Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON’T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
The mint brightens it, making it taste as vivid green as it looks!
Just a reminder, make sure that you rinse your peas with cold water after cooking them to keep them bright green!
We made this ahead and stuck it in the fridge until it was time for dinner and enjoyed the cool temperature of the dish as a contrast to our warm entree. Of course you could feel free to warm it again and serve it that way!
This dish is so quick and easy and I bet it might be a fun way to get the kids to eat their peas!
Minted Pea Mash
Feeds: 4
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Mint pea mash ingredients with Alloro Pinot Noir
Ingredients
1 16 oz package of frozen peas
1 clove of garlic (peeled and chopped in half)
1 tbs butter
2 tbs sour cream
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
Add the peas and garlic
Return to a boil and boil 2 minutes
Drain the peas and rinse with cold water.
Into your food processor, add the peas and garlic, butter, sour crème and mint.
Process until smooth to your liking.
Season with salt and pepper.
You can serve this hot or cold. We found that with the mint, we enjoyed it cold.
Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
Ingredients
1 16 oz package of frozen peas
1 clove of garlic (peeled and chopped in half)
1 tbs butter
2 tbs sour cream
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
2. Add the peas and garlic
3. Return to a boil and boil 2 minutes
4. Drain the peas and rinse with cold water.
5. Into your food processor, add the peas and garlic, butter, sour crème and mint.
6. Process until smooth to your liking.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
You can serve this hot or cold. We found that with the mint, we enjoyed it cold.
This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
I was looking for a roasted baby potatoes side dish to pair with an Oregon Pinot Noir and was surfing Pinterest for inspiration. It’s the visuals of the food I love. You eat with your eyes, you know what I mean?
I came across this dish and couldn’t get it out of my head.
Inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, we updated to include different greens and potatoes that were available in the winter.
This dish was to pair with an Oregon Pinot Noir and the blend of fat of the cheese the roasted potatoes and the different greens and herbs seemed to make this a perfect side dish.
Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon
Feeds: 4
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
3 tbs olive oil (you will need a little more later for drizzling)
1 lb of baby mixed potatoes
½ lemon juiced and zested
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh basil (1/2 of this chopped the remainder whole for garnishing)
½ cup o fresh spinach
½ cup of chopped radicchio (torn and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes)
4 oz of burrata
Salt & Pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
In a baking dish combine the potatoes, a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper
Roast for 15 minutes, toss and roast another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp.
After you have tossed them the first time…
Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped basil, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Take the potatoes out of the oven and place on a serving plate. Break the burrata and place on the plate, garnish with the spinach, radicchio and fresh basil.
Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour5 minutes
This is one of those dishes that you see on pinterest and can’t get out of your head. Inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, we updated to include different greens and potatoes that were available in the winter.
3 tbs olive oil (you will need a little more later for drizzling)
1 lb of baby mixed potatoes
½ lemon juiced and zested
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh basil (1/2 of this chopped the remainder whole for garnishing)
½ cup of fresh spinach
½ cup of chopped radicchio (torn and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes)
4 oz of burrata
dash of salt
dash of pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. In a baking dish combine the potatoes, a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper
3. Roast for 15 minutes, toss and roast another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp.
4. After you have tossed them the first time…
5. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped basil, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Take the potatoes out of the oven and place on a serving plate. Break the burrata and place on the plate, garnish with the spinach, radicchio and fresh basil.
7. Spoon the lemon zest mixture on the burrata
8. Drizzle the whole plate with EVOO.
Notes
We served this with Roasted Cornish Game Hens with a Savory berry drizzle and Minted Pea Mash. The wine we paired was a 2018 Alloro Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley
This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
This recipe for Roasted Cornish Game Hens was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
Roasted Cornish Game hens with savory berry drizzle
Feeds: 4
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Scroll to bottom for Recipe Card
Ingredients for Cornish Game Hens
2 Cornish Game Hens
4 tbs of olive oil (divided)
½ lemon quartered
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
8 cloves of garlic
3 tbs of wine (choose to match your pairing, we used Pinot Noir)
3 tbs of chicken stock
Rosemary and lemon slices for garnish.
Directions
Preheat your oven to 450.
Rub the Cornish Game Hens with olive oil (about 2 tbs spoons)
Season with salt and pepper
Place 1 piece of lemon inside the cavity, followed by a sprig of rosemary and another piece of lemon.
Line a small roasting pan with aluminum foil
Place the 2 Cornish Game Hens in the roasting pan, breast up.
Add your whole garlic cloves around the birds, and the remaining 2 sprigs of rosemary.
Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
While this is roasting make the berry drizzle
Savory Berry Drizzle
Ingredients for Berry Drizzle
1 cup of frozen berries (ours were blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries) * you can also use fresh berries if you have them.
1/3 cup of chopped dried cranberries
½ lemon juiced and zested
2 tbs frozen orange juice
2 tbs wine (again we used Pinot Noir)
1 tsp of rosemary chopped
Salt & Pepper
Directions
Place all items in a saucepan, warm over medium heat stirring regularly.
Cook until the berries break down. Season to taste
*You can make this ahead if you like and just warm it before drizzling on the hens.
After 25 minutes of roasting the hens…
Whisk together your wine, chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Remove the Cornish Game Hens from the oven, lower the heat to 350 and pour the mixture of wine, broth and olive oil over the hens.
Return to the oven to roast an additional 25 minutes, basting with the juices every 10 minutes. The hens should be at 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer inserted at the thigh.
Take the birds out and let them rest on a cutting board under foil. Carefully pour out any juice that is inside the birds into the pan.
In the meantime prepare the sauce…
Pour the juices from the pan into a saucepan with the garlic, boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
Cut the birds in half lengthwise and arrange on a platter, spoon the sauce around the base of the Cornish Game Hens with the garlic.
Drizzle the berry sauce over the hens.
Garnish with lemon slices and rosemary sprigs.
What sides to pair?
We did a side of minted pea mash and roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon.
Paired with an Alloro 2018 Pinot Noir from Oregon
All of these paired beautifully with the Pinot Noir. Which we received as a sample from Alloro Vineyard.
This is the genius of Pinot Noir, it is filled with flavor but is light enough to meld well with a variety of dishes. With this dish, it was beautiful with the acid of the wine, cutting through the fat in the hens, the fruit notes, enhancing the berry sauce and rounding it out with accentuating the rosemary and garlic.
Roasted Cornish Game hens with savory berry drizzle
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour15 minutes
This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
We adapted the recipe for 2 game hens rather than 4 and made a few other adjustments like adding the berry drizzle.
Ingredients
1 cup of frozen berries (ours were blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries) * you can also use fresh berries if you have them.
1/3 cup of chopped dried cranberries
½ lemon juiced and zested
2 tbs frozen orange juice
2 tbs wine (again we used Pinot Noir)
1 tsp of rosemary chopped
Salt & Pepper
2 Cornish game hens
4 tbs of olive oil (divided)
½ lemon quartered
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
8 cloves of garlic
3 tbs of wine (choose to match your pairing, we used Pinot Noir)
3 tbs of chicken stock
Rosemary and lemon slices for garnish.
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 450
2. Rub the hens with olive oil (about 2 tbs spoons)
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Place 1 piece of lemon inside the cavity, followed by a sprig of rosemary and another piece of lemon
5. Line a small roasting pan with aluminum foil
6. Place the 2 hens in the roasting pan, breast up.
7. Add your whole garlic cloves around the birds, and the remaining 2 sprigs of rosemary.
8. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
9. While this is roasting make the berry drizzle
10. Use ingredients 1 through 7
11. Cook until the berries break down.
12. After 25 minutes of roasting the hens
13. Whisk together your wine, chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
14. Remove the hens from the oven, lower the heat to 350 and pour the mixture of wine, broth and olive oil over the hens.
15. Return to the oven to roast an additional 25 minutes, basting with the juices every 10 minutes. The hens should be at 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer inserted at the thigh.
16. Take the birds out and let them rest on a cutting board under foil. Carefully pour out any juice that is inside the birds into the pan.
17. In the meantime prepare the sauce
18. Pour the juices from the pan into a saucepan with the garlic, boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
19. Cut the birds in half lengthwise and arrange on a platter, spoon the sauce around the base of the hens with the garlic.
20. Drizzle the berry sauce over the hens.
21. Garnish with lemon slices and rosemary sprigs.
Notes
What sides to pair?
We did a side of minted pea mash and roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach and radicchio with lemon.
This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
It’s the Italian word for laurel. When David Nemarnik purchased this now 130-acre site, he named it after the Laurelwood soils found on the site.
He grew up nearby in Portland, making homemade wine in his garage. He searched the area for the right site, testing soils to find the best for growing the Pinot Noir that he loved. When he found this site, it wasn’t even for sale. The owner who lived in Shasta allowed him to dig test pits and agreed to sell him 40 acres in 1999.
They planted the first 20 acres of grapes in 1999. Since then they expanded the property from the initial 40 acres to 130 acres and now have 34 acres of vineyard.
The Russian Doll AVAs of Oregon
Willamette Valley Map courtesy of Willamette Valley Wine Association Map data by everyvine.com, design by John Fisher, geologic cross section by Timothy A. Cross, special thanks to Patrick Reuter.”
Willamette Valley AVA
We mentioned Pinot Noir, so you probably immediately think of Oregon, and beyond that the Willamette Valley AVA. This overarching AVA covers the Northern part of the state from Eugene near its southern border to Portland on its northeastern border. It is defined by the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Coast Range to the West.
This massive AVA is filled with 9 sub-AVAs from North to South they are Tualatin Hills, Laurelwood, Yamhill-Carlton, Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, Eola-amity Hills, and the Van Duzer Corridor.
Chehalem Mountains AVA
The Chehalem Mountains AVA is the largest sub-AVA in the state, covering over 100 square miles. 20 miles long and 5 miles wide the AVA was established in 2006 and sits within the larger Willamette Valley AVA.
There are around 150 vineyards, many family-owned and averaging just 12.5 acres. It was here that in 1968 Dick Erath first purchased land, he was followed by David Adelsheim, Dick and Nancy Ponzi, and Paul Hart of Adelsheim, Ponzi, and Rex Hill respectively.
But this is not as small as we go. Within the Chehalem Mountains AVA is the Ribbon Ridge AVA that sits on the Northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains and the brand new Laurelwood District AVA which encompasses 33,600 acres on the northeast-facing flank of the Chehalem Mountains.
General Area of the Laurelwood District AVA (Willamette Valley Map courtesy of Willamette Valley Wine Association)
Laurelwood District AVA
This AVA was just approved in June of 2020! The topography here can reach more than 1,600 feet. This AVA is defined by the Laurelwood soils, windblown loess that came with the Missoula Floods. This AVA was a decade in the works.
Of course, as this was just approved, you will not see this on bottles until 2020 vintages are released.
Alloro Vineyard
Alloro was a part of the push for this new AVA. In 2018 they were part of a group of winemakers who gathered for a blind tasting of Chehalem Mountain wines all from within the Laurelwood AVA. So today, the raised laurel on their label takes on even more meaning.
Their vineyard sits at between 450 and 700 feet and is wind-blown loess (Laurelwood) over basalt.
On the property, in addition to grapes, they raise cattle and sheep. They are LIVE certified (Low Impact Viticulture & Enology). David’s philosophy is to look at the overall health of the farm, minimize inputs, use beneficial insects, and leave natural areas for biodiversity. He looks at the farm as a complete system. The idea is to leave the soil and ecosystem better than when he found it. LIVE is a science-based approach that does not eliminate synthetic products. As he uses beneficial insects, he tries to avoid sulfur which can harm them.
All their wines are estate wines.
David Nemarnik, Vineyard Manager and Proprietor
David Nemarnik loves the land. He helped to build his family’s produce company, in Portland while he was in college. He still heads that company as CEO. Here at the vineyard, he is the proprietor and also the Vineyard Manager. He hired a winemaker to make the wine in 2009. In 2010 Tom Fitzpatrick joined the team and they have a synergy. The team here is small. David, Tom, David Lopez the Vineyard Foreman, Andrew Ward the Cellar Master.
Tom Fitzpatrick, Winemaker
Tom has a master’s in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and has worked in wine all over the world. He began in Washington State, working with a small winery, spent time in New Zealand and Napa, where he worked at Pine Ridge. His Masters Thesis was “Variation in the Phenolic Composition of California Pinot Noir Fruit and Wines: Analysis and Explanation.” (Just the kind of fascinating geeky thing I would love to read!). So Pinot Noir is a grape he has looked at in-depth.
He spent some time in Bourgogne before returning to the US and settling in Oregon. He worked at Hamacher Wines, before coming to Alloro. He is also the Proprietor and Winegrower for Élevée Winegrowers where he studies Terroir.
Alloro 2018 Pinot Noir
This is one of the 3 Pinot Noirs the produce annually.
Medium red-ruby in color
Pronounced nose of red cherry, sweet tobacco, cola, forest floor a slight floral note, and a hint of eucalyptus.
Dry with medium to light tannins and body, medium to high acidity, Pronounced flavors of black plum deep red ripe fruit, spice, cola, and red cherry.
A wine that will age well. This is one of their largest production wines with 1850 cases produced.
100% Pinot Noir – 14.2% abv – SRP $45.00
*This wine was received as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.*
Alloro 2018 Pinot Noir from the new Laurelwood District AVA
Pairings with the Alloro 2018 Pinot Noir
To pair with this Alloro Pinot Noir, we settled on Roasted Cornish Game Hens with a savory berry drizzle, Roasted baby potatoes with burrata, basil, spinach, and radicchio with lemon and a Minted pea mash.
We ran the gamut with herbs in these dishes; mint in the peas, rosemary in the game hens, basil in the potatoes. The wine paired well with all of these.
It pulled forward the mint in the peas in a lovely soft way, like a mother gently nudging a shy child into a well-deserved spotlight. The acid in the wine played nicely with the fat on the hens and then elevated the berries in the sauce. The lemon zest and acid as well as the savory notes in the roasted potatoes were brightened and accentuated by the wine. Even the bitter notes in the radicchio were elevated and rounded to a perfect level.
Alloro 2018 Chardonnay
This is the one Chardonnay that Alloro makes annually. This is a barrel-fermented Chardonnay that does full malolactic fermentation with Bâtonnage then ages for 11 months in French Oak (20% new). Only 290 cases were produced.
Pronounced nose of Meyer lemon, with notes of mineral, saline, and toasted bread.
On the palate, it is dry and full-bodied with pronounced round flavors of Meyer lemon that sweep over your mouth, making your gums tingle and a long finish.
This is a wine that is as much at home in winter as summer and can pair well with the dishes of either season.
100% Chardonnay – 13.7% abv – SRP $39
*This wine was received as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.*
Pairing the Alloro 2018 Chardonnay
We paired this with a Scottish chowder with potatoes and pollock.
This dish came to us from SunBasket but is a simple and delicious dish to recreate.
With onion, potatoes, paprika, pollock, cream, and bay leaf, this dish is warming and goes beautifully with the wine. The wine pulls forth the richness of the fish and the broth with the paprika playing well with the Meyer lemon notes in the wine. The salinity and minerality of the wine round out the pairing with the dish.
We added a side salad and toasted ciabatta to complete the meal.
Visiting Alloro
In 2019 Alloro broke ground on a new tasting room. The previous tasting room had been converted from an apartment David had built on the property. This new tasting room which just opened in mid-December has an outdoor space, where you can do a reserved tasting. It is set up as a 75-minute experience.
Be aware that this is an outdoor tasting, so you might be exposed to wind and/or rain. They do have heaters but dress warmly. They are working with the best practices to keep everyone safe at this time.
To book your experience you can visit their websiteor call them at (503)625-1978.
I look forward to the future when this beautiful facility with a wood-burning oven, demonstration and commercial kitchen, and a barrel room for small events will be able to open fully.
This was an elegant dish that we paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We wanted something that would not be too heavy, but would match the elegance of this wine. Incorporating Pinot Noir into the dish as well as adding a savory berry drizzle, help to match notes in the wine and make this pairing extra delicious.
Sometimes you look at a plate and it just needs some green. What if you really DON'T feel like a salad? I found a quick and easy recipe for Pea Mash on Sprinkles and Sprouts and updated it adding fresh mint to brighten the dish.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
The end of 2020 has been fast and furious! We are sneaking in a little quiet time, between planning for 2021. It’s that time of year when we grab the calendar and fill in those wine and food industry events for the upcoming year.
With so much being still in limbo, we have mostly virtual conferences to begin the year, but we do have hope that we will be able to get back to live events before the end of the year.
Here is a sampling of some of the Wine and Food Industry Events we have discovered for this next year. We would love it if you would share any others that you know of, in the comments!
International Food Influencer Virtual Summit and Conference
January, March, May, July and October!
We attended the Virtual International Food Bloggers Conference this past year. While this is not a wine event, it is produced by the same folks that do the Wine Media Conference (more on that later).
It was a whirlwind few days packed with sessions on writing, social media, photography, video and live-streaming, and more. Many of the sessions applied directly to Wine Media and others that were more food-centric were appealing, as we often do wine and recipe pairings.
This year, they have scheduled multiple shorter events, the first of which will happen on January 15th and will focus on Social Media with sessions on Instagram Stories, Advanced Content Marketing, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.
They offer an a la carte registration at $7 per session or you can get an All-Access pass for $25. Both include access to the appropriate recordings in case you cannot join live at the time of the conference.
Additional Virtual Summits will happen throughout the year
March 18 – Website + SEO virtual summit
May 12 – Monetization virtual summit
July 13 – Productivity virtual summit
All leading up to the in-person conference scheduled for El Paso in October!
The Oregon Wine Symposium is a conference developed to deliver education and current research to the Oregon wine industry.
It will be held this year in February as a Virtual event from February 16th to 19th.
Along with a virtual trade show, there are sessions on Viticulture, Enology, Business as well as Networking sessions in this 4-day Virtual event.
Leaf removal, Creating an Inclusive Workplace Culture, Grape Smoke Exposure Impacts, Cover Crops, DTC, Advertising Strategies for Social Median and e-commerce, Dealing with Extreme heat events, Barrels and Wine distribution are just a few of the topics of sessions that will be covered.
In addition to the sessions, the Keynote will be given by Futurist Steve Brown of Possibility & Purpose. Steve was the Chief Evangelist at Intel, imagining the world 15 years in the future. He will be speaking on business in the post-pandemic world.
This is great for anyone in the Oregon Wine Industry and I feel grateful to be invited to attend to learn more on this plethora of subjects!
They have early bird rates available until January 15th!
I attended the Somm Con Virtual Conference this past year and was thrilled with the 5 days of amazing speakers covering so many of the world’s wine regions. The sessions were all recorded and through SommGo I could go back and rewatch any that I needed to and catch any that I might have missed.
This was an amazing educational event.
The next Somm Con Virtual Conference is set for March 14th-16th and will have over 25 sessions live and recorded covering wine, beer, and spirits.
The full schedule will be released in February and they have early bird passes available right now for $75.
Finally, if we are lucky, we get to an in-person event.
This conference was scheduled for last year and due to the pandemic was postponed. We attended the virtual conference that was held, which had great information, but when you are a wine writer, there is nothing like being out in the vineyard.
The conference is scheduled for August 5-7 in Eugene Oregon and they are working hard on all the safety precautions to make this happen.
Also, there are pre and post excursions into wine country that will feature Southern Oregon as well as the Willamette Valley.
We have attended a few of these conferences in the past at locations including: Santa Barbara, California; Walla Walla, Washington; and most recently in 2019 New South Wales, Australia!
One of the fun sessions during the conference are the Red and White Wine Socials. These are speed tasting session, with 5 minutes with each winemaker and wine. You can see some of that in action at this link! Speed dating for wine – Red Wine Social at the Wine Media Conference
In addition, the Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference will be happening in Oregon on August 3-5, produced by the same company. They do offer discounts if you want to attend this conference in addition to the Wine Media Conference. For details on that conference head to https://winetourismconference.org/
VirtualWineEvents.com
Of course, there are many more virtual events available out there worldwide! Amber of Spitbucket, worked fast at the top of the pandemic to create a hub for listing all of the many available events. You can find that at https://virtualwineevents.com/events
Search by date or type, see what is popular! Some of these are Wine and Food Industry Events and many are open to consumers. There are listings for paid classes as well as free events including IG Live events. They have also added a section for searching for videos. If you are researching or studying wine, this is an amazing resource!
They have had an inside look at seeing the way that consumers are interacting and what they are looking for, which is really fascinating. Some of the things Amber shared with me included their 7-month engagement rate by country. Australia led with the UK and US following. Next up was Hong Kong, followed by Canada, South Africa, India, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand. Yes, this is just one site, but it’s an interesting look inside where wine consumers looking for Virtual Wine Events are located. I look forward to seeing how the data on engagement from their site lines up with what the future of the industry is. (if you are into this kind of geeky details, check out the recent Twitter thread that Amber shared on their analytics! https://twitter.com/SpitbucketBlog/status/1344286105449988097)
Other Wine and Food Industry Events?
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I know that there are many more wine and food industry events both Virtual and hopefully in-person coming up in 2021! Share with us what you are looking forward to in the new year in the comments!
Wine & Food Industry Events we have covered in the past
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Earlier this fall I wrote a piece about Youngberg Hill. In 2019 they created Bailey Family Wines. It was a place we had visited years ago with a friend and tasting through the Pinot Noirs they had sent, I got a bit nostalgic. You can read that piece here Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making New Memories with 2 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs.
Youngberg Hill is a beautiful property. They have a gorgeous Inn as well as an Event Center set within the vines. With the winery, they have 2 labels. One is the Youngberg Hill label, which those two beautiful Pinot Noirs fall under. The other is the Bailey Family Wine label.
*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.*
Bailey Family Wines
Last year, in 2019 they created Bailey Family Wines. They had worked with their Youngberg Hill label to make the vineyard Organic Certified and are working toward Biodynamics, mostly looking out for the land and the soil and sourcing from other like-minded vineyards.
Bailey Family Wines focuses on exclusive wines from the 23 acres of vines on their Estate Vineyard. Of the 23 acres, 18 are planted to Pinot Noir, 2 ½ to Chardonnay, and 2 ½ to Pinot Gris. So this bottle of Estate Chardonnay is indeed rare.
View of the vineyard at Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
The Youngberg Hill Inn in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
Wayne Bailey of Youngberg Hill and Bailey Family Vineyards – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay
The Aspen block was planted with Pinot Grill in 2006. In 2014 they grafted over ½ of the black to Chardonnay Clones 75, 76, 95, and 548. The block is on Marine sediment and sits at between 500 and 600 feet.
The 2017 vintage was warm with an early bud break and a dry growing season. Then cooler temperatures gave great acidity and mineral notes as well as rich deep fruit at harvest.
This wine was aged for 8 months in neutral oak and they made just 229 cases, which are sold by allocation only.
100% Chardonnay 12.5% abv SRP $85
My notes:
This wine pours a pale lemon and has an intense nose of floral, crushed gravel, citrus leaf, fresh herbs, citrus pith and zest, and Meyer lemon.
It is dry in my mouth with flavors of lemon pith, lemon thyme, and Meyer lemon with lifted floral notes.
I felt like I was standing in a citrus grove with scents of citrus flowers, fruit, leaves, and pith all at once.
This was round but bright. I would luxuriate in this wine for hours.
Roasted Chicken with root vegetables
Michael was on kitchen duty for this one with a meal from Sun Basket. The chicken breast was roasted with lemon juice and lemon zest which paired beautifully with the lemon notes in the wine. The roasted vegetables included golden beets, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. I was concerned about how the Brussels sprouts might pair, but they were lovely.
Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay with Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables
Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
Youngberg Hill Pinots paired with rainbow trout and root vegetable gratin
I think this wine might really sing with a creamy dish, it has great acid to cut through a creme sauce. It would also be great with homemade mac and cheese, like the smoked gouda and white cheddar one I recently made (link) or perhaps with a baked brie. Quite honestly, I think it would have been brilliant with grilled rainbow trout that we enjoyed with the Youngberg Pinot Noirs.
Cannolis with lemon curd crème
Michael bought cannoli molds back on Amazon Prime Day and it was evidently time to try them out. I was at first, an unwilling participant (I have a fear of hot oil). Nonetheless, we put these together and they worked! Most importantly, I came out unscathed by the hot oil! YAY!
We filled them in an unorthodox way with a lemon curd crème, that paired beautifully with the wine.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
If you are reading this in time you can join us on Saturday morning December 19th at 11 am EST or bright and early at 8 am PST for a great Q&A discussion on Twitter. Just follow and use the hashtag #Winophiles to join the conversation.
I was lucky enough to receive this bottle of Résonance Découvert Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 thanks to Jennica at Kobrand Wine & Spirits
*I received this bottle as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.*
Maison Louis Jadot
Label and logo of Maison Louis Jadot
If you have tasted a French wine in the US, you have likely tasted a wine by Maison Louis Jadot. It is one of the most beloved French wine brands in the United States. You know the logo. You have seen it on countless wines from Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Beaujolais.
Maison Louis Jadot originated in Beaune France and produces wines from over 150 appellations in Bourgogne with 110 hectares in the Côte d’Or.
This renowned house was founded in 1859, which, coincidentally is the year that Oregon became a state. Of course, Oregon and Bourgogne share a latitude of 45 degrees.
Résonance
In 2013 Maison Louis Jadot took their first steps outside of Bourgogne purchasing the Résonance Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Jacque Lardière the longtime Maison Louis Jadot winemaker, had recently retired and he and Thibault Gagney, whose family operates Maison Louis Jadot were off to find a bold new project. The vineyard already had a French name! Well, they did add the accent mark, but it was Kismet.
If you click the map to make it larger, you will find the Résonance vineyard. It is on the bottom half of the map near the center.
The Résonance vineyard had been planted in 1981 and it was own-rooted, which is rare. It is one of the oldest dry-farmed vineyards in the Willamette Valley, sitting between 262 and 492 feet in elevation. Their custom-built winery opened its doors in May of 2019. Our friends at AdVINEtures visited them a bit ago meeting with winemaker Guillaume Large.
But our story takes us beyond the Résonance Vineyard.
Découverte – Discovery in the Dundee Hills
The Dundee Hills are the historical heart of winemaking in the Willamette Valley. It was here that David Lett, Dick Erath, and the Sokol Blosser’s came to plant their vineyards.
David Lett’s Eyrie Pinot Noir caught the attention of the French in 1979 when it placed in the Top 3 in the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiads. Domaine Drouhin took enough note to open their winery here in 1987.
In 2014 Maison Louis Jadot treaded into these red hills purchasing 18 acres with 8 acres of vineyard planted. This is the Découverte Vineyard. It sits at a much higher elevation than the Yamhill-Carlton property. The 15 acres now under vine sit between 600 and 690 feet above sea level. Most of this (12.5 acres) is planted to Pinot Noir, with the remaining to Chardonnay.
You will find them on the map on the right side 6th up from the bottom.
They call these the Red Hills because of the rich, red volcanic Jory soil. This soil comes from ancient volcanic basalt. It is iron-rich, not very fertile, and well-draining.
Résonance – Découverte Vineyard 2017 Pinot Noir
This Pinot Noir is from the second Résonance Estate Vineyard, Découverte. Découverte means “Discovery” in French.
The 2017 Vintage saw late flowering due to a cold wet winter and spring. The summer, on the other hand, set a new record high in August. This vineyard is organically farmed.
This wine saw 17 months in French Oak barrels, 30% of which was new.
My notes:
Medium ruby in color with a fuchsia rim.
The nose hits you first with rich warm spices, followed by red fruit. Notes of earth, integrated black fruits, cherry, and notes of mint.
Dry with medium tannins the mouth was rounded and savory on the first sip. Rich but elegant, bright tart cherry notes emerge, and medium tannins that unevenly coat your teeth.
The mineral finish is the give-away here that this is a Dundee Hills wine. Those red Jory soils shining through.
Keep in mind that this wine is young. This is a wine that will age and it will continue to evolve and grow more complex.
100% Pinot Noir – 13.5% abv – $65 SRP
A Classic Pairing – Oregon Pinot Noir and Salmon
We paired this with a classic Oregon Pinot pairing, salmon. We did have a Mediterranean twist adding a honey-harissa glaze. We added sides of slaw with cabbage and apple and pan-roasted summer squash.
I was a little skeptical of the harissa glaze. Harissa is a Tunisian spice blend, usually made in a paste from dried chili peppers, spices, olive oil, and garlic. The peppers range from smoky to hot and the spices are often toasted. Our harissa was powdered rather than in paste form and it had a smokiness from roasted peppers and spices. While there was a little heat on when tasted on its own, we were mixing it with honey to glaze the salmon, which I hoped would tone down the heat and elevate the smoky notes.
Would it work with the wine? It did. The harissa and honey pulled out the spice notes in the wine and the wine did not elevate the heat in the harissa. Our other dishes, the apple and cabbage slaw, and the pan-roasted summer squash played background to the salmon but blended seamlessly with the wine.
Is it crazy to think that the color of the harissa brings to mind the color of the dirt in the Dundee Hills. Is that why it connects so well with this Découverte Vineyard Pinot Noir?
#Winophiles
I am looking forward to reading all the pieces by my fellow writers in the French #Winophiles! There is so much knowledge and a diversity of viewpoints within this group so I am anxious to hear their thoughts! Dive in and give these a read!
The Oregon Wine Board and the Oregon Wine Symposium 2021
I have to give a shout out to the Oregon Wine Board. Their site is full of great information on Oregon, its soils, vineyards, and wines. It really is my go-to place for information on Oregon when I am doing research.
The Oregon Wine Symposium is a wine education and trade show that they produce annually for the Northwest Wine Industry. In 2021 it will be virtual, held online from February 16 to 19th.
We are in the midst of our 12 Days of Wine 2020 celebration at Crushed Grape Chronicles! We invite you to join us as we taste and pair a wine each day leading up to Christmas. Great wines from around the world with the stories behind them, plus recipes and pairings including Dessert!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Years ago, Michael and I ventured to Oregon on our first trip to explore the Willamette Valley. An old friend of mine, Adam, met us and made sure we visited Youngberg Hill, where he and his wife had recently been married.
I remember, having a joyful conversation with Adam in the backseat and me in the passenger’s seat. We had already stopped at one winery and Michael was being the designated driver. We were chattering away on the small roads leading to the winery. These were the days before in-car navigation systems and Adam was directing us. Of course, he and I kept getting distracted in conversation, and to Michael’s dismay, we had to turn around and backtrack, more than once.
We made our way to Youngberg Hill and Adam was greeted warmly as we arrived. He has a way of making friends wherever he goes. We tasted wine and toured the property, getting the play by play from Adam on the wedding, as he blissfully (and adorably) reminisced.
Recently we received samples from Youngberg Hill. The memories took me back to this earlier visit and I looked forward to opening the wines.
*We received these wines as samples, but all opinions are our own.*
An Arial view of Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
View of the vineyard at Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
View of the Valley from Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
The Youngberg Hill Inn in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill
The History of Youngberg Hill
This property had been a family farm since the 1850s. Back then a Swedish immigrant named Youngberg established a 1600-acre homestead here. The family lived off this land for 130 years.
In 1987 the family sold 700 acres. The new owner planted vines in 1989 overseen by Ken Wright. These vines were sourced for wines at Panther Creek, Wright’s winery at the time.
The Bailey family arrived at the property in 2003 and began the process of making this a sustainable vineyard as well as an event venue, the views here are stunning.
They produce 2 labels, Youngberg Hill and Bailey Family Wines.
The approach to growing grapes was informed by Wayne Bailey’s youth in Iowa on a farm. He takes his stewardship of the land seriously. His career path, from mechanical engineering to supply chain management dropped him into the beverage field. That led to a bit of time in Burgundy which led him to want to grow Pinot Noir.
Bailey’s farming here, at Youngberg Hill, began with sustainable methods and a non-interventionist approach. He moved to organic and then beyond. The goal wasn’t certifications, the goal was the best way to take care of the land. They employ various organic and biodynamic practices to suit the site. They farm by the farmers’ almanac via the phases of the moon, as farmers have done for centuries. This practice is often considered “biodynamic”, but it has been used long before biodynamics was a thing. He’s pragmatic in his approach to farming.
“It’s like raising children,” he says. “You can’t make a rocket scientist out of a child who’s born to be a musician.”
The Youngberg Hill estate is 50 acres with 20 acres planted to vine. This is in the Western portion of the Willamette Valley which receives significant maritime influences sitting just 25 miles from the Pacific as the crow flies. While the maritime climate doesn’t come straight through, it sweeps it’s way up through the Van Duzer Corridor south of them. They don’t get as much rain here as the rest of the valley and the temperatures tend to be cooler overall. The original 11 acres are own-rooted.
We tasted two of the Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs, one a blend of non-estate and estate fruit and one from the very specific Natasha Block.
2017 Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir
This 2017 blend comes from fruit from the Bailey Block on the Youngberg Hill estate, as well as some fruit from Yamhill Valley Vineyards.
The Bailey block was planted in 2008. This is 3 acres of 777 clones. Soils here are well-drained mixed Steiwer/shale and the vineyard sits at 660-700 feet in elevation.
The rest of the fruit is from Yamhill Valley Vineyards and from Dijon 667 & 115 clones. This is a 150-acre estate. They are the oldest winery in the McMinnville AVA. We met their winemaker Ariel Eberle a few years ago pouring her own label “A Cheerful Note”.
Soils here are sedimentary clay with basalt.
The details:
100% Pinot Noir
14 months is 25% French Oak
Case production: 660
ABV 13.1%
SRP $35
Our notes
The nose was full of red fruit with a waft of dustiness then brambles and spice. Baked strawberry came to mind. It was bright in my mouth with med/high acid and light drifty tannins that evaporate. A medium finish that brought up bits of cola.
Our notes
This wine had a very integrated nose. It was heavier than the Cuvée with more brambles and bramble fruit. It was lively in my mouth with tartness, like tart blackberry and good acid. Notes of red currant, with bits of smoky vanilla, popped up as I paired it. The finish was lengthy and mouth and gum warming.
This wine is a bit more brooding and earthier than the Cuvée.
2016 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir
The Natasha Block is a Bailey Estate Block, planted in 1989 and named after Wayne’s eldest daughter. Facing southeast this 6.6-acre block gets great sunlight and sits at 600 feet. The soil here is the Willakenzie series of Marine sedimentary and volcanic rock.
The details:
From 40% Wadenswil and 60% Pommard clones
14 months in 37% New French Oak
Case Production 859
ABV 14.3%
SRP $60
Pairings for these Youngberg Hill Pinots
Salmon & Pinot are so traditional, we stepped just a bit outside the box. The key to red wine with fish is choosing a fatty fish and so we chose rainbow trout. For my vegetable, I went earthier choosing a root vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato, golden beet, and parsnip.
How did the pairings go?
The trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha. The gratin really worked well, much credit should be given to the Gruyere topper for pulling the pairing together. With the blend of 4 vegetables, I found I preferred the parsnips with the Cuvée and the beets with the Natasha. Overall, a very satisfying pairing.
One more unexpected pairing!
We did not finish both bottles in one sitting, so we had some left over to pair with lunch. Youngberg Hill mentions that the Cuvee will pair with everything!
“You can even pair this with PB & J or spiced tacos.”
Challenge accepted! We paired with PB & J to our delight and it was wonderful, the acid in the wine cutting through the fat in the Peanut Butter and melding beautifully with the fruit in the grape jelly! Do It! Preferably in your jammies on the couch with a good book or a great movie. This is genius for a nesting day!
Youngberg Hill 2017 Cuvee and PB & J
Rainbow root vegetable gratin
Cutting red beets
Cutting Sweet Potato
Cutting Sweet Potato
Cutting Parsnips
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Grease a baking dish (2-quart size)
Peel and slice the vegetables thinly into rounds and place them in separate bowls. (How perfect and fancy you want to get depends on your style. I hand cut these and was not concerned about having them all look the same size, but you could use a cutter to make all of your circles uniform if you chose)
To each bowl add bits of the cream (4 tablespoons each to the beets, 2 tablespoons each to the potato and parsnip you should end up with about ¼ cup left)
Divide your parmesan in ½ and then divide that into 4 parts and sprinkle this on each of your 4 bowls.
Divide the thyme 4 ways over the 4 bowls.
Rainbow root vegetable gratin
2 red beets
2 golden beets
1 sweet potato
1 parsnip
1 cup of cream
4 oz of grated parmesan
1 tbs+ fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic minced
1 oz of shredded gruyere
Salt & pepper
Stir up each bowl seasoning with salt and pepper and make sure all the slices of vegetables are coated.
In the base of your buttered baking or gratin dish, pour the rest of the cream, add the minced garlic, and ½ of the remaining parmesan.
Now, layer your gratin, start with a bunch of the parsnip (5 or 6 slices) followed by the yellow beet, followed by the sweet potato, and finally the red beet, standing them on edge making rows. Continue until your dish is full. (Feel free to play with your patterns and colors artistically as you see fit).
Top this with a bit of S & P and the rest of the Parm.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover and top with the gruyere
Bake another 20 minutes. (Cheese should be melted and lightly brown)
Sprinkle with a bit more thyme and serve
Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin ingredients
grating Parmesan
parmesan on Scale
Mixing Sweet Potato
Baked rainbow trout
2 trout (scaled and gutted)
1 lemon
Dill
Green onions (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
prepping Trout
Preheat your oven to 450 F
Rinse the fish and pat dry
Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper
Add half the dill and green onions inside
Drizzle with Olive oil
Do the same to the other fish
Cut 3 shallow diagonal cuts in the top of each fish
Drizzle olive oil on top of each fish
Stick a ½ lemon slice in each of the cuts.
One last sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Pop them back under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the skin and serve.
How to find Youngberg Hill?
The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place to visit and has so much wonderful wine!
You can find Youngberg Hill at 10660 SW Youngberg Hill Road, McMinnville, OR 97128
Tastings are appointment only 10-4 daily, call them at 503-472-2727 or drop them an email at [email protected]
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
When you think of Oregon wine country, you probably think first of Portland and then of the Willamette Valley nearby. If you dive a little deeper, perhaps the Applegate and Rogue River Valleys come on your radar, from the far southern end of the state. Often overlooked is the Umpqua Valley that lies between these two regions.
Around the city of Roseburg off the I-5, you will find a couple dozen wineries. It is here that you will find Girardet.
Girardet Vineyard and Winery
Girardet was one of the first wineries in the region, planting their vineyard in the town of Tenmile in 1971.
Their story is one I love because it starts with a trip in a 1965 VW Bus. I have a fondness for those, having grown up riding around in one with my family in Southern California growing up.
After moving to Oregon when Philippe Girardet got bored as a Rocket Scientist at Cal Tech, he and his wife Bonnie decided to plant a vineyard. They needed vines so they took the VW bus and drove to the Livermore Valley to Wente and Concannon to pick up some vines, then did a cross country drive to New York, where they picked up some French American Hybrid vines.
Having never visited this region and being really interested in the hybrid vines, Michael and I set out to visit the winery last July as we traveled north to Washington. Marc Girardet, Phillipe’s son and a second-generation winemaker, was kind enough to take some time and talk with us.
The Picnic Patio
We sat at the picnic table under the vine laden pergola next to the tasting room. It’s got a great view.
View of Tenmile from Girardet’s ShaleRock Summit Vineyard
“It’s Tenmile. We’ve got one little gas station and houses and a winery. And that’s Tenmile”
Marc Girardet, July 2019
Girardet and sustainability
We settle in and my first question for Marc was about sustainability. I had read that he was changing the vineyard over to more sustainable practices. I wanted to know where he was at with that, and what direction he was moving in.
There is a bit of perspective he has as a second-generation winemaker. He grew up on this vineyard, playing in the vines putting corks in bottles. Now he has his own 7-year-old daughter who, perhaps someday will take over the vineyard. He sees in the vineyard the future for generations past him. Of course, he wants the vineyard to be safe now, for people and animals, but he is also being careful to not mess anything up for future generations.
“I really started looking at soil health and what can we do to make sure all of our inputs are as natural as possible and really just that long term health of the vineyard, the soil and then the wines that we can make from that.”
Marc Girardet, July 2019
He uses local horse manure compost that maintains the vine health through the summer without irrigation. Healthy soil with the dry long summers give you small berries with tasty grapes. He supplements with liquid fish fertilizer, focusing on things that are sourced from nature.
He has looked at biodynamic farming, but hasn’t decided if he is onboard with the more mystical aspects. Those are tough for many people, cow horns, and ceremonies at the equinox. But biodynamics has evolved and he does say that he is a firm believer in anything he can demonstrate scientifically.
He’s careful that his sprays are safe for animals and children. This has the added benefit that he knows there will not be chemical residue on the grapes.
There is a downside to this. These organic methods don’t last as long as the commercial chemicals, so he has to make more tractor passes. Lucky for him, he likes being out on the tractor. He sprays with sulfur once every 7 to 10 days.
They have switched from the herbicides that had previously been used in the vineyard to cutting the weeds. He says he is the number 1 customer for string trimmer line in the area!
“It’s very laborious, but that way, we know that we have a safer environment.”
Marc Girardet, July 2019
Animals on the property and sustainability
At this point, we are interrupted by Mo. I couldn’t be happier. Traveling is great, but I miss my cat, so a little cat fix makes me beam. Mo hops up on the table and plops down to soak up some attention. She is one of a few cats that are happily on “rodent patrol” on the property.
They also have chickens and ducks that in addition to providing eggs, take care of gobbling up the bad bugs. Much better than insecticide!
In addition, Marc’s parents seeded the vineyard with lady bug eggs when they planted.
“And now decades later, whenever I’m out there pruning the vines, I always find lady bugs, almost on every vine.”
Marc Girardet, July 2019
This means they won’t have to worry about aphids and they can stay chemical free.
“I really don’t want to do anything that is going to mess this up, you know, pollute the soil or anything like that. That would mean that the next generation couldn’t have the same opportunities that I’ve had or that my parents had.”
Marc Girardet, July 2019
We spent a few hours with Marc, so there is more to discuss, like the soils and his Italian varieties in addition to the French/American hybrids. Don’t worry, we will share the rest of our day with you later.
In the meantime, if you want to visit, you can find them at
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
What to pair this week? Maybe an Illahe Viognier. The sun was out this morning. We spent a bit of time in the backyard, planning our upcoming #travelinabottle trips, and letting Loki enjoy the great outdoors for a bit. I may have even taken on a bit of a pink tinge. It was the perfect day to have the windows open and feel the breeze, a rare thing in Las Vegas.
Today’s bit of travel in a bottle
Today, we were traveling to Oregon, to a spot in the Willamette Valley west of Salem in what is on it’s way to being the Mt. Pisgah/Polk County AVA.
Illahe vineyard Panorama view
ILLAHE, pronounced Ill-Uh-Hee, is a local Chinook word meaning “earth” or “place” or “soil”
From Illahevineyards.com
Illahe Vineyards
We visited Illahe Vineyards a bit ago and spent a morning with Owner Lowell Ford, tasting through the wines, touring the winery and cave and taking in the view in front of the tasting room.
This glorious spring day was perfect for a spring pasta! We made a Pappardelle from Sun Basket that was perfect for the day and the wine!
Spring vegetables and pasta
Fresh pasta, shallots, lemon juice and zest, parsley, spinach and peas, get topped with crushed hazelnuts and ricotta salata. The dish is beautiful, as you can see. It also tastes as good as it looks. Bright and fresh without being overly acidic.
Spring, Pappardelle with a Illahe Viognier
Illahe 2017 Viognier
The same can be said for the wine. The nose has stone fruit, as it says above, but I also get Meyer lemon and lemon zest which of course made it perfect with this dish. This wine was Re-Fresh-Ing! It is nuanced with the citrus notes, a bit of chalk, stone fruit pit (like a crisp white peach). There were pits of beeswax in the background. For a 2017 it was remarkably crisp and fresh and rounded beautifully.
With the food, it was bright with the green notes, had great acid for the pasta, was perfectly matched with the lemon and lemon zest, and picked up the notes from the hazelnuts.
While they no longer have this vintage, you can find their 2019 in their online store at a most reasonable $19.00 per bottle. This is perfect for lunch with the alcohol sitting at just 12.5%.
5 more Articles on Illahe
You can read more about Illahe in the pieces below (you’ll also find great video of our visit)
***On a side note…as I was writing this my best friend called me from Yorktown Virginia. I had visited a few months ago and we were in a wine shop in Williamsburg. Looking for a bottle I saw and Illahe Pinot Noir on the shelf and pointed it out to her. She picked it up, planning for us to enjoy it together, which we ran out of time for. She opened it, as I was writing this and called me immediately to tell me how good it was. Another Illahe convert!
Visit us again for more on wine, wineries, amazing people as well as some food and wine pairings!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Years….they used to take forever! No longer. Now they often seem to speed by in a blur. The coming of the New Year makes me nostalgic. I sit warm, happy with a full belly and I remember that this is not to be taken for granted. Time for a little reflection and gratitude.
2019
I head to social media to reflect on the year. Remember the days when we had journals or diaries or a box of photos? Well, technology has allowed us to share those memorable moments, both big and small.
Instagram is my go to photo journal. So I’m sifting through to give you an idea of my year…holy crap there are alot of wine photos! LOL!
The Quiet Time
My photo essay of the beginning of my year…snow, studying, a Valentines Day on the ice, new Ramen places, hiking at Mount Charleston, beautiful sunsets, reading by the ocean in Carlsbad, high tea with friends, the super bloom in San Diego, a blind tasting event and of course, Loki. Okay…that gets us through the quiet months.
Double click on any of the photos for a larger picture and perhaps a bit more information.
The Scenic Route
We did our typical drive a million miles summer vacation. This year it was named “The Scenic Route”. It took us from Vegas to Tahoe, to Mount Shasta, to Southern Oregon, through the Columbia Gorge to the Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and then back through the Willamette, down to the Applegate Valley and finally to Yosemite before traveling home. We met incredible winemakers, saw beautiful scenery and vineyards and while we shared the overall story of our trip this year, you can look forward to many more in depth pieces on the places we visited this year.
Studying
Then we rested…that should be what I write next. But no. This was crunch time for me. I had been studying all year to take my test to become a Certified Specialist of Wine. After a 13 week course and then months of additional study I hoped I was ready. I was…
#OurAussieWineAdventure
Now was it time to rest? Nope. We were off to the Wine Media Conference in October. Social media got to see much of our trip…there are still interviews and articles to be written in the new year. Here is a glimpse of our travels through New South Wales Australia. We dubbed it #OurAussieWineAdventure.
So, exhausted and exhilarated, we returned. At this point the holiday’s approached and our 2nd Annual 12 Days of wine celebration was at hand.
12 Days of Wine
Here is a link to that page. 12 Days of Wine 2019. You’ll find fun video reveals and details about each of the wines there.
Now we’ve come to the end of the year. It was a full year. We have writing to do video’s to create and tons of content to share with you. And…there will be new adventures. For right now…I’m going to relax and then day dream about what the New Year might hold.
What wine list of ours would be complete without a bottle from Johan.
The Van Duzer Corridor
View of the Johan Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor of Oregon’s Willamette Valley
The Van Duzer Corridor is one of the newer AVA’s in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The TTB approval of the AVA happened in December of 2018 (7 years after they started the process). So what is this corridor and where is it?
The Van Duzer Corridor AVA map courtesy the Oregon Wine Resource Studio
1st, this is a nested AVA lying within the larger Willamette Valley AVA in Oregon. It is in the southern part of the AVA, north of Salem. Encompassing 59,850 acres, there are but 1,000 acres planted to vines. The soil here is marine sediment. It is named for the area 10 miles to it’s west, the actual Van Duzer Corridor, where there is a drop in the coastal range that funnels cold air into the interior.
This happens daily at around 2 pm. The breeze, or should I say wind (it often gets up to 8 mph) does a couple of things. It cools things down and it dries out the berries, keeping them free from mold and fungus (think the Mistral in Provence). It also forces the berries to protect themselves. To do this they thicken their skins and tend to grow smaller and fewer. This gives you more tannins and anthocyanins (which give you color). Lower yields, smaller berries, thicker skin…this all means more flavor.
Johan Vineyard
I have a great love for the wines of Johan. If you know me, you are probably surprised that this was not a Pet Nat! (I do love their Pet Nats). But today we dive into their Estate Grüner Veltliner. But before we get into that…a little on the vineyard.
The vineyard road at Johan Vineyards in the Willamette Valley’s Van Duzer Corridor AVA
Vines at Johan Vineyard
Vineyard View at Johan in the Van Duzer Corridor
Jack and the compost at Johan in the Van Duzer Corridor
Jack pointing out the mushroom innoculation on this stump at Johan
A cowhorn at the biodynamic Johan Vineyard
Views from the tasting room at Johan
Johan Vineyard is 85 acres certified biodynamic. More than that, the winery is certified biodynamic. A holistic approach is important to them here. We walked the vineyard with Jack when we visited and saw the compost heap, and the oak stump innoculated for mushrooms. They have a garden and their wines…most lean toward that “natural wine” style, with many deliciously unfiltered.
For more on Johan you can catch a couple of our previous pieces
Grüner Veltliner can be an underappreciated variety. Hailing from Austria, this grape can often trick people in tastings. That is until they get to the finish where white pepper is the give away. These wines can be citrus, or herbal, lean or full. Flavors as well as textures can vary dependent on climate and style.
In Austria white wines dominate, much of that due to the climate and Grüner is the definite leader covering about a third of the vineyard acreage.
2017 Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner
The grapes are crushed and destemmed, then barrel fermented through primary and malolactic fermentation in puncheons and aged 10 months sur lie (that’s on the dead yeast cells that fall to the bottom). They do not stir the lees. It sits at 13.6% abv and runs $34.99.
2017 Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner
They look to make this wine rich and exotic, choosing to pick appropriately and going through malolactic and sur lie aging to increase the texture.
It should be noted that white wines from the Van Duzer Corridor have a few things in common. They tend to have bright fruit and acid that is compimented by weight and texture. The Oregon Wine Board also notes that you will often find Iodine and Nori characteristics in these wines.
The Tasting
Exotic and rich…lime, lemon, herbs, white pepper, poprocks, nectarine, ginger, honey are all typical aromas and flavors for Gruner.
Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner Scents
This wine was a deep golden color in the glass. The first thing on the nose was bruised apple, then white flower and nectarine. It exploded out of the glass and bottle when it was first opened. It perfumed the air for a several foot radius around the bottle and glass. Then it quickly became shy, making me search for aromas. The acids were firm and the wine had a depth of texture.
The Pairing
We paired this with camembert cheese and found that it brought forth the floral notes. It was lovely with our asparagus risotto. This is one of those rare wines that can pair with asparagus! We also tested it with a split pea soup and found it was less exciting. Perhaps a lighter style of Grüner would have worked with this. I did struggle to find that signature Grüner white pepper on this wine. On a second pour tropical notes came forward and it opened again in the glass with rich warm baked apples.
Other pairing suggestions
Grüner can pair beautifully with Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal cutlets quickly fried). It also pairs well with fried chicken. In addition it is one of those rare wines that will pair with artichokes! Try it with cauliflower, trout or gnocchi!
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Thank goodness there is Christmas to cheer us after tomorrow! Otherwise what would we do? The sadness as the 12 days comes to an end would be unbearable! Come back tomorrow!
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