Oregon, Pinot Yes and Pinot No

I'm not a wine writer and have no desire to be. I am a writer, though, and the number of adjectives required to write about wines scares the hell out of me. I am adjective leery.

That being said I drink wine all the time. And would occasionally like to recommend some.

I've probably tasted at least 80 different 2007 Oregon pinot noirs now. It was a tough year for the Willamette Valley winemakers. Some did well. Some not so. I've also tasted numerous 2006s and probably at least 40 - 50 2008 barrel tastings.

Here are some I like: Stone Wolf -terrific at the price point - coulda charged a lot more. Eyrie. St. Innocent (you can buy some stock if you have any money left). Vidon. Lemelson. Anthony Dell. Beaux Freres (one of them, anyway). Panther Creek (surprise!). I was a little disappointed with Patricia Green as she normally does a very good job and has vines that are literally ten feet from Beaux Freres' Upper Terrace. Had a great wine today , from a fledgling winemaker, Ghost Hills, grapes sourced from Bayliss-Bower Vineyard. If you've had premium wines from some of the best winemakers in Oregon you've had their fruit.

Vista Hills. Aramenta. De Ponte. Bryce. Like all of those. A couple of really good Sheas - and the barrel tastings for the 2008 are even better. There are more but I have to finish dinner. I was not enthralled with the Domaine Serene 2006s, but the 2008 barrel tasting showed much more promise.

So, I'll get to what I have not liked. In a blind tasting with three winemakers I was very disappointed with Bergstrom - especially at the price point.

And lastly, avoid Anne Amie like the plague. I could give you a lot of reasons - one being the quality of the wine and the limited offerings. But, see how you like this for a marketing strategy:

Alice and I went there today - we'd never been, but had driven past it dozens of times - and plunked down the tasting fee, $20.00 for one. Let me explain. When we're going to do a bunch of tasting in a day - 8 to 12 wineries - we usually just get one glass (and I drink most of the wines). Never had a problem with that anywhere. Until today.

"Oh, it's $30.00 for a couple," I was informed. Apparently the air I was going to breathe while on their property was worth that. Their literature said $20.00 for a stem for the tasting.
I wonder how many folks they turned off this Memorial Day weekend because of this unstated policy you are informed of upon arrival.

And the wine was blah.

So far for 2007 Pinot Noirs from Oregon, I have been very impressed with Witness Tree, both Estate and Chainsaw, Coeur de Terre, Cardwell Hill, Dom. Coteau, and Beacon Hill to name a few. These also all sell for between $19 and $23. But there are actually some very good Pinots at $10-$12 dollars, but just not from Oregon. There is Greenstone Point 2008 and Brancott 2006 both from New Zealand and Cono Sur Organic from Chile. I also got to go through several of the Patricia Green 2007 Pinots a couple of months ago and was quite impressed with the flavors she was able to get in 2007.

[Jenise]

"Oh, it's $30.00 for a couple," I was informed. Apparently the air I was going to breathe while on their property was worth that. Their literature said $20.00 for a stem for the tasting.
I wonder how many folks they turned off this Memorial Day weekend because of this unstated policy you are informed of upon arrival.

And the wine was blah.

That's just hideous. We, too, often share a pour because of the problem with drinking and driving, even though we mostly spit. And $20, frankly, is already pretty hefty. To basically charge an additional penalty because the second person is electing to be the responsible party is just insane. But as I explained to you in PM, I can guess whose idea that was. Like you, I'd have left.

From a vry personal point of view, I never object to a symbollic tasting fee "per person" at a winery. Note please that the key word here is "symbollic" and that because it does tend to discourage the large number of free-loaders that show up at wineries hoping to taste their best wines at a super-duper-reasonable price I have seen limousines pull up to wineries with 9 people. One person walks in, orders a flight of 8 wines, pays his or her twenty bucks for the tasting and then the others come in, invariably requesting refills so that each can taste "just a little bit" without paying even a "little bit more" for the privilege.

Especially at small wineries such "parties" can quickly take the winemaker into bankruptcy court. The purpose of giving tastings, whether free or for a symbollic fee is to give people a chance to taste and perhaps to purchase. The purpose is not a free afternoon's entertainment at the expense of the winery.

Ye faithful curmudgeon who occasionally takes the side of wineries, the owners and winemakers of which also have to put food on their tables without going through bankruptcy court


Best
Rogov

[Jenise]

From a vry personal point of view, I never object to a symbollic tasting fee "per person" at a winery. Note please that the key word here is "symbollic" and that because it does tend to discourage the large number of free-loaders that show up at wineries hoping to taste their best wines at a super-duper-reasonable price I have seen limousines pull up to wineries with 9 people. One person walks in, orders a flight of 8 wines, pays his or her twenty bucks for the tasting and then the others come in, invariably requesting refills so that each can taste "just a little bit" without paying even a "little bit more" for the privilege.

I've never objected to tasting fees because it does, in fact, keep out the riff raff just cruising for a free high. Our motives for purchasing one pour, not two are obviously quite different. That others would do as you describe never occurred to me. But that they do doesn't justify, to me, penalizing what is otherwise responsible behavior. I'd advocate controlling it on a case-by-case basis before I'd suggest that ALL potential customers need to be treated like scammers.

$20 for a tasting of just one wine. $30 a couple. WT ....? And what measure do they pour for this so called "tasting?"

If I was going to Anne Amie, I would expect to pay what is stated on their website - http://www.anneamie.com/tasting

"Tasting Room Open Daily 10 – 5
We welcome you to join us in the tasting room at Anne Amie Vineyards. The following wines are available for a $5 tasting fee which is applied to purchases of $50 or more.
2007 Cuvée A Muller-Thurgau
2007 Cuvée A Midnight Saignée Rosé of Pinot Noir
2007 Cuvée A Amrita
2006 Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir

You may also taste through a flight of three Library and limited production Pinot Noirs for a $10 tasting fee.
2004 La Colina Vineyard Pinot Noir
2004 Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Noir
2005 Deux Vert Vineyard Pinot Noir

A third option is available for a $10 fee; Try Rubies, our Port Style Dessert Wine paired with Chocolates prepared specially by Luis Moro Chocolate Company.
Reservations are required for groups of 8 or more."


I don't see anything about $20 a stem.

What was offered for the $20.00 that day was the $5.00 regimen you saw on their web site - with hors d'oeuvres at each station - one bite of each. Been cooking for a lot of years and believe me those three bites were not worth that additional ten bucks. Extra loot for the library tasting. Extra for the extra person standing there. I asked if there was a bathroom charge.

Daniel, this ain't a place to take a stand, I assure you. I have never posted an anti-winery message before.

So ..... did you taste the Muller Thurgau?

So ..... did you taste the Muller Thurgau?

Yep, and it was umlautless.

Hopefully my last reply that didnt go throught, doesnt go 3 times (computer moron here). To clarify, memorial day weekend as well as thanksgiving is when the wineries are all open and have different offers than what might be daily on the website.
However, it was very clear that what AnneAmie offered in the tasting room was not what they had advertised for this weekend. We often have a couple that want to share and thats great with us. Tasting rooms are not in the business of getting folks hammered and we look at our tasting fee as a simple way to offset our cost and yes a bit to keep the free folks from looking to us as one might look at a bar.
That said, being nice goes along way in our industry
L
PS, Daniel I have never had a group do what you have described, perhaps folks in Oregon are just a bit more honest

One other thing about the folks in Oregon. I noticed quite a few of the tasting rooms waived the tasting fees for active duty military AND veterans for the Memorial Day weekend - and advertised it.