Cellar to Cellar

There is no surer sign that the intensity of harvest is winding down than when cellar crews finally get a moment to go visit other cellars. One of the great things about making wine in Oregon is the camaraderie shared by winemakers throughout the Willamette Valley. These post harvest visits are a cause to pull out your best hospitality, taste through the new wines and best of all, to break out the good beer. We were pleased to have one of my favorite winemakers Adam Campbell of Elk Cove Vineyards bring his crew over for a visit today. Adam makes some of the most elegant and complex wines in Oregon so we were very pleased to show him and his harvest crew our new wines and then share some of Thomas' Anne Amie Harvest Spice Ale.

Next week we hope to go out for some visits. The time change has really changed the pace here as darkness falls by 5 p.m. and that, combined with the residual harvest tiredness makes the winery seem particularly quiet. Five pinot noir fermenters were pressed today so we are chipping away and, as the empty fermenters leave the winery, the stacks of newly filled barrels continues to grow.

Everyone we talk to is very pleased with the quality of wines in their cellars and it seems that 2007 despite all the ups-and-downs of the weather will be a very good vintage.