5th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference, Portland, Oregon is Next Week

Ready to revel in Oregon wine country.

The 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference (#WBC12) is August 17-18, 2012 in Portland, Oregon. This will be the fifth annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference and my third time attending a Wine Bloggers Conference. These Conferences are unique opportunities to learn about and discuss the intersection of wine with the world of new media, including blogging, social media, marketing and more. Yes, there will be a lot of wine too.

Oregon. What do you think of when you hear the name Oregon? The TV series Portlandia? Scenic Oregon coast? The Ducks? Wine? Pinot Noir in particular? Hmmm?

I instantly think of Pinot Noir when I think Oregon Wine Country. Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varietals cultivated for wine, it is the grape of the wines of Burgundy. Pinot Noir of Oregon is considered world-class by many of my wine friends. In just 40 years Oregon has evolved into a wine growing state with 15 approved wine growing regions, and more than 300 wineries producing wine from 72 grape varieties. Most Oregon wineries are relatively small, producing on average only 5,000 cases a year. Source: www.oregonwine.org

Photo: Allan Wright and William Pollard at #WBC10.
Allan is president of Zephyr Adventures.

This summer, I started a New Zealand wine blog, “Kiwi Daydreaming”, along with my new friend Juli Crompe. We're using Kiwi Daydreaming to focus our obsession with New Zealand and New Zealand wine. You cannot be passionate about New Zealand wine, without being passionate about New Zealand Pinot Noir. I have grown to embrace New Zealand Pinot Noir this summer. I find this a bit humorous, because it's a varietal I have never been fond of, until this summer. One of the reasons I'm excited to go to Oregon – is for all the Oregon Pinot Noir I will be exposed to (as in going to drink). It will be very interesting next week, to compare my New Zealand Pinot Noir experiences to Oregon Pinot Noir. Very interesting.

Photo: #WBC11 Wine Blog Awards Dinner.

A lot of wine information is going to be tweeted and blogged from Portland, Oregon. I’m looking forward to contributing to that wealth of wine information. It’s exhilarating to attend an event like the Wine Blogger Conference. This will be an amazing opportunity to learn and share with other wine bloggers from around the world. You can follow the action on twitter via the hashtag: #wbc12

Pinot Noir Smell and Flavor Descriptors used by UC Davis
Fruit: cherry, strawberry, raspberry, ripe tomato
Floral: violet, rose petal
Spice: peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon, caraway
Herbal: rhubarb, beet, oregano, green tomato, green tea, black olive
Terroir: mushroom, earth, barnyard, truffle, leather, meat
Oak (light): vanilla, coconut, sweet wood
Oak (heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar

Stay tuned for a steady stream of information from Oregon. I will be tweeting via @wild4wawine – comments will show up here.

Cheers!

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend. February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals." - William Pollard Jr. Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine. That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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