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Is there Oregon wine in your glass this weekend?
In the second day of our special Thanksgiving shows, we move from what's on the plate, to what's in the glass, with a toast to Oregon's wine industry -- on a weekend when many wineries open their doors to celebrate Oregon's bounty.
An LA Times article about Oregon wine last month described the place where it all began -- the Wilamette Valley -- as
a sensuous terrain of smooth-shouldered, voluptuous hills and languorous green valleys lined with fragrant forests of spruce, fir and pine... arguably the finest place in the country to grow Pinot Noir.
Ah, Pinot from the Wilamette Valley. It is what most people associate with Oregon wine. But what else is happening in the industry? With wineries opening at rate of one a week in Oregon since 2004, there is certainly some action. But at what cost? Is the market getting saturated? Is it becoming too much of a good thing?
In this show we'll talk about the heritage of wine in Oregon -- including a discussion about its founder, David Lett, who passed away last month, leaving his son to run Eyrie Vineyards -- and then move forward to what's happening now: Tempranillo and other "big reds" in Southern Oregon, a Riesling resurgence, and even vineyards popping up in Central Oregon.
Are you visiting a winery this weekend? Do you buy Oregon wine or prefer the (often less expensive) offerings from California or beyond? And with so many wineries opening up in this state, and our economy in crisis, what do you think the future of this wine business holds?
GUESTS:
- Jason Lett: President, wine grower and fork-lift driver for Eyrie Vineyards
- David Adelsheim: President and co-owner of Adelsheim Vineyards
- Lynn Penner-Ash: Owner of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars
- Eric Hamacher: Founder of Carlton Winemakers Studio
- Harry Peterson-Nedry: Owner and winemaker at Chehalem Wines
- Earl Jones: Owner of Abacela Winery in Southern Oregon
Tagged as: drink · thanksgiving · wine
Photo credit: Dklimke / Flickr / Creative Commons
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please erase me
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"How about moving past Reisling to Riesling though the spelling is used so often interchangeably that it is hard to know the difference without a year of high school German."
Done! -
Is climate change improving Oregon's climate for growing wine grapes?
How much pesticides and herbicides are used in Oregon wine production? -
Different varieties have different climatic ranges for optimal ripeness. As Earl Jones indicated, Southern Oregon has a climate well-suited for Temperanillo. Here in the Northern Valley, Temperanillo is unlikely to ripen fully whereas we continue to see a long-term improvement in Pinot Noir ripening.
I don't know how much pesticide and herbicide is used in Oregon but it is a good question. We use sulfur to control mildew along with cultural practices like hedging and leaf thinning; we don't have any insect problems so far (knock on wood!), and we use Round-Up once a year to control weeds in the vine row. We farm on a steep slope so we leave grass in the rows for tractor traction and to control runoff. Organic and bio-dynamic alternatives are fully available and utilized. -
I lived in CA in the 70's and enjoyed the Napa wine tasting in the early, inexpensive days. I've lived in Oregon since then, and enjoyed the early free and inexpensive days of tasting our wonderful wines here. In years past, we did our large volume buying the w/end after Thanksgiving, but no more. What has come over the vineyards? $15 tastings? I thought the reasonable fees were an effective marketing tool, especially for the new wineries. The overhead seemed relatively doable-no carpeting, no heating, a few crackers. A cool day and a perfect way to sip what there is to offer. I had hoped we would be somewhat more egalitarian than Napa, but I was wrong.
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Jgram2, You must be looking for love in all the wrong places. You are correct; reasonable fees are an effective marketing tool but only if enough wine lovers take the effort to look for them rather than assuming that high tasting fees mean better wine. My most favorite winery charges a $2 fee for a taste of everything. The fee is refundable if the customer purchases a bottle. Souvenir glasses are available for $3.50 but [u]only[/u] if you want one.
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Speaking of Riesling, when are our esteemed wine educators going to move wine perspective from seeking the perfect sweetness in a Riesling to appreciating the fruit and the balance.
It's unfortunate that many of Oregon's vineyards and wineries pulled their Riesling and replaced it with Pinot Noir or grafted PN onto the fine strong trunks of 20 year-old Chardonnay. Both are noble grapes and often ripen wonderfully in the North Willamette Valley and both seem to be regaining popularity.
When it comes to wine in the Willamette Valley part of the world, I don't think we can have too much of this good thing. If we wish to maintain farmland and therefore open space in Oregon, we need to grow what grows best. The noble grapes grow well here, perhaps as well as any place in the country which also means the world.
Oregon offers great wine to the world market. But best of all, we provide wine to a local wine market whose member/citizens can come out and appreciate one of the things that makes Oregon uniquely Oregon.