The Wine Knows - grape varieties

Is interest in Syrah fading

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:44:26 -0400

I've begun to wonder what has happened to all the buzz about Syrah, that luscious red grape whose ancestral home is France's Northern Rhone Valley?

In the past decade, interest in Syrah has skyrocketed in the Pacific Northwest, with more than 200 different examples coming out of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

A tasting of Northwest Italians

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:44:39 -0400

I could not be more jazzed about our big judging Friday for the Fall issue of Wine Press Northwest. We've gathered about 70 Italian red varieties from throughout the Northwest.

I figured we'd end up with a lot of Sangiovese and a bit of Zin and the odd Nebbiolo. Here's how it stands at the moment (with a couple of more wines showing up Thursday morning:

Ascentia bought NW brands for Riesling

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:28:31 -0400

I just got off the phone with Jim DiBonis, CEO of Ascentia Wine Estates, which last week purchased Columbia Winery, Covey Run Winery and Ste. Chapelle from Constellation.

We had a long-ranging conversation about DiBonis' new company and where the Northwest fit in, and the big take-away was this: One of the biggest reasons for wanting these three Northwest wineries was Riesling.

Wither Gewürztraminer?

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:12:52 -0400

Once upon a time, Gewürztraminer was a grape variety of some importance in Washington. Part of this was the thinking that Washington is so far north of California that it would require cool-climate varieties to be viable.

These days, we all realize the folly of that thinking, with the Columbia Valley's general lack of rain along with the long, hot summer days.

Yet I still love a good Gewürztraminer, and Washington continues to make a fair amount. In 2007, it was the No. 4 white wine grape with 4,100 tons harvested.

Riesling judging brings out best in winemakers

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:40:06 -0400

We have put the Summer issue of Wine Press Northwest to bed, and I'd like to get into a little more detail on our Riesling judging. One of the remarkable trends to come out of our blind tasting of 116 Northwest Rieslings was that those wineries whose focus is on Riesling rose to the top.

Grape source for home winemakers

Fri, 23 May 2008 17:45:24 -0400

Several weeks ago, a reader emailed me wondering about wine grape sources for home winemakers. I replied that there was a vineyard in Washington's Columbia Valley that specialized in that area. For the life of me, I could not recall the name of the vineyard.

When I finally did a couple of days ago, I couldn't find the email address of the reader. I can only hope he reads the blog.

Rieslings and the state of alternative closures

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:24:29 -0400

Going into our big Riesling judging today, I figured we would be able to get a sense of where the Pacific Northwest stands in alternative closures. With Riesling being a white wine that generally will be drunk in its youth, there would be a greater likelihood of alternatives such as screwcaps and synthetics.

Breadth of Northwest Riesling production

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:17:53 -0400

One item of note as we prep for our Riesling competition this weekend: The noble white wine grape of Germany and Alsace is produced throughout the Pacific Northwest. In fact, I'm a bit amazed at how many various appellations are represented on wine bottles.

A problem with Rieslings

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:27:43 -0400

One of the versatilities with Riesling also is one of its perception problems with consumers. This came to light as I entered wine for our Riesling judging into our databases.

Very few Rieslings provide signals about whether the wine is dry, off-dry or sweet.

Is Riesling the greatest white wine grape?

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:47:25 -0400

The Wine Press Northwest crew is prepping for a Riesling judging this weekend, and I am salivating as I enter wines into our database.

While Chardonnay still is far and away the most popular white wine in America, I have to think that Riesling is the greatest.

Best places for Syrah in Washington

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:59:11 -0400

It's been more than 20 years since Mike Sauer and David Lake planted the first Syrah in Washington. Sauer, the owner of Red Willow Vineyard in the western Yakima Valley, and Lake, then winemaker for Columbia Winery, decided to give the red Rhone variety a chance.

Best place for Cabernet Sauvignon in Washington

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:03:08 -0400

A friend called me the other day to ask my opinion on the best three places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon in Washington. We ended up veering off into some interesting side discussions, which I thought would be fun to extend to this forum.

Oregon Petite Sirah

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:09:46 -0400

Look at those words up in the headline. Until now, we've never seen them on a bottle of wine. But yesterday, I saw that a Petite Sirah from Spangler Vineyards in Southern Oregon's Umpqua Valley had shown up as a new release. Before this year, putting "Petite Sirah" on a wine label in Oregon was against the law.

A reason for Oregon's high-alcohol Pinot Noirs

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:00:08 -0500

As I mentioned last month in one or two posts, I was rather dismayed by the high alcohols in many Oregon wines during our judging of Northwest Pinot Noirs. We had many wines above 14% alcohol - and a few above 15%.

Two weeks ago, I was chatting with Terry Casteel, co-owner/winemaker of Bethel Heights Vineyard in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. We got on the subject of high alcohols, and he was able to share some insights on the issues Oregon winemakers have faced since 1998.

Pinot Noir no longer a Willamette Valley thing

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:26:54 -0500

There is no doubt that Oregon dominates the Pacific Northwest Pinot Noir scene. That will always be the case, I am assured.

But it's no longer just a "Willamette Valley" appellation wine. I am stunned by the vast number of appellations carried on the bottles of Pinot Noir we judged for our Spring issue report.