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Avalon Recommends:
Order the 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.
The OWR is published
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Celebrating the Holidays with Sweet Oregon Wines Oh sure, you can always drink great Pinot noir from Oregon . . . but why limit yourself? The holiday season is a wonderful time to shake yourself out of the rut (no matter how pleasurable) of everyday Pinot drinking and sample some of the more unusual and festive wines that Oregon's diverse wine industry offers. Yes, we make much more than Pinot noir in Oregon! One area being explored by an increasing number of Oregon winemakers is sweet wines. While not yet up to comparison with Sauternes from France, Trockenbeerenauslese from Germany, or Ice Wine from our neighbor to the far north, British Columbia, Oregon's vintners are producing a rapidly escalating level of sweet wine quality. Oregon's "sweet wine" (for lack of a better term) diversity ranges from off dry versions of Riesling, to unctuous late harvest Pinot gris, from spritely light aperitif wines to plumy dark port-like wines . . . and even includes fruit-flavored concoctions that are as at home atop a sundae is in a glass by the fireside. And after all, this has been a difficult year for everyone-don't you think we deserve to curl up by the fire, gaze at the Christmas decorations, enjoy the pine aromas of the Christmas tree, and uncork a delicious sweet Oregon wine? Well, I think so. And here's what I'll be enjoying this season! Red Sweeties Yup, there just is something about the warm glow
of Christmas lights and the nippy nights of winter that calls out for
a luscious sweet dark wine to calm us down after a day's worth of holiday
shopping. "Fireside" is a popular port moniker in Oregon, and Zinfandel a popular choice for port-style wines. Another excellent dessert wine is also called "Fireside port" and is produced by Chateau Bianca. Made in limited quantities, the focused black fruit character is very sweet, but with a distinctive backbone that delivers good structure and great interest. For a wine region that is NOT known for its Zinfandel, Oregon manages to produce one more good Zinfandel-based port-like wine-this time from an unusual wine region: Hood River. Bernie Lerch, owner and winemaker of Hood River Vineyards, crafts a delicious dessert-style wine from old vine Zinfandel grapes that is also very nicely priced-making it an ideal holiday item for giving or getting (I bought a bottle from him one holiday season and promptly dropped it on the concrete floor, permanently leaving a purple stain on the ground and a sad stain on my holiday cheer!). White Sweeties For something that is equally as sweet, but more on the fresh side, you might look to Oregon's late harvest white wines. Often intensely sweet (and, sadly, often without an accompanying backbone of acidity to brace against the sugary onslaught), these wines can sometimes serve dual functions as cordial and desserts-unto-themselves. Two of the best recent late harvest whites have come from Willamette Valley Vineyards (in one form or another) and winemaker Joe Dobbes. His distinctive late harvest Viognier is a special wine that offers nectar-like flavors of apricots in a concentrated glassful that also displays nicely balanced acidity. The 1997 version of this wine was outstanding-perhaps the best sweet wine I have tasted from Oregon-and while the 1998 was not quite its equal, either vintage is among the top produced anywhere in the Northwest. The other great sweet white that Joe has made is a late harvest Gewurztraminer under the Tualatin Estate label. This delicious wine offers a spicy sweet character that makes it ideal for sipping next to a bevy of unwrapped presents under the Christmas tree! The 1998 version was superb, and the winery has just released the 2000 model, which I haven't yet tasted (but will review soon). If you want something special to serve after the Christmas goose is gone, this is the wine! A new release from Willamette Valley holds great promise: vintage 2000 late harvest Ehrenfelser, with the name of "Sweet Hannah." Eheren-what-ser? Ehrenfelser. This unusual varietal is a cross between Riesling and Silvaner. Most people have a sense of what Riesling is, but Silvaner is a relative stranger (let alone Ehrenfeser). The Sweet Hannah wine is relatively light in texture, but with a smooth and flowery sweetness that seems to combine the distinctive Riesling variety flavor with a luscious rose-water tinted version of Sauvignon blanc. Overall, a delicious choice for sipping with chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Elk Cove Vineyards offers a powerfully sweet contribution with its Optima line of Late Harvest Riesling wines. These ultra sweet bottles deliver strong varietal flavor in a concentrated liquid that invites slow sipping. If you are lucky enough to find an older vintage, open it carefully and savor its refined fruity sweetness! And, finally, an unsung wine from a too neglected region. Weisinger's of Ashland offers a Late Harvest Semillon from the Rogue Valley that is a delightfully light and tasty after dinner wine-or, a fine accompaniment to piquant cheeses, such as extra sharp cheddar or-my all time favorite-Papillon Roquefort. If you can't find it in the stores, call the winery!
To conclude this holiday round-up of my personal favorites, two unusual wines must be highlighted as the ultimate in Oregon's late harvest winemaking-though they are NOT sweet wines! Both Chehalem and St. Innocent have made Vendange Tardive versions of Pinot gris, each of which is an outstanding wine. A Vandange Tardive is a late harvest picking of extremely small yields of exceptionally ripe grapes. With natural alcohol levels reaching 14-16%, these wines are super rich, but often quite dry, or just off dry. The flavors are intense and the overall experience of the wine is quite impressive. Though not the sweetly viscous wine we are
used to as late harvest, the VT Pinot gris produced by winemakers Harry
Peterson-Nedry and Cheryl Francis at Chehalem, and Mark Vlossak at St.
Innocent, are among the most interesting and unusual wines made in Oregon.
They simply can't be beat for fantastic holiday fun! |
Past columns by Cole Oregon Wine touring at Thanksgiving Oregon 2001 Harvest- Broadley Vineyards Oregon 2001 Harvest Update part 2 Oregon Wines for Romance The
Best Bets in Is Chardonnay going to become Oregon's Best Wine? Is
Pinot gris Life
Beyond Pinot Noir The
Promise of "Wineterview" The Price of Value and the Value of Price
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