Pinot Noir & the Holy Grail
There seems to be no stopping Pinot Noir. Years after "Sideways" put the variety on the map for the average wine drinker and sales of the wine soared, we still are seeing healthy year over year increases in its sales. When Americans discover something new, and something they like, they tend to embrace it, don’t they.
One of the better Pinot-centric events is "Pinot On The River". One of the ways by which one can be confident an event will be worth the money, is to look at who is organizing it and ask yourself, "do they really care?"
Greg Walters really cares. His Pinot Report, a newsletter dedicated the variety has won a number of accolades and a following among those who in particular want an early glimpse at what’s new in the world of Pinot Noir.
Greg is the mastermind behind Pinot On The River, scheduled this year for October 26. 27 and 28. As with most events of this sort there will be a tasting of Pinots from a number of wineries. Over 80 Pinot producers have signed on to pour at the even that will be held in and about the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Among those wineries set to pour:
A.P. Vin
Annapolis Winery
Bien Nacido Vineyard
DuNah
Etude
Halleck Vineyards
Kastania Vineyards
Keller Estate
Kosta Browne
Lucienne
MacPhail Family Wines
Moshin Vineyards
Papapietro Perry Winery
Roessler Cellars
Sokol Blosser Winery
Tandem Winery
Testarossa Vineyards
W.H. Smith Wines
Windward Vineyards
While I love tasting wines, I tend to get so easily distracted at large tastings that my evaluative powers disappear fairly quickly. I’ve come to appreciate them mainly as a way of getting to know folks. What I really enjoy about these events are the seminars. Greg has put together some interesting ones:
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27
Seminar #1: Regional Focus: Russian River Valley
Seminar #2: The Rising Stars Of California Pinot Noir
Seminar #3: Vineyard Focus: Bien Nacido Vineyards.
Seminar #4: Winery Focus: A Tale of Three Verticals
SUNDAY OCTOBER 28
Seminar #1: Alcohol And Pinot Noir
Seminar #2: Small Winery Focus
Seminar #3: The Science of Pinot Noir
Seminar #4: Small Winery Focus:
There is a holy grail quality that propels the purchasing patterns of Pinot Noir lovers. There seems to be something about the variety that suggests just around the corner something will be discovered that overthrows our previous notions of what great Pinot can be. Today, the grail might be discovered not just in California and Burgundy, but in a number of other regions from New Zealand to Tasmania. This event seems to have attracted the best of the California lot, or at least many of the most sought after producers.
For more info on Pinot On the River: CLICK HERE or call: 707-922-1096
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