We’re just back from an awesome Oregon wine trade tasting. We tried 50 new Oregon wines and found six new standout releases. There are four amazing summer wines from Evesham Wood and Grochau Cellars, plus two super-collectible Brick House Pinots. at right, we’re hard at work tasting Evesham Wood Tempranillo Rose 2011 $12.55 in any [...]
Famous Secret Walla Walla Vineyard $14.35
We have the ultimate “insider’s” offer for you today. The wines are made from one of the most famous vineyards in Walla Walla’s rocks, but we can’t tell you which one. We can tell you that wines made from this vineyard have received crazy high (the highest) scores. The vineyard only sells fruit to two [...]
Mussels and Chorizo Recipe with Oregon Wine
This is an easy recipe that goes over well with anyone who likes shellfish and bit of spice! Chorizo is a spiced sausage that Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, and other spicy Latin cultures use. I’ve made this recipe with all kinds of chorizo (hard or soft, spicy or mild) and also have used Cajun Andouille sausages [...]
What is Terroir?
“Ask Avalon” on our Facebook page asks for questions from you, our fans. A recent question, “What is Terroir?” is answered here. Terroir, terr-what? Terroir at its simplest is the idea that land with the right soil type will grow grapes that make the best wine. Skeptics of terroir point out that the effects of [...]
Oregon Wine Tasting
It’s Memorial Day weekend, the biggest time of the year for Oregon wine tasting. When you taste a lot of wines in a small period of time, they can all blur together. Keeping a record of what you taste can help to remember what you liked. And comparing the notes gives you a record of [...]
Oregon Wine – Noble Rot is Good.
When it’s good, it’s positively noble. That’s the irony of the fungus called “botrytis.” “Noble rot” is a more euphemistic term for what is also called “botrytis bunch rot,” caused by a fungal organism (Botrytis cinera) that can grow on ripe or nearly ripe grapes. The unusual thing about botrytis bunch rot is that it [...]
Sale at Avalon Wine’s Corvallis Store Saturday
We’ve updated the look of the store and we’re celebrating by putting everything at the store on sale tomorrow, May 19th: 10% off every wine in the store, 15% off all cases, and specials that you’ll have to come in to see (hint: big discounts on last bottles, large formats, and rare wines that never [...]
Oregon Wine Screwcaps? Maybe.
You know, I used to be like you. “Screw caps!” I said, “I’ll never give up my trusty cork.” But no more. I have seen the light—or more accurately, I have tasted the wine. And now I’ve traded in that crusty old cork for the fresh-fangled reliability of twist cap enclosures. Oh, I’ll admit it [...]
North Carolina’s Favorite Oregon Winery? Domaine Serene
Ask someone from North Carolina, my family’s neck of the woods, “What’s a good Oregon wine?” Chances are they’ll name Domaine Serene. Fine restaurants and wine shops feature it as their finest Oregon wine – especially the Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve. Ask a wine collector in North Carolina, Georgia, or Florida what Oregon wine is [...]
Traveling with Oregon Pinot noir
"A "Friends of Avalon" Story By Mika Miyamoto-Shemali Wine Reviewed: Crowley Willamette Valley Pinot noir I travel a lot for work or pleasure. And I have to confess that I almost always bring a bottle or two of Oregon Pinot Noir to wherever I travel. I kind of think of it as my travel insurance [...]
