Enobytes Wine Blog

We are all pretty lucky to live in this bountiful beer, wine and distilled spirits endowed area; a virtual mecca of creative fermenting and distilling in the Portland area. We have some of the best producers of all the aforementioned products right here in Oregon; most of them located so close the travel time is less than your regular commute. If you are reading this from far off geographical locations and thinking, “I wonder what Portland is like?” stop wondering - come here and find out.

With all the local producers vying for direct access to the local consumers I found it refreshing to see how many Westside retail wine shops captivate and create a loyalist customer base through innovation and superior Customer service. The retail franchise chain of Vino 100, a locally owned store in Tanasbourne is one such store that has certainly garnered loyalty and

recognition for their “100 wines under $25” concept. This shop recently held a customer appreciation night and actually showed how much they really do appreciate their customers. A salmon tart was as good as it gets and the cheese selection rocked. Savory and sweets a virtual smorgasbord of appetizers. All the cuisine offered was top notch. It’s obvious these folks know that Hospitality and Pride are very good friends. Read the rest of this entry »

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Winter begins one of the most visually stunning times of the year in wine country. As the weather continues to play games with us — sometimes pouring, sometimes a sunny 70+ degrees — without doubt, the Spanish Mustard masterfully brushes the vineyards with a brilliant coat of yellow. Though called "Mustard"it’s not the same mustard enjoyed on your hotdog (sorry).

Legend has it . . . Early California was only a wilderness, with great quantities of trees, beautiful plains, all kinds of wild animals and birds, and many American Indians occupied the wine country (it is widely believed, though not confirmed, the names Napa and Sonoma derived from American Indian tribal sayings).

In the 1700’s, Father Juinpero Serra had come from Spain to Mexico seeking to spread his religion. Hearing about this beautiful, vast country to the north, he decided to travel there and explore. With a few faithful followers and American Indian guides, he traveled through what is now the great state of California. Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you noticed how often producers change their wine labels? Case in point; you are in a local wine store in search of your favorite wine, which mysteriously disappears off the shelf. You’ve bought it a million times before and its branding is fairly recognizable; it has a big red and green label with a gold insignia on the top - so where is it? You think to yourself, maybe the store is simply out of stock; maybe they stopped carrying it. Has the thought ever crossed your mind that the label changed?

This happens more often than you think. Sometimes label changes are very subtle minimal alterations whereas some labels go through radical change. Labels might lean towards a simplistic and classic look one year and then shift to a bold and modern appearance the next.

Of course, there are sound reasons for wanting to re-brand a label. The most obvious reason stems from a merger or de-merger activity. Motivation for change may also come from producers adjusting their winemaking style or changing their company strategy.

Parducci is one of those producers that recently changed their label due to a merger acquisition. In 2004, the Mendocino Wine Company acquired Parducci, which in turn, necessitated a label change, which emerged a bold new wine label.

The new harlequin print orange and olive colored recycled label (right image) seems to balance the essence of old school mentality and modernization while emphasizing the eclectic Mendocino spirit. The label goes beyond the visual aspect by

supporting a sustainable direction, whereas wine bottles do not contain foil, embossing or varnish. Read the rest of this entry »

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Yes, its that time of the year where wine, food, wine, friends, wine and family all come together and celebrate good times past, new beginnings and the eager anticipation of the future. It is considered one of the most joyful times of the year; that is, if you’re not giving the Toast of course.

We’ve all been there. Either at a corporate holiday party, the family table or out with friends. There comes a time in all of our lives, some more than others, where we are required to become Winston Churchill for a moment and inspire the huddled masses.

You know it’s coming but not sure when, kind of like a tornado, so you envision how this one will go. You find a moment to break off from the person your chatting with, find our glass (preferably, with wine in it), stand tall, get others to stop chatting with a slight tap of a knife on the glass, have all attention spans held for a moment, hold your head up regally high to then deliver words of inspiration, compassion and kindness. Once the words, which would make Bill Clinton jealous, emanate like velvet off your tongue, your raise your glass, cheers, take a confident sip and sit back down to congratulations, and you notice the subtle tears and glances around the table of, “Wow, that was an excellent toast. Women want him and men want to be him.” You did it, just as you thought it would go.

Though our intensions are pure and our hopes high, how quickly they often dash. Most of the toasts go something like this. Read the rest of this entry »

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Wine revolutionary Randall Grahm, winemaker for the Santa Cruz, California
based Bonny Doon Vineyard is breaking new ground and setting precedent in the
wine industry. His efforts will have far-reaching affects for some time to
come.

He has decided to become one of the few winemakers to embrace full disclosure
of ingredients and production techniques used in the production of his wines.

Around the wine industry, there has been a lot of talk about having winemakers
adhere to the labeling requirements that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury are considering. This cause of
action was precipitated because of the apparent need to reign-in the un-checked
and sometimes unscrupulous tactics wineries are allowed to operate under at
this time. Read the rest of this entry »

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Right after the opening of the Hillsboro Trader Joe’s, I remember speaking to someone in their wine department who was talking about Gluehwein, which is a warm spiced red wine traditionally served around the holidays in Germany. Inquisitively, I asked where she had been exposed to this anomaly. She advised me that this product had been for sale at the Northwest Food and Wine Festival.

The 2007 Northwest Food & Wine Festival

Curious, I thought, because I was not aware of such an event. This was perturbing because I thought I was aware of most any local wine events with the help of the fine folks at www.localwineevents.com (bookmark it!). Turns out, last year was the inaugural event for the Northwest Food and Wine Festival, which benefits the Oregon Food Bank. I try to stay up on these things, but this one just slipped past me. However, as the festival progressed towards its date this year, I was impressed to see how the successful promotion of this event had gone from something I missed last year, to an event that any self-respecting enophile from Portland would be ostracized for missing. Read the rest of this entry »

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This week commences my first attempt at Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW). For those who are not familiar with the concept, Lenn Thompson from Lenndevours proposed the idea of a monthly virtual wine tasting event back in 2004.

Different bloggers send in ideas for themes or topics and then become the hosts from month to month. Participating bloggers buy wines that are consistent with the theme and blog their tasting notes on or before the Wednesday of the event. This week’s WBW host Sonadora, who runs the blog Wannabewino, asked us all to seek out any version of Petite Sirah we could find, even if by its other name: Durif.

I was excited about this particular theme since this varietal is one of my favorites; hence, I wanted to join in on the WBW fun.

My immediate reaction was to hunt down a Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah. It’s been a few years since I tasted one of his magnificent masterpieces so I was on a mission to locate a bottle for this tasting. To my dismay, I failed to locate the wine and unfortunately did not have enough time to have a bottle shipped directly from the winery :( so on to plan B.

I selected the 2005 "39 degrees" Lake County Petite Sirah from a new wine venture headed up by veteran Roy Cecchetti, who co-founded Cecchetti Sebastiani Cellars with his brother-in-law, Don Sebastiani. Roy’s new venture, appropriately named the Cecchetti Wine Company, is committed to offer consumers quality wines at affordable prices. I was excited about this purchase for two reasons: The association of this wine with Lake County and the indirect connection between 39 degrees and Sebastiani.

Lake County typically produces good quality distinctive reds yet many wines from this region are undervalued and unappreciated. It will be interesting to see if 39 degrees can compete with other great Lake County Petite Sirah’s produced by vintners like Shannon Ridge, Steele Wines and Langtry Estate (Guenoc).

As for the indirect connection with Sebastiani, one might suspect critical acclaim received from previous endeavors to yield similar results in new ventures. I’ve been a fan of Sebastiani wines for a number of years, particularly their line of cherryblock wines produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

So how did 39 Degrees fair? Well, I was impressed on its initial pour; it’s a wine with a very dark inky color with a new world nose of cherry and plum. The soft entry imparts flavors of burnt cherry, blackberry and plum. Overall, it’s pretty simplistic in style, medium-bodied; unattractive hollow mid-palate with a tannic, hot finish; in general, it’s a good effort, however it’s a bit green and lackluster; giving them the benefit of the doubt I would generously rate this wine an 85 on a 100-point scale.

Value: $15.00
ABV: 14.5%

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The market is flooded with gift ideas, but finding a unique gift for a wine enthusiast can be challenging. The last thing you want to do is buy them a tasteless gift or something they already own. Wine club memberships and gift certificates are good options; but if you are looking for something a little more distinctive, here are some suggestions that are sure to satisfy the most discerning enophile.

Celebration-year wines: Celebration dates such as anniversaries and births deserve a gift that will never be forgotten. The gift of a wine from the same vintage that commemorates either of these celebrations is enduring and thoughtful. Visit Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Vintage Guide (1970-2005) to assist in the selection of region and varietal by year. Then call a reputable retailer (e.g. www.zachys.com) to order.

To decant or not to decant - that is the question: Well, if you need to decant, select Metrokane; it’s the world’s first vacuum decanter that maintains wine character until your next pouring. The 52-ounce handblown crystal decanter is lead-free and includes a stopper, vacuum gauge and a hand pump. ($72.00, Amazon)

Wine geek extravaganza: The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone offers the most comprehensive portfolio of in-depth wine studies programs. Purchase a one-to-five day course taught by some of the county’s top wine instructors.

What a rack! It’s a portable wine bar with built-in tools, including a corkscrew, foil cutter and bottle sealer you can use to preserve an opened bottle for another occasion. Holds six bottles of wine. ($15.00, Amazon)

Back in black: If you are looking for that perfect gift for a wine lover that has everything, consider a Riedel Black Sommelier Tumbler. Professional as well as social wine tasters who thrive on double-blind sampling will swear by these black glasses from Riedel. All are from the top-shelf Sommeliers collection, Riedel’s only line of hand-blown, full-lead crystal glasses ($20-$30, Amazon)

So you want to be a Winemaker? Chateau St. Jean offers a blending class which allows you to become a "Winemaker for a Day". Experience blending the five components that make their renowned Cinq Cépages and compete for best blend with other participants. This fun seminar will explain the complex processes a winemaker faces in producing an award-winning blend. $75 per guest, 8 guest minimum.

Special events: Barrel tastings, wine dinners, cooking classes, and single malt scotch tastings make great gifts and they are a wonderful way to spend time with friends and family. Check out localwineevents.com for events in your area.

Expel oxygen: The Argyle Vacuum Wine Saver is a unique combination of a stopper and wine pump that expels oxygen from the partly full wine bottle and creates a vacuum to reseal the bottle. Simply push the stopper firmly into open bottle then pump handle up and down to remove oxygen and create the vacuum seal, keeping your wine fresher for longer. (12.95, Amazon)

Love wine, must travel: Why not surprise your loved one with the ultimate wine gift; a Wine Country Getaway. It’s one of the best gifts you could give and Travelocity offers great getaway packages to Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. I am hoping Santa buys me a trip to Sonoma this holiday! If I’m really good, Santa might fly me to Bordeaux. (California packages starting at $100).

Antique wine items – There are many antique shops offering a copious amount of antique wine paraphernalia. It makes a unique gift for the wine enthusiast. Check out Fermentation’s post for rare wine-related books and old wine paraphernalia ideas.

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December 2007 Wine Picks

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