Going Pinot Noir Tasting in Portland, Oregon, USA

Next week is the 5th annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon.

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

Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varietals cultivated for wine. Pinot noir is the grape of the red wines of Burgundy. The Pinot Noir of Oregon and New Zealand are considered by some world class.

In just 40 years Oregon has evolved into a world-class wine growing state with 15 approved winegrowing 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

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. Unfortunately, Juli will not be able to join me in Portland.

Photo: Allan Wright (left) and William Pollard (right) 2010 Wine Blogger Conference.
Allan is president of Zephyr Adventures.

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.

This summer Juli and I started this blog, Kiwi Daydreaming, because of our passion for 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. Pinot Noir is a varietal I have never been fond of, until this summer. This is one of the reasons I'm excited to go to Oregon – 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 NZ Pinot Noir experiences to Oregon Pinot Noir. Very interesting.

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

Photo: NZ Winemaker Daniel Brennan, Decibel Wines.

Last year, at #wbc11 in Charlottesville, Virginia, I met New Zealand winemaker Daniel Brennan of Decibel Wines. He poured his 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Hawkes Bay. It was lovely. www.vitisdivine.com/decibelwines

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 tweating via @KiwiDaydreaming and @wild4wawine – results will show up here.

Cheers!