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!
Showing posts with label gold medal wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gold medal wine. Show all posts
Monday, January 5, 2009
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.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Women Dig Us
Our Volcano Vineyards 2005 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard, Rogue Valley was named Best of Show at the second annual National Women’s Wine Competition, winning the prestigious American Airlines Judges’ Choice Award. The Syrah also won a Double Gold Medal, and was picked as the Sweepstakes Red winner as Best Red Varietal.
The National Women’s Wine Competition is only in its second year, but its slate of judges is unbelievable, a ‘who’s who’ of the top women in the wine industry. For our 2005 Syrah to be chosen as the best wine from over 1600 entries from both the US and abroad is an overwhelming honor. There are hundreds of wine competitions held each year, and the first thing I look at before we decide to enter is the judging panel. When I can look down the list and recognize almost every name on it, I know that is a competition we need to be a part of.
Judges included Laurie Daniel, wine columnist for the San Jose Mercury News whose writing I loved so much Scott and I subscribed to the Merc when we lived in San Francisco just to read her stuff. Natalie MacLean, who publishes the online wine newsletter “Nat Decants” was also a judge. And the judging panel included winemakers from some of my favorite wineries: Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock, and Sally Johnson from St. Francis to name a few. Also Rebecca Murphy, founder of the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the country, and Dr. Ann C Noble, creator of the wine aroma wheel, which I have hanging on the wall in my office.
The National Women’s Wine Competition is the only competition with all-women judging panels, reflecting the marketplace reality that women make 60-70% of all wine buying decisions.
The National Women’s Wine Competition is only in its second year, but its slate of judges is unbelievable, a ‘who’s who’ of the top women in the wine industry. For our 2005 Syrah to be chosen as the best wine from over 1600 entries from both the US and abroad is an overwhelming honor. There are hundreds of wine competitions held each year, and the first thing I look at before we decide to enter is the judging panel. When I can look down the list and recognize almost every name on it, I know that is a competition we need to be a part of.
Judges included Laurie Daniel, wine columnist for the San Jose Mercury News whose writing I loved so much Scott and I subscribed to the Merc when we lived in San Francisco just to read her stuff. Natalie MacLean, who publishes the online wine newsletter “Nat Decants” was also a judge. And the judging panel included winemakers from some of my favorite wineries: Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock, and Sally Johnson from St. Francis to name a few. Also Rebecca Murphy, founder of the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the country, and Dr. Ann C Noble, creator of the wine aroma wheel, which I have hanging on the wall in my office.
The National Women’s Wine Competition is the only competition with all-women judging panels, reflecting the marketplace reality that women make 60-70% of all wine buying decisions.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Vintner's Dinner at McMenamins St. Francis
Join us on Saturday April 19 at 7 pm at McMenamins St. Francis for a four course wine dinner. Cost is $50 per person. Call 541-382-5174 for reservations. Here is the fabulous menu:
Hazelnut-crusted Rogue Creamery blue cheese with rosemary shortbread and champagne grapes
Volcano Vineyards 2005 Viognier
Mixed greens with Manchego cheese, spiced marcona almonds and Spanish olive vinaigrette Volcano Vineyards 2005 Syrah
Smoked buffalo tenderloin with truffle butter, roasted fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas Volcano Vineyards 2005 Merlot
Chocolate lava cake with cherry-Syrah reduction
Volcano Vineyards Lava Red Blend
Hazelnut-crusted Rogue Creamery blue cheese with rosemary shortbread and champagne grapes
Volcano Vineyards 2005 Viognier
Mixed greens with Manchego cheese, spiced marcona almonds and Spanish olive vinaigrette Volcano Vineyards 2005 Syrah
Smoked buffalo tenderloin with truffle butter, roasted fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas Volcano Vineyards 2005 Merlot
Chocolate lava cake with cherry-Syrah reduction
Volcano Vineyards Lava Red Blend
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
...Once Were Waiters
Since many of you are just learning of Volcano Vineyards, this is who we are:
Scott and I were both introduced to the wine industry at young ages. While I wish we could say that we learned to walk in granddad’s vineyards or jammed Uncle Harry’s bottling line with a Barbie Doll, the fact is our initial exposure was on the consumer side. Scott’s folks were big foodies and started visiting Napa Valley in the late 60s, became members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, and have amassed an enormous wine cellar. My dad was hit with the wine bug in the early 80s, falling in love with Chateauneuf du Pape. The day we discussed French wines in my high school French class, I was the only person who said anything – Monsieur Beckman was so excited because I NEVER said anything in that class ever and suddenly I was “Cotes du Rhone-ing” all over the place.
Scott and I met when we were both waiters in San Francisco. San Francisco waiters are professionals who love food, love restaurants and love wine (and in the best restaurants, that will always be the case). As a waiter in a four or five star restaurant (such as McCormick & Kuleto’s or The Sherman House), the more you know about the food you are serving and the wine on your list that perfectly complements it, the better the experience your guests will have (and presumably, the better your tip). Restaurants spend an enormous amount of time and money training their wait staffs on wine, wineries, the nuances of food pairing. We were 70 minutes from Sonoma and Napa and spent almost every weekend up there, first visiting wineries, then spending time at Gallaway Vineyards in Healdsburg - the vineyard that Scott helped plant - which belonged to family friends. Once those vines matured, we started home winemaking, using Gallaway Vineyards grapes that were left on the vines after harvest. In the late ‘90s we both got lured into desk jobs, which was a nice break. But we both missed the buzz from the restaurant biz, we missed the people who are drawn to working in food and wine, and we missed the daily exposure to (and the consumption of) all that great food and wine!
In the fall of 2001 we moved from San Francisco to Bend, Oregon. And again, while I wish we could say that we were cashing out stock options or that we had sold our cracker box house for a million dollars, that wasn’t the case. We were renters in San Francisco, and when the house up the street from us in the Inner Sunset sold for $650,000 and the new owners proceeded to knock it down and build a new house, we knew it was time to go. We figured out very quickly that Bend is an entrepreneurial town, thriving thanks to small businesses. After a few months we went back to the Bay Area for a wedding. While there, Scott sent off an email to Randall Grahm, (founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards and the "Original Rhone DeRanger") stating that he was a local boy thinking about going “pro” with his home winemaking and would Mr. Grahm have any advice. About 20 minutes later the phone rang in Scott’s parents’ house (where we were staying) and it was Randall Grahm himself who said he had just had surgery, was bored out of his skull and would we like to come to his house to talk wine. When we arrived, he said to us, “If I were in your position, this is what I would do…” And by the end of that meeting, Scott had thrown his heart off the cliff, and there was no turning back. Volcano Vineyards was born.
Scott and I were both introduced to the wine industry at young ages. While I wish we could say that we learned to walk in granddad’s vineyards or jammed Uncle Harry’s bottling line with a Barbie Doll, the fact is our initial exposure was on the consumer side. Scott’s folks were big foodies and started visiting Napa Valley in the late 60s, became members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, and have amassed an enormous wine cellar. My dad was hit with the wine bug in the early 80s, falling in love with Chateauneuf du Pape. The day we discussed French wines in my high school French class, I was the only person who said anything – Monsieur Beckman was so excited because I NEVER said anything in that class ever and suddenly I was “Cotes du Rhone-ing” all over the place.
Scott and I met when we were both waiters in San Francisco. San Francisco waiters are professionals who love food, love restaurants and love wine (and in the best restaurants, that will always be the case). As a waiter in a four or five star restaurant (such as McCormick & Kuleto’s or The Sherman House), the more you know about the food you are serving and the wine on your list that perfectly complements it, the better the experience your guests will have (and presumably, the better your tip). Restaurants spend an enormous amount of time and money training their wait staffs on wine, wineries, the nuances of food pairing. We were 70 minutes from Sonoma and Napa and spent almost every weekend up there, first visiting wineries, then spending time at Gallaway Vineyards in Healdsburg - the vineyard that Scott helped plant - which belonged to family friends. Once those vines matured, we started home winemaking, using Gallaway Vineyards grapes that were left on the vines after harvest. In the late ‘90s we both got lured into desk jobs, which was a nice break. But we both missed the buzz from the restaurant biz, we missed the people who are drawn to working in food and wine, and we missed the daily exposure to (and the consumption of) all that great food and wine!
In the fall of 2001 we moved from San Francisco to Bend, Oregon. And again, while I wish we could say that we were cashing out stock options or that we had sold our cracker box house for a million dollars, that wasn’t the case. We were renters in San Francisco, and when the house up the street from us in the Inner Sunset sold for $650,000 and the new owners proceeded to knock it down and build a new house, we knew it was time to go. We figured out very quickly that Bend is an entrepreneurial town, thriving thanks to small businesses. After a few months we went back to the Bay Area for a wedding. While there, Scott sent off an email to Randall Grahm, (founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards and the "Original Rhone DeRanger") stating that he was a local boy thinking about going “pro” with his home winemaking and would Mr. Grahm have any advice. About 20 minutes later the phone rang in Scott’s parents’ house (where we were staying) and it was Randall Grahm himself who said he had just had surgery, was bored out of his skull and would we like to come to his house to talk wine. When we arrived, he said to us, “If I were in your position, this is what I would do…” And by the end of that meeting, Scott had thrown his heart off the cliff, and there was no turning back. Volcano Vineyards was born.
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.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Gold and More Gold - WooHoo!
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest competition of American wines. Thousands of wineries participate. This year, over 4200 wines were judged. Last year only three wineries from Oregon received Gold Medals, and we were one of them. And the results from the 2008 competition are in...
Sooooo, we are thrilled to announced that our Volcano Vineyards 2006 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard/Serenade Vineyard, Rogue Valley took GOLD. And, our Rogue Valley Lava Red Blend took GOLD. Release dates for both of these wines will be set in the next few months. The 2005 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard, the 2005 Merlot/Cab Franc and the 2006 Merlot all took Silver.
From the preliminary look at the results, Oregon wineries fared better this year, winning a total of 8 Golds (last year, Oregon wineries took home 3 Golds, total). Yes, we have TWO of those EIGHT. Not too shabby!! Other winners include Willamette Valley Vineyards, who also won two Golds (Riesling and Pinot Noir), Del Rio Vineyards and Dobbes Family Estate both won Gold for their Pinot Gris, Griffin Creek won Gold in the Syrah $35 and over category, and Zerba's fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon won Gold. Woohoo!!
More details once the final results are tallied. The Tasting Lounge re-opens on Friday, January 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Sooooo, we are thrilled to announced that our Volcano Vineyards 2006 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard/Serenade Vineyard, Rogue Valley took GOLD. And, our Rogue Valley Lava Red Blend took GOLD. Release dates for both of these wines will be set in the next few months. The 2005 Syrah, Lakeside Vineyard, the 2005 Merlot/Cab Franc and the 2006 Merlot all took Silver.
From the preliminary look at the results, Oregon wineries fared better this year, winning a total of 8 Golds (last year, Oregon wineries took home 3 Golds, total). Yes, we have TWO of those EIGHT. Not too shabby!! Other winners include Willamette Valley Vineyards, who also won two Golds (Riesling and Pinot Noir), Del Rio Vineyards and Dobbes Family Estate both won Gold for their Pinot Gris, Griffin Creek won Gold in the Syrah $35 and over category, and Zerba's fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon won Gold. Woohoo!!
More details once the final results are tallied. The Tasting Lounge re-opens on Friday, January 18 at 11:30 a.m.
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.
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