| Report From The Left Coast or California Here I Am! | | | | By: Marlene Rossman |  Page 1 of 3 next >> |
The climate is awesome, the scenery is great and the wines cannot be beat. And the wines are plentiful and available everywhere. The local category killer "pharmacy and health/beauty aids" chain, has a better selection of wine than some upscale wine shops in New York. From the huge supermarkets to the little corner bodegas, great wine is there for your drinking pleasure.
California is the state where Two Buck Chuck became a household word and drink. Long story to short: A wine marketing pro who knew that there was a surplus of grapes got together with Trader Joe’s chain of quirky supermarkets and hatched the idea of selling passable wine for TWO bucks. Now, little old ladies (from Pasadena and elsewhere) are wheeling out cases of Two Buck Chuck (real name of brand; Charles Shaw) like it was discount Maalox. Charles Shaw accounted for 20 percent of all California wine sales for the first three months of this 2003 according to the owner of Bronco Wines, Chuck’s parent company.
I used to have trouble getting the California wines that I wanted in New York wine shops. Now, I am wild about California wine and a lot of awesome wine is made here, but I also adore Oregon and Washington State wines. I thought it was going to be a slam dunk getting Pacific Northwest wines in California, since it is so close to Oregon and Washington. However, they are nearly impossible to find in Southern California. So, I order most of it online, which takes the fun out of it for a wine writer. For me there is nothing better than going into a wine shop and browsing and schmoozing with clerks and other customers. But since my faithful readers deserve the best, I have done a good deal of "research" on Pacific Northwest wines.
Oregon has over 130 wineries, Washington claims well over 200 producers. Also, IDAHO! Idaho? Aren’t they better known for their potatoes? Yes, but look at geography. Idaho borders both Washington AND Oregon! There are at least 15 wineries in Idaho. I have not had the chance to taste an Idaho wine, but if you see one anywhere (outside of Idaho), let me know. Some Idaho wines have gotten very good reviews.
But in my quest for the best wine at the best price, it looks like Oregon and Washington State really are taking the lead in great wine values. Oregon with it’s awesome Burgundian varietals—Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris and Washington State for deep, smooth Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and red wine blends.
OREGON is the un-California. Founders of the modern Oregon wine business, trekked north from California. The climate was perfect for pinot noir, and all its Burgundian clones (pinot gris, pinot blanc, pinot meunier, etc, etc.
Ken Wright Pinot Noir Willamette Oregon 2001/2002 about $40
I have been drinking Ken Wright’s wines for years. I first discovered his aromatic white wine, Melon de Bourgogne (see White Wine Archives column) about 6 years ago and bought as much of it as I could find. Of course, as it is with most things I adore, they stopped making it in 1998. Melon is probably related to the Loire Valley’s Muscadet (not Muscatel) Ken Wright’s Pinot Noir’s are so popular that he sells FUTURES in them, just like in Bordeaux. Any and all of Wright’s many single vineyards bottlings are ok with me. They ooze succulent dark cherry and vanilla flavors. Wright’s pinots have great structure and a long finish. The only thing that’s wrong with them is that they are too expensive and hard to find to drink every night!
|
Wine Related Articles 
