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Where is Carlton, Oregon and what is it all about?
The adorable wine town of Carlton is in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country and, although (perhaps) surrounded by more famous Oregon wine country towns like namely Dundee and McMinnville, Carlton has an identity all its own. As I love to tell people, it is a one blinking stop-light town with enough wineries, tasting rooms, and restaurants to keep you busy for days. Continue reading
I like it, but what do I Pinot?
Hello everyone! My name is Aaron Andrews. I’m from North Eastern Washington, and I am the new summer intern at Laurel Ridge Winery. I could tell you that I got the job at Laurel Ridge for any number of reasons: my charming smile, my sparkling personality, my Christlike humility (lol). The reality, however, is that I got the job because of a sarcastic answer I wrote on a resume. I was filling out an application for an internship program located in Newberg Oregon, my girlfriend’s hometown. I was hungry at the time. No, I don’t mean hungry as in ambitious, I mean hungry like “I want a sandwich.” In my haste, I wrote a snarky answer to the last question in the application: “What is your dream job?” My answer: “Food critic.”
Two weeks later I got a call from the internship coordinator. “It says here,” she told me, “that you want to be a food critic. With that in mind, would you be interested in interning at a winery this summer?” I laughed to myself for a second: “Food critic?” I thought, “What was I thinking?” But up
on further consideration I decided to take the job, and here I am now, pouring wine behind a bar in the coolest little boutique winery in all of Oregon Wine country.
I’ve had to learn a lot about wine in the last couple of weeks. It’s my job to take people through the flights, explaining each wine as I pour. At times, I feel as if I’m speaking about things of which I know not. But here’s a cool thing that I’ve come to realize about wine: it’s kind of like music.
I’m a musician; I’ve been playing the drums since I was ten years old. Jazz is my favorite. As a musician I’ve learned that increasing my knowledge of music and music theory deepens my appreciation of a good tune. The more I study the rudimentary rhythms of jazz, the more I can appreciate great drummers like Art Blakey or Buddy Rich. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to know anything about music theory or jazz drums in order to be blown away by one of Art Blakey’s solos. You just listen and let your jaw drop. It’s the same with wine. The more time you spend getting to know wine and the more discerning your palate becomes, the better you will become at identifying individual parts of the symphonic whole of a glass of Laurel Ridge Pinot for instance—but you don’t need to know a single thing about grapes, wine, or wine making in order to recognize the essential beauty of a glass of wine. It’s not a thing that requires any thought. You just taste it.
Wine and music seem to me to be a couple of the great areas of common ground in human existence. They are the kinds of
things that you can share with anyone, no matter who they are or how much they know about the subject. You can always reach out to your fellow man with a song or a glass of wine and say “Here! Listen! Taste! Try!”
With that in mind, here are a couple of recommendations from my experience thus far:
Try an Oregon Pinot Noir alongside pork loin seasoned with a rosemary rub. The fruit and acidity in the Pinot plays well with the mellow, earthy spice.
Enjoy your meal while listening to the song “Invitation” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, it’s perfect for quiet evenings on the patio.
Find yourself a hot patio and drink chilled Pinot Gris while listening to Gershwin’s “Summertime.”
If you’re in the area this summer, stop by Laurel Ridge and sample some of the good stuff. I sure love it, and I bet you will too!
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- Kind of like music
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- You just taste it
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- Pinot Gris
Linda’s Food and Wine Pairings: Post 1, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Shredded Duck, and Beef Shish Kabobs
A Guide To Our Red Blends
Oregon, as you may or may not know, is home to many wine-growing regions that are actually quite different from one another. We of course have the Willamette Valley AVA, where your Oregon Pinot Noir hails from, but we also have the Southern Oregon AVA, the Columbia Valley AVA, and the Snake River AVA, all producing award-winning grapes and wines year after year.
While the Willamette Valley has surely made a name for itself as a cool-climate, Pinot-producing region, the Columbia Valley, Southern Oregon, and Snake River AVAs produce quite a number of warm-weather grape varieties like Zinfandel, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and more. These warm-weather varieties thrive where the summers are longer, warmer and drier. Despite the fact that Laurel Ridge is situated in the heart of Willamette Valley “Pinot Country,” we hold a special place in our hearts for these warmer varieties.
Our philosophy has always been to highlight the best that Oregon has to offer which has led to our tradition of producing red blends. Now, you might be of the ilk that hears the words “red blend” and cringes a little bit. And I don’t blame you. Red blend has become an umbrella term for a lot of terrible red wines (can I even call them that?) you’d find on the bottom shelf of the grocery store aisles. But blend doesn’t have to mean that. Red blend is also an umbrella term for a lot of well-rounded, unique, and delicious red wines.
The beauty of a red blend is that you can highlight the best characteristics of each grape you use in your wine. Take the black fruits, plum, and raisin notes from a Zinfandel, the blueberry and fresh fruit characteristics from Syrah, and the ripe red fruits from a Merlot, blend them well and you have some pretty spectacular wine.
For our 2014 current red blends available, both have been aged 18 months in French Oak and the results are soft, elegant, and approachable while offering a serious amount of spunk. Interested in getting to know them a bit more? Read on…
Our 2014 Oregon Roan is a Syrah-Based blend, lower acid and tannins than Pinot Noir, but bigger rounder richer mouthfeel. The Roan is juicy and succulent, and is the perfect wine to stand up to the meal of the same like a lamb ragout. This vintage is 60% Syrah, 25% Zinfandel and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from the Columbia Valley AVA. It is soft, big, fruity, and well-balanced with smoky, spicy, and leathery notes.
2014 David’s Tableau Vivant is big, bigger, biggest. This red wine blend has Cabernet Sauvignon from McDuffee Vineyard and Merlot from Reed Ranch Vineyard, both from the Columbia Valley AVA. This wine is about as big as it gets for “big, bold reds” and is not for the faint of heart. This wine isn’t for strictly Pinot people and we understand that, but for the red wine lover looking for something unique, different, and exclusively Oregon, this is the wine for them; this is Oregon’s answer to anything Napa Valley can provide.
These red blends aren’t just spectacular, but they’re exceptional in highlighting the best of Oregon (that’s not Pinot Noir). We hope you love them as much as we do!
Interested in learning more? Read Our Guide to Oregon Pinot Noir to delve into the world of Pinot.
Top 5 Places to Stay in Oregon Wine Country
With a wealth of options for your next trip to Oregon Wine Country, it can be difficult to decide what quaint Oregon town you’ll choose and what type of accommodation you’re looking for. Hotel in McMinnville? Bed and breakfast in Carlton? Vacation rental via VRBO or Airbnb near Dundee or Newberg?
If you’re not sure where to start for your next stay in Willamette Valley Wine Country, take a peek at our recommendations below. These are places we recommend to our friends and family, and have received rave reviews from our tasting room guests from out of town
1. Carlton Inn, Carlton, Oregon
Image c/o Carlton Inn
Offering only 4 guest rooms in the heart of Carlton, Oregon, the Carlton Inn is the perfect romantic getaway in the heart of Oregon Wine Country. The Inn is an adult destination and offers the perfect balance of country charm with luxury accommodations and gourmet breakfast complete with produce and eggs from the Inn’s own gardens!
2. The Vintages Trailer Resort in Dayton, Oregon
Image c/o The Vintages Trailer Resort
Yep, you heard that right. Vintage + Trailer + Resort in Oregon Wine Country is about as unique as it gets. The Vintages offers 18 adorably renovated trailers with the perfect combination of vintage flair with modern luxury. The Vintages is the perfect choice for travelers of all ages and groups of all sizes looking for something less traditional than a hotel or bed & breakfast experience.
3. Chehalem Ridge Bed and Breakfast, Newberg, Oregon
Image c/o Chehalem Ridge
Nestled into the side of Chehalem Mountain just outside of Newberg, Oregon, Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast offers comfortable rooms with amazing views. Four of their five rooms have private balconies offering stunning views of the beautiful Willamette Valley countryside, and even better views of the large winery estates wrapping the hills across the valley. Chehalem Ridge is an excellent choice for those looking to absorb the beauty of Oregon Wine Country from the privacy of their own suite.
4. Brookside Inn in Dundee, Oregon
Image c/o Brookside Inn
Located on a 21 acre property in the Willamette Valley countryside, Brookside Inn offers much more than just lodging. Guests are truly able to relax, unplug and unwind with a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir in hand while taking in the surrounding creek, pond, waterfall and meadows surrounding the Inn- an especially wonderful treat after a day wine tasting in Oregon Wine Country! Brookside Inn is an ideal bed and breakfast for guests looking for a vacation replete with tranquility and restoration.
Image c/o Le Puy
Completed in 2010, Le Puy Inn, located in between Newberg, Carlton, and Yamhill Oregon offers eight expansive guest rooms in a home custom-built to highlight the best of Oregon Wine Country views with the comfort and excellence of modern, spa-like rooms. And they’re sure to help their guests enjoy wine country to their fullest- making sure each room is stocked with wine glasses and bottle openers at all times!
We hope you book with one of these fabulous choices on your next visit to Oregon Wine Country. Be sure to stop by our tasting room during your visit and let us know how your stay is going!
Looking for more? See our post Top 5 Things To Do In Oregon Wine Country for ideas on activities and sights beyond wine tasting.
Are You Drinking Sparkling Wine All Wrong?
It is pretty fitting that our first grape delivery of the 2016 Harvest was a batch of Chardonnay grapes destined for Blanc de Blancs-style sparkling wine as. (Pssst, did you see that announcement on our Instagram last week?) A little known fact of Laurel Ridge is that our founder, David Teppola was the first to produce a sparkling wine in Oregon, way back in 1986. In fact, it was one of the very first wines that Laurel Ridge produced at all! David believed in the romance of making and enjoying sparkling wine and it is a legacy we hope to continue for many years to come.
Sparkling wine truly is a wine of celebration. Whether an intimate picnic with your significant other or the toast at a retirement party or wedding, it is difficult to imagine a celebration without sparkling wine (and we already know why wineries like us call it “sparkling wine” and not champagne). But did you know you might be drinking your sparkling wine entirely wrong?
It’s quite common to see these saucer style sparkling wine glasses at parties and events, especially historically, but, unfortunately, it is one of the worst designs of a glass to enjoy champagne. It is rumored that this glass style was designed after Marie Antoinette’s bosom but we aren’t entirely sure if that is true or not. Either way it does make for an interesting story!
What exactly makes the wide-brimmed glass a poor choice for our favorite sparkling beverage? Well, the fact that it sparkles, of course! The answer is in the nickname. Sparkling wine, affectionately referred to as “bubbly” needs a taller glass to preserve the bubbles. The greater the mouth of the glass, the faster the bubbles will escape to the surface, and nobody wants to drink flat sparkling wine. Unlike a glass of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, not only is the nose of the wine an important aspect of drinking sparkling wine, but the bubbles themselves. It is the distinct character of the bubbles floating to the surface that deliver the joy and excitement to the lips of the imbiber.
In addition to the bubbles, though, is the importance of enjoying the nose. The unique characteristic of the aroma of the wine, delivered by the bubbles intermittently floating to the surface of the wine via little tiny imperfections on the inside of the glass that completes the experience. Without the nose, you may as well be drinking a glass of tonic water. Sparkling wine is wine after all, it simply turns into sparkling wine after a second fermentation process.
With a wide brimmed glass, your experience is more in favor of the nose, but you risk your drink going flat before you can say “salut!” But with a tall, slender champagne flute, you’re bubble-heavy without enjoying any of the nose (although you do suffer from that awkward moment with each sip where your nose taps the rim of your glass). So what is one to do in order to enjoy the true richesse of the sparkling wine experience?
Drink from a glass that has the best of both worlds, of course! Tried and true wine glass titans like Riedel and Spiegelau both offer sparkling wine glasses that are both tall and slender but have a slight tulip or bubble towards the middle of the glass, with a slightly wider mouth (Riedel Vitis Champagne glass is pictured above). This allows the nose to come through at the appropriate location in the glass for the drinker’s enjoyment, while preserving the bubbles enough that you’re not drinking wine as flat as a bad joke. Makes sense when you think about it, doesn’t it?
While we love the history and brilliance of the story behind the saucer-style glass, as well as the nod to deco glassware, the impracticality of these glass styles just doesn’t seem to trump the reason for the glass in the first place- to enjoy a brilliant glass of sparkling wine. After all, what is the purpose of drinking wine if not to enjoy it?
Salut, everyone!
Looking for more? You can visit our Tasting Room, located in the heart of Willamette Valley Wine Country, daily from 11:00am-5:00pm where you can taste the legacy of Laurel Ridge Sparkling Wine for yourself. We hope to see you soon!
note: this post contains affiliate links
Wine News from Around the Web
We’ve scoured the corners of the internet so you don’t have to. Squeeze the last out of your summer tomato harvest with recipe ideas from Food52, and get up to speed with the buzz on ice in wine and champagne. Here is your link love from the wine industry this week!
Post Olympic Impact on Brazil’s Wine Industry
With the closing ceremony under a week ago, the wine industry in Brazil is celebrating the opening of new doors and greater exposure. Read more here.
Bad Weather Takes a Toll on French Wine
With heavy spring frosts earlier this year, the French wine industry is expected to produce nearly 25% less than last year according to the International Business Times. Champagne-producing regions were especially hard hit, with harvest in those regions already a week behind their typical harvest calendar. Read more here.
The Be-All-End-All Tomato Sandwich—& 4 Ways We Couldn’t Leave it Alone
Photo: James Ransom via Food52
Snag the last of your tomatoes from the garden or stock up on fresh heirlooms at the farmer’s market to make these combos. We definitely have the savory french toast version on the menu this weekend. Looking for a wine pairing? Our Chardonnay would pair perfectly, or if you’re looking for a red, our Oregon Roan would also be a lovely addition.
Are You Using an Ice Bucket All Wrong?
Author Anthony Giglio admits this might be “ the most ridiculous rant you’ve ever read” but he continues, nonetheless, illuminating the correct and incorrect ways to use an ice bucket to chill wine.
It seems that ice and wine seem to be the two buzzwords of the summer, with the New York Times recently exposing the latest (and arguably biggest) summer wine trend, Champagne on ice. Even self-described “wine snobs” are giving wine on ice a try this summer.
With trends like Frozé and increasingly popular wine cocktails, traditionalists seem to continue to broaden their horizons, simply out of pure curiosity. We admit we’re pretty curious to try this Raspberry Limoncello Procecco cocktail before it cools down any further.
Photo: Chungah Rhee
But even if a wine cocktail does sound refreshing in the summer months, here in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, we’re looking forward to the cooler fall temperatures to enjoy some Oregon Pinot Noir!
Top 5 Things To Do In Oregon Wine Country
Of course your next visit to Oregon Wine Country wouldn’t be complete without visiting some of the best wineries and tasting rooms on the West Coast, but surely you’ll want to sneak in a few yummy meals and outdoor adventures along the way. But to be honest, this post should actually come with the headline “Top 5 Things to do in the Yamhill Carlton AVA in Oregon Wine Country.” With many of the founders of the Oregon Wine Industry in the Yamhill Carlton area, we think our AVA is a pretty great place to hang out for a day.
Being born and raised in the Willamette Valley, these are the stops I (Maija) wouldn’t want my friends to miss if they were visiting me at the winery. Added bonus: all of these stops are family friendly (as is our tasting room, btw)! Load up the kids, grab the dog leash and head on out.
1. Eat Breakfast at Carlton Corners
A favorite of the Teppola Family and Laurel Ridge Staff, Carlton Corners in downtown Carlton, Oregon offers hearty breakfasts and extra bubbly mimosas. You can’t go wrong starting your day touring Oregon Wine Country by filling your tank here! Pro Tip: get there before 8:00am for the early bird special!
2. Take a Morning Hike around Miller Woods
Donated to the City of McMinnville, Oregon in 2003, Miller Woods is a 130 acre preserve offering public hiking trails, native plant walks and other activities the whole family can enjoy! And just 3 miles west of McMinnville, this is the perfect place to hike without taking too much time away from your wine-tasting itinerary. Take your morning coffee or a bottle of wine and a lunch picnic to enjoy when you go!
3. Grab Lunch at The Horseradish in Carlton, Oregon
Food doesn’t get more Pacific Northwest-inspired than The Horseradish. Serving local meats and greens when possible, The Horseradish curates sandwiches, soups, salads, and drinks that pair amazingly with the quaint charm of downtown Carlton and Oregon Wine Country. In fact, you’ll often see Laurel Ridge staff (as well as many other area winery owners and operators) in for lunch or dinner here.
4. Walk Around Downtown Newberg, Oregon
Newberg has come a long way since my childhood when the only things to do were go to Shari’s for waffle fries or get a coffee at Newberg’s now famous Coffee Cottage on my way to school. No joke, guys, Newberg used to be pretty bleak. But with the hustle and bustle of the Oregon Wine Industry, small towns like Newberg, Dundee, Carlton and McMinnville are bursting with cute shops, amazing restaurants and lots of things to keep you busy. My top spots in Newberg are the adorable gift shop Pulp & Circumstance, Velour Vintage, Newberg Bakery, Chapter’s Books (fun fact: Chapters is owned by my Middle School Vice Principal!) and, of course, the Coffee Cottage (get the Marionberry scone or else!).
5. Eat Pizza at Red Hill’s Market
Now, Red Hill’s isn’t an off the beaten path suggestion. It’s popular and everyone eats there, and I’m suggesting it for a reason. It’s good. Really good. If you’re a pizza fan, their brick oven pizza is a MUST (um hello, they imported the brick oven straight from the motherland), but if you’re not a pizza fan, not to fear, their ever-changing menu is guaranteed to have something to please. Red Hills Market is the perfect stop after a glorious day of wine tasting.
And there you have it! My top 5 family friendly things to do in Oregon Wine Country! Be sure to visit us at the tasting room and let us know what you thought of our suggestions, and, as always, happy wine tasting!
Looking for more? Visit our posts on the History of Laurel Ridge (part 1 & part 2) to learn more about our winery and the people behind the wine. Or keep up with us on Instagram or Facebook!
Laurel Ridge Estate History: Part Two
Continuing from Part 1 of Laurel Ridge History, David purchased Finn Hill in 1974 eager to pursue his dream of running his own vineyard. Despite David’s passion being with wine, grapes, and Pinot Noir, he never desired to run his own winery. His heart was with the farm, and his passion was centered on cultivating an exquisite vineyard. He loved wine but his philosophy was rooted in the belief that great wine came from even better grapes, and that’s what he wanted to focus on.
He planted his first acres of grapes between 1980-1981. Just as David scoured the Willamette Valley for years searching for the perfect vineyard site, he spent months researching grape vines and varieties, looking for the perfect vines to plant on the Finn Hill Estate. The vines he selected were own-rooted meaning they weren’t grafted on rootstock like many grapes are. Side note: similar to apples or oranges, majority of grape vineyards planted in the United States are selectively bred and grafted in order to be resistant to pests and diseases specific to American soil types. Fun, huh?
When David Teppola planted his vineyard in the Willamette Valley (what would later end up being in the heart of the Yamhill Carlton AVA) it was still early enough that vineyards weren’t suffering from diseases and pests, indicating that the grapes could be own-rooted. Unfortunately, this resulted in the death of vineyards across Oregon as the root louse, phylloxera traveled north from California, killing hundreds of acres of vineyard across the state in the mid 1990s. David had cultivated his vines for nearly fifteen years before he lost his vineyard; a vineyard that had produced award winning Pinot Noirs, and even produced Oregon’s first vintage of Sparkling Wine.
David persevered, managing Laurel Ridge while supporting local vineyards around Oregon and Southern Washington, continuing to produce wines until his passing in 2006. His wife, Susan, took over the day-to-day operations at Laurel Ridge and was finally able to realize David’s dream of replanting the Finn Hill Estate Vineyard in 2015. Connection to the land and the vineyard truly is the foundation of the Laurel Ridge philosophy and is what makes Laurel Ridge Winery Oregon grown and owned since 1986.
Laurel Ridge Estate History: Part One
The history of the Oregon Wine Industry can be likened to that of the Oregon Trail- paralleled story lines of excitement, fervor, pilgrimage, disease, destruction, and rebirth are dominant themes in both. But unlike the Oregon Trail, the tale of the modern Oregon Wine Industry is accompanied by the captivating views of the Willamette Valley and the joy that is enjoying a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir with loved ones while taking these views in.
After prohibition ended in the early 20th century, fruit wines dominated the scene until winemakers from California began exploring Oregon in the late 1960s. Many believed that Oregon’s Willamette Valley would make a fantastic place to grow grapes, notably Pinot Noir, as the climate was so similar to other winemaking regions in France and Germany. They weren’t wrong. The first vineyards in Oregon were planted in the very late 1960s and early 1970s, putting Oregon on the map as a potential American Viticultural Area.
Around the same time that the first Oregon vineyards and wineries were being established, our founder David Teppola was preparing to pursue his lifelong dream of living on a farm and running his own vineyard. A dream over 15 years in the making since he had studied abroad in France and first fell in love with what he called the “Wine of Kings”, Pinot Noir. Having spent his formative years in Portland and graduating with a degree in Philosophy from Lewis and Clark College, it was only fitting that his true passion in life was wine, right?
Between 1971-1974, David explored land for sale across Willamette Valley. He tirelessly sought the perfect combination of land size, slope, location, sun exposure, and soil type. He would settle for nothing but the perfect vineyard site. He finally found a potential vineyard site rich in Willakenzie Loam soil. At the time, the coveted soil type for Oregon Winemakers was Jory soil, which was known to be nutrient rich and excellent for growing grapes. Willakenzie Loam soil, on the other hand, was generally believed to be nutrient-poor and wholly undesirable for grapes.
David believed differently, though. It was his conviction that the nutrient profile of Willakenzie Loam soil would actually produce more complex, nuanced, and subtly distinct grapes, not only perfect for producing Pinot Noir, but award winning Pinot Noir at that.
Against the better advice of his colleagues, David purchased the farm, then planted with Bartlett Pears and Italian Plums, in 1974. He renamed the estate Finn Hill Vineyard, a nod to his Finnish roots, and began clearing land for his Pinot Noir vineyard almost immediately. Only time would tell if his conjecture about Willakenzie Loam soil being suitable for growing Pinot Noir in Oregon would be a success or a catastrophe.
Read more about our story here- Laurel Ridge History: Part Two