pretty decent. Oak Knoll had a 1988 floating
around for $7 that was a total steal and (I am
revealing virtually Top Secret information) at a
particular store at 14th and SE Belmont a 1992
Serendipity Cab can be had for the insanely
low price of $6.29. A few bottles of these with
some nice bread and some warmed cheese will
warm the soul. We put the seemingly odd
combination of challah bread and baked feta
together to create a nice snack that teamed well
with 5 bottles of Bordeaux.
Okay, February is just a bump in the road and
March opens up all sorts of possibilities and
wineries. Providing that the new Congress
hasn't outlawed having fun if you make less than
$50,000 (and did you know that the Oregon
Republicans, the party of the beloved Reverend's
choice, met for over 2 hours behind closed doors
to discuss introducing a bill or something that
would have forbidden women from wearing
pants on the floor of the Oregon Senate!? Oh,
yeah, these new guys -literally- are really going
to make things happen) we will be back out at
the vineyards and getting our hands on all sorts
of goodies.
I have got a smattering of interesting wines to
search out this month. There were no superstars
that I ran into but there are a couple of very
good deals:
I have never been partial to Oregon
Februaries. Very little happens during this
thankfully short month and the weather is
usually lousy enough to really make you start
twitching for the arrival of spring. Only 28 days
to March. Only 28 days to March. Enough of this
type of whining. (Although I would take a
moment, due to the retirement of Mr. Baseball, to
note that it only seems appropriate that former
Red Sox hurler Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd would be
the first to step up and say that he would gladly
cross the picket line for the opportunity to do
12-16 again. The Can was always a bottle or two
shy of a case.)
Unfortunately, Oregon Wineries view
February with the same type of enthusiasm as do
I. Very little goes on this month, with the
notable exception, for you coastal denizens, of
the Newport Wine and Seafood Festival; which I
have never personally attended but have heard
is essentially Newport’s answer to having the
Jerry Garcia Band play at the local amphitheatre:
A weird conglomeration of people all coming for
the same thing with wildly divergent reasons,
motives and tastes. Given the lack of interesting
wineries to putz about at as we await the Ides of
March, I am given to rambling about different
ongoings in the Oregon wine world and
recommendations for surviving the next few
weeks.
The harvest of 1994 is now all in barrels and
bottles. The scrutiny has been fairly intense
from those who pontificate a bit too seriously
about wine. The conclusion is that 1994 should
be a fantastic year for Oregon wine. The weather
was, by and large, excellent although a tad too
hot at the end, which created some scrambling
just before the harvest. Generalizations are just
generalizations though. Good wineries will make
good wine even in uneven years, while mediocre
wineries will make mediocre wine even given
the most advantageous of circumstances.
However, what is done is done and expectations
are high even amongst skeptics (winery
owners).
A few things are certain, or at least pretty
certain. The Pinot noir crop is WAY down. This
is not a good thing for Oregon's wine industry as
a whole. Pinot noir is the wine that drives
Oregon's market and a serious reduction in
quantity (as much as 50% for some wineries)
means lean financial times, less good wine
coming in under the magical $10 mark and the
lingering cloud of temptation to get wine out on
the market well before it is ready to meet demand
and put a few bucks in the bank. I will be
reserving judgment on 1994 Pinot noir for quite
awhile. The possibilities for deep, rich burgundy
are tantalizing but I will not be buying any
futures.
At the vineyards I toured this past fall, without
exception the fruit that looked the best and tasted
the most intense right off the vine was
Chardonnay. Chardonnay has the distinction of
being, simultaneously, America's most loved and
disdained white wine. Loved for its consistency
and disdained for being boring. As a part-time
trasher of Chardonnay (usually after a couple of
good glasses of red wine) I am here to go on
record as saying that Chardonnay can be a damn
good wine and Oregon has a chance to make some
dynamite Chardonnay in 1994. One of the best
bottles of wine I had in the past year was a
Tualatin 1988 Reserve Chardonnay. It was
all pears, honey, spice and richness. This is what
I am looking for out of 1994 from Oregon's top
white wine producers. Sure, the lean, thin stuff
will still be around in abundance, but the cream
of the crop should have an extra lair. Put this on
the fridge until 1996.
It was hot all over Oregon this summer,
especially down south. Could this be the year
that Oregon produces some dynamite Bordeaux?
There have been occasional good ones but
consistency has been lacking and posers have
been much too prevalent. Down at Valley View
Vineyards in Jacksonville they plummeted
from 12,000 cases in 1993 to 5,000 in 1994 but
Mark Wisnovsky says it is all Anna Maria (their
highest designation) and that their Cab/Merlot
blend is the best they have made (which is
saying a lot, considering that their 1990 Reserve
is a magnificent wine). I am trying not to get my
hopes up but I really would like to taste some
good, moderately priced Oregon Merlot.
I have been lamenting the fact recently
Oregon's Bordeaux wines by and large just don't
have what it takes sometimes to get you through
a cold, rainy weekend. Good Merlot and Cabernet
are critical elements to survival at this time of
year. During the floods of California last month
a person living in a drastically affected area
stated to an interviewer, "It’s California. We're
resigned. Actually we're having a bottle of
Cabernet." A perfectly appropriate response to
natural disaster. But given the quantity needed
one does not want to shell out $15 or so every
time the Bordeaux Blues strike. In a burst of
Northwest pride I am willing to recommend
looking north of the border for good Bordeaux
buys. Good values can be found in the likes of
Covey Run, Hogue, Columbia and Hedges. Here in
Oregon though there are a couple sub $ 10 bottles
I can recommend. Knudsen Erath's 1991
Cabernet goes for right around $10 and is
---Q
'V.iineShack^'
JL
Cannon Beach
In Coaster Theater Courtyard
Established 1977
Of S T O O L Th» w ry bast of Orogoo W v jm ,
Coacy !«■ nitt i t a* ma. onyirwfd oad tfamaatic
Boon , wlaouatuif «»«on, recomomZatiom
n tf frfcaAy arvto».
Featuring Northwest, California
& Imported Wines
Collector Wines From 1875
Through Current Vintages
Featuring Over 1000 Wines
Wine Racks, Glasses &
Wine Related Items
Laurel’s
Wine Tasting
C annon
Beach
Every Saturday Afternoon
1-5 PM
W ine Shop
Different Wines
From Around The World
Each Week
263 N. Hemlock
(5 0 3 ) 436-1666
Open 11 AM-5 PM - Closed Tues.
436-1100
124 N Hemlock
P.O. Box 6S2. Cannon Beach O R 97110
Elk Cove 1992 Late Harvest Riesling;
Ooooh, a delicious wine. Sweet and smooth. Elk
Cove has always been one of the top producers of
late harvest wines and they offer an excellent
treat at a wonderful price. Because this wine
isn't their Ultima category ($20 for a half-bottle)
they put it in a full-size bottle and slapped a $10
price tag on it. This well balanced wine is sweet
enough to go with a plethora of desserts but I
paired it with oysters and a spiced oil dip and
came away very happy. Look for this on my end
of the year list if it doesn’t disappear right away.
Redhawk 1992 Pinot noir; A tip of the hat
to Redhawk. I am committed to writing a review
of this winery in 1995. Their wines are
consistently good, they make quirky things
(Chateau Mootom with cows on the label) and
have some top end wines that will spin your head
around. In this Pinot they have managed to craft
my perfect easy drinking red. It distinguishes
itself from most Oregon Pinot by showing tons of
earth. French Burgundy comes to mind while
drinking this little stunner. $10!? Pinch me.
Casual Dining
Overlooking the Hestucca River
Spirits • Hot Sandwiches
Fresh Seafood Dinners • Home Baked Desserts
Live Music Every Saturday night
(5 0 3 ) 9 6 5 -6 7 2 2
n ty v
pacific city ,
O regon
Ö Pavilion I
NEHALEM BAY VID EO
3 6 8 -5 5 3 8
HWY 101 ft Manzanita Av*.
Manzanla, OR 97130
NOW OPEN
7 DAYS A WEEK
11 am - 8 pm Mon - Thurs
noon - 9 pm Weekends
Come In & See Our:
•H ew Look!
•H ew Lower Prices
• Hew Equipment Packages
•HewHours
•Refreshments
FINE ART
ART FURNITURE
UGHTING
CONTEMPORARY GIFTS
Representing young
American designers,
small manufacturers
o f contemporary
furniture and
art objects fo r
the home or office
M E TA L • CONCRETE
GLASS
*
263 N. HEMLOCK
CANNON BEACH
(5 0 3 ) 4 3 6 -2 9 1 0
<
bi
A
§
remsmassss/Msai.
Meet the Overstreets—
E lly , L a rr y , S t e v e A S h a w n
See our new expanded
section of “ New Releases”
Take Time to Travel in
TEMPEST VINEYARDS
Keith V. Orr
Janitor, Winemaker, President
9342 N.E. Hancock Drive
Portland, Oregon 97220
503/252-1383
Oregon's Scenic Wine Country!
Experience the beauty, peace and
fantastic wine o f Oregon's wine regions
For information on and reservations at
The best bed & breakfasts, hotels and restaurants
as well as the most interesting winery tours
Oregon WHne leave ( Connection
Famous since 1993
Jay Raskin
1-800 946-3885
Architect
?.0. box 1160
Cannon beach, OR
97110
In a republic of mediocrity, gBnius is
dangerous.
Robert G. Ingersoll
503-436-2162
UPPER LEFT EDGE FE&RMY W75
I