Recently while on a wine adventure to the Willamette Valley, I explored wineries in several of the seven Willamette Valley AVAs. There are enough wineries in each appellation for a weekend escape to each one. This article focuses on the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, including things to do in the surrounding vicinity other than wine tasting.
Alloro Vineyard: Defining the Chehalem Mountains AVA
Visiting Alloro Vineyard, one gets a good sense of what the Chehalem Mountains AVA is all about. Located west of Portland in Sherwood, a portion of the Tualatin Valley, the winery also sits in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. The Chehalem Mountains AVA was established in 2006. The soils consist of three types:
Summer Wine Suggestions
With almost a month left of summer, there is still time to discover some great drinking summer wine. My wine journey takes us from the Alsace region of France over to the Mosel River in Germany than across the Alps into the Alto Adige region of Italy. Continue down to Puglia before heading to the
Discover the German Riesling Wine from Nik Weis
After receiving two very different Rieslings from Nik Weis, I decided to create my own side-by-side comparison of the two wines. One Riesling wine, the Urban Riesling and the other the St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger “Alte Reben” Kabinett Feinherb Riesling each present a very different style. Nik Weis, a third generation winemaker owns St. Urbans-Hof, a
Chambers & Chambers: Rosés, Rieslings and Ramato
W As spring moves into summer it is time to think about the enjoyment of Rosé and a variety of white wines. I recently had the opportunity to sample some of the Rosés, Rieslings and Ramato offered by Chambers & Chambers. Here are some of my favorites that you might want to put on your
A wine tasting visit to the Santa Lucia Highlands
The Santa Lucia Highlands, also known, as SLH is an AVA primarily recognized for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Recently the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans were in Los Angeles sharing many of the area wineries latest releases to the trade. This article will feature some of my favorites discovered at this event. One must first
Coiled Wines: Winding a path through the Snake River Valley
It is not often that you run across a winery that truly defines a region, AVA and the topography of an area with their branding. Sitting at dinner recently sipping a bottle of the Coiled Sidewinder from Idaho’s Snake River Valley AVA, the thought occurred. The Coiled label and branding not only represents the region;
2016 wines in review
Now that 2016 has come to a close, some wines had a lasting impression and are truly stellar. Between wine tastings, wineries visited, and countries traveled over the last year, here is a list of exceptional wines and wineries I discovered throughout this past year. Furthermore, there is no particular order; the wines chosen are
Pleasurable wines for summer drinking
TFind It’s summertime and what better time to enjoy the refreshing qualities of a nice white wine or Rosé with a summer barbecue or dinner Al Fresco. Here are some of the summer wines I have discovered over the last several months. Italian White Wines The most unusual was Kettmeir Müller Thurgau from the Alto
Pearl Morissette Estate Winery: Niagara Wines best kept secret
Niagara on the Lake, Ontario is one of Canada’s well-known wine regions. Also known as Niagara wines region, one discovers in the town of Jordan a little gem of a winery called Pearl Morissette. In 2007, the winery, a collaboration between developer Mel Pearl and Francois Morissette began. One almost misses finding the winery tucked
