Anne Amie Vineyards, Carlton Oregon

Oregon Pinot Camp!

Every June, invited members of the wine trade from all over the country join us in wine country for Oregon Pinot Camp.  Fifty wineries welcomed campers at the opening reception Saturday evening at the Ponzi Wine Bar in Dundee.  Sunday and Monday were filled with seminars and followed by tastings and dinners at Domaine Serene and Stoller Vineyards respectively. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above are campers at the Style and Vintages seminar held at Anne Amie.  The morning campers looked like they might have been on Survivor with their bandanas proudly displayed.

 

The Style and Vintages winemaker's panel above from L to R: Brian O'Donnell - Belle Ponte, Lindsay Kampff - King Estate, Thomas Houseman - Anne Amie, Jim Kakacek - Van Duzer and Steve Westby from Witness Tree.

Monday evening Thomas and I headed to Stoller for a traditional Northwest Salmon Bake.  Winemakers brought older vintages to share and everyone was happy.  The three smiles below prove it!  (L to R: Shirley Brooks from Elk Cove, me & Leah Jorgenson from Adelsheim Vineyards)

Below are pictures from our OPC 3rd Day Event - Spa and Pinot Day.  Together with Brandborg Vineyards, we treated campers to a relaxing spa day complete with complimentary massages, great live music from local musicians Andy Lohr, Lincoln Crockett, Nicolas Miranda & Sean Hudson and some down home BBQ from Mississippi's Delta BBQ.  The day couldn't have been any more beautiful.  Here's to another successful Oregon Pinot Camp!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: Nicole Kosta of SF's Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Kim Beto of Southern Wine & Spirits were crowed Horseshoe King & Queen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viticulturist Jason Tosch, Winemaker Thomas Houseman, Sales & Marketing Director Kim McLeod and CFO Tim Lamers hang around the BBQ cart!

 

 

 

Julie, Ksandek, Zorro & Dori relax in the hammock

 

 

 

 

 

Below, Sue & Terry Brandborg enjoy a lavender foot soak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Associate Winemaker Andy Gribskov with our favorite New York posse.  L to R: Andy, John McNulty from Perilla, Claire Paparazzo from Blue Hill Restaurant & Elena Matt from Monarchia Matt

Associate winemaker Tammie Crawford soaks between Peter Christ of Bridge Creek Backcountry Kitchen & Wine Bar in Red Lodge Montana and Julie Armstrong of our tasting room.

 

Above, LMTs Mary McClain and Tye Van Schoiack treat campers to much needed massages.

 

Vintage Berkeley

Yesterday Thomas and I spent the day doing work withs in San Francisco and Berkeley respectively.  Pictured above is Rick Mickaels from the Henry Wine Group in front of one of the coolest wine shops I've been in - Vintage Berkeley.  The shop is located on Vine Street (of course) in the old 1930's municipal water pumping station.  The focus is on small production wines and if all goes well they'll be picking up our 2007 muller thurgau!

After a long day we enjoyed dinner at Absinthe in San Francisco where we shared an assortment of oysters and a bottle of our good friends and neighbor Soter's Brut Rose.  It was pure heaven and a great reward for the last three busy days.

Thanks, we'll see you soon California!

Cheers,

Kim

The End of the Road (Show)

Today was the final "Discover Oregon Wine" Road Show at the Officer's Club at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  Wines from 40 wineries all over Oregon were showcased in this unique trade tasting event.  Chef Vitaly Paley from Paley's Place in Portland even made the trek down to pair his amazing culinary creations with our wines. 

It's interesting how so many people don't realize that Oregon even has a wine country and "you can grow cabernet and syrah in Oregon?  But it's COLD and RAINY!"  Well, we were all there to answer questions like that and more.  Oregon has 16 AVAs and with almost 400 wineries and about 800 vineyards we have a lot to offer any discerning palate. 

Today Thomas and I had fun showing off his 2007 releases - Estate Riesling and the new dry Muller Thurgau.  I love hearing "I'll skip the muller thurgau" and then after the first sip it's all they can talk about.  We also previewed our 2006 Winemaker's Selection Pinot Noir which won't be released until around Thanksgiving.  Both the '07 Riesling and '07 Muller Thurgau are available now and can be purchased from our distributors, the winery or our website.

We had a great turnout so hopefully you Californians who know a thing or two about Oregon wines will find more and more of us popping up on lists at your favorite restaurants and retail shops.

Thanks to the Oregon Wine Board for putting this all together and thanks to everyone in DC, Dallas, NYC and San Francisco who took time to come out and see us.

Cheers,

Kim

Thomas relaxing in the flowers

The view from our tasting

Wine Literary Awards

Our trip to San Francisco didn't stop with the intimate Oregon tasting.  On Friday night we hit the 18th annual Wine Literary Awards at the California Culinary Institute in San Francisco.  Armed with my lady posse in our fancy party dresses we headed to the "ball".  Ben Narasin who attended our tasting the day before was the lucky gentleman to share a table with the six of us.  Ben is a freelance writer for publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle and Wine Enthusiast.

Over 1000 wines including several from each of our wineries (Adelsheim, Elk Cove, Willamette Valley and Anne Amie Vineyards) were opened for a grand tasting at 6pm.  A dinner prepared by the students at the Culinary Institute was served and we all enjoyed a good laugh when Charles L. Sullivan, wine historian and author of the Companion to California Wine and recipient of this year's literary award was interrupted mid-speech by an extremely intoxicated party crasher.  Mr. Sullivan handled it with grace and only paused a moment before finishing his joke. 

Pictured from left are Leah from Adelsheim Vineyards, Meg from Willamette Valley Vineyards, Shirley from Elk Cove Vineyards, Stephany & Mariko from the Oregon Wine Board and me. I might be biased but I think we clean up pretty well! 

I know I've said before that work travel is tiring but being included in this group of talented smart women and the wineries and wine board that supports us make it all worth it.  Thanks for the memories ladies and stay tuned wine media...we might be coming to a town near you soon!

Cheers,

Kim

Recipe for Success: San Francisco

A selection of amazing Oregon wine from Adelsheim, Elk Cove, Willamette Valley and Anne Amie Vineyards:

CHECK.

The incredible Michelin rated Bushi-Tei restaurant in San Francisco with a creative chef who knows how to pair wine and food:

CHECK.

An esteemed group of journalists who decided to take a chance on us:

CHECK.

On Thursday, April 24^th I had the privilege of sharing the company of three incredible wineries at an intimate Oregon tasting for the media in San Francisco.  Leah Jorgensen from Adelsheim Vineyards in Newberg, Shirley Brooks from Elk Cove Vineyards in Gaston and Meg Hursh from Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner joined me in Japantown at Bushi-Tei Restaurant where we held a tasting for select members of the media.  Among our guests were Harvey Steinman, Lynne Bennett, Tim Teichgraeber, Ben Narasin, Michael Shapiro, Justin Linkner, Kaveish Sewalia, Raul Gallyot, Amy Sherman, Danny Ronen and photographer Bob Holmes.

The tasting consisted of five flights (see menu below) and five wines from each winery paired with five courses.  The purpose of this tasting was to bring the wines of Oregon to California and the media in particular.  We know how hard it is for people to gather for a tasting like this in their own state or city let alone get up to Oregon.  Chef Waka is so talented and showcased our wines beautifully showing how Oregon wines are diverse enough to be paired with many types of cuisine.

 

Oregon Wine Tasting & Food Pairing

Bushi-Tei Restaurant

 

FIRST FLIGHT:

Anne Amie Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris

Adelsheim Vineyard 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

Elk Cove Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris

 

Jamon Serrano wrapped white asparagus, green apple Parmesan dust,

upland cress olave extra virgin olive oil

 

SECOND FLIGHT:

Elk Cove Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Rosé

Anne Amie Vineyards 2007 Cuveé A Müller Thurgau

Adelsheim Vineyard 2006 “CH” Chardonnay

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2006 Estate Chardonnay

 

White sesame blanc mange, oyster, scallop, black tobiko,

mizuna, raspberry-ume coulis, vanilla bean oil

 

THIRD FLIGHT:

Adelsheim Vineyard 2006 Auxerrois

Anne Amie Vineyards 2007 Estate Riesling

Elk Cove Vineyards 2006 Riesling Estate

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 Riesling

 

Scottish halibut crepinette, coco blanc bean,

spring vegetables, fennel nage, kinome oil

 

FOURTH FLIGHT:

Anne Amie Vineyards 2006 Cuvée A Pinot Noir

Adelsheim Vineyard 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2006 Estate Pinot Noir

Elk Cove Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

 

Muscovy duck breast, mushroom melange, fingerling potato, dried cherry sauce

 

FIFTH FLIGHT:

Anne Amie Vineyards 2006 Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir

Adelsheim Vineyard 2006 Elizabeth’s Reserve Pinot Noir

Elk Cove Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir Five Mountain

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2006 Tualatin Pinot Noir

 

Espresso crusted Sika venison loin, kabocha squash,

wild berry chutney, coco mas disk

Winemaker Thomas Houseman’s 2007 whites, his first vintage with Anne Amie, showed very well.  The Pinot Gris, Müller Thurgau and Riesling worked beautifully with Chef Waka’s creations.  Our 2006 Pinot Noir (Cuvée A & the not yet released Winemaker’s Selection) were enhanced by the duck and espresso encrusted Japanese venison – we were all impressed at the time and thoughtfulness behind each pairing.

Special thanks to the media for taking time out of their day to attend.  Thanks to Tak, Chef Waka and the incredible staff at Bushi-Tei, Tim Teichgraeber for all your advice (and for getting Shirley to the Detroit Red Wings playoff game) and for opening your beautiful home to us. Thanks to Stephany and Mariko from the Oregon Wine Board for being there for us always.  We feel very lucky to be part of an industry in an area where everyone is so supportive. 

Cheers,

Kim

New York Direct Shipment Decision Opens Doors for Oregon Wine

PORTLAND, Ore., July 14, 2005 – Oregon wineries now have an opportunity to ship their wine direct to New York wine lovers, thanks to a bill signed yesterday by Governor George Pataki allowing out-of state shipment of wine.

For the first time, New York will allow both out-of-state and intrastate shipping of wine, limited to 36 cases per year. Governor George Pataki insisted on a case limitation for the legislation to pass. Before last month’s Supreme Court ruling, the state allowed only wine shipments from NY producers.

“Most Oregon wineries are small, family-owned businesses that have a tough time getting major-market distributors to carry their brands,” said Ted Farthing, executive director of the Oregon Wine Advocacy Council, the legislative affairs arm of the Oregon wine industry. “Now the New York consumers who fall in love with our wines while visiting Oregon will finally be able to enjoy them at home. We applaud New York’s decision to open its doors to out-of-state wine shipments. The economic impact for many of our smaller wineries could be substantial.”

The law will go into effect in 30 days. Under the current law, only out-of-state wineries that have reciprocal agreements may ship to New York consumers.

“I see the New York legislation's well thought out decision as a win-win for everyone,” said Earl Jones, chair of the Oregon Wine Board and owner of Abacela Vineyards and Winery in Roseburg, Oregon. “New York consumers and wineries, and small out-of-state wineries will both be well-served. We predict that in the long run, business for New York distributors and the wineries they represent will also be stimulated by this new law.”

With the nation’s second largest wine market now open for business, the Oregon wine industry is also optimistic that other states will soon follow suit. Currently, Connecticut and Massachusetts are considering amending legislation to allow out-of-state wine shipments.

“The dominos of an antiquated and restrictive interstate commerce system for wine are falling, pushed by the Supreme Court and corrected first in New York,” said Oregon Wine Board Director Harry Peterson-Nedry, who is also founder and winemaker for Chehalem in Newburg, Oregon. “We hope the momentum for change in other states builds and the entire country opens to shipment of fine wines from small, family vineyards.”

Oregon currently has 314 wineries and 519 vineyards and ranks second in the United States for total number of wineries and fourth in total production. New York has 219 wineries and ranks third in total production.

For more information, please contact:

Stephany Boettner

Senior Communications Manager

Oregon Wine Board and Oregon Wine Advocacy Council

503.228.8652

stephany@oregonwine.org

Pinot Camp

Pinot Camp, the annual invitation only trade event, is in full-swing here in the Willamette Valley. Over 200 "campers" have descended on the hotels around McMinnville and Newberg for three days of intensive Pinot Noir seminars and tastings. We were pleased to host almost fifty "campers" here at Anne Amie Vineyards yesterday for a seminar and luncheon examining vintage and regional AVA (American Viticultural Area) characteristics, which featured nineteen fine Oregon Pinot Noir wines. A highlight was the chance to sample the 1982 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir that made such a splash in Paris in the mid-80's when it came in second in a tasting which pitted it against some of the most famous Burgundy wines produced. In fact, it was that tasting that inspired the Drouhin family to investigate Oregon in the first place - an investigation that led to their winery that is here today. The wine is a light tawny color now, but still displayed wonderful aromatics and breed. It is inspirational to see the aging potential for Oregon Pinot Noir is a reality.

The evening featured more tastings and a wonderful dinner at Domaine Serene, where we got the chance to taste another old wine: 1988 Adelsheim, Elizabeth's Reserve, poured by David Adelsheim from a Jeroboam. This too was a real treat featuring truly complex aromatics combined with delicate, yet layered and long flavors.

Perhaps the most exciting part of getting the opportunity to spend time with and taste the wines of our fellow Oregon winemakers, is to see how high the quality has gotten across-the-board in Oregon. (Craig)