Author Archives: Jim
HARVEST 2011!
The coldest and wettest year in Oregon in the last fifty? Grapes hanging on the vines longer than they’ve ever hung before? The possibility of a complete wipe-out if fall rains came and temperatures dropped? No problem. The grape harvest of 2011 will … Continue reading
Posted in News, Wine Happens
Tagged Oregon grape harvest, Oregon harvest, Oregon wine, Oregon wineries, pinot noir, vineyards
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WINEMAKER ROBERT BRITTAN SCORES BIG IN PARKER RATINGS
Robert Parker’s influential Wine Advocate just came out with its annual review and scores for Oregon pinot noirs this week, with wineries like White Rose, Bergstrom and Arterberry Maresh receiving numbers in the mid-90s. We were especially pleased to see … Continue reading
PAINTED LADY SCORES 4 DIAMONDS
Newberg’s The Painted Lady Restaurant, one of the top fine-dining establishments in Oregon wine country, was recently awarded Four Diamond Status by AAA in its annual rating program. Husband and wife team Allen Routt, who serves as the Chef, and Jessica Bagley, … Continue reading
JUDGING THE AMATEUR WINE COMPETITION
After tasting 125 wines in two days, it was the one Gewurtztraminer entry that I may never get over. I imagine having nightmares about it, hideous flashbacks long into my elderly years. Amber-colored in the glass (and this is not … Continue reading
Posted in News, Wine Happens
Tagged amateur wine, Oregon State Fair, Oregon wine, wine judging
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FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS STRAIGHT FROM THE PROS
Which Oregon wine goes with which Oregon food? The two go hand-in-hand, since the local food movement is hugely popular in Oregon right now. We thought we’d share the menus from two lovely winemaker dinners that we attended this summer, … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Restaurants, News, Travel, Wine Happens
Tagged Food and wine pairings, Forest Grove, Montinore, Oregon wine, Quady North, southern Oregon
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OREGON WINERIES WITH GREAT RESTAURANTS
We recently set out to write a simple story about Oregon wineries that also had great food service, assuming that they were as numerous as Oregon wineries that pour a decent Pinot Noir. Wrong, wrong, wrong. What we found instead … Continue reading
NICE DAY FOR AN OREGON WINE TOUR
After having recently spent a day touring wineries with Ron Burke of Oregon Wine Tours, we have to say that there are few things more pleasant than having a knowledgeable driver and guide take us to hidden winery gems deep inside … Continue reading
Posted in News, Travel
Tagged Oregon wine, Oregon wine tours, Oregon wineries, Wineries
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WINE REVIEWS FROM OUR EDITORS
A Blooming Hill Vineyard ’09 Chardonnay – $12. Didn’t rate highly with our tasters. Wait’ll next year? Adelsheim ’07 and ’08 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – Lovely, consistent wines that topped our panelists’ list of favorites with their vanilla and cherry … Continue reading
SPOTLIGHT ON THE COLUMBIA GORGE
It was only until recently that there were far more fruit and vegetable stands than vineyards in the Columbia Gorge, but winemakers on both sides of the river have caught on to the discovery that fine wine grapes grow here, … Continue reading
Posted in Wine Happens
Tagged Columbia Gorge wineries, Hood River, Naked Winery, Oregon wine, Phelps Creek, The Pines 1852
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ON-LINE WINE STORE OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Our friends at Oregonwine.com, our sister site (brother site? we’re not exactly sure the gender relations here) have asked us to announce that they’ve launched a new online Wine Store. There, you can buy selected single bottles of wine, many … Continue reading
Posted in News
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