IPNC is "Delish', Delish', and More Delish'!"
The 2002 International Pinot Noir Celebration
by Cole Danehower
Oregon Wine Report

Thanks to Pat Lundeen for photos! Reprinted with permission

That's how International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) attendee Molly Hamilton of Naples Florida described her experience of the 2002 International Pinot Noir Celebration---and it's hard not to agree!

Everything about IPNC, from the lush green setting of McMinnville's Linfield College campus, to the incredible array of sumptuous foods, to the seemingly infinite pouring of fine Pinot noir can, as Molly says, be described as "Delish!"

But Molly's enthusiastic description---delivered with a broad smile and an uplifted glass of crimson Cristom Pinot noir---reflects a deeper truth about IPNC: the vinous conviviality flows as freely as the wine. The emphasis at this annual event is definitely on the word "Celebration." With strangers from all over the world coming together to celebrate the glories of Pinot noir, there is perhaps no other wine event so enjoyable and easygoing.

But don't just take my word for it. No less an authority than Pierre Rovani of The Wine Advocate feels similarly. This year he told the 650 guests that over the years, IPNC has come to be perhaps his favorite annual wine event precisely because the ethos of the gathering is one of celebration.

So how does one celebrate a grape?

Each year IPNC organizers prepare a succession of Pinot sessions that give attendees insight into different aspects of what makes the varietal so popular. But rather than adopt an academic stance, with PowerPoint presentations illustrating arcane aspects of viticulture or enology, the IPNC gives attendees a more easygoing approach: they pour wines.

For instance, this year's celebration began on Friday morning with a look at how Pinot pairs with foods. As attendees filed into the main dining area, they sat down to a setting of six different Pinot noirs from around the world (including wines from New Zealand, California, Oregon, Burgundy, Germany, and Australia). They were then served small plates of freshly caught Oregon Albacore tuna prepared in three different ways (poached in extra virgin olive oil, grilled with herbs, and smoked) prepared by three notable Pacific Northwest chefs (Stephanie Pearl Kimmel, John and Caprial Pence, and Cathy Whims).

Attendees were free to taste the wines and the fish in whatever order they wished, simply to experience how the mixture of wine styles blended with each differently nuanced fish. For my money, the Russian River Pinot noir from Merry Edwards worked the best with all three of the distinctive tuna stylings.

Following up this appetizer was an outdoor luncheon where each of the chefs built upon their tuna theme by preparing more complex dishes---accompanied, naturally, by wine-laden sommeliers constantly pouring a wide range of Pinot noir and other wines.

After such a "meaty" morning, the gathered Pinotphiles were freed in the afternoon to enjoy a series of different activities and seminars. The most popular activity proved to be a seminar on pairing Pinot noir with cheese---a notoriously difficult thing to do well---conducted by author and avowed "cheese whiz" Laura Werlin.

Part of the purpose of the IPNC is to illustrate the global range of Pinot noir. Accordingly, on Friday and Saturday afternoons invited wineries poured the same vintage (this year it was 1999 and 2000) wines for tasting under the trees. For this year's alfresco tasting, wineries from Switzerland, Burgundy, California, New Zealand, Australia, Oregon, and Michigan poured their samples---to the delighted ohhs and ahhs, and scribbled notes of "get this one when I get home," and comments like "how can I get on your mailing list . . . please!"

Avalon Store Manager Ann Crowley and Volunteer Sue Sprattler prepare to pour

As if all that weren't enough, Friday culminated in the Grand Dinner, prepared by a consortium of chefs. This fantastic feast was formulated to---again---show creative and sumptuous Pinot and food pairings. But don't ask me to recite all the dishes and all the wines---there were far too many (though the next morning one diner said she lost track at 15 different wines)!

So much for day one. . . day two began with a unique opportunity to taste a variety of different vintage wines, all from the same Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy. Aptly titled "Traditions That Transcend Time," Maison Louis Jadot presented us with an unbelievable selection of wines from the Grand Cru vineyard Bonnes Mares (the majority of which is Chambolle-Musigny, with a little bit of the vineyard in Morey-St.-Denis).

Led by the engaging and eloquent head of the firm, Pierre-Henry Gagey, and the transcendently philosophical winemaker Jacques Lardière, we tasted how one location's terrior shows through in the vintages of 1999, 1997, 1993, 1990, 1988, and 1969. To say the wines were wonderful would be obvious!

After such an exalted tasting, the group was loaded on to 12 different buses and driven to different wineries for a lunch that combined wines from the host winery and one of the visiting wineries. The food pairing concept continued with menus custom prepared by Pacific Northwest chefs specifically to match the wines.

After another round of alfresco tasting, the Pinot throng was treated to what many consider the highlight part of the event: the Saturday evening Salmon Bake.

We walked into the dining area under Linfield College's expansive oak trees by going past a huge open fire pit, where seven-foot poles containing whole salmon flanks were propped up against a roaring Alder wood fire (you could feel the heat thirty feet away!). That salmon, along with roast pork, grilled beef, and one of the most expansive selections of wonderfully prepared salad and vegetable dishes I have ever seen, constituted our incredible meal for the evening.

60 wineries pouring on Sunday Afternoon

Even more incredible was the array of wines---both those that were on your table when you arrived (three or four bottles), and those brought to the dinner by the myriad of winemakers (innumerable bottles). As the volume of conversation rose, the amount of wine traveling from table to table increased. From great value Oregon blends, to twenty year-old grand cru burgundy, nearly every form of Pinot noir imaginable could be found somewhere within the confines of the deceptively named "Salmon Bake."

Local winemakers and winemakers from the far reaches of Pinotdom wandered the grounds with bottles in hand, spying someone they knew and greeting them with the oft-heard line "try some of this, I think you'll like it!"

So ends day two (after a lot of dancing to the band The Young'uns, or swaying to your own rhythm in the early morning afterglow of the dying Alder embers) . . . and you might think (even wish) that you were finished. But you're not, for in the morning there is the Sparkling Finale to enjoy!

The end of IPNC is---as it began---a combination of food and wine. With whole roast pig, sushi, and all kinds of muffins, breads, sausages, and crab cakes, the best choice of wine is, naturally, sparkling Pinot noir. And even here, the IPNC takes a wide-ranging view, including on the same table both classic sparkling champagnes and a wonderfully flavorful sparkling wine called Gruet from New Mexico.

And so, with a heavy heart . . . no, with heavy eyelids and a heavy belly . . . we bid goodbye to another IPNC . . .

Seriously, the International pinot noir Celebration is a fantastic experience for any lover of "the heartbreak grape." It is, truly, the very definition of "Delish!"

How to Attend

If you have ever considered trying to attend, there are some important things you need to know. First of all, there are far more people who want to attend each year than there is room for. In order to maintain its intimate atmosphere, attendance is strictly limited. Consequently, all applications for admittance go into a lottery. So, you need to be certain that your application arrives at IPNC headquarters before March 29.

Also, if you are selected, you need to make hotel or local Linfield College dorm accommodations as early as possible, because the area tends to sell out quickly!

When you go, you can expect to make new friends, find new wines, and gain a greater appreciation for Pinot noir.

Even if you are not selected as an attendee, you can still purchase tickets to an afternoon tasting session where all the wineries at IPNC will pour the same wines for ticket holders. While not quite the same experience as the two-and-ahalf-day full IPNC, it is still an excellent way of sampling some of the world's best wines.

For more information on applying to attend the IPNC, visit their website at www.ipnc.org, call their offices at 800.775.4762 or 503.472.8964. or mail for information to IPNC, PO Box 1310, McMinnville, Oregon, 97128 USA.

The Story
of the IPNC

In late 1985, an informal group of Oregon wine-lovers, winemakers, restauranteurs and retailers envisioned a premier wine event, to be held in McMinnville, the heart of Oregon wine country. Although the creators originally had a competition in mind, they abandoned that idea in favor of a more congenial atmosphere.

The magic of the Celebration is brought about by the friendly exchange between Pinot noir winemakers from around the world. Each year since the first annual event was held in 1987, the event has evolved and matured, with a commitment to staying fresh, innovative and exciting. But the original feel of the event remains constant: an intimate gathering of Pinot noir lovers enjoying a weekend of wine, food and conviviality.