Features

February 2012 Feature Recipes

Wild Romance

“Wild food is not just for back-to-the-landers anymore; it’s for high-end eateries and palates that are looking for something really new,” says Jennifer Hahn, author of "Pacific Feast: A Cook's Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine."  

Wild foods are the current darling on the culinary scene, sharing the spotlight with other hip eats such as fancy donuts, insects and meatballs. 

Danowski Sketches Success

On Dec. 6, the Oregon Wine Board (OWB) and Oregon Winegrowers Association (OWA) announced Tom Danowski as the new executive director of the state’s largest wine industry organization.

Danowski, a native of Beaverton and graduate of Sunset High School in 1979 and University of Oregon in 1983, was chosen by the OWB’s board of directors from a field of more than 120 candidates.

2011 Wine Person of the Year

If anyone could be called a “Renaissance Woman,” it would be Ronni Lacroute. Distinguished college professor, accomplished linguist, generous benefactor, community leader. All can be added to a glowing résumé headed by “successful winery owner.”

Here at Oregon Wine Press, we derive tremendous satisfaction from being able to select an outstanding individual in, or associated with, the Oregon wine industry as our Wine Person of the Year.

Top Ten Stories of 2011

Make the Holidays Sparkle

As festivities of the holidays with family and friends are upon us, it is no surprise that our hearts and minds are set toward the wines of the sparkling variety. Soon the bubbles will begin to flow, as they are both celebratory and stress relieving.

Thankfully for us, Oregon has a climate ideally suited for sparkling wine production, in particular for the classic Champagne — that little region of France where bubbly gets its name — grapes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as Pinot Meunier.

Crafting Kosher

At AlexEli Vineyard in Molalla, vintner Phil Kramer works diligently like the rest of the wine industry, but for him, this vintage is a lot different than the rest. He’s making a type of wine like no other in Oregon: a kosher Pinot Noir.

From the building’s industrial exterior with large solar panels on the roof, one would never guess the orthodox process taking place inside, but for Kramer, 28, he’s quite familiar with kosher products. His extended family — many located in Milwaukee, Wisc., Kramer’s hometown — is the big reason for making such a distinct and hard-to-find product.

Over the Hill at Amity

On a recent Thursday afternoon, with the 2011 harvest fast approaching, Amity Vineyards co-owners Myron Redford and Vikki Wetle sat at a picnic table affording an unimpeded view to the southwest across their Amity Hills vineyard. 

Making Scents
of Wine

It is rumored that famed wine critic Robert Parker has his nose and palate insured for millions of dollars. Why, you may ask? So that he can detect elements like butter, green apple, clove, strawberry, lilac, earth or stone in his wine and tell us all about it? Why yes. Are these things really found in wine? Well … yes and no.

Tracking Tempranillo

Some people will go to great lengths to learn about wine. 

In early September, eight Roseburg residents flew 6,000 miles to study Tempranillo in Spain’s Ribera del Duero. For three days, the group, led by Earl Jones of Abacela, walked across silty soil and into damp wine cellars.