Comments on: Oregon Pinot Noir: Peaks & Valleys

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:31:54 +0000

The Oregonian ran a piece on Union Wine Company last August. They’ve setup shop in Tualatin in order to keep costs down, over-deliver quality at their three price points, and keep their prices sustainable.

Your title, “Whole Foods Letdown,” is a bit misleading if anyone thinks it refers to the quality of a $10 bottle of Pinot. The 2009 Underwood is a surprisingly good Pinot. A great, crowd-pleasing wine for summer BBQ’s and get togethers. And the quality of this $10 wine bodes well for Union’s top label, Alchemist, which will come in under $30 and compete with much more expensive Pinot’s. I know Union’s new head winemaker and have barrel tasted the lots that will go into Alchemist. Wow!

By: George Parkinson

George Parkinson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:36:11 +0000

“…only one thing to do. Drink more Pinot Noir.”

I’m all in for that idea Mike. Great piece.

It may be crossing the bridge the wrong way to discuss the past, but I can tell you from experience that selling Pinot Noir in this country, any Pinot Noir except Cru classe Burgundy, prior to “Sideways”, was a bitch! Most consumers & decision making gatekeepers didn’t truely understand it, producers were all over the board in production methods and all anyone could do was to compare their product to Burgundy as if…

Post that movie, clonal selection, site selection, production methods were investigated and invested in as never before. Educators were conducting more Pinot seminars and heck even the gray market was turning out fake Pinot Noir. Which is why I can’t trust and now many will not trust cheap Pinot Noir under a certain price point…(Thank you Gallo you did us all a solid for that one)

With the wave of enthusiasm cresting somewhat, Pinot Noir still enjoys favor in more places now than before that movie which wasn’t really about wine at all but social development. (he didn’t hate Merlot, He hated his X-Wife who he fell in love with over Merlot)

It may be a lasting or short lived cult effect, and only time will tell, but when the economic troubles are far in the past and consumer confidence returns, Pinot sales will continue climbing as the quintessential food wine it is and at $20+ a bottle way more affordable tha Cru Burgundy. drink on!

PS I love that book too but someone needs to make a sequal ad include other regions.

By: Mike Veseth

Mike Veseth — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:28:22 +0000

I agree that at $10 or so it is hard to beat Oregon Pinot. But I’m concerned that this isn’t an economically sustainable. You’ve done a great job, Paul, in both supporting the Oregon industry and being critical of its problems. Some critical rethinking will need to be done in the next few years.

I think it is the Nick of Nick’s Cafe, too!

By: PaulG

PaulG — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:36:46 +0000

Wow Mike – you scored! I was in Powell’s about six weeks ago and I promise you that book was not there. I would guess that the Nick in the inscription is the now-retired owner of Nick’s Café, a winemaker hangout for decades. As for the falling prices of entry-level Oregon pinot… it’s about time. Why should consumers be responsible for paying costs of doing business? Global competition is what determines price points that ultimately define categories, and if consumers can find a better $10 pinot from somewhere else, they will certainly go there. But right now, at these prices, I would say Oregon is tops.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:22:33 +0000

Last time I found it, Firesteed was going for well under $15 a bottle. What’s happening with that and similar introductory brands?