Dr Vino's wine blog

Since I reached into my Oregon archives for a posting in memory of David Lett earlier this week, here are some photos of the pour from IPNC this past July. Hopefully the new slideshow feature works!

Here I am in McMinnville, Oregon reporting live from the International Pinot Noir Celebration! This annual event, now in its 21st incarnation, attracts hundreds of pinot-philes from around the world to the Willamette Valley. They are treated to two-and-a-half days of vineyard visits, talks as well as tastings of the wines made from the grape hailing from not just Oregon but also France, California, New Zealand and beyond.

At breakfast this morning I was standing in line for some delicious local berries and assorted breakfast fare and fell into conversation with a group of six enthusiasts from North Carolina. Bob Crenshaw, who owns Health Habit, a retailer of “natural foods, fine wine” (as his business card states) with his wife Susan, was the most seasoned veteran of the group: he has attended the event an astonishing 19 times. What brings him back, I asked?

“The wine, the food, the people,” he replied. And there you have the IPNC in a nutshell!
* * * *
Well, if only that were this morning. Read more…

Mike Steinberger posted a piece to Slate.com on Friday detailing the folly French appellation politics (entitled “How Bureaucrats Are Wrecking French Wine”). I’m glad to see the topic getting a broader airing since it is at the heart of my book, Wine Politics, which Mike kindly mentions. But go check out the article and see Mike’s plan for AOC reform if he were French wine czar for a day.

Mike mentions the growing ranks of quality producers who have had wines refused by the tasting portion of the appellation process. When the list includes names such as Jean Thevenet, Didier Dagueneau, Eloi Dürrbach, Marcel Lapierre, Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat, Marcel Richaud, Georges Descombes, and Philippe Jambon, you’ve got to wonder if that doesn’t say more about the appellation politics itself. But there’s one other notable rule breaker who could be included in that list: Philippe Pacalet. Read more…

At the recent IPNC, I had the chance to taste a tasty pinot from British Columbia–my first! The pinot (find this wine) was from Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars. I caught up with Matt Mavety (pictured above with his wife, Christie) to find out about making Pinot in the North American frontier–and how he protects his Pinot from bears and rattlesnakes.

How long have you been making wine at Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars?
The winery has been making wine since 1991, commercial vintage. Read more…

Portland is a city known for micro-breweries. Starting this fall, there will be a micro-winery as well.

John Grochau of Grochau Cellars and Stewart Boedecker and Athena Pappas of Boedecker Cellars will make their first vintage in the northwest industrial district of Portland this fall. Dubbed the Portland Wine Project, the shared space of about 10,000 square feet is at 30th St and NW Industrial just across from the Pyramid Breweries (map it). They anticipate being able to receive visitors by Thanksgiving.

Grochau built his winemaking skillz at Erath and Brick House Wines Read more…

As yet another indicator of the popularity of wine in the United States, particularly among younger drinkers, consider this: the rise of wine tattoos! Yes, Gallup, some respondents in your survey may be fickle in their dedication to wine but consider these people who wear their hearts on (or under) their sleeves!

I snapped the first pic at IPNC; Philippe Newlin, friend of the blog, sent in the second. What’s your wine tattoo, either in reality or hypothetically?

We are in book launch month! The official publication date for Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink is July 14 but there are a few events before that (and the book is in stock now with many retailers). Here’s a roundup:

July 9, noon-1 PM: Beard on Books: a talk, discussion and book signing at the James Beard House, NYC. Brown-bagging welcome; coffee and wine biscotti from Three Tarts bakery will be available. $20 donation to the JBF encouraged for non-students. If you’ve never gotten around to checking out the historic Beard house, now’s your chance! 167 W. 12th St. Details and reservations.

July 11: Book signing at Astor Wines (Lafayette @ 4th St), 6-8 PM. No talk here, just a signing; French wines also available for tasting.

July 22: Book signing at Powell’s Books, Cedar Hills Crossing (Beaverton, OR), 7PM. details and preorder a signed copy of the book

And one day (Saturday the 26th?) at IPNC, the International Pinot Noir Celebration.

I hope you can make one–or more! If you can’t, consider adding the book for your virtual shopping cart. Ponder this comparison: William Fevre, Chablis, 2006 a fine wine that goes for $19.95 a bottle. Or , available from Amazon for $18.15! The Chablis will bring you pleasure for one evening but the book will hold down your bookshelf forever! And unlike wine, available now for shipping to all 50 states!