A friend and I made a return visit to McCrady’s for dinner last night and it was another extraordinary, well paced feast for the eyes and palate.  Pictured is the fish course I chose, lupina, with fresh sorrel sauce, fingerling potatoes, and sun chokes.  I took a bottle of Ken Wright 2008 Savoya Vineyard Pinot Noir to drink with dinner.  Like Ken’s Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot that was enjoyed with family…

My Total Wine store located at 1820 Ashley River Road puts on great wine classes.  There is usually one class per month on Saturdays from 3-5 with popular classes repeating on Thursdaysof the same week from 6:30-8:30. For any of you with a Total Wine in the area, the classes and special events are well worth checking out. Yesterday’s subject region was the Pacific Northwest featuring wines…

Continuing my exploration of Charleston area wine shops and wine bars that I have never visited, I stopped in at In Good Tasteon Friday evening.  In Good Taste is a cozy shop that has been in business for over 25 years and is owned by Jacki Boyd.  The store offers wines, whole bean coffees, teas, cheeses, and an assortment of…

Charleston Restaurant Week is in full swing.  On Wednesday, a friend and I tried one of the city’s newer restaurants, The Grocery.  This is another eatery dedicated to serving fresh, locally sourced products.  It has a rather bare bones decor, which suits the building that houses it as well as its name. We selected J. Christopher 2009 Pinot Noir from Willamette…

Hello, everyone.  I hope you are all well and enjoying the pre-holiday doings.  Let’s go back to Pinot Noir, specifically Ken Wright’s fabulous 2009 blend.  I have been busy sharing this delightful wine with friends and everyone loves it.  Ken created this blend for the first time in 2009 for the purpose of being able to offer one of his…

6:15 a.m. alarm.  Seth Miller, one of the vineyard managers picked me up at 7:00.  It was a dry and cool morning, perfect for the task ahead.  Tanager is owned by Ken’s brother and sister-in-law so this was a special morning for them-the first harvest of their new vineyard.  It typically takes at least 3 years for a new vineyard to…

Today was a “play day”.  My first stop was a visit to Sokol Blosser Winery.  The lovely drive up to the winery was flanked by Pinot Noir on the left and Pinot Gris on the right.  Alison took me on a tour that included nearby vineyards and the winery. Sokol Blosser is in the heart of the Dundee Hills, famous for its red volcanic…

I arrived in Carlton, OR Tuesday evening and moved into The Winery Lofts of Ken Wright Cellars, my home for the next few days. Weather factors have dictated that it is not time for harvest. Cooler temperatures and rain have slowed the final stages of ripening.  But that is okay – there is still work to do. Upon arriving at the winery this morning…

In my first post I talked about the Pinot Noir seminar I attended at Charleston Wine and Food Festival last spring. Alison Sokol Blosser presented wines from Sokol Blosser Winery. Her parents, Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser, were among the true pioneers of the wine business in Oregon. Susan authored a book called At Home in the Vineyard that chronicles…

My favorite local wine store The Wine Shop, owned by Debbie Marlowe, recently held an Oregon wine tasting.  Six wines were presented, two whites and four Pinot Noirs.  I enjoyed all of the wines, but would like to highlight three of the selections. King Estates Pinot Gris is the quintessential Oregon Pinot Gris.  Its aroma is full of stone fruits like peaches and…