Enobytes Wine Blog

If you haven’t heard of the Able Grape search engine, take notice. It’s a great tool for finding up-to-date wine information without going through the agony of searching for wine related information through other commercial search engines. Their results are precise and on-point.

Think of how many times you’ve searched on wine terms using conventional search engines and the amount of irrelevant data returned. Able Grape, on the other hand, returns relevant,

up-to-date, accurate results. I’ve used this invaluable tool frequently for learning purposes as well as a research tool, and I can’t say enough about its validity and ease of use.

Recently launching their second beta, Able Grape is seeking insightful constructive criticism to improve upon their search tool. Your opinion counts and they want to give you an opportunity to have some input on how this tool could be improved. It’s now your chance to test out the site and offer your constructive criticism.

And if that wasn’t enough, they are offering prizes for your astute feedback which include some special library wines. We strongly encourage survey participation in order to build a useful search engine tool that can be used by the wine community and enophiles alike. To enter, first sign up for Able Grape, (if you haven’t already) and then fill out their short question survey.

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2007 was a bit of a challenge for Oregon Pinot noir growers – just as the grapes were reaching ripeness, Mother Nature decided to dump up to eight inches of rain during harvest season, forcing winemakers to make decisions on whether to pull the fruit or risk fungus growth. Despite these challenges, most of the regions winemakers overcame these obstacles – although acids are a bit higher than normal and the alcohol levels are a bit lower, many of the wines are generating fragrant and vivacious wines worthy of cellaring.

Showing notes of earth and spice, clone 115 was Marc’s favorite. It’s quite evident that the ‘07 really fits the 115 clone profile, which produces well structured wines with good aroma and flavor characteristics. Texture is also an attribute this clone seems to provide in a style that is luscious and sexy. The wine was aromatic with flavors of blackberry fruit picked at the perfection of ripeness - a facet that will contribute heavily to producing a balanced wine with good integrated tannin structure.

The final tasting comes from the 777, a high quality Pinot noir clone coming from the Cote D’Or region of Burgundy. What I love about this clone is its ability to generate strong and intense aromas and flavors with round and supple tannin structure. Tasted from barrel, Panther Creek’s 2007 vintage is showing just that; rich and round with great balance and structure. Panther Creek’s ’07s will definitely be worth waiting for; be on the lookout for their future Freedom Hill release once blending activities are complete and the product makes it into the bottle.

Panther Creek barrels

The hospitality provided at the winery will impress all who visit, making the quality of the product and the warmth of the tasting room staff a combination that will reward enophiles in every way.

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I was a little surprised when I heard about this pipeline for natural gas that was going to be implemented at the Oregon coast. Note to self: (I have got to get more involved in issues just like this one). Last week, when Agrivino acquiesced, backing away from a showdown with the OLCC, I was greatly disappointed. That was a worthy cause worth fighting for. Like they say in Jersey "Forget about it".

So let’s move on. Now I am asking for your support in critically investigating the actions some multinational corporations will take to circumvent the state level government and citizen oversight groups, stampeding our government at the federal level. This pipeline that will be built by www.palomargas.com is constructed to traverse the coast range displacing all types of agriculture and existing business and residences. The pipeline is three feet in diameter and will have a very scary 1500 pounds of pressure per square inch of highly flammable and easily ignitable natural gas flowing through it capable of producing a blast radius of 900 feet.

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Get ready ladies, just when you thought you’ve heard it all, Lydia Mondavi sets out to create a makeup line made out of grape seed extract!

Grape seed extract has shown some beneficial antioxidant effects in preliminary clinical trials, from reducing blood pressure to Alzheimer’s Disease so maybe there is some validity to it – you be the judge.

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As I mentioned in my previous post you can never rule out obscure locations for producing great wines. For all those who travel on business and don’t take advantage of the wineries to visit in your destination cities, this column is for you. There are several good reasons beyond your own selfish needs that make visiting any available winery within reach during your business travel advisable and in some cases even necessary and I will list the top ten now.

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Quality is Not Necessarily Location, Location, Location.

I used to pride myself on my geographical knowledge so when I noticed a wine on a retailer’s shelf the other day that said, ‘Wine from the Australian Pyrenees,’ I was amused and cast doubt upon it’s authenticity. When I quizzed several of the employees at this specialty retail grocer, they couldn’t tell me anything about the wine, nor could one employee provide even a guess as to the location of the Pyrenees Mountains.

Are we asking too much from our retail grocery sales clerks to commit this knowledge to memory? Maybe, maybe not, if you want to impress your customers with your knowledge and have them trust you when you make recommendations. Develop a memory!

Some might say if those poor individuals knew the location of the Pyrenees Mountains, they might not have to be working in retail wine sales. Well, if all you have to know to stay out of retail is geography, I say we need to raise the bar a bit. The following research is an example of how little we actually know about a name.

NASA’s composite satellite image of the Pyrenees

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June 2008 Wine Picks

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Marc and I are on overload right now so expect some possible delays in posting. No, it’s not the summer weather keeping us from our keyboards, nor is it bad news; it’s simply that we have a number of activities going on right now:

Cotes Du Rhone Google Map: I’ve been promising to finish the Cotes Du Rhone Google Map for a while now. This map is quite complex (and challenging) since the area spreads over 171 communes in six departments, 95 communes (18 named villages) and 15 local appellations. In all honesty, I am spending more time on this activity than expected. It’s a large undertaking but I am sure many will appreciate the map once it’s finally completed!

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