Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Since Noble Grape had to hire an entirely new staff due to all of the current employees running off to Oregon to work this years wine harvest, we thought it only proper to talk about Oregon wines for a spell and see why these wine enthusiasts would travel 2200 miles to help create wine there.

As you probably know (and probably drank), the Willamette Valley is famous for its Pinot Noir. As highly regarded as it is today, that was not always the case. Once upon a time (in the late 1960’s) a couple of smart, curious, optimistic UC Davis rebels came up to the hills of Oregon (and into what is now the Willamette Valley) to find a place to plant their beloved grape Pinot Noir. Their alma mater said it was impossible to grow vinifera (the wine grapes that we know today) vines in this state. However their spirit, instinct and smarts took them there anyway. This fairy tale blossoms in 1979 when David Lett (one of the rebels and the founder of Eyrie Vineyards) entered his Pinot Noir in the 1979 Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades and won top Pinot noir honors against France's best labels. The world stood up and took notice and the Willamette Valley became an official AVA in 1984. Even though it is mostly recognized for Pinot noir, it also consistently earns top honors for other such cool-climate varieties as Pinot gris, Dijon clone Chardonnay and Pinot blanc as well.

To put the Willamette Valley region in perspective--since Napa wins the prize for most visited wine area in the U.S.-- this region is approximately 150-miles long and 60-miles wide! I want to stress how large this AVA is because before coming here, It’s difficult to understand the scope and the “feel” that this wine country has compared to Napa Valley. If you’ve visited Napa-- which odds are you have if you love wine-- it epitomizes “wine country tourism.” There are wineries and vineyards everywhere you look. There are world renowned restaurants, shopping, picnic areas, B&B’s, five star resorts, spas, anything that you want or need to make a vacation complete. This is not the Willamette Valley. Along the main highways that run through it you will see; grass farms, straw farms, Christmas tree farms, apple and pear orchards, raspberry and blackberry fields. When you enter one of the many small towns in the area you will maybe find a humble B&B, a coffee shop, antique stores or a local pizza parlor. There are no resorts to cater to our wine-loving demographic, just humble beginnings and people that clearly care about the land on which their crops grow. (Note this is written in 2010 anyone reading this in 2020 things may have changed).

Oregon takes its pioneering spirit very seriously and has made considerable contributions to the modern success of Pinot Noir and wine in general. The winemakers here created strict labeling laws in the state which require any wine labeled Pinot Noir to be 90% Pinot Noir (California only need be 75%). The LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology Program) certification program begun in 1997 by Ted Casteel of Bethel Heights, requires designated wineries to use minimal chemical additives, no off-farm chemicals and fertilizers, and strive for maximal biodiversity.

Benton-Lane winery for instance is not only is certified by LIVE but practice, sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming as well. They not only make award-winning wines but also truly care about the land and grapes they cultivate so the vineyard land will sustain itself when passed on.

The featured Oregon Pinot Noir of the week is Benton-Lane Winery. Benton-Lane Pinot Noir recently won The San Francisco International Wine Competition which is the largest wine competition in the world, evaluating wines from 27 countries and 28 states, a total of 3,897 entries. Benton Lane was the only Oregon winery entry to win a Gold Medal for its 2008 Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Noir and 2008 Williamette Valley First Class Pinot Noir! They have also made it to Wine Spectators top 100 wines of the year 3 times in the past 5 years alone, what a truly outstanding accomplishment! You can find their Pinot at The Noble Grape which is located at 802 N. Bishop St, in the West town neighborhood.

Here's a Cheers to Autumn Beers!

Temperatures are(slowly) dropping. The days are growing shorter. And in case you haven’t noticed, a flood of autumnal colors has begun filling the shelves of your favorite beer shop. Fall beers are here, so it’s time to prepare your palate for brews that have a little extra extra malt, sugar, and spice. Typical seasonals like malty Oktoberfests and spicy Pumpkin Ales are easy to find at Noble Grape. Their orange and rust-colored packaging is synonymous with falling leaves and gourd-filled cornucopias. Although IPA’s can be found year round, they’re so much fun to drink in the Fall with those exotic mulled spices! Come September and October, these beers get all the attention, so we’d like to take a moment to highlight some of these seasonal beers for you this week.

Often released as a fall seasonal, Pumpkin Ales are quite varied. Some brewers opt to add hand-cut pumpkins and drop them in the mash, while others use puree or pumpkin flavoring. These beers also tend to be spiced with pumpkin pie spices, like: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Pumpkin Ales are typically mild, with little to no bitterness, a malty backbone, with some spice often taking the lead. Many will contain a starchy, slightly thick-ish, mouthfeel too. In our opinion, best versions use real pumpkin, while roasting the pumpkin can also add tremendous depth of character for even better results, though both methods are time-consuming and tend to drive brewmasters insane. We are offering the Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale and the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale just to name a few.

In March 1872, over 60 years after the first Oktoberfest, Spaten brewer Josef Sedlmayr attempted to brew a beer similar to the then popular Vienna style lager. His creation, called Maerzen by some for the month it is brewed and Oktoberfest by others for the festival when it is tapped, was a hit. The overall impression left by a good Oktoberfest/Maerzen should be malt but not in the nutty, bready way of a British Brown; after all this is still a German lager. The Vienna or Munich malts lay down a broad but light malt character. With only enough hops to balance, the malty character is dominant in the aroma and flavor without being overwhelming. The body should be light brown with a white head.. A hop lovers dream. Our latest and
greatest Oktoberfest beers new to Noble Grape is Three Floyds Munsterfest and Brooklyn Brewery Oktoberfest.

If you haven't tried the seasonal beers or if you're a seasoned pro, stop in, tis the season!

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Chile has definitely had its share of hardships the past year with the devastating earthquake earlier this year and now those brave souls that are trapped in the copper mine. Why don’t we honor the people of Chile and their country by drinking their wine and contributing to their economy this week?

With Chile's enormously long coastline occupying a 2,610 mile tract of South America's western seaboard, Chile has a terrific diversity of climate and geography. With the Atacama Desert to the north and the desolate ice-fields of Patagonia to the south, the scope for winemaking is confined to a small central belt of the country with a more moderate climate. Wine has been made in Chile for centuries. Indeed, there was a European heyday for its wines in the late 19th century as the phylloxera louse (this insect destroyed European vineyards in the late 19th century and reeked havoc on California vineyards in the 20th). ravaged the vineyards of the Old World and consumers and merchants turned to Chile for a reliable supply of good wine. But it was a century later in the 1990's that Chile stepped up a gear in terms of both international recognition and quality.

A large part of Chile's fascination with the big four grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc – revolves around its targeting of the American market. During the late 80's and early 90's when the Chilean wine boom really came into full swing, the American market was devouring wines that were not only made from recognizable grapes like Cabernet and Chardonnay, but also were sold at a reasonable price. To this day, the United States remains the premier importer of Chilean wine. One of the most interesting names to look out for on a Chilean label is Carmenère, a variety once believed to be Merlot, but now discovered to be a forgotten Bordeaux grape which has been living happily in Chile all along. It makes a vibrantly fruity and deeply flavored wine.