January 12, 2005
Wine Talk
Fodor book gives boost to local wineries
Southern Oregon wines receive some enthusiastic coverage in a book published this past year by the nationally-known Fodor’s Compass American Guides travel publications company. "Oregon
Wine Country" covers all of the state’s wine-growing regions and devotes close to 20 pages to the Rogue, Applegate and Illinois valleys. The cover photo is a scene from Bear Creek
Winery near Cave Junction.
The book, written by John Doerper, makes note of the phenomenal growth of Oregon’s wine industry since the 1970s, profiles many wineries, offers some lodging and dining suggestions and
includes a glossary of wine terminology. It’s well illustrated by Greg Vaughn’s color photos.
Although the book was published in 2004, it reflects how rapidly the local wine scene is changing and expanding. Some of the material is already out of date. And only 11 wineries are listed for
the Jackson-Josephine counties area. We now have 17.
The wineries mentioned in the book are Weisinger’s, Ashland, Paschal, Griffin Creek (at Eden Valley Orchards), Valley View, Troon, Wooldridge Creek, Del Rio, Bridgeview, Foris and Bear
Creek.
A copy of "Oregon Wine Country" found its way to my home in late December thanks to one of Santa’s helpers.
A NOTABLE NEWCOMER in the local restaurant field is Rostel’s in Central Point. The night we went for dinner, two wine lists were presented. The main one offered 30-plus choices, a
handful by the glass. On the second list, 20-plus, all were available by the glass as well as bottle.
Ten local labels are represented on the lists — Bridgeview, Foris, Griffin Creek and Sarah Powell among them. Most of the by-the-glass prices are in the $6-$8 range, and local wines
are among the higher priced. More affordable is Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from California at $4.75 which went well with my New York steak topped with Rogue Creamery cheese sauce.
ANOTHER CANDIDATE IN THE bargain wine department is Tisdale 2003 Chardonnay. This California white was on sale for $2.99 at the north Medford Fred Meyer recently, so I bought a bottle.
Not bad. Actually pretty good. Tisdale also makes a cabernet sauvignon and merlot, which also were on sale for $2.99. The merlot is the better choice. There’s a syrah as well, but I
didn’t have a chance to sample it.
The Fred Meyer sale has apparently ended, but in early January I saw the Tisdale reds (but not the chardonnay) for $2.99 at the Central Point Albertson’s. They were marked down from
$5.99. The regular price would still be a pretty good deal.
LINDEMANS OF AUSTRALIA continues to offer good wines that sell locally for well under $10. The 2004 Bin 65 Chardonnay is excellent, a well-balanced white with just the right amount of
oak. Even better is the 2004 Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc, one of the best of its kind with a rich silky texture. Each retails for $8.
THOMAS E. KELLY’S BUSINESS card reads "Small Vineyards." Based in Seattle, he searches for small vineyards that produce notable wines in Italy.
The Pacific Wine Club shop in Medford recently presented a tasting of some of his finds. I especially liked two wines from Tre Donne, each costing just under $15. One was a white, Roero
Arneis 2003. Its silky texture and pleasant pinot blanc-type flavor were most appealing. The wine was made near Alba, Medford’s sister city, as was another Tre Donne entry, Barbera
d’Alba 2001. This one was accurately described in tasting notes as having the "crisp quaffability of light wines, but the complexity of great reds."
POPPINGCORKS.COM IS A new free site that provides an online directory of wine reviews from around the world. Material is drawn from wine columnists in publications such as Decanter,
Forbes, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits Magazine, as well as from Internet wine web sites.
ALSO SAMPLED RECENTLY:
Atlas Peak 2001 Sangiovese. Some of the best California sangiovese comes from this Napa Valley winery, and the 2001 release carries on that tradition. It’s rich and elegant. Retail is
$16. You sometimes see it at Costco for a few dollars less.
Bridgeview 2003 Blue Moon Riesling. I’m not a big riesling fan but this one from Cave Junction exceeds my expectations with its creamy texture. Very drinkable, for about $8.
Bridgeview Blue Moon Merlot. A fine Cave Junction merlot for a decent price. It was only $3.75 a glass at the Rogue Regency Inn’s Regency Grill in Medford. Retail is about $9,
often on sale for less.
Hogue Chardonnay. A pleasant white from Washington state, $8.
Yellow Tail 2003 Shiraz. An inexpensive ($6) red from Australia. Earthy, with an interesting aftertaste. Not great, but drinkable.
X Box 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. A premium red in a 3-liter box for $34 or equivalent of about $8.50 a bottle. Not bad for the price.
Justin 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. An excellent higher end red from the Paso Robles area of California. Elegant. It’s about $22.
Cleve Twitchell is a retired Mail Tribune editor and columnist. E-mail him at clevelinda@msn.com
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