Live Music!
Friday, November 6: The Quons 6-9 pm
Friday, November 13: Kousefly Acoustic - The Very Superstitious Party 8-11 pm
Thursday, November 19: The Quons 6-9 pm
November Events
Saturday, November 14: Northwest Food & Wine Festival, Memorial Coliseum, Exhibit Hall - Portland from 4 to 9 pm. www.northwestfoodandwinefestival.com
Saturday, November 28: Volcano Vineyards and Maragas Winery barrel tastings! Join us at the beautiful Maragas Winery and Vineyards in Culver to sample future vintages.
Minnesota Ave, Here We Are! WE ARE OPEN!! 126 NW Minnesota between Wall and Bond, Downtown Bend,across from Toomie's, right next to Clutch. And no, no food yet, weare still waiting on final permits. And the big bummer: the OLCC saysno more kiddos (and this inlcudes our own kids, even when we are closed!). We are now the perfect spot for date night.
Even without the bites and babies, the new Tasting Lounge space features fun: our world class, culinary Volcano Vineyards wines, our Magmita Sangrias, plus beer, and bubbles. If you haven't been in yet, pop by and check it out - it has a great atmosphere, super cozy, and a beautiful new bar built by wine club member / custom home builder Danny Dark. It is the prefect spot to watch Downtown walk by (and I don't mean just Downtown Chuckie). To get anywhere Downtown, you pretty much have to walk by our place, so we see it all! Check the website or call 541-617-1102 for latest info on hours.
Party Central! The new space is PERFECT for small parties (up to 50 folks) - we have put together simple party packages, which include the space for 4 hours, service and wine. We can arrange for food, or you can bring in your own. All the fun with no clean up! What could be simpler for the holidays? Email [mailto:Liz@VolcanoVineyards.com] Liz@VolcanoVineyards.com or call her at 541-390-0652 for more info.
3-Packs for the Holidays! Prepackaged, quick and easy gifts for that stubborn wine snob in your life who, for some reason, thinks you are nuts for loving our wine (and with gold medals coming out of our ears, which one of you is nuts??) PROVE to them why Volcano Vineyards is America's most awarded micro-winery. Gift box includes an (optional) explanation as to why gold medals (or better) in competitions are actually more telling of a wine's quality than Wine Spectator scores (and yes, if you said "marketing budget," you would be on the right track!). 15% off full retail; Wine Club members, you'll get another 10% off on top of that!
2006 Merlot gets GOLD at The Sommelier Challenge! Our Volcano Vineyards 2006 Merlot from Fortmiller Vineyard in Talent is Scott's favorite of our current releases and now we know for sure he's right. The judging panel of the Sommelier Challenge is, as one would expect, composed exclusively of sommeliers (certified and accredited wine professionals who are experts at wine analysis,selection and food and wine pairings). So clearly, they know what they are talking about, and have bestowed gold upon our lucious,sohpisticated merlot. Don't you crave some? It would pair perfectly with that dinner you are planning! Ken Egan, are you making your famous red sauce? Wouldn't the '06 Merlot hit the spot??
We Need Help! Haven't you always dreamed about working in the wine industry? Now is your chance to get your foot in the door by picking up a few hours in our fun and friendly Tasting Lounge! We are looking for OLCC licensed servers to cover shifts from noon to 3 pm, and 5 to close (8 or9-ish). Need your permit? You can now take the class online. Be like Aimee Jones and get licensed!
Drink Wine & Smile!
Liz & Scott Ratcliff
www.VolcanoVineyards.com
126 NW Minnesota Avenue,
Downtown Bend
(541) 617-1102
Showing posts with label Fortmiller Vineyard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fortmiller Vineyard. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Double Double Gold
First blog of 2009 and I have good news. The results of the Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging are out and we got TWO DOUBLE GOLD MEDALS: one for the Lava Red, and one for the 2006 Lakeside/Serenade Syrah. The ’05 Syrah got just plain old Gold, same with the ’06 Merlot.
The Platinum Judging is an invitation-only competition for Pacific Northwest wines. To qualify, wines must have won a gold medal or better in a major national or international wine competition during the previous year. To earn a DOUBLE GOLD, all the judges must agree that the wine is a gold medalist. To get a roomful of varied palates to agree on something like that is quite a feat.(Don’t you love that visual? A room of palates – it reminds me of that weird circus troupe that used to be on Northern Exposure every once in a while. Their ring leader was the guy who plays Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street and he was in love with Marilyn. Ah… I loved Northern Exposure!).
We will be taking it easy the rest of January, filling out our year end reports to states we ship to, compiling our OLCC Privilege Tax statement, pulling together our 2008 financials – all that fun stuff. We’ve cut back the tasting room to four days a week, and will try to catch our breath. Scott is working with Doug Hough, our designer, on the labels for 2007 and finalizing the designs for the Magmita and Magna lines. Things pick up in February with the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival the weekend of the 20th. And we are hoping to pull together a wine dinner this winter sometime – stay tuned!
The Platinum Judging is an invitation-only competition for Pacific Northwest wines. To qualify, wines must have won a gold medal or better in a major national or international wine competition during the previous year. To earn a DOUBLE GOLD, all the judges must agree that the wine is a gold medalist. To get a roomful of varied palates to agree on something like that is quite a feat.(Don’t you love that visual? A room of palates – it reminds me of that weird circus troupe that used to be on Northern Exposure every once in a while. Their ring leader was the guy who plays Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street and he was in love with Marilyn. Ah… I loved Northern Exposure!).
We will be taking it easy the rest of January, filling out our year end reports to states we ship to, compiling our OLCC Privilege Tax statement, pulling together our 2008 financials – all that fun stuff. We’ve cut back the tasting room to four days a week, and will try to catch our breath. Scott is working with Doug Hough, our designer, on the labels for 2007 and finalizing the designs for the Magmita and Magna lines. Things pick up in February with the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival the weekend of the 20th. And we are hoping to pull together a wine dinner this winter sometime – stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Quick 2008 Harvest Update
We harvested Fortmiller Vineyard last Thursday, the 30th, our latest harvest yet. The grapes, as expected, looked stellar.
For the Lakeside Vineyard Syrah grapes, Scott is trying something new this year – we harvested 7 tons, and fermented two of those tons whole cluster, meaning the stems were still attached. Because of the freeze, the stems were brown and dry, and should add a soft tannin overtone we haven’t had in our syrahs in the past.
For the Lakeside Vineyard Syrah grapes, Scott is trying something new this year – we harvested 7 tons, and fermented two of those tons whole cluster, meaning the stems were still attached. Because of the freeze, the stems were brown and dry, and should add a soft tannin overtone we haven’t had in our syrahs in the past.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Mother Nature and Mr. Freeze Do a Number on the Grapes
Wineries are an extension of farming, and therefore are subject to the whims of Mother Nature. For the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon, harvest 2007 will be remembered for the rainstorms that rolled through, slowing end of season ripening and diluting the grapes. In 2008 we faced the cold – parts of the Rogue and Applegate Valleys were hit with hard freezes (temps in the 20s) this past weekend, mid-harvest for many. It was only supposed to hit the mid 30s. That Mother Nature, she’s a sneaky gal.
What do freezing temperatures do to wine grapes? It is not as bleak as it sounds. The biggest impact is that it kills the vines’ canopy (the leaves) – so no pretty fall colors, just dead, black leaves. This halts photosynthesis immediately, meaning the vines no longer convert the sun, water and ground nutrients to sugar – the grapes are essentially frozen in their development. No more ripening. This is especially difficult when dealing with later ripening grape varietals like Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc, which in 2008 had probably 2 or 3 more weeks to go before being ready for harvest. Planting those varietals in areas susceptible to early frosts is risky – but when the weather cooperates, the results are worth it – complex wines that benefitted from cooler temperatures with minimal heat spikes. Risk tastes good.
Southern Oregon is loaded with micro-climates: different vineyard sites were hit with frost in varying degrees. Lakeside Vineyard in Talent looks like a set for a Halloween movie, with creepy black vines sagging and crackling. Luckily for us, the Syrah had hit sugar and acid number within our range prior to the freeze. In fact, the numbers are almost identical to 2005, and that vintage turned out okay (Best of Show at the National Women’s Wine Competition, “Outstanding” from Wine Press Northwest, and an astounding 97 points from AlaWine, etc, etc, etc). We let the grapes hang on the vines for five days following the freeze to allow a bit of dehydration to occur – this concentrates the fruit flavors.
Fortmiller Vineyard is also in Talent, but it is about 500 feet higher than Lakeside, which usually protects it from frost. The vineyard is bowl shaped, with a lake in the middle. We all know that heat rises – and conversely, cold falls. The chilly air settled over the lake, and only the handful of vines ringing the lake were damaged. Warmer air moved back in and ripening should continue for the next ten days to two weeks. The vineyard’s bowl shape also helps retain heat, so even after the sun has passed by, the residual warmth remains.
And in a mere two years – or more – we’ll have the results from harvest 2008. I can hardly wait!
What do freezing temperatures do to wine grapes? It is not as bleak as it sounds. The biggest impact is that it kills the vines’ canopy (the leaves) – so no pretty fall colors, just dead, black leaves. This halts photosynthesis immediately, meaning the vines no longer convert the sun, water and ground nutrients to sugar – the grapes are essentially frozen in their development. No more ripening. This is especially difficult when dealing with later ripening grape varietals like Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc, which in 2008 had probably 2 or 3 more weeks to go before being ready for harvest. Planting those varietals in areas susceptible to early frosts is risky – but when the weather cooperates, the results are worth it – complex wines that benefitted from cooler temperatures with minimal heat spikes. Risk tastes good.
Southern Oregon is loaded with micro-climates: different vineyard sites were hit with frost in varying degrees. Lakeside Vineyard in Talent looks like a set for a Halloween movie, with creepy black vines sagging and crackling. Luckily for us, the Syrah had hit sugar and acid number within our range prior to the freeze. In fact, the numbers are almost identical to 2005, and that vintage turned out okay (Best of Show at the National Women’s Wine Competition, “Outstanding” from Wine Press Northwest, and an astounding 97 points from AlaWine, etc, etc, etc). We let the grapes hang on the vines for five days following the freeze to allow a bit of dehydration to occur – this concentrates the fruit flavors.
Fortmiller Vineyard is also in Talent, but it is about 500 feet higher than Lakeside, which usually protects it from frost. The vineyard is bowl shaped, with a lake in the middle. We all know that heat rises – and conversely, cold falls. The chilly air settled over the lake, and only the handful of vines ringing the lake were damaged. Warmer air moved back in and ripening should continue for the next ten days to two weeks. The vineyard’s bowl shape also helps retain heat, so even after the sun has passed by, the residual warmth remains.
And in a mere two years – or more – we’ll have the results from harvest 2008. I can hardly wait!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
What's up with Vintage 2007
Scott went down to the winery two weeks ago – it was racking and blending time for the 2007s. He’s going to keep six barrels of the Fortmiller Syrah as a single vineyard designate, then blend five barrels of Fortmiller with seven from Lakeside. For the Fortmiller Merlot, he has decided to blend in one barrel of Tempranillo (from Red Lily Vineyards) which will mean the Tempranillo comprises about 7% – similar to the 2005 Merlot which was blended with 7% Cab Franc.
This weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we’ll be pouring our 2006 Syrah, Lakeside and Serenade Vineyards and 2006 Merlot, Fortmiller Vineyard and offering futures on case sales. Both these wines have already won GOLD MEDALS at major competitions, the Syrah at the SF Chronicle, the Merlot at Riverside. Pop on by! We’ll be in both the old Painted Pony space and in the Tasting Lounge.
This weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we’ll be pouring our 2006 Syrah, Lakeside and Serenade Vineyards and 2006 Merlot, Fortmiller Vineyard and offering futures on case sales. Both these wines have already won GOLD MEDALS at major competitions, the Syrah at the SF Chronicle, the Merlot at Riverside. Pop on by! We’ll be in both the old Painted Pony space and in the Tasting Lounge.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Riverside Gold
The results of the Riverside International Competition were just announced, and we received two golds, one for our 2005 Syrah, and one for our 2006 Merlot. As far as we can tell, wineries from Oregon came away with a total of four gold medals this year (Willamette Valley Vineyards won the other two golds). The Riverside Competition is generally considered to be the most prestigious wine competition in the US. During Memorial Day weekend at our Tasting Lounge in Bend, you can sample the 2006 Merlot, as well as the 2006 Syrah, which won gold earlier this year at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wrap Up of the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for Volcano Vineyards
In case you missed it, we were awarded two Gold Medals at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The Gold Medal winners were the Volcano Vineyards 2006 Syrah and their Volcano Vineyards Lava Red Blend both from the Rogue Valley AVA in Southern Oregon. Both wines are set to be released later in 2008.
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the world’s largest judging of wines produced in the US. This year, a record 4235 wines from 1500 wineries were tasted.
Wineries from Oregon fared better in the 2008 competition, winning a total of 8 Gold Medals, compared with only 3 in 2007. Volcano Vineyards is the only Oregon winery to have won Gold in both of the last two years, with our Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah winning Gold in 2007.
We submitted three other wines for judging, with all three winning Silver Medals. Those wines were our Volcano Vineyards 2005 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard, the 2005 Merlot and the 2006 Merlot, Fortmiller Vineyard. All of our award winning wines were grown and produced in the Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon.
For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scott will be pouring our wines at the San Francisco Public Tasting on Saturday February 16 at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion from 2 to 5 pm. All wineries who won Gold Medals or better will be there. Tickets are $50 in advance, $70 at the door. Check out winejudging.com for more info.
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the world’s largest judging of wines produced in the US. This year, a record 4235 wines from 1500 wineries were tasted.
Wineries from Oregon fared better in the 2008 competition, winning a total of 8 Gold Medals, compared with only 3 in 2007. Volcano Vineyards is the only Oregon winery to have won Gold in both of the last two years, with our Volcano Vineyards 2004 Syrah winning Gold in 2007.
We submitted three other wines for judging, with all three winning Silver Medals. Those wines were our Volcano Vineyards 2005 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard, the 2005 Merlot and the 2006 Merlot, Fortmiller Vineyard. All of our award winning wines were grown and produced in the Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon.
For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scott will be pouring our wines at the San Francisco Public Tasting on Saturday February 16 at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion from 2 to 5 pm. All wineries who won Gold Medals or better will be there. Tickets are $50 in advance, $70 at the door. Check out winejudging.com for more info.
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.
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