‘Tis the season – two Champagne tastings last week!  Harry Root, owner of Grass Roots Wine, presented the consumer version of the grower/producer seminar I attended last month.  He provided loads of valuable information and poured 8 grogeous wines.  I began learning about the importance of soil or “terroir” in Oregon, understanding the differences in the wines made from grapes…

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…

Hello to my friends and followers.  Yup, I dropped the ball last week.  Traveled to Cincinnati for the Thanksgiving holiday (hope yours was yummy and that you drank some good wine), had some unexpected issues and just didn’t get a post done.  This is my new logo which will be incorporated, soon! I am back to my grower producer Champagne…

Being in the right place at the right time enabled me to attend a Champagne seminar this week featuring wines from French grower producers. Grower producers are just what it sounds like – people who grow their own grapes and make their own wines. As we head into the holiday season, I will spend several weeks on this topic. Today, 80% of…

The Charleston Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier hosted a fund raiser October 27 at beautiful Lowndes Grove Plantation.  It was one of the nicest events I have been to in Charleston featuring over 100 wines and artisan food samplings, all enjoyed on a perfect fall evening on the banks of the Ashley River.  My friend, Susan, and I had to be strategic with our wine…

I’ve been home for close to two weeks – how can that be?  I miss the winery and the friends I made while visiting.  The 2011 harvest started in earnest mere days after my departure and I hope to be able to get some updates on how it is progressing. In summary of what I observed and learned during my visit, I now understand what…

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 is Saturday and our first order of business is a trip out to Shea Vineyard to sample.  Shea is an enormous 140 acre vineyard with acreage leased by a number of wine makers.  Ken leases 6 acres.  The grapes just aren’t ready.  They need some sun and the birds are an increasing threat.  Ken’s vineyard managers were out sampling the other vineyards and…

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…

Being here before harvest has its advantages. I am having the opportunity to perform a number of tasks that would not be possible with all hands on the sorting line. Today I learned about punching down. Currently there are 14 enormous vats of Syrah grapes fermenting.  Each vat holds approximately 1 1/2 tons of grapes.  KWC is fortunate to have…