This year, I will truly be a two-headed beast. Dividing my time between IPNC and Westrey (the winery I own with my husband, David) would be insane under any circumstances, but this year it will be especially so. Brian, my assistant, and I are filming at fifteen wineries this harvest, trying to capture the spirit, and the mechanics, of crush on film. The idea is to edit our video down to a 5 – 8 minute film for IPNC guests to watch during the Vineyard Tour Lunches next summer. So far it has been a blast. As a winemaker, I never get a chance to get out and see how everybody else handles their fruit; I’ve already gleaned ideas on everything from sorting tables to sticky tape on step stools! From an IPNC perspective, I am excited our guests will finally be able to see wineries and winemakers in action, and gain insight into the work that goes into every bottle. It is amazing how much science, creativity, experience, and good old-fashioned elbow grease combine to create each vintage.

Domaine Jacques Prieur in her Fall Coat

Après un hiver froid et interminable, le printemps s’installe dès le mois d’avril, avec des températures au dessus des normales saisonnières et permet à la vigne de reprendre rapidement son activité.

Le débourrement se fait en quelques jours (vers le 20 avril). Le temps maussade et frais de mai et juin perturbe la floraison qui met du temps à se terminer. Les conditions climatiques particulières entraînent une forte coulure (la fleur ne se transforme pas en fruit) et un important millerandage des baies (les fruits restent très petits).

Les quinze premiers jours de juillet sont estivaux, chauds, secs et ensoleillés. La véraison commence classiquement mi-août, mais dure plusieurs semaines, à cause d’une très forte instabilité climatique (pluie et fraîcheur). La maturation prend son temps. Heureusement le soleil fait son retour dès début septembre et s’installe pour trois semaines. Une faible quantité de raisins, des petites baies et des grappes aérées permettent de préserver un bon état sanitaire et d’obtenir une bonne maturité, voir excellente pour le chardonnay. Cependant, le choix de la date de vendange, pour chaque parcelle a demandé beaucoup de réflexion.

Au domaine Jacques Prieur, les vendanges ont commencé le 21 septembre par les vignes de chardonnay puis ont continué le 26 par les vignes de pinot noir, pour se terminer le 01 octobre. Nous n’avons pas cédé « au vent de panique » d’une soi-disant dégradation de l’état sanitaire des raisins ! Grâce au travail précis et minutieux, dans les vignes, de l’équipe du Domaine, nous avons pu vendanger au bon moment des raisins à maturité et avec un état sanitaire très correct.

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2010 Willamette Valley Harvest

Like a whirling dervish, this week has been a dance of sacred ceremony and precise rhythm. Most wineries didn’t see their first fruit until this past Monday. Many will see the last of it on Friday. All the players are in motion. The predicted rains are en-route for the weekend and into next week. Aside from some pesky birds and perhaps a few nail biting moments, the 2010 harvest is looking great! It’s a magical time of year around here. Now that the grapes are making it safely inside, the rain means one thing: Chanterelles!

Baskets and boxes brimming with the golden treat litter culinary counters across the valley. With a bit of extra time on their hands, many harvest interns and winemakers were able to join the ranks with their restaurant brethren as mushroom hunter. Knife in hand, hunters head out to rumored forests where the picking is said to be plentiful. The best sites are always kept secret, but I’ve been told that you can’t walk a higher elevation forest service road without stumbling upon them.

Courtesy of Clare Carver

Like all avid collectors, the sign of a true appreciator is one who is hesitant to share their wealth until he or she knows that the recipient is worthy. After gaining approval, they will proudly fill your arms and send you on your merry way with their favorite recipes.

Thanks to Mike Etzel of Beaux Fréres for sharing his plunder with us. Don’t worry, I was sure to cook them with a little butter, shallot, and cream, just like you recommended! Additional thanks to Clare Carver of Big Table Farm for sending us a photo of her edible doubloons!

You know what they say about what grows together, goes together. Chanterelle dishes and pinot – YUM! Check out this great video on WineTasteTV.com featuring chef Jack Czarnecki of the Joel Palmer House.

Chehalem's Estate Vineyard

“Sugars are low and acids high but flavors are delicious!” - David Paterson, Tantalus Vineyards (Okanagan Valley, Canada)

“Vintage 2010 on California’s North Coast will separate the men from the boys in the vineyards. Those with fastidious farming regimens will harvest high acid grapes with great flavors.” - Matt Licklider, LIOCO (California)

“I enjoy years like 2010. It brings out the artisitic and scientific side of winemaking – it’s a cool year with long hang times which will create wines of complexity and liveliness that will be enjoyed for a long time!” - Lynn Penner Ash, Penner Ash Wine Cellars (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

For more thoughts from industry insiders on the 2010 Oregon vintage, read Katherine Cole’s recent article in FOODday.

Most of our Burgundian friends have wrapped up the vintage and we look forward to posting harvest reports from a few of them in the weeks to come. Please stay tuned…

Historic Downtown McMinnville

I grew up in a small town. Now I live in Portland, Oregon, a place considered by many to be a small city. As a kid I couldn’t wait to escape, but these days I sometimes yearn for quieter days in rural Oregon. Thankfully, I get a regular dose of small town goodness in McMinnville, the heart of Oregon wine country.

While a thriving food and wine culture is not often a hallmark of small communities, McMinnville is definitely an exception. My favorite times of day are lunch and dinner when I have the pleasure of choosing which downtown McMinnville eatery I will patron. I could have the seasonal salad and grilled cheese on homemade molasses bread at The Crescent Café, or perhaps Padron Peperone and Papas Fritas con Alioli at La Rambla, and then there is the reliably tasty Reuben sandwich from Red Fox Bakery. It’s hard to pass up the classis beef tartare at Thistle, the Yakiudon from Kame Japanese Restaurant, or the perfect cup of minestrone and a Cerignola Olive wood-fired oven pizza at Nick’s Italian Café.

Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata. Courtesy of Andrea Johnson

Nick Peirano and family have been feeding wine country since 1977.  They began a tradition that is carried on in Portland and throughout the Willamette Valley.  It goes without saying that the relationships shared by local winemakers, farmers, chefs and restaurant owners are essential to growth and evolution, for both the food and wine communities.  The wine lists at these establishments give guests the opportunity to take a glass-by-glass tour through wine country and they also feature wines from regions of inspiration such as Italy, France and Spain.

Today Bon Appetit announced their top five Foodiest Towns in America and we are thrilled that charming little McMinnville got a nod!  For nearly 25 years the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration has been proud to call McMinnville home. Come visit us and taste for yourself!

Once again, friend and photographer John Fenger donated his famed photo booth for a night of fundraising at the 2010 IPNC Salmon Bake. All Photo Booth donations go directly to ¡Salud!, which provides access to healthcare services for Oregon’s seasonal vineyard workers and their families.

Photo Booth photos may be viewed and downloaded here.
To make a donation, please visit ¡Salud! on our website.

He’s been selected as a Top 20 finalist for Protein University’s “Who’s Your Butcher” contest.  Check out his entry here:

In this video, he’s working with beef from Eugene’s Sweet Briar Farm and talks about how he plans to use the different cuts.  Whether it’s chicken fried steak, hamburgers, a slow-braised item or a cured one like pastrami, the key is utilizing all the parts.

If you’re interested in the art of butchering, Adam and Camas offer classes and education at Portland Meat Collective. Or if you just want to enjoy the tasty results of Adam’s efforts, then a trip to Country Cat is all it takes.