wine, imported by Vine Connections, so there is a good chance you can find the current release.

Let me know if you do!

Wine Wednesday, King Estate

It's Spring and although it might be a little chilly in Southwest Florida today, the heat is lurking in the wings, ready to pounce. So stock up on today's Wine Wednesday selection!

It's a fresh, delicious Pinot Gris from King Estate in Oregon. I was fortunate enough to visit this winery last summer and fell in love with the property, the people and of course the WINE! I'll be featuring King Estate and their wines in one of my upcoming column in TOTI Media.

This is a signature wine for King Estate and it sets the bar pretty high for a Pinot Gris. The 2011 vintage smells of citrus, is slightly effervescent in the mouth and is full of crisp green apple and juicy pineapple flavors. It's a beautifully balanced and affordable wine at under $20 retail.

Glass Adds Class

I love a good surprise and that's what I got when I took the foil off of a bottle of Autograph Pinot Noir by R. Stuart ($40). The surprise? There wasn't a cork, but a glass wine stopper instead.

Glass stoppers or Vino-lok closures are another clever alternative to the sometimes unreliable and expensive cork, and much more classy looking than a screw cap.

This wine smells really herbal. It tastes a little "green" too, with  smokey tannins on the finish. The more time it spends in the glass, the more it rounds out with delicious flavors including black cherry.

The Pinot Noir grapes in this wine come from several different areas in Oregon; Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Eola HIlls and McMinnville. It is one of the bottles I've featured in
 "New Wine For the New Year" currently published in all four TOTI Media magazines.

50 Shades of "Gris"

50 Shades of Grey; even if you haven't read the book, in all probability you've at least heard of it.

"50 Shades of Gris" is a clever play on words for an enticing, pre-Halloween party at Blu Sushi in Fort Myers (FL).

Betting on the willingness to dress up and possibly dress up naughty, the restaurant is teaming up with Van Duzer Vineyards to give away a stay in the winery's fabulous guest house, to whoever wears the best "shade of grey" in the costume contest.

Guests will enjoy $5 glasses of Gris, Pinot Gris from Van Duzer, among other specials. When I was in Oregon a couple of months ago I drank my body weight in both Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and Van Duzer was among my favorite. The winery sits far off of 99 West in Dallas, up on a hill. It is beautiful and the staff, so much fun!

Beside the Pinot Gris, the Rose is phenomenal and the single block Pinot Noirs are a must, especially the Flagpole ($50). It's smoky, full of cherry and dark fruit. A visit to Van Duzer is not to be missed if you find yourself wondering through the valley.

And the 50 Shades of Pinot Gris party is not an event to be missed either. The hype is hot. More party info here.

Reading and Drinking

The state of Oregon has lots of personalities and I wanted to experience as many as possible during my recent trip to wine country. An excursion to the coast was a must. My travel companion and I decided to let the winds guide us to a winery stop along the way. Driving through a small town by the name of Amity, a sign reading "Coelho Winery" immediately caught my attention. Could it be that one of my favorite writers, Paulo Coelho, has a winery in Oregon?

It wasn't the first time the people at the winery had been asked that question. Both are Portuguese but apparently there are no other ties. Coelho was one of my favorite finds in OR. It didn't hurt that we were the only ones in the tasting room on that Sunday morning; we got lots of attention and the wine was superb.

One of the most interesting was the Pureza Pinot Noir Blanc ($30). It smelled like roses and tasted like peach and citrus. The 2010 Paciencia Estate Pinot Noir ($45) was silky and spicy with that typical mushroomy, earthy nose of a Pinot. Another favorite for me was the Antecipacao Petite Sirah ($40). The color was rich and I was anticipating it to knock me over. It was bursting with flavors of dark berries and do I dare say, bacon? YUM. Needs a little more time in the bottle, so I bought some to store.

I love Coelho's book, "The Alchemist", about dreams and following your own "Personal Legend". I've been looking for a new, good book to sink my teeth into. But while writing this blog, I decided to pull my old friend off of the shelf. Lets see what new nuggets of inspiration I'll discover. Sweat pants (check), glass of wine (check), "The Alchemist" in hand (check). Part One: "The boy's name was Santiago....."

Getting Past The Packaging

I drank so many fabulous Pinot Noirs last week while exploring the Williamette Valley in Oregon. It's one of the most common grapes used to make Champagne and sparkling wines; so I was expecting to taste more bubbles than I did.

I asked one winemaker why more was not produced. Besides the fact that making a sparkling wine takes an entirely different effort, he confessed, in general, it is not as profitable. Bubbly takes longer to make and takes up valuable storage space.

When someone in the Eugene area suggested trying the sparkling at Domaine Meriwether, my travel partner and I were all about it. The tasting room was spacious, open and ruled by the Captain; the vineyard dog, who greeted us with a tennis ball in his mouth.

It was our last stop of the day, two sparkling wines were open along with some still wines. The NV Discovery Cuvee (blue label, $20) was acidic with flavors of pear; the Captain Clark Vintage Cuvee (green label $25) had some pleasant citrus notes and reminded me of sweet tarts. Both were enjoyable as well as affordable.

Too bad the thing we focused on while pulling away was the labeling. Yes you should buy wine based on what is inside of the bottle, but lets face it, packaging is important. Especially with the amount of good juice on store shelves. The font and text is classy, what one would expect from nice bubbly. The colored border is what my companion could not get past; wondering about the challenge of convincing someone to buy, when lined up next to other sparklers.

The point may seem petty to some, but not to those in the media, marketing, advertising, food and wine business. Looking back, if this was the only complaint of the day.....I'll take another please!

If you can get past the packaging, give Domaine Meriwether Cuvee's a try. I think you will like.

Grapes Go "Goth"

The "gothic movement" started getting a lot of media attention in the early 80's; evolving from punk. When I think of "goth" the first thing that comes to mind is bold, black, spiky hair, leather boots, etc.

So when I came across the Gothic Maresh Pinot Noir, I was expecting an "in your face" kind of wine; even though I learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover.

Gothic is a limited edition Pinot Noir Cuvee ($65 retail) from Oregon. Only 1200 bottles were made, so that alone makes this bottle special.

Adding to my list of high expectations; the grapes come from an historic vineyard in the Williamette Valley. Anytime I see a Pinot Noir from this area, my basic assumption is "good". The wine was slow to open but when it did it was full of plum, strawberry and spice. I found myself, pouting, wanting more after the last drop was poured. If only I had let it sit my glass a little longer.

Now comes the quest to find another bottle.

A "Duzer" of a Dinner

With tourist season over in Southwest Florida, it's much easier to get a seat in your favorite restaurants. Good for customers, not necessarily for the restaurants. Many, like Rumrunners in Cape Harbor, have events such as last week's Van Duzer wine dinner to keep the locals coming in for more.

I learned Van Duzer is not in Willam-ette valley it's Will-AM-it, Damnit! It's all in the pronunciation. I also learned that Van Duzer makes much more than just yummy Pinot Noirs. The whites were amazing!

We started the night with a sparkling wine that had an interesting, nutty flavor. It went well with the Foie Gras Pate and fig jam. But the smoked salmon with deviled quail egg was my favorite small bite.

First seated course was a Pistachio and Blue Cheesecake with orange roasted beets, served with the Van Duzer Pinot Noir Rose. The wine tasted of juicy strawberries and a little citrus rind with acidity that cut right through the rich cheese. Lovely combo!

The grilled Diver's Scallop in the next course was lightly wrapped in Chorizo, served with a creamy risotto and a decadent melted leek and Morel mushroom Fondue. I loved the garnish; a tomoato sliced super thin and roasted to a crisp chip. I wish I could've taken a bag home. The Estate Pinot Gris was bursting with apricot; a little melon and pear. It was crisp; once again cutting through the rich creamy dish as a delicious pairing.

Main course: Sous Vide Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin 'Saltimbocca' rubbed in Coriander, Fennel seed, sage and wrapped in a delicate slice of Prosciutto, with carrot mashed potato and Cherry-Port Glace. The Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir had that typical, dirty Pinot nose. However, I could also smell some fennel and sage and immediately knew why Chef Todd used those herbs on the pork. The cherry really popped also (way too obvious joke set-up here).

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with hazelnut Anglaise and peanut butter and jelly chocolates from Norman Love with  Perplexity red dessert wine. Every course was spot on; perfect proportions and pairings.

From June first-fifth, Rumrunners is saying thank you for a great "season" by offering dining incentives. For every $100 gift card you buy, you get an addition $50. Too good of an offer to pass up, so think business deals, stocking stuffers, etc.