Because we live in Oregon we stuck with cool wines that are abundantly available here.  You can find these specific wines and these general grapes and styles anywhere.

We think a hallmark of a good summer wine is it can be enjoyed with or without food.  A porch swing, outdoor concert, or picnic summer wine should be as good paired with just a glass and friends as with a meal.

Check out our segment on KGW’s Portland Today and then keep reading for more details on these perfect for summer wines.  Y’all will have to forgive the fact that I am feverish in this video and have lost my voice – darn awful summer cold.

Summer Wines – Rose

While we think rose can be a year round wine, it comes into its own as a summer wine.  Just the array of colors reminds of summer gardens in full bloom.  We selected:

2017 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Rose of Pinot Noir Willamette Valley $20

Ballerina pink with light floral and and strawberry notes. Crisp, refreshing, citrusy and light.

See Rose Roundup for some other rose recommendations.

Summer Wines – Pinot Gris

We love pinot gris for summer wines because it is fruity and rich but still has refreshing acid.  While most made in Oregon fit this description, this grape can also be tart and citrusy.

Buyer’s Tip: If you want stone fruit and richness ask your wine steward for an Alsatian style Pinot Gris.  If you want tart and citrusy ask for an Italian style Pinot Gris aka Pinot Grigio. 

We selected:

2017 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris Willamette Valley $19

Rich with stone fruit and melon.

Summer Wines – Pinot Noir

Red wine lovers, don’t despair!  You can have your summer wine and your red wine too!  Pinot Noir typically has less drying tannin than bigger reds like Cabernet Sauvignon.  This makes it much more sippable for summer.  If you find one that says “Whole Cluster” this will be lighter with fresher fruits and less tannin. It can even be served slightly chilled!

Buyer’s Tip: Pinot Noir is a good choice for a red summer wine. Even better, look for one that says “Whole Cluster” on the label.

We selected:

2017 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Willamette Valley $24

Raspberry, cherry, vanilla, and juiciness.

What are some of your favorite summer wines?

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I am becoming increasingly appreciative of Duck Pond Cellars.  You will see me talk about their rose later this week on KGW.  And we visited the tasting room in Dundee last weekend to discover they are masters at Pinot Gris.  Seriously.  I don’t get super excited about Pinot Gris.  Most around Oregon are pretty good.  Few blow my socks off.

They had a couple of extra bottles open the day we went so granted we tasted 4 Pinot Gris while the norm is 2 on the tasting flight.  But they were all sensory delights.  Complex, layered, textured, and hovering at the $20 price range.

These 2 were on the flight…

2016 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris St. Jory Vineyard

A sweet tart combination of lemon curd and lemon poundcake on the nose with fresh floral notes, a little grassiness, and roasted nuts.  The palate is rich but crisp with an undertone of baked yellow apple and pear, and spicy fresh ginger notes.

2016 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris South Salem Hills Cuvee

Lemongrass, kaffir lime, caramelized walnuts, apricot brulée, and tangy yeasty notes carry through to the palate which is round and inviting with mineral flavors.

And don’t even get me started on the special edition 25th Anniversary Pinot Gris which you will get to enjoy if you attend this dinner.

2017 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris 25th Anniversary

Fruit forward on the nose with pear, white peach, cantaloupe, and white floral notes.  The palate is mineral driven with a slippery mouth coating texture.  It remains crisp though with zesty honeydew flavored acidity and salted melon on the finish.  I can’t tell you how much I loved this wine.

Here are the details on the dinner and you can follow this link to learn more. www.duckpondcellars.com/calendar

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The Campbells have farmed in Oregon for 5 generations and have been part of the wine industry for four decades.  I met Elk Cove’s founder, Mr. Joe Campbell at a lunch recently.  He told a “back in the day” story when they worked with a primitive 50 year old  electric forklift that they could only use inside and pressed 200 tons through a press that could handle only 1 ton at a time.  They were old school.

Elk Cove is now a big winery by Oregon’s standards and one of the few Oregon producers who distribute part of their label all over the country.  If you know and like them, be on the lookout for the Pike Road label.  If you haven’t tried any of their wines, this is a good place to start.  It is hard to find good Pinot Noir, especially good Oregon Pinot Noir, for $20.  Add that both wines are handpicked Willamette Valley fruit, mostly from estate vineyards, and you just got a hell of a deal.

2014 Pike Road Pinot Noir; Suggested Retail $20

Concentrated black raspberry with pronounced oak makes this wine smell like something you just want to drink. It won’t make you cry from complexity but it also won’t make you cry from bankruptcy.  Soft tannins and an easy to drink style will make this wine welcome at your table often.  Drink, enjoy, repeat.

2015 Pike Road Pinot Gris, Suggested Retail $16

Fruit forward, but the crisper fruits of a Pinot Grigio style wine – citrus and pear.  Mineral notes, refreshing acidity, and a clean finish.  A good pairing for garden green salads and creamy cheeses with a  bit of salinity – think brie or St. Andre.

Samples provided.  All opinions are my own.

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2014 Rock Point Oregon Pinot Gris

Peach, floral, jasmine, vanilla, honeysuckle, and talc on the nose make the off dry beginning on the palate no surprise.  Did you catch that little bit of minerality hiding behind those pretty aromas?  It foreshadows the green apple tart finish.  700 cases; $14.99

2014 Schmidt Family Vineyards Applegate Valley Pinot Gris

Inviting and light with a pleasurable palate and aromas  reminiscent of a lemon almond shortbread.  Marzipan, rose, and apricot on the nose with a silky mouthfeel, a bit of salinity and a lemon tanginess that pops in mid palate through the finish.  Bet you can’t stop at one sip. 224 cases: $23 

2014 Panther Creek Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

A cheerful tropical scented Pinot Gris with orange, pineapple, tangerine, honeydew and bit of clove spice on the nose.  The palate delivers bright acidity, honey, lime and more of those tropical flavors that ends with fun little pucker of grapefruit on the finish. 2500 cases; $20

2014 Maryhill Winery Columbia Valley Pinot Gris

Mineral, tropical fruit,  and sandalwood on the nose let you know you are in for something a bit different.  This is the  savory side of Pinot Gris with clean grassy and green herbal notes.  A complex structure makes this wine serious and flavors of candied pineapple keep it fun. Finishes long and clean.  4910 cases; $16

2014 Kramer Vineyards Yamhill Carlton Pinot Gris

Sweet aromas of fig newton, almond bread, and peach lead to a wine that delivers with a creamy texture and supporting acid. Minerality plays across the tongue and brings notes of meyer lemon, peach and pear. The balance of sweet and tart elements combine in a dramatic way on the finish. 600 cases: $18.00 

2014 A to Z Wineworks Oregon Pinot Gris

At first a little shy on the nose it does not take much coaxing to convince this wine to show us aromas of pineapple, tangerine, honey and minerality.  On the palate tropical fruits meet silk textures touched with jasmine.  The finishe is a delight with lemon and grapefruit. 78,025 cases: $14.00

2014 Willamette Valley Vineyards Willamette Valley  Pinot Gris

Well this is a sensuous little wine right here.  The nose is like strolling through a spring garden.  The palate will keep you on your toes – honeydew, green apple, mandarin, grassy notes.  The flavors grow through a silky mouthwatering finish that leaves you somewhere between satiated and longing.  24,033 cases; $16

2014 Solena Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

Notes of anise, orange blossom, nuttiness and honey draw you in.  Rich yet tingly, the wine will activate your tastebuds with a juicy, tart acidity.  Great to pair with food or a special friend.  3300 cases; $20.00

2015 Duck Pond Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

A very young wine, give it a minute to open up in the glass and you will be rewarded with aromas of pineapple, nectarine, and sweet spearmint.  Don’t get distracted.  This wine is sneaky.  A bit sweet on the attack, salty on the finish, with a silky mouthfeel and a zesty lemony acidity that makes you want to do it all over again.  21,000 cases: $14.00

2015 Pike Road (by Elk Cove) Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

Fruit forward, but the crisper fruits of a Pinot Grigio style wine – citrus and pear.  Mineral notes, refreshing acidity, and a clean finish.  A good pairing for those salads we are all making from our Spring garden greens.  Also pair with creamy cheeses with a  bit of salinity – think brie or St. Andre. 8,000 cases; $15

A portion of this list originally appeared in our regular column – Cellar Selects – in the Oregon Wine Press.  Samples were provided for the blind tasting.

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Who says sandwiches can’t be sexy and sensational?  Getting a little creative with the basics plus pairing a delicious wine like Raptor Ridge Pinot Gris can change “sandwich night again?” to “WOW SANDWICH NIGHT AGAIN!”

Photo courtesy of Raptor Ridge Winery

Not how I look practicing yoga

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A puttanesca “recipe” of sorts was eventually developed involving anchovies, capers, tomatoes, etc. We adopted the spirit of the sauce, not the literal recipe.  Over the years, we have combined leftover pesto, the random shallot, a bit of sweet red pepper, the last few olives in the jar – you name it- and served it over pasta.  Think of it like pizza. Throw on anything you like.

Photo and Veggie Credit to Pitchfork and Crow

Sometimes our creations come not from leftovers but from bounty.  Sneaky neighbors “gifting” your doorstep with zucchini?  Thought it was a good idea to install 15 tomato plants?  Trying to keep up with your CSA share?  No worries.

Please comment and tell us your “go to” summer meal.

Pull That Cork shared “Wine for Summer’s Bounty. Will Garnacha Do the Trick?”

Meal Diva paired “Summer Vegetable Red Sauce with Amarone”

Culinary Adventures with Camilla posted “Pan-Seared Padròns with DeRose Vineyards’ Négrette”

Vino Travels — An Italian Wine Blog shared “Tomato, toe-mah-toe: Summer’s bounty with Sicilian wine Donnafugata”

Grape Experiences paired “Cecchi Chianti Classico 2010 and Vegetable Lasagna”

Curious Cuisiniere shared “Chipotle Garden Salsa with Wild Hare Petite Sirah”

ENOFYLZ Wine Blog posted “Grilled Paiche with a White Greek Blend”

Take a Bite Out of Boca shared “Quinoa-Crusted Eggplant and Heirloom Tomato Stacks paired with Monrosso Chianti”

foodwineclick shared “Summers’ Bounty or Attack of the Killer Turnips?”

Confessions of a Culinary Diva blogged about “Lobster Paella and Albarino”

Cooking Chat paired “Linguine with Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes and a Sauvignon Blanc”

Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you’re reading this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme “Wine for Summer’s Bounty” on Saturday, August 9, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. Questions for the chat are posted here on the #winePW site. You can also visit our group Pinterest board to pin some great pairing ideas for later! Stay tuned for the September Wine Pairing Weekend, which will focus on “Regional Food and Wine Pairings” on Saturday, September 13.

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Quality wine starts with quality grapes and we want our winemaker to be picky about grape selection.  In addition to the estate grown grapes, Owen Roe “rents” site climates.  They work with small growers to obtain grapes grown in the vineyard blocks best suited for that varietal, even if that means they buy only the fruit from a few rows within a given vineyard.

Glass in hand (of course) we visited with Garret Plocher at the Owen Roe Winery.  An intricate map of Pacific NW regions and topography was on the wall.  Small vineyard sites, labeled with tiny pushpins, supply grapes for single varietal bottling.  “We buy the best grapes from these vineyards and make sure they are grown to our standards,” explains Garret.  Cooler climate varietals like Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are grown in Oregon vineyards.  Crawford Beck Pinot Gris is their smallest single site bottling with 200 or fewer cases from 3/4 of an acre.  “Eighty percent of our grapes come from Washington vineyards.  It is in these warmer, drier regions that we get our Bordeaux and Rhone varietals.” Pointing to the map, “Dubrul Vineyard is our most eastern and warmest producing region.”  This is the source of their barrel select Chardonnay and complex Cabernet Sauvignon.  Union Gap is about 20 acres in Yakima Valley owned by Owen Roe.  “The soils here are very rocky and a gap in the mountain range allows cooling air flow.”  A three acre site climate of Syrah grows here on steep western facing slopes.  The hot afternoon sun produces small grapes with ripe, concentrated flavors.  These grapes go into the single varietal bottling labeled Syrah, Union Gap.

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