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Christina Kelly,
Avalon Wine Senior Editor

Christina Kelly spent the first half of her career as a journalist for daily newspapers and magazines. She left daily journalism to work in corporate marketing/communications, but as a passionate wine enthusiast, she continues to write about the Northwest wine industry (since 1997) for many national publications.

Christina is a multiple fellowship winner to the Professional Wine Writers Symposium in Napa, including 2012. Christina has written for Avalonwine.com for the past 12 years. She can be reached at winewriter@comcast.net.

Jean Yates
Avalon Wine Owner

Jean first worked with the Oregon wine industry in 1989, when she helped develop marketing brochures for wineries in the South Willamette. She then started Avalon, and has supported the industry through her wine shop and web site ever since. Jean enjoys promoting Oregon and Washington wines and bringing Northwest wines to the notice of the wine-loving public across the country. She previously worked in high tech marketing and research in Silicon Valley.

Jean built and continually updates the Avalon web site, writes our Wine Club Newsletter, numerous e-mail articles on NW wine, and articles for the web site. Her twenty five years of experience working with NW wineries and winemakers gives Avalon a deep knowledge of the industry. She's judged NW wine at various competitions since 1997. Jean's favorite activity is photography, and many of the images on the Avalon web site are hers. She's from NC via Palo Alto, and lives in the South Willamette wine country.

June 8, 2010, at 3:01 pm

Oregon Wine – Portland Bike Wine – Grochau Commuter Pinot noir

grochau-commuter-275pJohn Grochau’s $13.95 (any 12) Commuter Cuvee Pinot noir 08 is a tribute to Portland’s bicycle culture. Known as the “Bike Wine”, it come out each year at just about the time that summer’s season of centuries and cycling events start in the Willamette Valley.

This is a $24 Pinot, minus the $10. Wild strawberry and cherry that’s super forward and rich.

This is the “Bike Wine” you’ve heard about. It’s snapped up in Portland (where John is based) as soon as it appears.

John Grochau says about the wine: “…bright, fresh, vibrant, perfumed. I sacrificed some of my high end Pinots to make this vintage of the “Bike” especially good. It includes fruit from Domaine Coteau’s vineyard.” (It also contains fruit from another famous vineyard that he did not want to name).

John is drinking the ’09 “Bike Wine” with herb and chevre chicken stuffed baked chicken, grilled salmon, and dishes made with wild mushrooms.

This is a $24 Pinot, minus the $10. Wild strawberry and cherry that’s super forward and rich. Need Pinot for the summer? You need to commute!

Grochau Cellars “Commuter” Pinot noir 09 is the “Bike Wine” that’s snapped up in Portland (where John is based) as soon as it appears.

John Grochau says: “bright, fresh, vibrant, perfumed. I sacrificed some of my high end Pinots to make this vintage of the “Bike” especially good. It includes fruit from Domaine Coteau’s vineyard.” (It also contains fruit from another famous vineyard that he did not want to name).

John is drinking the ’09 “Bike Wine” with herb and chevre chicken stuffed baked chicken, grilled salmon, and dishes made with wild mushrooms.

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