Red Hawk Pinot Gris – Willamette Valley
It is a mantra in the wine industry – great wine is made in the vineyard. John and Betty Pataccoli, who took over Red Hawk in 2005, are reinvigorating the brand with a focus on vineyard health. The amazing results are already evident in their 2005 Pinot gris, a beautifully balanced, crisp and food-friendly wine: melon on the nose with tropical and green apple flavors plus a hint of minerals which come from the rich volcanic Jory and Nekia soils of this Salem vineyard. This is a great appetizer wine, and also pairs nicely with grilled seafood, roasted chicken, or pasta salad. Only 160 cases produced.
Sagelands Chardonnay 2005 – Columbia Valley, Washington
A well-balanced green apple and citrus chardonnay with a nice round finish. Great by itself or pair it with the traditional white wine foods – fish, chicken, salad.
Spangler Sauvignon Blanc 2006 – Southern Oregon
Sauvignon Blanc always reminds me of the coast – dining on Dungeness crab, paired with a bottle of white sitting in the sun at 1:30 in the afternoon. Ah – heaven? Why not capture that moment here in the high desert in December? My favorite of the Oregon Sauvignon Blancs.
Tertulia Cellars 2005 Viognier - Columbia Valley
The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.
Cougar Crest Winery 2005 Viognier – Walla Walla
Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.
Fleming Jenkins Victories Rosé – San Francisco Bay
Yes, this is from California, but this one is special! Produced by Olympic champion Peggy Fleming and her husband, Greg Jenkins, 100% of their net profits from Victories is donated to breast cancer research (Peggy is a breast cancer survivor). Peggy and Greg have their own vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just above Los Gatos – which happens to be Scott’s hometown. The wine is fragrant, well-balanced and crisp – really, it tastes like spring, and who couldn’t use a little of that in the middle of December?
Territorial Rose of Pinot Noir – Willamette Valley
Floral aromas, strawberry and peach flavors with a nice citrus overtone that gives this wine a bright finish. Try it with grilled foods or even creamy deserts.
Mystic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Columbia Valley
This wine is solid and intense with flavors of blackberry, currant and tobacco, with round tannins and a plush mouth feel. Only 150 cases produced!
Zerba Cellars Sangiovese 2004 – Columbia Valley
They love to blend at Zerba! This Sangiovese has about 10% cab sauv, which adds some interesting nuances. Look for spice and an earthy overtone.
Zerba Cellars Cabernet Franc 2005 - Columbia Valley
Zerba’s 2004 Cab Franc was a huge hit in the Tasting Lounge. This 2005 vintage blended with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the result is a wine rich with black cherry and plum flavors (while the ’04 was distinctly currant). Tasting it right now, the 2005 shows more fruit, while the 2004 had some earthy overtones. As you would expect from Zerba, the nose offers rich vanilla and tobacco aromas. Only 190 cases produced.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Double Gold for Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah
We are very proud to announce that our Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah (Rogue Valley) was awarded a DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL at this year's Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging. This is an invitation only event to find "the best of the best" of Pacific Northwest wines. Wines qualify only if they received a Gold Medal or better at one of the major national wine competitions or were selected by the review committee of Wine Press Northwest.
Volcano Vineyards 2004 Merlot was also honored, winning a GOLD MEDAL.
Volcano Vineyards 2004 Merlot was also honored, winning a GOLD MEDAL.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Quick Harvest Update
We brought in 5 tons of merlot on Tuesday from Fortmiller and Lakeside – it looks fabulous, especially the Fortmiller. We are expecting great things from this 2007 vintage of merlot! Scott was back in the Rogue Valley today, and he and Chris (Hubert, vineyard manager extraorinaire) decided to hold off on the syrah for a few more days. Back in early August we had thought it was going to be an early harvest this year, but… not so much! Another big storm is expected to roll in tomorrow… We’ll know more in a few days, so stay tuned!
In other news, I have only two seats at the bar left for the October 20th dinner, so if you are interested, I would reserve those seats today! Call 541.617.1102.
In other news, I have only two seats at the bar left for the October 20th dinner, so if you are interested, I would reserve those seats today! Call 541.617.1102.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Odds and Ends
Our website ( www.volcanovineyards.com ) is currently undergoing a redesign, so for the next few weeks, updates will be posted here on this blog. The blog, as well, will be housed on our site once we go live. Stay tuned for more info!
The menu for the Saturday, October 20 Winemaker Dinner is set. It is already half booked, so if you are interested, make your reservations today!
First Course: Crab Cakes with our Volcano Vineyards Viognier
Second Course: Wild Mushroom soup with our 2005 Merlot, Rogue Valley
Third Course: Coq au Vin with our 2004 Rogue Valley Lava Red Blend
Final Course: Tumulo Frams Cheese plate with our 2005 Syrah, Rogue Valley
Cost is $60/person which includes the dinner, one glass of wine per course, and service. Non-refundable payment is due at time of reservation. Call 541-617-1102 to reserve your spot today.
More stuff on sale...
Cancilla Cellars Chardonnay 2005– Willamette Valley, Oregon
A luscious Burgundian style chardonnay with the lightest hints of oak and butter. Soft, supple and food friendly with a good backbone.
EdenVale MidSummer’s Eve White – Southern Oregon
I do believe this is probably the worst name for a wine I’ve ever heard and yes, I know it refers to Shakespeare, but I, being a child of the 70s, have other inter-textual references pertaining to phrases containing the words “summer’s” and “eve.” ) This blend is great on any warm day, even if you have to create the warmth yourself by sitting next to a fire in your living room. A blend of chardonnay, pinot gris and muscat, this wine is off-dry with tropical overtones and a decadent lushness. Pair it with spicy Asian foods – perfection!
Mystic Wines Pinot Noir 2003 – Temperance Hill, Willamette Valley, Oregon
I had this at Hans the day I first met Mystic owner and winemaker Rick Mafit, a buddy of Scott’s. An incredible blueberry and tart cheery, full fruit Pinot noir, I had finished two glasses of it before the first course was even finished. Later than evening I ended up getting into an argument with a woman who blamed all the “evil Californian transplants” for everything that is wrong with Bend. While Rick thought that was hilarious, I decided to move the word TEMPERANCE to the forefront of my vocabulary. Temperance Hill is quite famous for its Pinot Noir, and it is managed by the legendary Dai Crisp. This Pinot Noir is balanced, subtle, and changes as you enjoy it, each sip bringing out new falvors. A treat!
The menu for the Saturday, October 20 Winemaker Dinner is set. It is already half booked, so if you are interested, make your reservations today!
First Course: Crab Cakes with our Volcano Vineyards Viognier
Second Course: Wild Mushroom soup with our 2005 Merlot, Rogue Valley
Third Course: Coq au Vin with our 2004 Rogue Valley Lava Red Blend
Final Course: Tumulo Frams Cheese plate with our 2005 Syrah, Rogue Valley
Cost is $60/person which includes the dinner, one glass of wine per course, and service. Non-refundable payment is due at time of reservation. Call 541-617-1102 to reserve your spot today.
More stuff on sale...
Cancilla Cellars Chardonnay 2005– Willamette Valley, Oregon
A luscious Burgundian style chardonnay with the lightest hints of oak and butter. Soft, supple and food friendly with a good backbone.
EdenVale MidSummer’s Eve White – Southern Oregon
I do believe this is probably the worst name for a wine I’ve ever heard and yes, I know it refers to Shakespeare, but I, being a child of the 70s, have other inter-textual references pertaining to phrases containing the words “summer’s” and “eve.” ) This blend is great on any warm day, even if you have to create the warmth yourself by sitting next to a fire in your living room. A blend of chardonnay, pinot gris and muscat, this wine is off-dry with tropical overtones and a decadent lushness. Pair it with spicy Asian foods – perfection!
Mystic Wines Pinot Noir 2003 – Temperance Hill, Willamette Valley, Oregon
I had this at Hans the day I first met Mystic owner and winemaker Rick Mafit, a buddy of Scott’s. An incredible blueberry and tart cheery, full fruit Pinot noir, I had finished two glasses of it before the first course was even finished. Later than evening I ended up getting into an argument with a woman who blamed all the “evil Californian transplants” for everything that is wrong with Bend. While Rick thought that was hilarious, I decided to move the word TEMPERANCE to the forefront of my vocabulary. Temperance Hill is quite famous for its Pinot Noir, and it is managed by the legendary Dai Crisp. This Pinot Noir is balanced, subtle, and changes as you enjoy it, each sip bringing out new falvors. A treat!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
More Dirt on Soil... part 2
From a nutritional perspective, grapes are less demanding than most crops, and most challenges can be handles through various vineyard management tools, like cover crops, tilling schedules, etc. But there are some basic features one would want when deciding where to plant grapes. (See Wine Science by Ron S. Jackson for more detailed information).
Stressing the vines – fact of fiction? Lower soil fertility is actually a good thing for grape vines, as it forces the energy of the pant to focus on development of the fruit. An added bonus is that many low-nutrient soils are porous – a good thing for many reasons. Porous soil allows the roots to extend deeper. Vines then become less susceptible to drought conditions, since they can source their moisture and nutrients from below the ground. The happy result is more consistency is grape quality fro year to year.
Drainage is also an important factor, assisting the area around to vine to warm more quickly, protecting against cooler temperatures, including frost. Good drainage has also been tied to earlier spring growth.
So, soil type has a more indirect influence on resultant grape quality – still important, but not the dominant factor.
Specific soil types later this week… stay tuned!
Stressing the vines – fact of fiction? Lower soil fertility is actually a good thing for grape vines, as it forces the energy of the pant to focus on development of the fruit. An added bonus is that many low-nutrient soils are porous – a good thing for many reasons. Porous soil allows the roots to extend deeper. Vines then become less susceptible to drought conditions, since they can source their moisture and nutrients from below the ground. The happy result is more consistency is grape quality fro year to year.
Drainage is also an important factor, assisting the area around to vine to warm more quickly, protecting against cooler temperatures, including frost. Good drainage has also been tied to earlier spring growth.
So, soil type has a more indirect influence on resultant grape quality – still important, but not the dominant factor.
Specific soil types later this week… stay tuned!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Tasting Notes for our Mini-Sale Items
This is a "fall cleaning" kind of sale - we have just a few bottles left of each of these.
Sagelands Chardonnay 2005 – Columbia Valley
A well-balanced green apple and citrus chardonnay with a nice round finish. Great by itself or pair it with the traditional white wine foods – fish, chicken, salad.
Sonoma Oaks Chardonnay 2005– Russian River, CA
Don’t let the name fool you – this chard is UN-oaked. I’ve had many a disappointing un-oaked chard that have overtones of metal… errr, I mean, minerals, but these guys got it right. Luscious, round, full bodied with a crisp finish – finally, a chard that pairs well with food. Caesar salad, chicken cordon bleu, even pork chops would work well.
Tertulia Cellars Viognier 2005 – Columbia Valley
The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.
Cougar Crest Viognier 2005 – Walla Walla Valley
Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.
Mystic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Columbia Valley
This wonderful wine is solid and intense with flavors of blackberry, currant and tobacco, with round tannins and a plush mouth feel. Only 150 cases produced!
Bonne Chance Petite Sirah 2003 – Redwood Valley, CA
ORGANIC!!! Anise on the nose, tart strawberry, rich and bold with a deep purple color. Pairs nicely with bold food: steaks, Mexican fare, Cajun cuisine
Mt. Vernon Winery Port – Sierra Foothills, CA
This port is made from Syrah, a bold, rich and lush dessert wine with floral accents and a dark chocolate finish.
Sagelands Chardonnay 2005 – Columbia Valley
A well-balanced green apple and citrus chardonnay with a nice round finish. Great by itself or pair it with the traditional white wine foods – fish, chicken, salad.
Sonoma Oaks Chardonnay 2005– Russian River, CA
Don’t let the name fool you – this chard is UN-oaked. I’ve had many a disappointing un-oaked chard that have overtones of metal… errr, I mean, minerals, but these guys got it right. Luscious, round, full bodied with a crisp finish – finally, a chard that pairs well with food. Caesar salad, chicken cordon bleu, even pork chops would work well.
Tertulia Cellars Viognier 2005 – Columbia Valley
The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.
Cougar Crest Viognier 2005 – Walla Walla Valley
Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.
Mystic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Columbia Valley
This wonderful wine is solid and intense with flavors of blackberry, currant and tobacco, with round tannins and a plush mouth feel. Only 150 cases produced!
Bonne Chance Petite Sirah 2003 – Redwood Valley, CA
ORGANIC!!! Anise on the nose, tart strawberry, rich and bold with a deep purple color. Pairs nicely with bold food: steaks, Mexican fare, Cajun cuisine
Mt. Vernon Winery Port – Sierra Foothills, CA
This port is made from Syrah, a bold, rich and lush dessert wine with floral accents and a dark chocolate finish.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Dirt on Soil - Part 1
I was editing some of our marketing materials the other day, our fact sheet on our vineyard sources. And I was disgusted with myself because in it, I throw around soil types like Rouche silt loam and Selmac loam. And that is as far as I went. Now, unless my target market is limited to geologist enophiles, I couldn’t understand why in the world I threw that out there with no explanation. How many wine consumers know the benefits of Jory or Nekia soil? What makes Manita loam a great home for vines? Why is this info any consumer would want to know?
The wine industry as a whole has been striving to de-mystify and “un-elite” wine. Was I implying that only soil-educated consumers are worthy of our wine? Of course not. Simply, naming the soil is a quick, compact way to convey certain vineyard characteristics that can affect grape quality. And in my defense this document was meant for wine buyers, sommeliers and other industry folk. But, it’s also great info for anyone who wants to know more.
So, we’ll take a few blogs to check out the dirt on soil…
There are over 800 distinct classifications of soil in Oregon, and vineyards are currently planted on over 60 of them. (Campbell & Fry, Oregon Viticulture, 2003). There are three broad categories: clay, silt or sand. Other distinct characteristics of soils that influence vines include texture and structure, drainage, water and nutrient holding capacity, and pH.
Of these, texture and structure are the dominant qualities affecting vines, since they determine how deeply the roots will grow, and rate of drainage. Most of these influences are indirect. And many soil factors, such a how well it holds nutrients, can be managed in the vineyard through cover crops or even changing mowing schedules.
There has been some arguing lately in the wine industry press about that elusive concept of “terroir.” Many folks claim that when they drink wines from the great regions in France they can taste the minerals. But recent studies have found no scientific evidence that any detectable mineral compounds are present in the wines, and they suspect the taste differences between a grape grown in California versus one in France has more to do with climate than soil. (Wines & Vines covers the terroir issue quite frequently and thoroughly – I will post exactly in which issue these studies were featured once I track them down, although I believe it was late in 2006).
Next we’ll look at exactly what soil does influence, then we’ll take a closer look at some specific types of soil found in Oregon.
The wine industry as a whole has been striving to de-mystify and “un-elite” wine. Was I implying that only soil-educated consumers are worthy of our wine? Of course not. Simply, naming the soil is a quick, compact way to convey certain vineyard characteristics that can affect grape quality. And in my defense this document was meant for wine buyers, sommeliers and other industry folk. But, it’s also great info for anyone who wants to know more.
So, we’ll take a few blogs to check out the dirt on soil…
There are over 800 distinct classifications of soil in Oregon, and vineyards are currently planted on over 60 of them. (Campbell & Fry, Oregon Viticulture, 2003). There are three broad categories: clay, silt or sand. Other distinct characteristics of soils that influence vines include texture and structure, drainage, water and nutrient holding capacity, and pH.
Of these, texture and structure are the dominant qualities affecting vines, since they determine how deeply the roots will grow, and rate of drainage. Most of these influences are indirect. And many soil factors, such a how well it holds nutrients, can be managed in the vineyard through cover crops or even changing mowing schedules.
There has been some arguing lately in the wine industry press about that elusive concept of “terroir.” Many folks claim that when they drink wines from the great regions in France they can taste the minerals. But recent studies have found no scientific evidence that any detectable mineral compounds are present in the wines, and they suspect the taste differences between a grape grown in California versus one in France has more to do with climate than soil. (Wines & Vines covers the terroir issue quite frequently and thoroughly – I will post exactly in which issue these studies were featured once I track them down, although I believe it was late in 2006).
Next we’ll look at exactly what soil does influence, then we’ll take a closer look at some specific types of soil found in Oregon.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Stress Case? Relax!
Well, we blew threw eight cases of Relax Riesling this week. I guess the price was right! And now it is gone, but fear not – it you want more, we will gladly order it for you, by the case, at $8 per bottle (as long as the distributor keeps the price the same).
Members of The Order of the Volcano should remember that we will always order wines we do not normally carry for you by the case from the distributors and only charge 10% over cost. AND we will deliver to you in Central Oregon. That’s quite a deal, with some great service on top of it!
But back to the Relax issue. We are no longer going to stock it since it doesn’t really fit with what we are doing in the Tasting Lounge. When we first opened, just over a year ago, we only had two wines released – our Merlot and our Syrah. So we carry wines from other small producers to round out our offerings. We now have four wines, and are finding that most folks who have come in this summer are pretty much only interested on our wines.
We will continue to carry other unique and boutique wines from artisan wineries – these will generally be wines no one else carries, since we buy directly from the producers who are usually friends of ours. Relax is a German wine from a HUGE producer. Ordering a few cases is no big deal, and we are happy to do it. All you have to do is ask!
Members of The Order of the Volcano should remember that we will always order wines we do not normally carry for you by the case from the distributors and only charge 10% over cost. AND we will deliver to you in Central Oregon. That’s quite a deal, with some great service on top of it!
But back to the Relax issue. We are no longer going to stock it since it doesn’t really fit with what we are doing in the Tasting Lounge. When we first opened, just over a year ago, we only had two wines released – our Merlot and our Syrah. So we carry wines from other small producers to round out our offerings. We now have four wines, and are finding that most folks who have come in this summer are pretty much only interested on our wines.
We will continue to carry other unique and boutique wines from artisan wineries – these will generally be wines no one else carries, since we buy directly from the producers who are usually friends of ours. Relax is a German wine from a HUGE producer. Ordering a few cases is no big deal, and we are happy to do it. All you have to do is ask!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Yer Outta Here!
I know our hours of operation have seemed inconsistent and non-committal in the past. Much of that has to do with our trying to find optimal hours of operation, coupled with the fact that we are a three person team, and two of us are trying to run the rest of the business plus raise our two and four year old boys. But now that the Tasting Lounge has been open for just over a year we fell like we are hitting the balance, so we decided to abandon the wishy-washy “noon to close” and firm up our hours. Going forward this summer we will be open at 11:30 daily, closing at 6 on Sunday and Monday and 8:30 Wednesday to Saturday. We will remain “by appointment only” on Tuesdays.
The closing times probably seem early to some. But, a few Friday nights ago I had to “refuse service” to two gentleman who came into the Tasting Lounge around 9:30. The first clue that things were amiss was when one of them threw money at me and said, “Just give me a bottle of some sh$t red wine,” to which I responded, “I’m sorry but we don’t have any sh$t red wine here.”
They then seated themselves in the front window and I sat next to one of them and explained to them that I was not comfortable serving them as they had obviously had a great deal to drink before coming here and that I was going to have to ask them to leave. And one fellow said, “Oh, well, don’t you speak so nicely! Aren’t you just soooo polite.” Perhaps they would have felt more comfortable if I had begun swearing and threatening them, but I get the feeling that no matter what I would have said or how I would have approached it, these guys were hoping to cause a scene.
Then they started on the whole, “We’re just working guys, trying to relax after a hard day,” and then made some vague accusations that if diners from Deep were to want some wine I would welcome them with open arms. As I continued to herd them out the door I explained that if some patrons from Deep came into that Tasting Room I would be more than happy to serve them unless they, too, were visibly intoxicated in which case I would also ask them to leave. Then came the “rich a$$h*les” comments as they continued down the street.
Ironically, those two guys probably have more money at their disposal than Scott and I do. We haven’t gotten a paycheck in almost two years and we’ve poured not only our hearts and souls into Volcano Vineyards, but all of our savings as well (not to mention mounds of debt). That particular day I started working at 5 a.m. and it was after 9:30 p.m. that I threw them out. This year Scott and I have had a total of five days off. So we don’t have a lot of patience for this attitude.
This is not the first time we have had some self-pitying, intoxicated individuals come into the Tasting Lounge. The common thread is that these incidents always happen after the sun goes down. So after discussing this most recent episode, Scott and I reminded ourselves that we are not a bar. This is the Tasting Lounge for our winery. We want folks to be able to join us for a glass of wine after work or before heading out to dinner and, most importantly, to be able to enjoy their time with us. Having us act as bouncers is not fun for anyone.
The closing times probably seem early to some. But, a few Friday nights ago I had to “refuse service” to two gentleman who came into the Tasting Lounge around 9:30. The first clue that things were amiss was when one of them threw money at me and said, “Just give me a bottle of some sh$t red wine,” to which I responded, “I’m sorry but we don’t have any sh$t red wine here.”
They then seated themselves in the front window and I sat next to one of them and explained to them that I was not comfortable serving them as they had obviously had a great deal to drink before coming here and that I was going to have to ask them to leave. And one fellow said, “Oh, well, don’t you speak so nicely! Aren’t you just soooo polite.” Perhaps they would have felt more comfortable if I had begun swearing and threatening them, but I get the feeling that no matter what I would have said or how I would have approached it, these guys were hoping to cause a scene.
Then they started on the whole, “We’re just working guys, trying to relax after a hard day,” and then made some vague accusations that if diners from Deep were to want some wine I would welcome them with open arms. As I continued to herd them out the door I explained that if some patrons from Deep came into that Tasting Room I would be more than happy to serve them unless they, too, were visibly intoxicated in which case I would also ask them to leave. Then came the “rich a$$h*les” comments as they continued down the street.
Ironically, those two guys probably have more money at their disposal than Scott and I do. We haven’t gotten a paycheck in almost two years and we’ve poured not only our hearts and souls into Volcano Vineyards, but all of our savings as well (not to mention mounds of debt). That particular day I started working at 5 a.m. and it was after 9:30 p.m. that I threw them out. This year Scott and I have had a total of five days off. So we don’t have a lot of patience for this attitude.
This is not the first time we have had some self-pitying, intoxicated individuals come into the Tasting Lounge. The common thread is that these incidents always happen after the sun goes down. So after discussing this most recent episode, Scott and I reminded ourselves that we are not a bar. This is the Tasting Lounge for our winery. We want folks to be able to join us for a glass of wine after work or before heading out to dinner and, most importantly, to be able to enjoy their time with us. Having us act as bouncers is not fun for anyone.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Show Me Something Different
We are back from St. Louis, travel weary and waaaay behind on things. But while we were there we checked out a few wineries in the Augusta, Missouri AVA, the first officially recognized appellation in the US. Missouri has a long tradition of winemaking and was the second largest producer in the country until prohibition. In fact, in 1873 a wine made from Missouri’s best known varietal, Norton, was chosen as the “Best Red Wine of All Nations” at an international competition in Vienna. Who knew wine competitions were a big thing even back then?
It was great to break out of the wine rut we’ve been in. They make no syrah, merlot, chardonnay or pinot noir or gris in Missouri. Here are some of their featured varietals:
Seyval Blanc: A French/American hybrid, this is a cold climate, early ripening grape with a high acidity that makes it a natural candidate for some residual sugar. The resulting wine is crisp and food friendly, a low-intensity wine that is great on those hot and humid afternoons the Mid-West is famous for.
Chardonnel: A cross between chardonnay and seyval blanc, it is a late-ripening, cold-climate hardy grape. All the chardonnels we tasted had gone through malolactic fermentation and had lots of oak time, so try to guess what I though of them….
Vidal Blanc: Floral and fruity, this is another high acidity wine that can take some residual sugar. I thought it consistently had richer fruit flavors and a bit more depth than the seyval blanc. We brought some of this home with us.
Norton: The king of Missouri red varietals, although Virginia is aggressively promoting this grape as well. Norton is thought to be the same grape as Cynthiana – the differences usually come from the wine’s style. Nortons are comparable to cab sauv, although much earthier with a notable spice and a definitely “grape-eee-ness” that is the typical sign a grape is native to North America (although they suspect Norton is most likely a hybrid). It is definitely a great red when you want something bold and different.
Chambourcin: Nouveau in style, this is a much lighter red, fruity and light. Another cold-hardy varietal that ripens late and thrives in humid conditions. This one has been confirmed a French/American hybrid, so you see, we can do great stuff with the French after all. We grabbed some blends of Norton and Chambourcin as souvenirs. Yum!
Off-the-Beaten-Path varietals are the next big thing in wines, folks, so jump right in and give these wines a try!
It was great to break out of the wine rut we’ve been in. They make no syrah, merlot, chardonnay or pinot noir or gris in Missouri. Here are some of their featured varietals:
Seyval Blanc: A French/American hybrid, this is a cold climate, early ripening grape with a high acidity that makes it a natural candidate for some residual sugar. The resulting wine is crisp and food friendly, a low-intensity wine that is great on those hot and humid afternoons the Mid-West is famous for.
Chardonnel: A cross between chardonnay and seyval blanc, it is a late-ripening, cold-climate hardy grape. All the chardonnels we tasted had gone through malolactic fermentation and had lots of oak time, so try to guess what I though of them….
Vidal Blanc: Floral and fruity, this is another high acidity wine that can take some residual sugar. I thought it consistently had richer fruit flavors and a bit more depth than the seyval blanc. We brought some of this home with us.
Norton: The king of Missouri red varietals, although Virginia is aggressively promoting this grape as well. Norton is thought to be the same grape as Cynthiana – the differences usually come from the wine’s style. Nortons are comparable to cab sauv, although much earthier with a notable spice and a definitely “grape-eee-ness” that is the typical sign a grape is native to North America (although they suspect Norton is most likely a hybrid). It is definitely a great red when you want something bold and different.
Chambourcin: Nouveau in style, this is a much lighter red, fruity and light. Another cold-hardy varietal that ripens late and thrives in humid conditions. This one has been confirmed a French/American hybrid, so you see, we can do great stuff with the French after all. We grabbed some blends of Norton and Chambourcin as souvenirs. Yum!
Off-the-Beaten-Path varietals are the next big thing in wines, folks, so jump right in and give these wines a try!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Coming Attractions
Thanks to everyone who popped by the Tasting Lounge to try the 2005s and the finalists from Scott’s 2005 Lava Red Blend trials. We appreciate the feedback!
For the blend, votes were evenly split for the most part, although a slight edge went to the 75% merlot 25% syrah version, which is the one Scott ultimately decided to go with. The 2005 Lava Red Blend will be lighter on the oak than the 2004, each wine having spent only 16 months in 25% new French oak. I know you oak lovers will be disappointed, but we’re sure you’ll appreciate the true fruit you can taste when there is no oak in your way. Yum!
And, although we are sold out of the 2004 Merlot, we are probably going to hold off on releasing the 2005s until Wine by the River which is happening the first weekend in October this year, I believe. We were hoping the 2005 Merlot would be magically ready to go once the 2004 was gone, but it needs a few more months in the bottle to add a bit of refinement. Wines are like little kids – they change drastically during those first three years, then the development levels off a bit – we are going to hold the wines until their evolution has slowed down. In the meantime, for you die-hard Merlot lovers, we now have Zerba Cellars’ Merlot in the Tasting Room.
For the blend, votes were evenly split for the most part, although a slight edge went to the 75% merlot 25% syrah version, which is the one Scott ultimately decided to go with. The 2005 Lava Red Blend will be lighter on the oak than the 2004, each wine having spent only 16 months in 25% new French oak. I know you oak lovers will be disappointed, but we’re sure you’ll appreciate the true fruit you can taste when there is no oak in your way. Yum!
And, although we are sold out of the 2004 Merlot, we are probably going to hold off on releasing the 2005s until Wine by the River which is happening the first weekend in October this year, I believe. We were hoping the 2005 Merlot would be magically ready to go once the 2004 was gone, but it needs a few more months in the bottle to add a bit of refinement. Wines are like little kids – they change drastically during those first three years, then the development levels off a bit – we are going to hold the wines until their evolution has slowed down. In the meantime, for you die-hard Merlot lovers, we now have Zerba Cellars’ Merlot in the Tasting Room.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Menu for July 12 Winemaker's Dinner
First Course – Blue Cheese Stuffed Figs Wrapped in Proscuitto
Volcano Vineyards 2005 Viognier - Mendocino
Our favorite cheese and wine paring: viognier and blue cheese. The acids of the Viognier balance the creaminess of the cheese, the fruitiness of the wine complements the blue’s strong flavors.
Second Course – Tri-tip and Wild Mushroom Salad with a Red Wine Vinaigrette
Volcano Vineyards 2004 Red Blend – Rogue Valley
With 50% Merlot, 48% Syrah and 2% Viognier, this wine accents foods rich in Umami (the savory taste), like beef and mushrooms. The wine also has a richness from 24 months in American oak which balances out the tangy vinaigrette.
Third Course – Oven Roasted Kalua Pulled Pork
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004 - Rogue Valley
We just got the review back on our Syrah from Wine Press Northwest. They rated it “Outstanding!” which is their higest rating. Syrah traditionally pairs well with pork, thanks to its rich blueberry flavors. Since our Syrah is light on the oak, you oak lovers will feel that void filled from the Kalua flavors in the sauce.
Dessert – Poached Pear Custard Tart
Harris Bridge Vineyards Three Roses Dessert Wine – Willamette Valley
A perfect, light, summer dessert paired with this luscious rosé dessert wine from Harris Bridge. Have you ever had a rosé dessert wine before? Aren’t you curious??? Harris Bridge uses an Ice Wine method for their production, waiting until the grapes hit optimal sugars and acids. The result: well-balanced and lush but not overly sweet.
Volcano Vineyards 2005 Viognier - Mendocino
Our favorite cheese and wine paring: viognier and blue cheese. The acids of the Viognier balance the creaminess of the cheese, the fruitiness of the wine complements the blue’s strong flavors.
Second Course – Tri-tip and Wild Mushroom Salad with a Red Wine Vinaigrette
Volcano Vineyards 2004 Red Blend – Rogue Valley
With 50% Merlot, 48% Syrah and 2% Viognier, this wine accents foods rich in Umami (the savory taste), like beef and mushrooms. The wine also has a richness from 24 months in American oak which balances out the tangy vinaigrette.
Third Course – Oven Roasted Kalua Pulled Pork
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004 - Rogue Valley
We just got the review back on our Syrah from Wine Press Northwest. They rated it “Outstanding!” which is their higest rating. Syrah traditionally pairs well with pork, thanks to its rich blueberry flavors. Since our Syrah is light on the oak, you oak lovers will feel that void filled from the Kalua flavors in the sauce.
Dessert – Poached Pear Custard Tart
Harris Bridge Vineyards Three Roses Dessert Wine – Willamette Valley
A perfect, light, summer dessert paired with this luscious rosé dessert wine from Harris Bridge. Have you ever had a rosé dessert wine before? Aren’t you curious??? Harris Bridge uses an Ice Wine method for their production, waiting until the grapes hit optimal sugars and acids. The result: well-balanced and lush but not overly sweet.
Call today to reserve your spot for this wine dinner. Only $50/person, all-inclusive (non-refundable, due at time of reservation). 541.617.1102
www.VolcanoVineyards.com
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Don’t pop your cork!
On Sunday, we took the boys up to Hood River to see Thomas the Tank Engine and thought we’d make a few days of it before we went to our summer hours in the Tasting Room (which start this Wednesday, by the way – noon to close daily, except Tuesdays which remain by appointment only). Our plan was to spend Monday and Tuesday visiting the Columbia Gorge wineries. There are some great ones: Pheasant Valley, Syncline, Cathedral Ridge, and the Pines to name but a few. And I was going to blog about it here. However, after settling into our hotel room, the boys were CRAZY and we ended up deciding to leave (before we were asked to) and drove home instead. Two years old plus four years old plus ice cream plus confined hotel room equals nightmare.
So, instead, let’s talk about warm summer days and wine. Last week, a gal brought back a bottle of our syrah she had purchased the day before. The cork has been pushed out and I said, “Looks like you maybe left this in your car overnight…?” And she said, “Yeah, I did!” Well… wine is alive and very delicate and does not like temperature fluctuations. If it gets to hot, it will pop its cork…literally. This is also why we won’t ship wine during the summer.
We also suggest that once you open a bottle, try to finish it within the next 36 to 48 hours or so. While leaving a bottle un-gassed over night it a quick way to see if it has aging potential, any longer than that, it will start to oxidize. If you smell the wine and can detect aromas of rust or metal, the wine is dying. My parents are notorious for opening a bottle of wine, having a glass each, then putting the bottle back in the cupboard for a week or more. The next time they want a glass, the wine is undrinkable. Wine is, after all, fruit. And like most fruit, it won’t last forever once exposed to oxygen. So, drink up! (But, responsibly, of course).
We are tossing around the idea of doing half bottles, although it will probably have to wait until our production increases significantly. Doing a short run of labels for the smaller bottles would cost a fortune. Here’s to the day we can take advantage of economies of scale!
So, instead, let’s talk about warm summer days and wine. Last week, a gal brought back a bottle of our syrah she had purchased the day before. The cork has been pushed out and I said, “Looks like you maybe left this in your car overnight…?” And she said, “Yeah, I did!” Well… wine is alive and very delicate and does not like temperature fluctuations. If it gets to hot, it will pop its cork…literally. This is also why we won’t ship wine during the summer.
We also suggest that once you open a bottle, try to finish it within the next 36 to 48 hours or so. While leaving a bottle un-gassed over night it a quick way to see if it has aging potential, any longer than that, it will start to oxidize. If you smell the wine and can detect aromas of rust or metal, the wine is dying. My parents are notorious for opening a bottle of wine, having a glass each, then putting the bottle back in the cupboard for a week or more. The next time they want a glass, the wine is undrinkable. Wine is, after all, fruit. And like most fruit, it won’t last forever once exposed to oxygen. So, drink up! (But, responsibly, of course).
We are tossing around the idea of doing half bottles, although it will probably have to wait until our production increases significantly. Doing a short run of labels for the smaller bottles would cost a fortune. Here’s to the day we can take advantage of economies of scale!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Oh, Those Tasting Fees
We had a woman in the Tasting Room who angrily threw three dollars at us, enraged that she had to pay to sample our wine. As she stomped out before getting the explanation, I thought maybe this would help clarify things:
#1: The history of complimentary tastes. Wineries initially used complimentary tastes to draw people out to their winery sites – generally miles and miles outside of cities, meaning folks had the winery as their primary destination – guests were “pre-screened,” as it were. The majority of wine regions that don’t need the allure of free wine to attract customers now charge tasting fees. Again, this is a way to ferret out folks with genuine interest in wine from folks looking for a free buzz. So, the first reason we charge for tastings is this: we are not out in a remote winery location. Our Tasting Room is in Downtown Bend.
#2: We are located in Downtown Bend. Our Tasting Room is surrounded by bars and restaurants. In fact, there is a bar right next door. If you had your business right next to a bar, would you give away any alcohol product for free? We get a lot of walk-by traffic, people who notice our signs and mosey on in to see what’s up. And like it or not, folks, most of the industry is heading towards tasting fees.
#3: The OLCC. Our Tasting Room is kid friendly – we welcome families with kids, have toys and chairs for kids, and advertise that fact. The OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) asks that in return we have certain controls in place to ensure minors are not served alcohol, and one of their requests was “no free tastes.” Do I even need to continue?
#4: We credit back the tasting fee towards the purchase of that bottle of wine. Seems more than fair to us – many wineries won’t even do that, reasoning that the taste is a product (and it is) and you paid to purchase that product.
#5: We almost ALWAYS have additional wines open that we will include in a flight at no extra charge. Unless a visitor is being a butthead, in which case they get nothing. Haha!
#6: We are not a multi-national corporation that can afford to spend millions of dollars promoting their product. The winery is me and Scott. We are very, very small. We didn’t have any money when we started and now we have even less. If someone wants cookie cutter, economies-of-scale, corporate Mega-Mart wine, then we are probably not for them anyway.
#7: Our Tasting Room is a bargain. In contrast to the Mega-Mart wines, the wines we pour in addition to ours are also premium and ultra-premium wines. See similar wines on a restaurant wine list and the glass price will hover close to $20. We are offering folks the opportunity to sample $25, $30 and even some $50 wines for only a few dollars.
#8: Tastes add up. If you are enjoying a full flight – even our shortest flight - you will end up consuming almost the equivalent of a full glass of wine.
#1: The history of complimentary tastes. Wineries initially used complimentary tastes to draw people out to their winery sites – generally miles and miles outside of cities, meaning folks had the winery as their primary destination – guests were “pre-screened,” as it were. The majority of wine regions that don’t need the allure of free wine to attract customers now charge tasting fees. Again, this is a way to ferret out folks with genuine interest in wine from folks looking for a free buzz. So, the first reason we charge for tastings is this: we are not out in a remote winery location. Our Tasting Room is in Downtown Bend.
#2: We are located in Downtown Bend. Our Tasting Room is surrounded by bars and restaurants. In fact, there is a bar right next door. If you had your business right next to a bar, would you give away any alcohol product for free? We get a lot of walk-by traffic, people who notice our signs and mosey on in to see what’s up. And like it or not, folks, most of the industry is heading towards tasting fees.
#3: The OLCC. Our Tasting Room is kid friendly – we welcome families with kids, have toys and chairs for kids, and advertise that fact. The OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) asks that in return we have certain controls in place to ensure minors are not served alcohol, and one of their requests was “no free tastes.” Do I even need to continue?
#4: We credit back the tasting fee towards the purchase of that bottle of wine. Seems more than fair to us – many wineries won’t even do that, reasoning that the taste is a product (and it is) and you paid to purchase that product.
#5: We almost ALWAYS have additional wines open that we will include in a flight at no extra charge. Unless a visitor is being a butthead, in which case they get nothing. Haha!
#6: We are not a multi-national corporation that can afford to spend millions of dollars promoting their product. The winery is me and Scott. We are very, very small. We didn’t have any money when we started and now we have even less. If someone wants cookie cutter, economies-of-scale, corporate Mega-Mart wine, then we are probably not for them anyway.
#7: Our Tasting Room is a bargain. In contrast to the Mega-Mart wines, the wines we pour in addition to ours are also premium and ultra-premium wines. See similar wines on a restaurant wine list and the glass price will hover close to $20. We are offering folks the opportunity to sample $25, $30 and even some $50 wines for only a few dollars.
#8: Tastes add up. If you are enjoying a full flight – even our shortest flight - you will end up consuming almost the equivalent of a full glass of wine.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Obtaining Closure
The Bend Bulletin did a feature story last fall on wine closures – cork vs synthetic vs screw top, etc. They did not consult us before publishing (shocking, I know) and that’s too bad because it is a topic Scott and I have spent many hours researching and discussing. Yes, we are loads of fun at dinner parties.
I bring this up again now because Wine Business Monthly – one of the leading US wine industry trade mags, has just published its 2007 closure survey report. And for the second year in a row, we are quoted. Once it publishes on line I’ll get the link to the article here. The thrust of the piece is that cork still dominates, but screw tops are gaining acceptance from consumers, and new closure types are on the horizon.
For our premiere vintages we opted for natural cork for a variety of reason – consumer perception being one, and lack of studies on long term aging with alternative closures, another. We chose a cork supplier (Rich Xiberta) who controls the full cycle of the cork closure production, from tree selection through final shipment to us. The high incidence of cork taint comes from corks produced without proper quality controls. For our less expensive red blend we chose a synthetic cork, primarily for cost reasons. The corks we use are $.55 each – the synthetic closures are a fraction of that. Since the red blend is meant to be consumed now, long term aging didn’t factor in our decision. For our less expensive wines, we will most likely switch to the screw top closures. Again, costs are an issue, and frankly the screw tops are easier for the consumer (no cork screw needed, a good thing if all your openers are now in the possession of airport security). I do admit the crack of a screw top on opening is not nearly as romantic as the pop of a cork.
We have also decided to switch to the glass stoppers for our top tier wines beginning with the 2006 vintage. These closures are stunning – keepsakes, almost. And recyclable! Sineann uses these closures on its reds - come in to the Tasting Room and we will be happy show you.
I bring this up again now because Wine Business Monthly – one of the leading US wine industry trade mags, has just published its 2007 closure survey report. And for the second year in a row, we are quoted. Once it publishes on line I’ll get the link to the article here. The thrust of the piece is that cork still dominates, but screw tops are gaining acceptance from consumers, and new closure types are on the horizon.
For our premiere vintages we opted for natural cork for a variety of reason – consumer perception being one, and lack of studies on long term aging with alternative closures, another. We chose a cork supplier (Rich Xiberta) who controls the full cycle of the cork closure production, from tree selection through final shipment to us. The high incidence of cork taint comes from corks produced without proper quality controls. For our less expensive red blend we chose a synthetic cork, primarily for cost reasons. The corks we use are $.55 each – the synthetic closures are a fraction of that. Since the red blend is meant to be consumed now, long term aging didn’t factor in our decision. For our less expensive wines, we will most likely switch to the screw top closures. Again, costs are an issue, and frankly the screw tops are easier for the consumer (no cork screw needed, a good thing if all your openers are now in the possession of airport security). I do admit the crack of a screw top on opening is not nearly as romantic as the pop of a cork.
We have also decided to switch to the glass stoppers for our top tier wines beginning with the 2006 vintage. These closures are stunning – keepsakes, almost. And recyclable! Sineann uses these closures on its reds - come in to the Tasting Room and we will be happy show you.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Meza and Vino and Volcano Vineyards
May 31, 2007 at 7 pm - Traditional Lebanese Meza prepared by Chef Ramsey of Barking Squirrel Catering
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT, but you can still add your name to the waiting list. Only $50/person, all-inclusive.
541.617.1102
FIRST COURSE - Lemon, Garlic and Tahini Hummus, Hummus with Buffalo, Baba Ghanouj
Tyee Pinot Blanc -Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pinot Blanc is a high acidity wine, making it very food friendly, especially when paired with the creamy, rich flavors and textures of hummus and baba ghanouj. Its musky aromas and flavors of apple, almond, melon and spice will complement the lemon, garlic, buffalo and eggplant beautifully. Winemaker Barney Watson is one of Scott's mentors - a great guy who makes remarkable wine.
SECOND COURSE - Tabbouli Salad and Fattoush Salad (Lebanese Bread Salad)
Amity Vineyards Riesling 2004 - Willamette Valley, Oregon
This is a dry Riesling from Amity Vineyards, again, a wine with well-balanced acidity, plus clean, up-front fruit that can handle strong spices.
THIRD COURSE - Sumac Lemon Garlic Chicken Kebab and Shaniko Lamb Basha
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004- Rogue Valley, Oregon
Our syrah – which was designed to be food-friendly - works perfectly with salty and bitter food, which allow the fruit flavors of blueberry and plum shine through. Lamb is the ideal meat pairing with the syrah as is the lemon and garlic flavors with the chicken dish.
DESSERT - Apricot Baklava with Rosewater Syrup
La Rocca Late Harvest Zinfandel 2002 - Sierra Foothills, California
The apricots lend a nice acidity to balance out the sweetness in the zinfandel. La Rocca wines are organic and made without added sulfites.
Hope to see you there!
www.volcanovineyards.com
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT, but you can still add your name to the waiting list. Only $50/person, all-inclusive.
541.617.1102
FIRST COURSE - Lemon, Garlic and Tahini Hummus, Hummus with Buffalo, Baba Ghanouj
Tyee Pinot Blanc -Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pinot Blanc is a high acidity wine, making it very food friendly, especially when paired with the creamy, rich flavors and textures of hummus and baba ghanouj. Its musky aromas and flavors of apple, almond, melon and spice will complement the lemon, garlic, buffalo and eggplant beautifully. Winemaker Barney Watson is one of Scott's mentors - a great guy who makes remarkable wine.
SECOND COURSE - Tabbouli Salad and Fattoush Salad (Lebanese Bread Salad)
Amity Vineyards Riesling 2004 - Willamette Valley, Oregon
This is a dry Riesling from Amity Vineyards, again, a wine with well-balanced acidity, plus clean, up-front fruit that can handle strong spices.
THIRD COURSE - Sumac Lemon Garlic Chicken Kebab and Shaniko Lamb Basha
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004- Rogue Valley, Oregon
Our syrah – which was designed to be food-friendly - works perfectly with salty and bitter food, which allow the fruit flavors of blueberry and plum shine through. Lamb is the ideal meat pairing with the syrah as is the lemon and garlic flavors with the chicken dish.
DESSERT - Apricot Baklava with Rosewater Syrup
La Rocca Late Harvest Zinfandel 2002 - Sierra Foothills, California
The apricots lend a nice acidity to balance out the sweetness in the zinfandel. La Rocca wines are organic and made without added sulfites.
Hope to see you there!
www.volcanovineyards.com
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Volcano Vineyards Vintage Updates
Vintage 2005: The 2005s are in the bottle, we’re just waiting on final label approval from the Feds. Both merlot and syrah are tasting great. The merlot is another triumph from Aguila Vineyard in Talent, although for 2005 Scott decided to blend in about 8% cabernet franc. Right now that change is most evident in the nose, which has a distinct hint of cassis, blackberry and violet.
As many of you know, the Aguila Vineyard syrah never fully ripened in 2005. While our original plan was to have two distinct syrah styles for vintage 2005, we’ll only have the Lakeside Vineyard Syrah. Those grapes are a Hermitage Clone, and the site is much more vigorous than Aguila. Right now it is much bigger than the 2004, less earthy, distinct raspberry on the nose, bold fruit throughout and starting to show the classic syrah white pepper on the finish.
Release dates will probably be late summer. After two years of no increase, prices are going up for vintage 2005 – but you can pre-order Vintage 2005 wine now at Vintage 2004 prices. Use our secure on-line store, pop into the Tasting Room or call us toll free at 866.844.9487.
Volcano Vineyards website: http://www.volcanovineyards.com/
Vintage 2006: It’s racking and blending time. Racking is a siphoning process that removes the sediment which accumulates during barrel aging. It is also the perfect time to consider any blending. This last week Scott was in Medford doing blending trials and he decided to keep the Ft. Miller syrah as a single vineyards designated wine, while the Serenade Vineyard and Lakeside Vineyard syrahs will be blended together. Serenade Vineyard is similar to Aguila in that it sits at an elevation (2100 feet), but the vines face west, get sun all day and are treated to a cool breeze that keeps the temperatures from getting too hot. So, the grapes have good acidity but slightly higher sugars than the Aguila grapes. This syrah will be complex with characteristics of both warm weather syrahs and cool weather syrahs. The syrah grapes from all three vineyards were co-fermented with viognier. I’m not going to torture you with the viognier speech again, but if you need a refresher, you can find it in the archives of our blog.
The producers of Rogue Valley wines get together every year for a blind tastings of their barrel samples. This year, our 2006 merlot and syrahs were at the top of the heap. We are predicting the 2006 wines to be our breakout vintage.
As many of you know, the Aguila Vineyard syrah never fully ripened in 2005. While our original plan was to have two distinct syrah styles for vintage 2005, we’ll only have the Lakeside Vineyard Syrah. Those grapes are a Hermitage Clone, and the site is much more vigorous than Aguila. Right now it is much bigger than the 2004, less earthy, distinct raspberry on the nose, bold fruit throughout and starting to show the classic syrah white pepper on the finish.
Release dates will probably be late summer. After two years of no increase, prices are going up for vintage 2005 – but you can pre-order Vintage 2005 wine now at Vintage 2004 prices. Use our secure on-line store, pop into the Tasting Room or call us toll free at 866.844.9487.
Volcano Vineyards website: http://www.volcanovineyards.com/
Vintage 2006: It’s racking and blending time. Racking is a siphoning process that removes the sediment which accumulates during barrel aging. It is also the perfect time to consider any blending. This last week Scott was in Medford doing blending trials and he decided to keep the Ft. Miller syrah as a single vineyards designated wine, while the Serenade Vineyard and Lakeside Vineyard syrahs will be blended together. Serenade Vineyard is similar to Aguila in that it sits at an elevation (2100 feet), but the vines face west, get sun all day and are treated to a cool breeze that keeps the temperatures from getting too hot. So, the grapes have good acidity but slightly higher sugars than the Aguila grapes. This syrah will be complex with characteristics of both warm weather syrahs and cool weather syrahs. The syrah grapes from all three vineyards were co-fermented with viognier. I’m not going to torture you with the viognier speech again, but if you need a refresher, you can find it in the archives of our blog.
The producers of Rogue Valley wines get together every year for a blind tastings of their barrel samples. This year, our 2006 merlot and syrahs were at the top of the heap. We are predicting the 2006 wines to be our breakout vintage.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The “Virtual” Winery vs The “Micro” Winery
Bend’s newest glossy mag has just published its first issue and we have a nice mention in it. They spelled our last name incorrectly and referred to us as a “virtual” winery, but you know what they say: All publicity is good publicity. So, we appreciate the nod.
But I do want to clear up this “virtual” vs “micro” winery topic. As both business models become more common throughout the wine industry, the distinction is becoming more defined and apparent.
The VIRTUAL Winery: Can be operated by someone living thousands of miles from the production site. They write the checks to a production facility which then handles the entire process – from sourcing grapes through the finished wine in the bottle. The owner can sometimes watch the progress of their wine via the web, and they can even visit on-site and participate in their wine production. Day to day involvement is absolutely unnecessary. In fact, any involvement beyond sending money is unnecessary. The Virtual Winery owner can be as involved or as detached as he or she wants to be.
The MICRO Winery: Run in basically the same way as a 100,000 case per year winery, except production facilities are contracted rather than owned. Producers may grow their own grapes, or source their own. We spent years finding and securing long term contracts with the best growers. Producers of Micro-Wineries have all the final wine-making decisions – yeasts, barrel program composition, blending, bottling issues – the whole shebang. Consultants may be used – just like the giant multi-national producers. But the responsibility for the full-cycle – from grape to wine in the bottle – rests solely with the producer.
You may have read recently that there is only one winery in Central Oregon. That is not true. There is one commercial wine production facility. Volcano Vineyards® is a licensed Oregon winery and the address on our license reads “Bend, Oregon.”
Sometimes it seems as though we are being penalized for not having the millions of dollars it takes to open our own winery facility. Well, we’re working on it. In the meantime, with debt up to our eyeballs, we have focused on the grapes that are producing wines that are winning awards across the U.S. including a gold medal for our 2004 syrah from the largest domestic wine competition in the country (the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition). So, have patience with us. We will have our very own production facility some day. And we seem to be off to a good start. But doing the production facility the right way – to allow us to produce wines of superior quality - will take time and funding. If we decided to do a commercial wine production facility on the cheap, we could have chosen to simply buy bulk wine, get it to Bend on a tanker truck, blend, then bottle it – a perfectly legitimate business model, but not the path we’ve taken.
I hope this clears things up and gives everyone a better idea of what we are doing.
But I do want to clear up this “virtual” vs “micro” winery topic. As both business models become more common throughout the wine industry, the distinction is becoming more defined and apparent.
The VIRTUAL Winery: Can be operated by someone living thousands of miles from the production site. They write the checks to a production facility which then handles the entire process – from sourcing grapes through the finished wine in the bottle. The owner can sometimes watch the progress of their wine via the web, and they can even visit on-site and participate in their wine production. Day to day involvement is absolutely unnecessary. In fact, any involvement beyond sending money is unnecessary. The Virtual Winery owner can be as involved or as detached as he or she wants to be.
The MICRO Winery: Run in basically the same way as a 100,000 case per year winery, except production facilities are contracted rather than owned. Producers may grow their own grapes, or source their own. We spent years finding and securing long term contracts with the best growers. Producers of Micro-Wineries have all the final wine-making decisions – yeasts, barrel program composition, blending, bottling issues – the whole shebang. Consultants may be used – just like the giant multi-national producers. But the responsibility for the full-cycle – from grape to wine in the bottle – rests solely with the producer.
You may have read recently that there is only one winery in Central Oregon. That is not true. There is one commercial wine production facility. Volcano Vineyards® is a licensed Oregon winery and the address on our license reads “Bend, Oregon.”
Sometimes it seems as though we are being penalized for not having the millions of dollars it takes to open our own winery facility. Well, we’re working on it. In the meantime, with debt up to our eyeballs, we have focused on the grapes that are producing wines that are winning awards across the U.S. including a gold medal for our 2004 syrah from the largest domestic wine competition in the country (the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition). So, have patience with us. We will have our very own production facility some day. And we seem to be off to a good start. But doing the production facility the right way – to allow us to produce wines of superior quality - will take time and funding. If we decided to do a commercial wine production facility on the cheap, we could have chosen to simply buy bulk wine, get it to Bend on a tanker truck, blend, then bottle it – a perfectly legitimate business model, but not the path we’ve taken.
I hope this clears things up and gives everyone a better idea of what we are doing.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I'm serious - it's not Sirius!
It used to be jazz and cocktails but somewhere along the way it evolved into jazz and wine. Was it that cocktails fell out of favor on the coasts? That can’t be it – during the swing craze in the 90’s martinis again became the drink of choice (in a wine glass, a la Herb Caen). My theory is the two drink minimum. When faced with a choice, which gives you more bang for your buck? Watered-down well booze or a giant glass of jug wine? No contest, really.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of large format wines – the stuff in a box is great when you aren’t going to pay attention to what you’re tasting. Those wines are gateway wines – they lead to sauvignon blanc, then butter-bomb chardonnay, then merlot, followed by cab sauv… the next thing you know you’re dropping 125 bucks for a bottle of Pinot noir. (I am apparently stalled between the merlot and Pinot phase, having not yet experienced the elusive Pinot epiphany.)
Whatever the cause, jazz and wine are now linked and it is a union that works. Come experience it for yourself in the Tasting Room this Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. Tenor saxophonist Duncan McNeill and keyboardist Scott Hersh will play a mix of standards dating from the 30s to the 80s (yes, we’re starting off easy with the standards).
No cover. Great wine. Amazing music.
Hope to see you there.
Volcano Vineyards
930 NW Brooks Street
Downtown Bend, OR 97701
541.617.1102
www.volcanovineyards.com
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of large format wines – the stuff in a box is great when you aren’t going to pay attention to what you’re tasting. Those wines are gateway wines – they lead to sauvignon blanc, then butter-bomb chardonnay, then merlot, followed by cab sauv… the next thing you know you’re dropping 125 bucks for a bottle of Pinot noir. (I am apparently stalled between the merlot and Pinot phase, having not yet experienced the elusive Pinot epiphany.)
Whatever the cause, jazz and wine are now linked and it is a union that works. Come experience it for yourself in the Tasting Room this Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. Tenor saxophonist Duncan McNeill and keyboardist Scott Hersh will play a mix of standards dating from the 30s to the 80s (yes, we’re starting off easy with the standards).
No cover. Great wine. Amazing music.
Hope to see you there.
Volcano Vineyards
930 NW Brooks Street
Downtown Bend, OR 97701
541.617.1102
www.volcanovineyards.com
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Yea Syrah Syrah
People in the Tasting Room are always asking me if I’ve heard of Such and Such Winery in South Africa or the hot new boutique wine from Santa Barbara or if we’ve been to So and So’s Tasting Room in Washington. My answer is usually and sadly, no. With running the business and dealing with kid stuff, we lose track of a lot of the wine world outside of Oregon. So, one Saturday when the kids were napping I grabbed a year’s worth of back issues of Wine Spectator, Wines & Vines and Wine Business Monthly, determined to get through as many as possible. So I spent two glorious hours reading about the leading wineries from South Africa, the new boutique producers in Santa Barbara, the research and technological breakthroughs… I felt reconnected, savvy, in the know.
That night, my two year old had a bout of nightmares, waking up every two hours screaming for me (and smacking Scott away with a “No! I want mama!” when he answered the call instead of me). The next day in the Tasting Room a guy asked me if I knew the origins of syrah. I had just read about that the day before, and I could FEEL my brain trying to make the connections to where it had stored away that info. All I could think of was “Croatia” but even as I said that I knew it wasn’t right. (I was, or rather, my brain, was confusing syrah with zinfandel). He said, “Iran! It originated in Shiraz, Persia!”
Right, right, right, it all clicked in! Round about 600 BC or so some fellow is alleged to have “borrowed” some samples of this wonderful vine and smuggled them into what is now France and the rest is history. But later that night as I was reading an article by the brilliant Dr. Carole Meredith of UC Davis, I learned that her genetic testing showed that the varietal actually originated in the Rhone Valley. Oh well. The result is still the same – that’s one tasty grape!
There are two distinct styles of syrah: cool weather climate syrah and warm weather climate syrah. You can try them both for yourself in our tasting room – both display the classic characteristics of their style.
Our Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah is the cool climate syrah – the vineyard sits at 1600 feet, a high, cool spot in the Rogue Valley, challenging since some years the grapes never fully ripen. 2004 was a great year, steady warmth and more heat days than usual. As you’d expect in a cool climate syrah, ours is lower in alcohol – the grapes don’t get as ripe, so the sugar levels don’t get as high. Simply put, the fermentation of the sugars is what determines your alcohol level. Other classic cool weather syrah characteristics include blueberry and floral aromas, with cherry and plum flavors. It is more subtle and complex and is the syrah most Pinot noir lovers can appreciate.
Zerba’s 2004 Syrah is a classic warm weather syrah – the heat creates riper grapes, higher sugar levels, and the wine checks in at 14.85% alcohol. But, it has a nice backbone to support that higher alcohol so it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds. Other classic warm weather syrah characteristics the Zerba has include dark berries, tobacco, and the distinctive white pepper/spice undertones.
Both styles are the result of the grapes terroir - where they are grown, not just the soil, but the climate, the geography and everything else that affects their development. Which leads to our next topic - terroir.
That night, my two year old had a bout of nightmares, waking up every two hours screaming for me (and smacking Scott away with a “No! I want mama!” when he answered the call instead of me). The next day in the Tasting Room a guy asked me if I knew the origins of syrah. I had just read about that the day before, and I could FEEL my brain trying to make the connections to where it had stored away that info. All I could think of was “Croatia” but even as I said that I knew it wasn’t right. (I was, or rather, my brain, was confusing syrah with zinfandel). He said, “Iran! It originated in Shiraz, Persia!”
Right, right, right, it all clicked in! Round about 600 BC or so some fellow is alleged to have “borrowed” some samples of this wonderful vine and smuggled them into what is now France and the rest is history. But later that night as I was reading an article by the brilliant Dr. Carole Meredith of UC Davis, I learned that her genetic testing showed that the varietal actually originated in the Rhone Valley. Oh well. The result is still the same – that’s one tasty grape!
There are two distinct styles of syrah: cool weather climate syrah and warm weather climate syrah. You can try them both for yourself in our tasting room – both display the classic characteristics of their style.
Our Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah is the cool climate syrah – the vineyard sits at 1600 feet, a high, cool spot in the Rogue Valley, challenging since some years the grapes never fully ripen. 2004 was a great year, steady warmth and more heat days than usual. As you’d expect in a cool climate syrah, ours is lower in alcohol – the grapes don’t get as ripe, so the sugar levels don’t get as high. Simply put, the fermentation of the sugars is what determines your alcohol level. Other classic cool weather syrah characteristics include blueberry and floral aromas, with cherry and plum flavors. It is more subtle and complex and is the syrah most Pinot noir lovers can appreciate.
Zerba’s 2004 Syrah is a classic warm weather syrah – the heat creates riper grapes, higher sugar levels, and the wine checks in at 14.85% alcohol. But, it has a nice backbone to support that higher alcohol so it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds. Other classic warm weather syrah characteristics the Zerba has include dark berries, tobacco, and the distinctive white pepper/spice undertones.
Both styles are the result of the grapes terroir - where they are grown, not just the soil, but the climate, the geography and everything else that affects their development. Which leads to our next topic - terroir.
Monday, April 9, 2007
No Flabby Wines
A few weeks ago I went out to dinner with some girlfriends – a crazy Thursday Moms Night Out. The girls always make me pick the wine for some reason, which, frankly, puts a lot of pressure on me. Everyone’s taste is so different, we’re lucky if we can agree on red or white. It was a “steak” kind of evening, so red it was, and I ordered a syrah out of the Columbia Valley. Well, the girls LOVED it. I didn’t. It was flabby, no backbone, no acidity, the classic “high alcohol fruit bomb.” It completely drowned out the flavors of the food I was trying to enjoy. Why a restaurant would put a wine like that, so UN-complimentary to food, on its wine list was beyond me.
A few days later I was in another Bend restaurant, one with a fantastic wine list. And there was that same syrah. I asked the owner about it, and he said it was their best selling red wine. I was stunned. When I mentioned that I thought it was completely un-food friendly he said, “True, but people don’t care.” And I thought, “Ah-ha!”
A big reason Scott and I moved to Bend 6 years ago from San Francisco was to slow down and enjoy life (although ironically we’re working more than ever now, but hopefully that will settle down someday!). The lifestyle we wanted was one where we could hike without worrying about beating bridge traffic or not have to put our bikes on the car before we could take a ride. To lose the commute, to not have to ride on MUNI, to be able to walk to work. And most of all, to have the ability to enjoy the here and now. That includes tasting and enjoying food and wine. Truly dining. Experiencing flavors.
So, why drink wine that destroys the flavors in the food you’re eating? Think about that, and next time we’ll talk about syrah specifically.
A few days later I was in another Bend restaurant, one with a fantastic wine list. And there was that same syrah. I asked the owner about it, and he said it was their best selling red wine. I was stunned. When I mentioned that I thought it was completely un-food friendly he said, “True, but people don’t care.” And I thought, “Ah-ha!”
A big reason Scott and I moved to Bend 6 years ago from San Francisco was to slow down and enjoy life (although ironically we’re working more than ever now, but hopefully that will settle down someday!). The lifestyle we wanted was one where we could hike without worrying about beating bridge traffic or not have to put our bikes on the car before we could take a ride. To lose the commute, to not have to ride on MUNI, to be able to walk to work. And most of all, to have the ability to enjoy the here and now. That includes tasting and enjoying food and wine. Truly dining. Experiencing flavors.
So, why drink wine that destroys the flavors in the food you’re eating? Think about that, and next time we’ll talk about syrah specifically.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wine Dinner at Volcano Vineyards
Sumptuous Spring Dinner in the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room:
Thursday, April 5, 2007 at 7 pm
We had originally planned to do this dinner with a certain catering company who did our fall dinner in the Tasting Room back in October, but when I called them last Friday to finalize the menu, I was informed by their voice mail that they’d gone out of business. Sooooo, I made some mad phone calls and Incredible Edibles came through. We have a great menu planned – take a peek:
FIRST COURSE
Mixed Greens w/ mandarin oranges, toasted almonds and avocado
Bonne Chance Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Redwood Valley, California
I love sauvignon blanc; its crispness and earthiness are like spring in a glass. Woohoo! Cheesy vernal simile out of the way! Bonne Chance makes this from organic grapes. The wine is lush, fruity and will compliment the sweetness of the oranges and sesame dressing, while balancing the richness of the avocado with its crisp acidity.
SECOND COURSE
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Skewers and Black Forest Ham, Fontina & Asparagus Flat Bread Squares
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004 Rogue Valley
Our syrah (you know, the one that got the GOLD MEDAL at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition) shines when paired with smoky, salty and bitter foods (ham, bacon, and greens like asparagus). Refined and sensual, the syrah has firm tannins and dark plum overtones with a hint of raspberry and flowers throughout. There are many syrahs out there right now that are all fruit and no backbone, and when paired with food, they bury all the flavors. The Volcano Vineyards Syrah is subtle and complex and lower in alcohol than the current fashion, which makes it very food friendly.
THIRD COURSE
Herb Crusted Tri Tip with a Volcano Vineyards Merlot shallot sauce and served with horseradish smashed red potatoes
Volcano Vineyards Merlot 2004 Rogue Valley
Admit it – you secretly like merlot. And our merlot will convert your friends, even if they take their wine advice from the drunk, unpublished writer in “Sideways.” Besides, he's FICTIONAL, for Pete's sake. Anyhoo - Polished, with smooth, controlled tannins, our Volcano Vineyards Merlot shows layers of spice and black cherry, jammy with hints of cocoa. It pairs well with savory foods like mushrooms, cured ham, parmesan cheese, seaweed, asparagus, most fish and meat. In other words, foods rich in umami, the elusive “fifth taste.”
DESSERT
Key lime Tart
Harris Bridge Pinot Gris Dessert Wine 2005 Willamette Valley
Pinot Gris has hints of citrus which are accented when paired with the Key lime tart. Both dessert, and dessert wine, are balances of acidity and sweetness. Modeled after the German Eisweins (aka Ice Wine), the wines of Harris Bridge are crafted by allowing the grapes to reach the optimal balance of sugars with acidity, then the grapes are picked, frozen and pressed. The resulting wine is more concentrated and lush – and more versatile – than the typical, sweety-sweet dessert wine. And how cool is it that they are doing something different in the Willamette Valley?
We have a few spaces left - call the Tatsing Room today to reserve your spot!
541.617.1102
www.volcanovineyards.com
Thursday, April 5, 2007 at 7 pm
We had originally planned to do this dinner with a certain catering company who did our fall dinner in the Tasting Room back in October, but when I called them last Friday to finalize the menu, I was informed by their voice mail that they’d gone out of business. Sooooo, I made some mad phone calls and Incredible Edibles came through. We have a great menu planned – take a peek:
FIRST COURSE
Mixed Greens w/ mandarin oranges, toasted almonds and avocado
Bonne Chance Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Redwood Valley, California
I love sauvignon blanc; its crispness and earthiness are like spring in a glass. Woohoo! Cheesy vernal simile out of the way! Bonne Chance makes this from organic grapes. The wine is lush, fruity and will compliment the sweetness of the oranges and sesame dressing, while balancing the richness of the avocado with its crisp acidity.
SECOND COURSE
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Skewers and Black Forest Ham, Fontina & Asparagus Flat Bread Squares
Volcano Vineyards Syrah 2004 Rogue Valley
Our syrah (you know, the one that got the GOLD MEDAL at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition) shines when paired with smoky, salty and bitter foods (ham, bacon, and greens like asparagus). Refined and sensual, the syrah has firm tannins and dark plum overtones with a hint of raspberry and flowers throughout. There are many syrahs out there right now that are all fruit and no backbone, and when paired with food, they bury all the flavors. The Volcano Vineyards Syrah is subtle and complex and lower in alcohol than the current fashion, which makes it very food friendly.
THIRD COURSE
Herb Crusted Tri Tip with a Volcano Vineyards Merlot shallot sauce and served with horseradish smashed red potatoes
Volcano Vineyards Merlot 2004 Rogue Valley
Admit it – you secretly like merlot. And our merlot will convert your friends, even if they take their wine advice from the drunk, unpublished writer in “Sideways.” Besides, he's FICTIONAL, for Pete's sake. Anyhoo - Polished, with smooth, controlled tannins, our Volcano Vineyards Merlot shows layers of spice and black cherry, jammy with hints of cocoa. It pairs well with savory foods like mushrooms, cured ham, parmesan cheese, seaweed, asparagus, most fish and meat. In other words, foods rich in umami, the elusive “fifth taste.”
DESSERT
Key lime Tart
Harris Bridge Pinot Gris Dessert Wine 2005 Willamette Valley
Pinot Gris has hints of citrus which are accented when paired with the Key lime tart. Both dessert, and dessert wine, are balances of acidity and sweetness. Modeled after the German Eisweins (aka Ice Wine), the wines of Harris Bridge are crafted by allowing the grapes to reach the optimal balance of sugars with acidity, then the grapes are picked, frozen and pressed. The resulting wine is more concentrated and lush – and more versatile – than the typical, sweety-sweet dessert wine. And how cool is it that they are doing something different in the Willamette Valley?
We have a few spaces left - call the Tatsing Room today to reserve your spot!
541.617.1102
www.volcanovineyards.com
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Viognier at Volcano Vineyards
Viognier Flight Thursday March 29: five viogniers, tasty appetizers, only $10
Viognier: our favorite Rhone white! Both Chardonnay and Viognier share tropical fruit flavors and a creamy mouth-feel. Even with little or no wood aging, Viognier can be as full-bodied as an oaky Chardonnay, but has much more distinctive fruit character. It also has a typically deep golden color, and usually shows rich and intense flavors of Orange blossom, violet, honey aromas, apricot, peach, mango papaya, kiwi flavors, anise, mint, hay, and tobacco. It’s a fun white you can pair with spicy or stongly-flavored foods: Thai, Mexican, Chinese cuisine, and our favorite match - blue cheese. Check out the five featured wines in our flight:
Abacela Winery Viognier 2005, Southern Oregon: Grapes are from both the Umpqua and the Applegate Valleys in southern Oregon. Whole cluster processing, fermentation in 100% stainless steel. These guys are detail oriented and methodical. Just check out Abacela’s website for the “weather” page – they monitor EVERYTHING – heat index, wind, sunrise, sunset, barometric pressure… which reminds me, did you know that 25% of all meteorologists in the US earned their bachelor degrees at Penn State? Amazing. But, I digress… Ah, let’s see, rose petal, honeysuckle and peach aromatics, mango and banana(!!!) finished off with a hint of wood. I picked up hints of coconut and pineapple on the nose (not quite a piña colada, but pleasantly reminiscent of it) with a light mouth-feel and a crisp finish.
Tertulia Cellars: 2005 Viognier - Columbia Valley, Washington: The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.
Roxyann Winery: 2005 Viognier - Rogue Valley, Oregon: Roxyann’s Winemaker, Gus Janeway, is our consulting winemaker. His guidance has been invaluable! Gus is generally considered to be a master of red wines, so let’s see how he does with a white. Roxyann’s tasting notes suggest a floral nose with pineapple, guava, and spiced lemon zest throughout. The promise is of a rich and luscious warm weather viognier. It has less of a traditional viognier nose: no floral aromas, but I got hints of honey and pink grapefruit, but I was definitely reminded of chardonnay. Crisp up front with a smooth finish, green apple and key lime flavors. A good option for a weightier white for the ABC-ers.
Cougar Crest Winery: 2005 Viognier – Walla Walla, Washington: Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.
Valley View Winery: 2005 Viognier – Southern Oregon: This winery was established in 1972, and they are known as “the Rogue Valley’s premiere winery.” Their Anna Maria wines are considered their “reserve” line – they only produce these wines when the vintage merits. This Viognier has a heavenly nose - flowers, tropical fruit, melon, with nicely balanced acidity. ‘The Oregonian’ declared, "It will be hard to find a better Viognier anywhere." I love it; I think its flavor profile is the most viognier-ish of the flight. Scott feels it is a bit thin. What do YOU think?
Join us next Thursday!
Viognier: our favorite Rhone white! Both Chardonnay and Viognier share tropical fruit flavors and a creamy mouth-feel. Even with little or no wood aging, Viognier can be as full-bodied as an oaky Chardonnay, but has much more distinctive fruit character. It also has a typically deep golden color, and usually shows rich and intense flavors of Orange blossom, violet, honey aromas, apricot, peach, mango papaya, kiwi flavors, anise, mint, hay, and tobacco. It’s a fun white you can pair with spicy or stongly-flavored foods: Thai, Mexican, Chinese cuisine, and our favorite match - blue cheese. Check out the five featured wines in our flight:
Abacela Winery Viognier 2005, Southern Oregon: Grapes are from both the Umpqua and the Applegate Valleys in southern Oregon. Whole cluster processing, fermentation in 100% stainless steel. These guys are detail oriented and methodical. Just check out Abacela’s website for the “weather” page – they monitor EVERYTHING – heat index, wind, sunrise, sunset, barometric pressure… which reminds me, did you know that 25% of all meteorologists in the US earned their bachelor degrees at Penn State? Amazing. But, I digress… Ah, let’s see, rose petal, honeysuckle and peach aromatics, mango and banana(!!!) finished off with a hint of wood. I picked up hints of coconut and pineapple on the nose (not quite a piña colada, but pleasantly reminiscent of it) with a light mouth-feel and a crisp finish.
Tertulia Cellars: 2005 Viognier - Columbia Valley, Washington: The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.
Roxyann Winery: 2005 Viognier - Rogue Valley, Oregon: Roxyann’s Winemaker, Gus Janeway, is our consulting winemaker. His guidance has been invaluable! Gus is generally considered to be a master of red wines, so let’s see how he does with a white. Roxyann’s tasting notes suggest a floral nose with pineapple, guava, and spiced lemon zest throughout. The promise is of a rich and luscious warm weather viognier. It has less of a traditional viognier nose: no floral aromas, but I got hints of honey and pink grapefruit, but I was definitely reminded of chardonnay. Crisp up front with a smooth finish, green apple and key lime flavors. A good option for a weightier white for the ABC-ers.
Cougar Crest Winery: 2005 Viognier – Walla Walla, Washington: Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.
Valley View Winery: 2005 Viognier – Southern Oregon: This winery was established in 1972, and they are known as “the Rogue Valley’s premiere winery.” Their Anna Maria wines are considered their “reserve” line – they only produce these wines when the vintage merits. This Viognier has a heavenly nose - flowers, tropical fruit, melon, with nicely balanced acidity. ‘The Oregonian’ declared, "It will be hard to find a better Viognier anywhere." I love it; I think its flavor profile is the most viognier-ish of the flight. Scott feels it is a bit thin. What do YOU think?
Join us next Thursday!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Volcano Vineyards Premiere Blog
This is something Scott and I have been meaning to do for months. So here it is. We'll focus on what's happening not only in the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room, but our wine production, events we're doing (and have done) and adventures in small business ownership, and wine industry stuff.
The most common questions we get: "What do you mean, calling yourselves a 'micro-winery'?" Simple answer to that - a "small" winery is one producing under 50,000 cases of wine per year. For vintage 2006, our production in just under 1,000 cases. If that doesn't qualify us as "micro," I don't know what would. Secondly, our business model is similar to the one used by Jim Koch when he first created his Samuel Adams Boston Lager commercially - he made the beer at a brewery in Pittsburgh, PA. They had excess capacity; he wanted to make beer without having to folk over millions to build a production facility. For now, we produce our wines at Foothill Winery in Medford, Oregon. Once our production gets high enough, we are planning on opening a facility right here in Bend. Wish we could do it now, but we are too small and too poor!
Our Tasting Room is located at 930 NW Brooks Street in downtown Bend - we are between The Pine Tavern and Hans back patio. Upcoming events:
Thursday, March 22 6:30 pm: Live music from The Quons
Thursday, March 29 4 pm to close: Viognier Tasting Flight - five Pacific Northwest Viogniers and tasty appetizers, only $10/person
Thursday, April 5 7 pm: Four course wine dinner $45/person
Thursday, April 26 6:30 pm: Live Jazz
Thursday, May 17 6:30 pm: Live music from KouseFly
Visit our website for more info: www.volcanovineyards.com or call: 541.617.1102
Thanks!
Liz
The most common questions we get: "What do you mean, calling yourselves a 'micro-winery'?" Simple answer to that - a "small" winery is one producing under 50,000 cases of wine per year. For vintage 2006, our production in just under 1,000 cases. If that doesn't qualify us as "micro," I don't know what would. Secondly, our business model is similar to the one used by Jim Koch when he first created his Samuel Adams Boston Lager commercially - he made the beer at a brewery in Pittsburgh, PA. They had excess capacity; he wanted to make beer without having to folk over millions to build a production facility. For now, we produce our wines at Foothill Winery in Medford, Oregon. Once our production gets high enough, we are planning on opening a facility right here in Bend. Wish we could do it now, but we are too small and too poor!
Our Tasting Room is located at 930 NW Brooks Street in downtown Bend - we are between The Pine Tavern and Hans back patio. Upcoming events:
Thursday, March 22 6:30 pm: Live music from The Quons
Thursday, March 29 4 pm to close: Viognier Tasting Flight - five Pacific Northwest Viogniers and tasty appetizers, only $10/person
Thursday, April 5 7 pm: Four course wine dinner $45/person
Thursday, April 26 6:30 pm: Live Jazz
Thursday, May 17 6:30 pm: Live music from KouseFly
Visit our website for more info: www.volcanovineyards.com or call: 541.617.1102
Thanks!
Liz
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