Some of the beautiful organic vines at Youngberg Hill.
It happened quickly. Oregon has for several decades now been known as a producer of some excellent Pinot Noir. Its cooler climate was capable of producing Pinot Noir that, at its best, could be subtly nuanced, refined and elegant. Comparisons with Burgundy would come up in conversations among the wine cognoscenti and then in the wine press. Pinot Noir had put Oregon firmly on the wine map. In fact, Pinot’s dominance made people associate Oregon with Pinot Noir, to the point where “Oregon equals Pinot Noir” is a common mindset in the same way people think Napa equals Cabernet Sauvignon. No wonder people think that, as the Willamette Valley Wineries Association has on their website landing page, in bold all caps type: “WE ARE PINOT NOIR”.
Of course, neither of those notions is really true, it is just a common perception. In Oregon that perception is starting to change, and wine drinkers are starting to take notice of some of the delicious Chardonnay being produced in Oregon.
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2002 Piper Heidseick Rare
One of the difficulties in spending a lot of money for a special bottle of wine, if you have never tried it before, is to try to take some of the gamble out of choosing the right wine, whether at a restaurant, at your local bottle shop or on-line. Champagne has a “Cru system” which offers a classification that you will often see on the bottle’s label that provides the designation of Grand Cru or Premier Cru. But just what do these designations mean and how can this help you choose your wine?
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Our kind of research.
Today’s world of social media and on-line news means that information travels at literally the speed of light. It also reaches a greater number of people than ever before, and we think this is a very good thing. The problem today is one of trying to sort the truths from the fictions, the information from the disinformation and the real news from the fake news. Recently wine has been a topic appearing in the news with conflicting views as to what if any effect it has on our immune system and hence our chances of getting COVID-19. AdVINEtures decided to do the research and let you know what is really going on…
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A sample of the limestone soils at BeauSejour Becot.
Minerality is a commonly used descriptor in the world of wine. We see it frequently when we read tasting notes. We see it as a term defined in the glossaries of wine books. We hear it used by winemakers when describing their wines. And, we use it ourselves. So just what is this minerality we and others speak of when talking about wine? Is it really there, in our glass? Do we even know what a mineral tastes like, or smells like?
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If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s how quickly things can change…and how much a significant change can stay the same.
The new normal…
In a year defined by physical distancing, restrictions, and lockdowns, we’ve all experienced firsthand our own version of “Groundhog Day” as a result of months of self-isolation. Personally, COVID-19 not only prevented us from overseas AdVINEtures, it forced us to scale back on the thing we love most about wine, its inherent ability to bring people together.
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