What to do with Mediocre Wine?

I recently read an article in one of the various wine and food magazines I subscribe to entitled “When a Mediocre Wine is Good News”. The author, rather than lamenting the dreaded experience of opening a bottle of wine and finding it to be less spectacular then hoped, actually embraced the situation by using the wine as an inspiration in creating some wonderful new dishes.

While most chefs and foodies will agree you would never want to cook with wines you would not drink, cooking with an ok wine is considered acceptable.  As someone who loves to cook and is constantly experimenting with food and wine- both together in the same dish and separately but served together in food and wine pairings- I have a few other thoughts on mediocre wine and what you can do get the most out of it.

First off I would like to mention if you open a wine and are a bit disappointed make sure the wine is at the right temperature before you rush to judgment.  There is nothing more easily tweaked nor a mistake more easily made then serving temperature. Nothing can change the taste of a wine as much as the temperature and wines served too cold or too warm will not show their best.  It is amazing what even just 5-10 degrees can do for a wine!  The second thing is if the wine you are not feeling the love for is a red wine it is entirely possible it just needs a little time to open up.  Especially if the wine is young.  So before you decide the wine is only good for cooking… let it breath.  I can’t tell you how many times I have opened a bottle of red wine and found it tight and less than interesting only to give it time.  Sometimes a wine needs an hour or two and some can even benefit from being open over night.   But when you find yourself in that predicament where there is just no way around the fact that you have purchased a wine that is a bit of a dud, I have some ideas on how to enjoy the wine anyway.  You can even have a bit of fun while you are at it and these two ideas are perfect for warmer weather and summertime gatherings. The first recommendation is to make Sangria.  Just add seasonal fresh fruit and some sparkling water or citrus flavored soda and you have a fun wine punch with a kick.  Great for barbeques and can be made with both white and red wines. Wine coolers can be very nice and refreshing and I especially like them made with big red wines.  Just mix seven- up with your wine and serve over ice.  Perfect for that day at the river when you will no doubt get too much sun and will need some refreshing libations too keep you cool.

But the best way to reduce the times you end up with a wine you are not overly crazy about is to taste before you buy.  Those of us living here can do that by visiting our local wineries and checking out the current releases.   Makes it easy to find wines you really like and takes the guess work out of it all.  Not only easier, but so much more fun then standing in the wine isle in the grocery store  perplexed at the huge array of wines with no idea as to the quality or taste of any of them. For so many who like wine and want to be more adventurous, the thought of making a mistake forces us to buy the same wines over and over again.  Life is too short for that and visiting your local winery takes all the guess work out of finding great wines.  Trust me there is no shortage of quality, delicious wine made right here!   I can’t remember the last time I made Sangria or wine coolers….

Roll Out The Barrel

Saturday was the first Barrel Tour of the year and as always it appeared a good time was had by all.  The weather was just right. Started out a bit cool in the morning but by the afternoon the sun came out and it was beautiful, adding real sunshine to the liquid sunshine that flowed throughout the day. All of this made for a truly festive day!

For those of you who have never experienced the Barrel Tour it is a wine tour put on twice each spring by the Umpqua Valley Wine Growers Association. All of the Umpqua Valley wineries participate and the area is split up into three tour routes, each route including wineries based on geographical location.   Each tour, the north, central and the south encompasses 6 or 7 wineries and school buses are rented for the day with professional bus drivers responsible for getting everyone safely from each winery to the next.  Each winery visit is about 45 minutes allowing for just the right amount of time to taste the various food and wine pairings lovingly prepared and offered at each winery. 
This time the central tour sold out but the south and the north tours were not as full.  I had the pleasure of pouring for Becker Vineyard included in the central tour and the seven buses with 50 people per bus, beginning at 9:30 am and ending at around 5:00 pm, made for a very full day!  Chatting with the folks about the various wines and unique food pairings they were experiencing along the way it was obvious everyone was feeling well taken care of and enjoying themselves immensely. I spoke to a number of people from outside of our area. Many came from Eugene, Portland, Bend and the coast and it was really good to see so many visiting from other parts of our state.  Our high quality wine and natural beauty was not lost on these visitors and  many talked of the obvious magic of our area. I have to say it made me proud to hear such kind, appreciative words spoken about my community.

Putting on this event takes tremendous planning from the winery association and from every winery.  There is a substantial time, energy and monetary commitment each winery must make to secure the desired outcome of so many happy visitors. The wineries receive almost no compensation for their contribution and participation in the event. The $50 fee charged to those touring goes to cover the operating costs of the event and for future events and is not paid to the wineries. When all is said and done with the cost of food, wine and hiring the necessary help to put it all together, it is an investment they make for the opportunity to share and promote their wines.

The next Barrel Tour is scheduled for May 22nd.  And there is still space available and still time to sign up to tour.  If you go, have fun and remember to pace yourself.  It is a unique experience to be able to sample a wine before you purchase so when you find a wine you like, support your local family owned winery and take a bottle or two home.  The wineries will appreciate it and so will you when you serve it!  Summer is just around the corner and is the very best time for enjoying outdoor dining with friends & family and wine just makes it all that much more enjoyable...Cheers!
/Diane Clerihue-Smith and her husband H. Bruce Smith run "Oregon Wine Country Tours" based in the Umpqua Valley. OWCT.us or 866-WINEVAN/

HillCrest Vineyard Keeps Our Mouths Watering

There is always something new happening in the world of wine. With different wine trends and emerging new wine regions something is always going on to get your interest peeked and your mouth watering. In the Umpqua Valley this is no exception and there is one winery in particular that can always be counted on for a unique, mouth watering, wine experience.

The winery I am referring to is HillCrest Vineyard located in the Melrose area of Roseburg. HillCrest is the oldest winery in the state of Oregon post prohibition and is where the very first Pinot Noir vine was ever planted in our beautiful state -now famous for the same varietal. Dyson and his wife Susan run the winery with the help of their children and Dyson's 25 plus years of wine experience and his passion for wine making shows up in everything he does. Since HillCrest wines are only available at the winery and Dyson does not worry about wine awards and pleasing judges who too often are looking for wines that fit into a particular, narrow frame work, he is free to experiment and try new things. He makes wines he likes and that please him and in doing so, he please many others as well. He refers to his passion for wine making as his “sickness” and has a huge, loyal following.

Take his new Rosé bottled just a few days ago. This 2009 “Tamas” was inspired by meeting a famous wine maker on his recent trip to Hungary. Duszi Tamas is known as the “King of Rosé” in that country where Rosé is hugely popular. Rosé is drunk as an aperitif, with meals and on into the night. They like their Rosé so much in Hungary they even make cocktails out of it which quenches thirsts while delivering a bit of a kick! True to the European style of Rosés, HillCrest's “Tamas” is dry with a bright beautiful acidity that appeals to red wine drinkers.

And if you thought the “Tamas” sounds exciting and believe me, it is, you will be overwhelmed by Dyson's new 2009 “Inside Out “ - Pinot Noir Blanc. This wine is the very first of its kind here and is like nothing you have ever tasted. It is made from Pinot Noir but made more like a Chardonnay, gently pressed and made into a very light colored full bodied white wine that has the color of Blanc de Noir Champagne. The wine is unoaked and driven by rich round fruit with an exquisite perfumed strawberry finish that goes on forever.

These are just two of HillCrest's newest wines but certainly not the only two unique or worth writing about. I have written previously about his amazing Chardonnay and his Syrahs are some of the best I have tasted. His Zinfandel a varietal almost impossible to find here, is so rich and full bodied and when paired with cheese enchiladas makes a marriage in your mouth that boarders ecstasy. He makes beautiful European style Rieslings that make you cry and a visit to the winery and a talk with Dyson is an experience you will not forget. This year HillCrest will be home to a European style artisan distillery specializing in Eau de Vie and fruit distillates. Ah, yes...just part of Dyson's self proclaimed “sickness” as he calls it. I just hope as do many of us, that he never gets “well”!

Roseburg Will Be the “City of Wine” Regardless of its Name

By now you have no   doubt heard about the generous donation made by local attorney Danny Lang to the the Southern Oregon Wine Institute. The $800,000.00 donation was pledged and accepted and with the donation, The Danny Lang Teaching, Learning and Event Center will be the new name of the 24,000 square foot facility planned for the west side of the UCC campus.

I was there at the UCC board meeting when they announced the exciting news. To hear Mr. Lang talk about his humble beginnings and his commitment to affordable education for all, was truly inspiring. As a tireless supporter of learning and education for years Mr. Lang wanted to give back to his community in a way that would positively impact our area’s future.  The wine institute and the enology/viticulture program would allow for students to receive an education in a field where employment opportunities would be available to them right here allowing our youth to find meaningful jobs without having to leave their home town. While self admittedly not much of a wine drinker, Mr. Lang understood the wine industry’s bright future here and the new facility would be a great way for him to give back while moving our community forward.

This optimistic outlook on the wine industry comes from studying other wine regions like ours. Case in point is Walla Walla Washington which seems to mirror the Umpqua Valley in many ways. This area was an unknown, unheard of wine region better known for its growing of onions and wheat then with its growing of grapes and production of wine. With only a dozen or so wineries in the late 1990's the region now boasts over 100 wineries and growing. Much of this is attributed to the addition of the wine institute enology/ viticulture program at the community college there. The wine boom has been extremely good for the local economy  and Walla Walla Washington is now well known as a world class wine region.

So when I read exciting news about a possible revitalization plan for my fair city with attention to one of the most attractive yet inaccessible parts of Roseburg, the water front, it was surprising to hear that there is debate or consideration as to the appropriate “new identity” to our city.  One much touted idea is the city of waterfalls. And while I love our easy to find and easy to access waterfalls, the idea is out of touch and can I say a bit... absurd? The reason for assigning an identity to your city is to grow enthusiasm and interest in it and promoting something that resonates with people in a meaningful way. And while waterfalls and covered bridges are nice, they do not employ people and I don't know of anyone visiting Napa, Sonoma or Walla Walla for either of those things. Nor have I heard of the promotion of waterfalls contributing to the economic growth of any small town.

We are all well aware that secure jobs are essential to a healthy country and our county. Most of us know too that times are changing and timber is no longer an industry that will keep Douglas County economically healthy. We need to look to other industries.  The wine industry and the tourism resulting from wine IS the future for Roseburg. Just like it was for Walla Walla and Napa. The business of wine employs people and supports new business.  Wine can and will bring back economic health to our beloved county. But we have to embrace it. Those who can not see the forest for the trees and are blind to the obvious possibilities for our region that a healthy wine industry brings, will eventually see it all very clearly after it happens. But for now as we are making it happen and growing this industry, we need visionaries and those more in touch to be responsible for making important decisions that will affect every one of us living here. Roseburg will be the City of Wine. There is no doubt in my mind and there are wiser, smarter people then I who agree with this conclusion. So how could we even consider calling it something else?