I don’t care JUST about the wine. I have an agriculture background and I work in customer service. These are both things that are of great importance. I like to know the back story on a wine and the winery and vineyard it was made in/from. I like to create a relationship and have a well rounded experience wherever I go. I may be 23, but if I haven’t made it clear yet, I don’t go wine tasting to get drunk. I care about the whole package a winery has to offer. I care if the tasting room staff is knowledgeable, if the vineyard is well kept, if the wine is served in a specific glass, etc.
I want to help others understand what I'm looking for in a wine tasting experience. Therefore I will keep score for you. I will score on a 100 pt scale (like Wine Spectator).
The 5 categories for tasting in wineries include: Wine, Tasting Room, Vineyard, Service, Something Special.
Obviously the wine is important. Equally important is that there is a good space to have the tasting take place. I don’t want to be in a spare closet, but if it is a boutique winery and they are using a part of their house as their tasting room, that’s very cool. As long as it fits. It should be warm and inviting.
I also want to see the vineyards. I want them to be well groomed and when there is fruit on the vines, I want it to entice me to enjoy the already harvested goodness of the vines. If there are vines by the drive as I pull up and they are diseased, I don’t see how that would be desirable or appetizing to guests.
Service refers to just that – the service. I don’t require valet and a cheese platter with 5 different years of aged Gouda. But I do expect there to be a clean restroom, friendly educated staff, accessibility, and assistance when needed.
Something Special is the most subjective category, but it’s my rating system and my blog so it’s my rules. I want to find something about each winery that is unique and a great conversation starter at a dinner party. I want to say something like “Archery Summit has the only wine caves in Oregon that are mined into the hills not back filled” or “Kramer’s wine dog Cassie saved the winemaker, Trudy, from a cougar one time.” This requires great service and a bit of delving into the history of a winery, but I think you’re worth the extra work. Unfortunately, I have already found several wineries that don’t have that “something special.” Doesn’t mean they aren’t wonderful in several other aspects. They just don't have that something special that catches my attention as being unique. That’s why there’s 5 categories for my scoring.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
20-something wine drinkers - we're out there!
Not only are we out there, we have a pallet for wine and in many cases, the money.
Greetings all. I am a 20-something wine drinker. I'm not really a snob, but it got your attention right?
Here's a quick 10 facts about me to get this blog started right.
1. I am 23 years old.
2. I like wine.
3. I drink wine regularly.
4. I like good wine.
5. I age good wine.
6. I am a woman who likes big, bold, spicy, earthy, wines. (I'll get into those bias later)
7. I am sarcastic, cynical, and a bit bitter.
8. I'm mostly bitter because when I go wine tasting I am looked down on and ignored because of my age and maybe even because of my sex.
9. I live in Oregon and have been drinking Oregon Pinot Noir for 5 years. (ignore that I'm 23)
10. I don't believe that age has anything to do with drinking wine. I work in the industry and see 25 year olds spend $2,000 on wine without blinking and have 45 year olds freak out about the price of a tasting fee. I meet middle aged people going wine tasting for the first time, while myself and other 20-something colleagues have years of experience AND education.
I hope to share my experiences in wine drinking, tasting, and share my opinions about the industry as a whole. I too have an opinion on corking and closures. I also want to share the info I have on different regions and details I find interesting.
Please be sure to read my blog with a grain of salt. I am not really a bitter person, just a sarcastic one. I'm told sometimes it is taken other than how I mean it.
One goal I have is to expose the public to the great wineries of Oregon, but more important than that I hope to encourage wineries to focus on creating memorable experience for their guests.
Being I live in Oregon wine country and go tasting a lot, I want to share my tasting notes and what I feel about each place I travel to. I have a background in agriculture, so it's important to me to see the beauty of the vineyards. They are lovely even in the dead of winter. I hope to post pics too.
I hope you'll check back often to see what's new in Oregon. As it's almost harvest time, I want to get out in some vineyards and snap some shots of grapes for sure.
Cheers!
Wineries I will blog about soon:
I will be evaluating my most recent tasting outings at Cooper Mountain, David Hill, Purple Cow, Domaine Droughin, Domaine Serene, White Rose, Archery Summit, & Kramer Vineyards.
Greetings all. I am a 20-something wine drinker. I'm not really a snob, but it got your attention right?
Here's a quick 10 facts about me to get this blog started right.
1. I am 23 years old.
2. I like wine.
3. I drink wine regularly.
4. I like good wine.
5. I age good wine.
6. I am a woman who likes big, bold, spicy, earthy, wines. (I'll get into those bias later)
7. I am sarcastic, cynical, and a bit bitter.
8. I'm mostly bitter because when I go wine tasting I am looked down on and ignored because of my age and maybe even because of my sex.
9. I live in Oregon and have been drinking Oregon Pinot Noir for 5 years. (ignore that I'm 23)
10. I don't believe that age has anything to do with drinking wine. I work in the industry and see 25 year olds spend $2,000 on wine without blinking and have 45 year olds freak out about the price of a tasting fee. I meet middle aged people going wine tasting for the first time, while myself and other 20-something colleagues have years of experience AND education.
I hope to share my experiences in wine drinking, tasting, and share my opinions about the industry as a whole. I too have an opinion on corking and closures. I also want to share the info I have on different regions and details I find interesting.
Please be sure to read my blog with a grain of salt. I am not really a bitter person, just a sarcastic one. I'm told sometimes it is taken other than how I mean it.
One goal I have is to expose the public to the great wineries of Oregon, but more important than that I hope to encourage wineries to focus on creating memorable experience for their guests.
Being I live in Oregon wine country and go tasting a lot, I want to share my tasting notes and what I feel about each place I travel to. I have a background in agriculture, so it's important to me to see the beauty of the vineyards. They are lovely even in the dead of winter. I hope to post pics too.
I hope you'll check back often to see what's new in Oregon. As it's almost harvest time, I want to get out in some vineyards and snap some shots of grapes for sure.
Cheers!
Wineries I will blog about soon:
I will be evaluating my most recent tasting outings at Cooper Mountain, David Hill, Purple Cow, Domaine Droughin, Domaine Serene, White Rose, Archery Summit, & Kramer Vineyards.
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