Cole Danehower Oregon Wine Report

Avalon Recommends:

Order the
Oregon Wine Report
Cole Danehower, publisher

This is the best guide, bar none, to Oregon's wines. Insightful articles, interesting reviews, in depth interviews- you'll find them all here. Worth every penny if you're interested in Oregon wine.

$45.00 -----
one year subscription

The OWR is published
six times a year

Oregon Wine Report's
Wine Reviewing Methodology
(all wines reviewed by Cole Danehower,
editor and publisher, Oregon Wine Report)

Cole has developed a system for reviewing wines in his wonderful publication, the Oregon Wine Report. We publish his reviews throughout the site and want you to have an explanation of his philosophy, methods, and procedures. Here is his explanation of his system, exherpted from his newsletter.

Reviewing Methodology: All wines reviewed in the OWReportCard are tasted blind. The winemaker and price of individual wines are not known prior to tasting, and are only revealed after completion of all note taking. When possible, wines are tasted twice, 12- to 24-hours apart, and published notes are the result of combining both tastings.

Read a sample issue of the Oregon Wine Report Here
requires Acrobat Reader

Published wine reviews that are not part of the OWReportCard may not have been tasted blindly, as these are wines that have been tasted under a variety of circumstances and at different times. All OWReportCard reviews are solely written by Cole, and are his unique personal judgement of each wine. Reviewed wines were either submitted by wineries or purchased at retail.

How to Use the Descriptive Reviews: In using the OWReportCard, you should emphasize the qualitative description in each review. Very careful efforts are made to describe the key sensory components of each wine as they appear to Cole. The same wine may taste differently to you.

We encourage you to compare your experience of a wine with what Cole has written. If you find you consistently disagree with his reviews, this is valuable information for you-it means you can generally rely on his reviews as a kind of "anti-guide" to your own taste. In this case, avoid the wines he likes best, and seek out the wines he likes least! If you find you generally agree with Cole's reviews, then use the OWReportCard to find the wines you'll like.

A+ = SUPERLATIVE (simply the best--unforgettable)

A = GREAT (striking, profound, classic)

A- = EXCEPTIONAL (remarkable and memorable)

B+ = OUTSTANDING (distinguished and noteworthy)

B = VERY GOOD (superior character)

B- = GOOD (desirable, and with character)

C+ = ABOVE AVERAGE (stands out from the norm)

C = AVERAGE (solid and enjoyable)

How to Use the OWReportCard Grade: Cole has philosophical troubles with quantitatively rating wines, and has avoided numerical grading during the first three years of the Oregon Wine Report. Nevertheless, despite his problems with ratings, he clearly has a critic's responsibility to provide evaluations that are as useful to his readers as possible.

In addition to communicating his qualitative experience of each wine, he now also assigns a relative ranking to each wine based on his taste and experience.

He has decided to adapt a familiar rating system: the letter grade. Accordingly, he has assigned grades that reflect his opinion of the relative merits of each wine. The grading system is described at left.

Summary comments and letter grades appearing in the Oregon Wine Report represent only the considered personal opinion of the reviewer, and are neither an endorsement to buy nor a warning to avoid any particular wine. Consumers should compare their own taste experience with a wine to that of the reviewer's in order to help guide their own independent buying decisions.

How to Use the OWReportCard "Style Guides": Often a wine will have a particular characteristic that makes it appealing to a specific preference style, i.e., collector, cook, or consumer. While these are broad generalizations, they can be helpful in judging a wine's appeal. I will indicate such wines through the addition of a summary "comment" from the appropriate point of view as represented by the following symbols:

THE COLLECTOR likes big wines built for ageing, and limited release or hard-to-find wines with rich extraction, fruit, and tannin. Tastes over the years to monitor development; pays attention to the reputation of vineyard, producer, and vintage.

THE COOK looks for "food wines" that best complement and enhance a meal. Wants structure, balance, and fine flavors. More interested in how the wine pairs with food than in producer or vintage; the "experience" the wine delivers is paramount.

THE CONSUMER wants "fun wines" that are easy to drink under a variety of circumstances. Wants straightforward, fruity, and uncomplicated wines. Seeks good value through attention to price, with "enjoyability right now" being the prime buying motivation.