As the weather warms it is the perfect time to try light refreshing wines.
Pinot Grigio & Pinot Gris
Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape variety. Pinot Grigio is the Italian spelling and pronunciation and Pinot Gris is the French version. The difference is often the style. Pinot Grigio is usually picked less ripe so the finished wine is crisp and refreshing. Pinot Gris is usually picked a little riper so the grapes have more fermentable sugars, making a wine that is more full with more tropical flavors.
Pinot Bianco & Pinot Blanc
Just like Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Blanc are the same grape variety, just different spellings. Pinot Blanc is a mutant of Pinot Gris which is a descendant of Pinot Noir, the grapes having mutated hundreds of years ago. Pinot Blanc is grown in Alsace, France and in small pockets around the world. It is often grown in the vineyards of Burgundy and can be used as part of the blend to make the great chardonnay based wines of the region.
Private wine tastings available, call 435.645.6455.
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Posted on April 19, 2010 at 11:54am | in Newsletters | No Comments »
As the winter weather arrives wines that warm us up take precedence over the refreshing white wines of summer. The dark-fruited red grapes from the Rhône department of France are great wines to enjoy anytime, but they are especially delicious during the colder months because their dark fruit flavors and lush texture pair so well with hearty fare.
The Rhône valley is divided into two distinct regions; northern and southern. The northern Rhône is renown for the wines made from Syrah and Viognier. Here you will find the appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Croze-Hermitage, St-Joseph, Cornas, Condrieu and Château Grillet. Vines have been grown on the hill of Hermitage since the Romans occupied the region. Both Pliny and Martial mention the wines of Hermitage in their writings. The name of the appellation is on the label, not the grape variety.
The southern Rhône is a patchwork of numerous grape varieties with the most recognizable red grapes being Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault. The primary white grapes are Rousanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Lirac, Vacqueyras, Vinzellas, Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, are all wines made in the southern French wine region. Each of these appellations have slightly different rules as to which grapes can be blended into the wines.
Read Cara’s complete wine newsletter The Grapes of Rhône
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Posted on December 16, 2009 at 1:29pm | in Newsletters | No Comments »
The 2009 harvest began today 09.09.09.
The grapes are beautiful and the weather is perfect.
This vintage has the potential to be absolutely outstanding.
The first fruit to arrive at the winery early this morning was
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Maltoie followed by Blanchot-dessous. Grapes are perfect.
We have accomplished four pressings today. W and I are going to finish the last press which is scheduled to finish just after midnight. A long, arduous day.
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Posted on September 9, 2009 at 3:51pm | in Newsletters | No Comments »
The 2009 harvest in Burgundy has begun.
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Posted on September 8, 2009 at 4:23pm | in Newsletters | No Comments »
After a lunch at Dundee Bistro we drove up highway 47 to Patton Valley Vineyards. Owner Monte Pitt and winemaker Jerry Murray took us through a tasting of their 2007 Pinot Noirs. 
We followed the 2007s in the barrel cellar sampling barrels of their 2008 vintage. The appellation is Willamette Valley, Patton Valley is just north of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and west of the Chehalem Mountain AVA. The 2007 pinot noirs from Patton Valley are some of the most elegant Oregon Pinot Noir that I have tasted in some time. They have beauty and structure, perfume and elegance. I look forward to watching the 2007s evolve. 
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Posted on May 29, 2009 at 8:18pm | in Newsletters | No Comments »
Olson Vineyard
I went to Portland this past Thursday to visit my brother. I spent Friday in the beautiful Willamette valley. Spring was everywhere. Fields of red poppies, pink rhodaenderoums, bright green grape leaves. I met with Margie Olson owner of Torii Mor Friday morning. They have a relatively new winery where Jacques Tardy is making expressive pinot noir, pinot blanc, pinot gris and chardonnay. The name comes from two languages; Torii is Japanese for the ornate gates that designate the entrance to a garden or temple. Mor is an ancient Scandinavian word that means earth. The winery was founded in 1993 by Dr. Donald Olson and his wife Margie. Their Olson vineyard (formerly McDaniel Vineyard) was planted in 1972 making it one of the oldest vineyards in Yamhill County. For more information on Torii Mor visit their website at www.toriimorwinery.com.
Cyndi and I in the Japanese gardens at Torii Mor Vineyard and Winery
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Posted on May 25, 2009 at 11:01am | in Newsletters | No Comments »
