I'm so Dizzy....

The amount of spin on the truth of who planted the first Pinot Noir in Oregon by the city of Forest Grove is making me sick.  There seems to be no shame in fabricating facts for the town’s material gain.

“Forest Grove's economic development staff will showcase the city's newly developed branding strategy at an Oct. 14 forum. Staff will unveil the brand -- Forest Grove: Where Oregon Pinot Was Born -- and also talk about how residents can use the brand to help business and the community.” from OregonLive

It sounds fun to make up stuff, let me try:  Oregon Wine Country Tours was the first wine tour biz in Oregon!  And with that I can proclaim our victory!  Easy.

So it’s time to rally the troops and put an end to this revisionist history.  The fact is that Richard Sommer planted the very very very first Pinot Noir in Oregon at his HillCrest vineyard in the Umpqua Valley in 1961.  The Winemakers by Purser & Allen p.158

Please email the Mayor and Council of Forest Grove and let them know that we still exist here in the Umpqua Valley and are doing just fine, thank you.  Below is a list of the email addresses:
ptruax@forestgrove-or.gov  Mayor
Councilors:
tbelusko@forestgrove-or.gov 
tjohnston@forestgrove-or.gov
vlowe@forestgrove-or.gov
cmiller@forestgrove-or.gov
rthompson@forestgrove-or.gov
euhing@forestgrove-or.gov

Be a good Pagan: Drink Wine!

It’s a fact that Christians co opted many Pagan rituals for their own purposes, Christmas being one of those.  Historically this time of year was a celebration of the Winter Solstice.  And many of these celebrations including the newly fermented wine.

Our western culture includes the Brumalia (Roman) and the Lenæa (Ancient and Hellenistic Greece).  In both traditions it is the God of Wine that is the focus of festivities. 

In the Greek festival “wine miracles were performed by the priests, in which priests would seal water or juice in a room overnight and the next day they would have turned into wine. The miracle was said to have been performed by Dionysus”

Wine becomes much more than just another beverage when seen in the scheme of the seasons and our very survival.  Drinking the young wines was (and is) a symbol of the circle of life, and the promise of another Spring.

So raise a glass of wine in honor of Mother Earth and the Winter Solstice!

“I’ll have some more,please”

“In most states, ordering a gun online is perfectly legal. As is ordering pornography, cigarettes and ammunition. A bottle of merlot, though, could land you in jail.”
From the LA Times.

The benevolent folks of the corporate wine world want you to know that you are not worthy enough to order wine from any old place in the U.S. of A.  Just let them and their buddies, the wholesalers, take a big chunk of the change first before you can enjoy your favorite wine, and all will be well. 

And to make that arrangement permanent these “suits” are sicking their lobbyists on Washington in the form of H.R. 5034.

This is one of those sleeper bills that may sneak by the Congress if you don’t demand its demise.  Please, join me in contacting  Peter DeFazio  and let him know you are opposed to more corporate influence in the wine world!

Jesus’ First Miracle

Lots of folks are saying: “Put Jesus back into Christmas”.  Now I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that you put “wine into Christmas” , after all this is where the good stuff starts to happen in the New Testament! 

Of all the amazing things that are attributed to Jesus, it turns out that wine was on his mind from the start!  Brings a whole new meaning to BYOB.  Run out of wine?  Not a problem!  “I’ll make more”, says Jesus!  My kind of guy.

Today we have to rely on our modern day miracle makers: winemakers!  And thankfully we have a whole bunch of them here in the Umpqua Valley.  And it’s the same old miracle: turn water into wine!  The essential part of the miracle was that it was the best wine of the party that Jesus provided.  And again, our winemakers are following in that tradition.  Our wines are world class!

So give the gift of wine and feel good about putting a little Jesus into your Holidays.