Tales of Two Pinots
Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

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His rapport with people is one of the reasons Chemeketa Community College has Patrick teaching Wines of the Pacific Northwest and Sensory Evaluation of Wine Varietals. He has published papers on these topics and co-authored a text used in the school’s two-year degree program in wine management.

Patrick has been the manager of the Oregon Wine Tasting Room for 23 years. In addition to serving more than 100 different wine selections, it is a homey, country store gourmet food market as well.

Expertise in Pinots is honed in Patrick’s other job as quality control and blending manager for Amity, Beran, White Rose, Sinean, Owen-Roe and Medici wineries. One of the foremost experts on Oregon Pinots, he is also one of the early proponents and blenders of Oregon Zinfandel.

Patrick will take us on a tour of Oregon’s four appellations, through a tasting card of eight representative Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines from 1999 thru 2002. These were four of the best wine producing years in Oregon history. The program is your chance to taste four award winning vintages that show uniformity in wine characteristics among all growing regions, a consistency Patrick says he has not seen since the late 1970s.

Oregon Appellations

North Willamette Valley, considered the heart of Oregon’s wine country, ranges from Salem to north of Portland. Low rolling hills with gentle slopes and cool climate offer the best of all worlds for Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

South Willamette Valley starts just south of Salem and extends down through Eugene. The coastal breeze and fog that permeates the area makes perfect weather for growing both Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

Umpqua Valley in the Roseburg region is quite mountainous. Pinot Noirs do extremely well due to the nature of the soil. Oregon’s first winery was founded here in 1962.

Rogue River Valley, Oregon’s southern most appellation centered around Medford, is much warmer, producing some of the best Pinot Gris in the world.

Oregon Wineries
Amity Vineyards, a small family operation specializing in Pinot Noir among the oldest wineries in the Willamette Valley, was founded in 1974 by Myron Redford and Janis Cecchia. They produced Oregon’s first sulfite-free Pinot Noir from organic fruit.

Eola Hills Wine Cellars is located in Rickreall, 10 minutes west of Salem, on Highway 99W. With a great diversity of wines they continue to create award-winning ones on all levels of production, including the Festival Gold Medal 2002 Pinot Gris on the tasting card.

Lavelle Vineyards (formerly Forgeron), a secluded property 15 miles west of Eugene owned by Texas transplants Douglas and Susan Lavelle, is the oldest winery in South Willamette Valley. Their Estate Pinot Noir comes from vineyards planted in the early 1970s.

Silvan Ridge, reserve label wines produced since 1993 by Hinman Vineyards, is maintained in European tradition by owner Carolyn Chambers. It’s located 11 miles west of Eugene. The Silvan 2001 Pinot Gris won a Silver Medal at this year’s Wine Festival.

Giradet Wine Cellars was founded in 1971 by Philippe Giradet, who was raised in a French-influenced Swiss town near the Rhone headwaters. He developed 35 acres of vineyard soil on a shale hillside in the Umpqua Valley. His 2000 Pinot Noir was a Silver winner at this year’s Festival.

Henry Estate, along the Umpqua River in the northern part of the Valley, is a flatland vineyard planted in 1972 on land five generations of the Henry family have farmed for 75 years. Winery founder Scott Henry designed a new open-canopy trellis system used worldwide. His 2001 Pinot Gris won a Bronze at this year’s Festival.

Foris Vineyards Winery is surrounded by flowing rivers and the lush Siskiyou Mountains six miles from the California border in the Illinois Valley. Westernmost, it is substantially wetter than the rest of the Rogue Appellation with winter precipitation ideal for Burgundian varietals.

Valley View Winery, within the Rogue Appellation, is located in Applegate Valley, the newest federally recognized wine region in Oregon. The Wisnovsky family began the winery in 1972 with vineyards originally established by pioneer Peter Britt in the 1850s.

Rarefied Ray’s
Every once in a while a rare occurrence comes across the course (pun intended) of your life to make it a little better. Having Chef Charles Ramseyer prepare the food courses for our November program is one of those rare occurrences.

Swiss-born Chef Charles has been the executive chef at Ray’s Boathouse for the past 10 years. An avid international traveler perennially on the hunt for fresh ideas, he also has traveled extensively for the Washington Wine Commission introducing Washington Wines and foods to different cultures throughout the world. He is also famous for Ray’s monthly wine dinners.

We gave Chef Charles a list of wines for our November program, and he created four food courses to enhance the unique characteristics of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

First Course: Bay Shrimp and Penn Cove Mediterranean Mussels with Mango Papaya Salad, Green Curry and Coconut Dressing. Paired with Pinot Gris: Silvan Ridge 2001 and Henry Estate 2001.

Second Course: In-House Alder Smoked Coho Salmon Bites with Pear Craisin Chutney. Paired with Eola Hills 2002 Pinot Gris and Amity 2000 Pinot Noir.

Third Course: Aged Tillamook Cheddar Wafer and Curry Wafer. Paired with Valley View 2002 Pinot Gris and Foris 2000 Pinot Noir.

Fourth Course: Wild Mushroom and Quillisascut Goat Cheese Tart. Paired with Pinot Noir: Lavelle 2000 and Giradet 2000.

Tell-All Cookbook
“Ray’s Boathouse: Seafood Secrets of the Pacific Northwest” will be for sale at the Pinot program for a very special package price of $30.41, which includes tax and a $10 gift certificate for use in the Café or Boathouse. Order prior to the program and Chef Charles Ramseyer will sign it with an inscription of your choice.

Ray's tell-all cookbook titled "Ray's Boathouse: Seafood Secrets of the Pacific Northwest" is here! The book includes over 120 recipes for preparing Ray's best cuisine at home, an introduction by international food writer Ken Gouldthorpe and world-class food photography by Angie Norwood Browne. This highly anticipated cookbook is on sale now at Ray's for $27.95 (plus tax and shipping, as applicable).

Order a cookbook online anytime at Rays.com or call (206) 789-3770 to place your order by phone. Or, stop by Ray's and have your book signed in person by Chef Charles every Tuesday from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

PACIFIC CULINARY STUDIO COOKING CLASS
"Northwest Winter Solstice Seafood Feast"
Thursday, December 4, 2003
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Savor the long nights of winter with the bounty of cold Northwest waters. Ray’s Boathouse executive chef Charles Ramseyer shares his secrets of selecting and preparing perfect seafood with a winter seafood feast - perfect for entertaining family and friends. Plump Oysters - on the half shell or poached in their own nectar and elegantly presented on a spoon, aromatic Black Pepper Dungeness Crab, hearty Cioppino chock full of seafood delights, and Ray’s classic Thai Mussels in Coconut Curry Broth. $85.00 per person. For more information, or to register for the class, contact the Pacific Culinary Studio at (425) 231-9239 or visit their website at www.pacificculinarystudio.com.

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