Behind the Cork™ - Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris

2023 Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris ($16)

The Vitis Ridge winery was originally founded and operates as an equal four-way partnership between two couples: Chris and Sharon Deckelmann, and Bruce and Sally Eich..  What started as a hobby in the garage over 20 years ago has evolved into one of the North Willamette Valley's most popular wineries.

Established in 2005, Vitis Ridge is producing about 3,000 cases annually. They focus on unique wines and specialty blends and are currently offering 30 varietals.

Their Estate vineyards are comprised of nearly 150 acres and include Pinot Noir, Maréchal Foch, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Muscat.  They also bring in grapes from vineyards throughout the Northwest to provide a broader range of offerings and interesting terrior differences.

This Vitis Ridge Pinot Gris is sourced from their estate vineyards located in Silverton, Oregon. It was processed entirely in stainless steel tanks. It is a beautiful medium salmon color that comes from an extended period of skin contact (4 to 24 hours) with the grape skins that are actually a dusty purple in color (hence the name Pinot Gris which means means ‘gray pinecone’).

This wine has subtle aromas of green apple and pear. On the palate it has flavors of mango, peach and pear without the sharp “bright” acidity normally associated with Pinot Gris. This is apparently due to their approach of making this a “semi-dry” wine, meaning that it has a bit higher residual sugar.

Vitis Ridge keeps their prices affordable so you can open the bottle you want to drink anytime...not just for the special event. That makes this Vitis Pinot Gris a perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Next time you are in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, stop in at Vitis Ridge and meet their Tasting Room Manager, Brian Everest, to check out all their great wines. Cheers!

It's Summer! Time for Some Light and Refreshing Wines!

Photo by The Printable Concept on Unsplash

Summer is a great time to enjoy light, refreshing wines.

Light wines are versatile and can be enjoyed on their own as a refreshing drink or paired with a wide range of summer dishes, from salads and grilled vegetables to seafood and lighter meats and they won’t overpower the flavors of lighter summer foods.

Many light wines have lower alcohol content. This can be preferable in hot weather as they are more thirst-quenching and more likely to leave you refreshed.

The flavor profiles of light wines, such as citrus, green apple, and floral notes, just shout freshness which is especially appreciated during the warm summer months.

Summer foods tend to be lighter and fresher. So, light wines will complement these foods well and enhance their flavors.

When choosing a wine for summer, consider lighter styles, lower alcohol content, and wines that can be served chilled. These characteristics make them ideal for enjoying on a warm day or pairing with seasonal cuisine.

Here are just a few wines that are perfect for summer:

• Rosé - Rosé wines come in various styles from dry to sweeter options. They can have flavors ranging from red berries to citrus, making them extremely versatile and a refreshing option.

• Sparkling Wines - Sparkling wines go with almost any food. But, the chilled bubbles make them especially fit for summer. Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy, is light, fruity, and often slightly sweet. It's perfect for summer celebrations.

• Sauvignon Blanc - This seems to be the go-to wine of summer with bright, refreshing acidity and fresh fruit flavors of citrus, green apple, and sometimes tropical fruits like passion fruit or pineapple.

• Chenin Blanc - This is another light, refreshing wine that offers crisp acidity with flavors of apple, pear, and honey.

• Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris - Also a go-to summer light-bodied wine with refreshing acidity. Its flavors can range from crisp citrus to stone fruits like pear or peach.

Get to Know the Pinots -- Pinot Gris

In previous blogs we got an overview of the Pinot grape and the tremendous number of Pinot synonyms (258!) and looked at the least known of the Pinots, Pinot Meunier. Now, let’s take a look at Pinot Gris.

A member of the extended Pinot family of grape varieties, Pinot Gris (PEE-no GREE) is a mutation of Pinot Noir that has skins that are not green like other white grape. And, in the vineyard, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir varieties look identical right up until veraison (when the grapes begin to ripen and change color). This is when Pinot Gris berries take on colors from orange-pink to pale, dusty purple. In fact, the word gris is French for "gray" and refers to the dusty, light-gray sheen the grapes usually take on.

Pinot Gris Grapes

And, by the way, Pinot Gris is simply the French name for the grape that Italian’s refer to as Pinot Grigio. So, they are both the same but, as with all wines, they can taste different based their terrior (i.e., soil, climate, topography).

Pinot Gris wine is typically pale gold in color with aromas and flavors of citrus, pear, green apple, white peach and nectarine. There can also be herbal and spice notes along with floral and honey. It tends to be high in acidity.

So, next time we’ll look at yet another Pinot - Pinot Blanc. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Hess Select Pinot Gris

2019 Hess Select Pinot Gris ($12)

The Hess Select line of wines are perfect for Behind the Cork™ because they are affordable and attainable. And, they taste great!

This Hess Select Pinot Gris (Pee-noh-GREE) is from California vineyard sites that assures plentiful sunshine for a consistent and long grape growing season. This provides flavorful fruit with layers of character.

The Hess Select Pinot Gris has flavors of pear and sweet lemon, moderate acidity and a creamy mouthfeel.

The Hess winemaker, Dave Guffy, says of this wine that it is “fermented..in stainless steel, without oak influence, in order to accentuate the beautiful tropical characteristics of the wine and retain freshness. It undergoes some lees stirring to highlight the naturally crisp stone fruit flavors.”

If you’re looking for a refreshing wine you enjoy with cheese & crackers or with poultry and seafood, this Hess Select Pinot Gris will be a great pairing. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Donna White, Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Adorada Pinot Gris

2017 Adorada Pinot Gris ($3.99)

Well here’s another Trader Joe’s find! As I was checking out, my checker pointed this one out as a “one time buy” that she thought was really good. At $3.99 I had to give it a try.

According to the Adorada Wines website, this is a Fetzer wine. And, it appears to sell elsewhere in the $15 range (although their website does show this 2017 bottle with a black wax dip on the neck of the bottle.

This Adorada Pinot Gris is just what you’d expect. It’s got bright tropical fruit flavors and nice acidity. I paired it with pork tenderloin and a goat cheese sauce that worked really well.

So, quick, get out to Trader Joe’s and pick this one up (or buy a case!) Cheers!