Tag Archives: Willamette Valley

Golden Oak: Wine Beer Fusion Lange Winery Rogue Brewery Willamette Week ProAm 2016

Go to Willamette Week’s Fourth Annual Beer Pro/Am Saturday, October 15th in Portland, Oregon (tickets: here). Why? To witness my wife crushing the competition with her revolutionary Belgian Golden Strong Ale.

This is her journey: Continue reading

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Jack Creek Cellars, Estate, Pinot Noir Reserve, Central Coast, California, 2006

Let’s break from our EU Austerity Drinking Tour for something more to home. This Thanksgiving our family took a turkey break and visited Pinot Noir country in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Stops at Archery Summit, Angela, Lange, and Troon all highlighted the many forms and clones that Oregon Pinot could take on. Continue reading

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Memorial Day: 1997 Archery Summit, Pinot Noir, Oregon

If Memorial Day is about remembrance, I can think of no better memorial to America’s dead than opening an old bottle of our own. Militant sacrifice created the world we live in. Tonight’s wine would not have existed without the world they created. So let’s turn to the past…

1997 saw my sophomore year in high school. Girls still confused me. MMMbop, Backstreet Boys, and Spice Girl pop had usurped Grunge’s musical devolution (at least we still had the Smashing Pumpkins? Bush? Foo Fighters? Come on! Anybody?). Continue reading

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Heat Wave Salve: Pine Ridge, Forefront, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2011

This Thirsty Thursday needs to cool it. My car thermometer claimed it hit 93F today…in Oregon…in May! My black, leather seat and I are now one. We’ve already exchanged vows. Slightly worse, my family had to evacuate their home: raging fires swept through Southern California today (ok…that’s far worse).

They’re fine. But we could all use a drink.

Tonight I turn to a native Pinot Gris produced by Pine Ridge. They call this line “Forefront” (I’m sure that sounded brave during marketing meetings…”Oh, now what. we’re Californian. Hey! Let’s make Pinot Gris in Oregon! That cutting-edge sense of adventure will appeal to our Caucasian male, desk-job slave, marketing demographic of 30 to 50 year olds. Genius! Now let’s be indecisive and slap an austere, slick, yet generic label on it”). Continue reading

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CARLTON CRUSH: WINE HARVEST FESTIVAL

With Summer burning records (and ripening grapes) throughout the North West, we drive to 2013’s grape harvest festival of Yamhill-Carlton AVA: The Carlton Crush.

The endless auburn fields and early harvests remind of California or Tuscany, not the great, green Northwest. Continue reading

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