Bella Giornata Tours recently relocated from New York to Portland, Oregon. As a result, when I'm not in Italy, I'm drinking a lot more wines from the Pacific Northwest. Having fallen in love with wine in Italy, where wines can be bigger and bolder, I'm just now beginning to appreciate Oregon's delicate pinot noirs. But what I've fallen head over heels for are the wines of Washington state, so you'll see some of those featured here. And as I work to explore and appreciate pinot noir, you'll begin to see those show up on this page as well. Enjoy!
I've recently discovered that I love Syrah, and this is one of my favorites. It's called The Shift and it hails from Mark Ryan winery. It's a blend of 95% syrah and 5% grenache. This is actually one of their lower end wines. Many of their bottles retail for a higher price point but I absolutely love this one! They produce in Richland, Washington but have a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, Washington.
I've often thought that maybe when I'm not touring in Italy, I should start wine tours in the Pacific Northwest. If that ever happens, Walla Walla would be one of the first places I would think to take people. Shall we go? |
Here's another beauty from Walla Walla, Washington. It's called Stella Maris and is produced by Northstar Winery. This proprietary blend is made up of cab, merlot and syrah. These grapes are ones that didn't make the cut for their single varietals, but blend beautifully here to create a complex red.
Bonus: Northstar Winery is a beautiful property that has a lovely tasting room and patio. Their parking lot is bordered with lots of fragrant lavender, and they offer cheese plates and other small nibbles to go with your glass of wine. |
Here's another fun place to stop at if you're in the Walla Walla area of Washington state. The tasting room is always hopping, but if you elbow your way in you will be rewarded with some really great wines.
This particular complex blend is made up of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 7% cab franc and 4% malbec. It's got a lot going on! The weather in this area makes for ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of grapes. As the years have gone by more and more wineries are growing more and more varietals, creating some great experiments. L'Ecole, founded in 1983 is one of the older family-owned wineries in the area. It has a wonderful reputation for producing wines of consistently high quality. |
Orion's Nebula is a brand new find for me, and the beginning of my foray into the wines of the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon. If you've never heard of Ledger David Cellars, it's time to listen up. This wine is a very interesting blend consisting of 58% Cabernet Franc, 29% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Syrah. It is inky dark, full of body and flavor.
Bonus: They have a charming and "Petite" tasting room not far off the freeway in Central Point, Oregon. It happens to be right nextdoor to Rogue Creamery which is a must-stop for their fantastic cheeses. So stopping here is a one-two punch of goodness. |