Tag Archives: Wine Blogger’s Conference

#WBC12: Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon.

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Unfortunately we did not attend the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference.  It was a couple of thousand miles away in Portland, Oregon — a great destination and one of our favorite cities.  Fun fact: did you know Portland rests on an extinct volcano?

In 2011 we participated in the wine pouring event on the lawn at Monticello during WBC11 in Charlottesville (and wrote about it, “Get Off My Lawn!“).  We could attend the next one as an industry wine blogger, so we just might do that.

Ah, Portland.  After our last visit to Portland and the Willamette Valley, it was a long time before we could imbibe Pinot Noir again because we had so much of it.  Amd we have fond memories of several outstanding restaurants — Wildwood and Higgins come to mind — both outstanding.  Of the wineries we visited, Kramer Vineyards was a lot of fun, and notable for having its Pinot Noir own-rooted rather than grafted; Van Duzer Vineyards, where we were looked after by a gentleman who looked like a lumberjack but was actually the winemaker, and Torii Mor Winery, which seems a bit schizophrenic with its Japanese gardens but producing outstanding French style wines.   Witness Tree Vineyard outside of Salem was another standout where the owner was behind the tasting counter while he had a crew in the vineyard performing leaf-pulling.  Firesteed was another great find, with tastings conducted in their freezing storage facility.

Van Duzer Vineyards inspired us to plant two different clones of Pinot Gris as a way to lend complexity to the wine — one clone has an inherent steeliness and minerality, while the other is dominated by rounder pear and peach notes.  We should have a small crop next year — we’re really looking forward to that.

We do realize there is so much more to Oregon Wine Country than the Willamette Valley — its just that its so convenient to Portland.  We’d love to make a return trip to visit the winegrowing areas in other parts of the state.  One thing we do notice is how most growers there concentrate on just a few varieties, rather than presenting broad product lines in an effort to have something that appeals to every price point and palate.

We’re hopeful that attending the next conference won’t feel like traveling behind enemy lines.  Most bloggers offer wine reviews, and as a rule we don’t review wine here, because we consider it a professional courtesy not to comment on the offerings of our compatriots.  But since most wine bloggers do provide reviews and in honor of WBC12, we’ll leave you with this one.

Get Off My Lawn!

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You would expect a cry of “get off my lawn, you whipper-snappers” from Mr Jefferson as the wine bloggers attending the Fourth Annual North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Charlottesville swarmed about Monticello under a tent in 100-degree weather this past Friday.  Mr Jefferson was quite gracious for a 268-year old man — calm and cool  – even while wearing a topcoat, fielding questions from the masses and posing for photographs with anyone who asked. He was truly the very definition of a gentleman and a scholar, unflappable and gracious to a fault.

But seriously — last Friday Annefield Vineyards had the honor with 33 other wineries of pouring wine at a reception for the wine bloggers on the west lawn of Monticello. Record heat and humidity would stop no one; a heat index pushing 115 degrees should give one pause, but we had a tent for shelter and the succor of our compatriots who appreciate the work of the bloggers, and the influence they may wield with their followers. Such charmers they were, ever gracious and kind — at least those who stopped by our tables to sample; there may have been an ogre or two about, but we didn’t see any.  We did see several prominent wine journalists mixing with the bloggers — Dave McIntyre of The Washington Post, Eric Asimov, chief wine critic of The New York Times, and Jancis Robinson of The Financial Times, who’s own blog is called the Purple Pages; the latter two delivered keynote addresses.  Dave McIntyre has a fun and informative blog of his own that is well worth following, Dave McIntyre’s Wineline.

We’re doubly grateful to have been at Monticello for the opportunity to meet Christine Vrooman of Ankida Ridge Vineyards in Amherst county, a kindred spirit who embraces the biodynamic approach to viticulture and winemaking. Ankida Ridge is nearly ready to open its winery, and we’re excited by their drive and vision. It’s very brave to focus on two varietals beloved to the grand cru vineyards of Burgundy — Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the latter being quite rare in Virginia, for the berries are delicate and thin-skinned.  Our vineyard is at 500 feet, and we need thick skinned grape berries to cope with our humid summers, but their vineyard is at 1,800 feet above sea level, so they may succeed.

A pity we could not attend the entire thing, but we had work to do. Thursday was spent with our winemaker, Michael Shaps, planning what to do with our 2010 Reds. An easy decision, with straight varietal bottlings; our Cabernet Sauvignon will be brilliant, and the Cabernet Franc showed complexity and verve, lots of black cherry and dark fruit. They both need time in the bottle — at least six months, and more would be better, so they probably will not be released until next year. We shared our 2010 Viognier at Monticello, even though it needs a little time in the bottle, too. The latter is a very small bottling, just 48 cases – the result of our tempestuous and hot 2010 season, whereas in 2009 we produced 92 cases.

Saturday was spent in the tasting room, and Sunday called for a fungicide treatment in the vineyard (followed by a rather fierce thunderstorm) and dealing with a quite unexpected foe — somehow the groundhog that lives under the kitchen house slipped into  the wine storage room on Thursday, which was the last time anyone was in there.  With the heat, who could blame him?  It was simply a matter of leaving the door open and hoping.  He tore up the tops of a few cases and broke a bottle of Chardonnay, but no lasting harm done.