Do's and Don'ts of Wine Festivals

I am going to the Astoria Wine and Seafood Festival this weekend. Here are a few suggestions for those going to festivals, in any state.

1) BRING YOUR OWN GLASS!!! It is so different to have a glass rather than use dixie cups or thimbles that the vendors have to pour into.

2) Bring $1's and quarters. Unless you paid $50+ at the door, you will most likely have to pay for the tastings individually. Vendors don't have a lot of change because the newbies all brought or had to use the ATM and had only $20's.

3) Don't buy any wine by the glass, or drink a glass with lunch. If it's so good you want more, buy a bottle to enjoy at home. Drinking by the glass at the event will dull taste buds way earlier and you won't get to taste as many new wines.

4) Taste varietals you've never heard of. There are so many varietals of wine you’ve never tasted before, and so many producers you’ve never tasted wines from. TRY THEM, you never know unless you try.

5) Read what they have to offer. They should have a tasting menu. Don't ask for their Merlot or Chardonnay if they only have Zins and Chenin Blanc. In fact, don’t ask for their Merlot or Chardonnay anyway, you’ve had so many of those in your lifetime, try something new (see #4 again if unclear).

6) Don’t ask for “sweet white wines only.” Statements like this or asking for specific varietals pigeon hole your pallet. You’re at the festival to expand your pallet, try new things, and build your cellar with a few new wines you’d never had bought if you hadn’t tried them first.

7) Consider the $2 tasting for that wine a bargain. At wineries I’ve paid up to $20 for tasting as little as 3 wines. Just think, if you’d have bought the bottle at the store and then found out you didn’t like it you could be out $40. If you taste it first, you save $38 bucks by knowing ahead of time you didn’t like it.

8) Dump! If you don’t like the wine in your glass, don’t drink it, your liver can only keep up for so long (see #3 about this point too). So many people dump wine, you won’t insult anyone. Don’t think you’re wasting it, you’re here to taste, not get drunk.

9) Don’t go if you want to get drunk. You won’t enjoy the wine or learn anything. It’d be such a waste of money too.

10) Spit! If you don’t like the wine don’t consume it (see #8 about this point too). You don’t have a lot of time and can only consume so much. You will get a buzz today, so pace yourself. Only swallow what you like, love, and can’t live without. You’ll get to taste so many more wines with this mentality.

11) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER drive after drinking. One sip will impair your abilities. Someone should always be sober, 100% sober.

(I am not responsible for anything you or anyone you know does. Whether you read this or not, your choices are your own. By reading any part of my blog you are agreeing that no one is responsible for your actions but yourself.)

Archery Summit Winery

***Please note, I have a bias about this winery. I compare ALL wines to the deliciousness that is Archery Summit (you've been warned)***

This is the best winery to visit, even on a busy day. If you don't love the wine, you're crazy, but that's beside the point. If you don't fall in love with the wine, you will the facility. They have the only cave’s in Oregon used for wine storage that were mined into the hill side. I am not making this up. When you visit them, check out the restrooms in the cave. They are beautiful. Yeah, $100 and $150 seems like a lot to pay for a bottle of wine, and many people don't think a Pinot Noir exists that is worth that much. Although Domaine Serene's Monogram may not be worth the $225 price tag, Archery Summit is worth its price, in fact the Cuvee is a bargain when you see all the details that go into the making of this fine wine.

The winery is 100% gravity flow, they have an elevator to lift the wine without using pumps so they can flow the wine into the bottling line, or back into barrels for the Archery Summit Estate and Red Hills Estate wines which spend more than a year in barrel, racked after about 1 year. The winery has a majestic view of the Willamette Valley, looking over the little town of Dundee. They have a patio you can sip the wine on and enjoy summer days, bring some cheese and bread and it's the perfect way to spend the day.

But I really suggest taking the tour! They are $25 per person; include drinking the wines along the way. It's about an hour, and the best education you can get for your money. You get a tour tailored to your desires, not just about Archery Summit Winery, they also discuss about the Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, and more general info like vineyard management practices and wine making details. There's so much to fit into 1 hour, and they do a great job of answering all of your questions. Call ahead for an appointment, try to get the 10:30 am tour rather than the 2pm if you want a private tour and more availability of tours during your stay in Oregon.

The wines are exclusively Pinot. Try the rose if you get a chance, it is 100% Pinot Noir, fermented completely dry and the first rose I ever considered buying. (And I did, about a 2 cases between my step-mother and I). Red Hills is my favorite vineyard, although I can't wait to open a bottle of Archery Summit Estate (in 10-12 years that is). They are very age-worthy wines and demand a fabulous meal to be paired with. However, if you can't wait 5+ years for the aging of the single vineyards, take home a bottle of Premier Cuvee instead. It's a blend of the 5 vineyards, very fruit forward and blended to be aged or consumed now. I suggest pairing this at a restaurant with a juicy steak or king crab legs. But if someone had a cream based sauce dish, it wouldn't over shadow the meal either. It’s the perfect wine when everyone orders something different.