Desperate Vines Blog
Winter Festivals for 2009
At the start of this new year, many wineries begin to look to festivals around the state to promote their wine and find new customers to offset the quiet business season that prevails in the Willamette Valley Wine Country. During the first four months of the year, it is not difficult to find a festival during at least one weekend during the month. This month, Chateau Bianca is participating in the “Oregon Wine and Food Festival” held in Salem at the Oregon State Fairgrounds for the first time. It is scheduled for Jan 9-10. The month of February sees a shift to the Oregon Coast for the Newport Seafood and Wine festival on February 20, 21, 22. In March, closer to St.Patrick’s day and closer to us is the McMinnvile festival held at the Evergreen Museum. The dates for that festival are March 13, 14, and 15. If you are able to find some free time to enjoy some great wine and usually great food as well, it can be a good time to meet winery staff including winemakers who have more time to talk about their wineries and their best wines. I have always stated that one of the unique qualities about wine is that there is always some treasure still to be discovered, and that treasure often is reasonably priced, widely available, and offers a taste sensation unlike many others. Knowing some of the people who make a wine you enjoy, or help to craft one that is among your favorites makes that wine so much more special. Those wine drinkers who are always open to new discoveries are often those who are rewarded for their adventurous ways. Come and join us for all three of these events or at least one.
Happy Holidays from Chateau Bianca;
November 22, 2008
The winery is still busy processing all the fruit from this year’s harvest, and although the fruit was high quality, there was not the quantity we sometimes have. We did receive three new stainless steel fermentation tanks prior to harvest, so our storage capacity was slightly increased from the previous year. I would like to extend an invitation to everyone to join us for an annual celebration we call Holiday Extravaganza. Beginning the day after Thanksgiving and continuing until the December 31, we offer some added value wine discounts. All wine cases are discounted at 20percent regardless of club membership. This means that anyone can receive a 20 percent discount on cases of wine during this time. Also for individual families, with the purchase of 2 or more cases of wine the discount is increased to 25 percent off per case. We have recently also received some wines from a distributor buyback program that we are offering at significant savings, so these wines would make excellent stocking stuffers and are so reasonable in price. Chateau Bianca is always a great place to shop wines with the unusual diversity we have and the affordable prices we offer. For me the holidays suggest Glühwein, Vin de Glace, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Port and our excellent Pinot Noirs, and let’s not forget our Sparkling wine. If any of you have wanted to enjoy dining at a winery and would like to discover how each successive course of the meal paired with wine is enhanced, the date on the calendar for this is December 6th. Dinner is scheduled for 6:00 pm andthe cost per person is $65.00. Advance reservations are required for this dinner, so please join us if you can and meet some members of the Wetzel family who own and operate the winery and have since it’s founding in the late eighties. Bon appétit! Cheers! and Happy Holidays. We are remaining very positive and focusing on all the good things the economy has not taken away like wine. Bring your friends, your family and enjoy the holidays with us at the dinner in December or during the upcoming holidays.
Springtime in the Vineyard.
Date: March 12, 2008
The calendar says that we are still a few weeks from the official start of spring, but here at the winery, we have almost completed our annual vine pruning. For those of you who don't know the importance of this, let me explain a bit further. Here in Oregon, vines always seem to struggle to ripen, yet it is crucial that they do so in order to extract as much of the flavor as we can. There are several ways that we accelerate the process and try to ensure that there is overall ripeness to our vines. Every year in late February or March, the winery undertakes vine pruning to encourage the vine to produce evenly and slowly and steadily over the next several months. Our goal at the winery is to receive 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tons per acre,which is considered a low yield by most world standards. By forcing the vines to start their growth from the lowest fruiting wire, this means there should be uniform growth and no vines overproducing or under producing because they are all at the same growth point. Forcing the vines to grow at a slower pace also ensures better and more even ripening which is crucial to the flavor development in the clusters. We know that the fruit is always superior when yields are kept low. Also during this time of year the winery is busy bottling some of our white varietals from 2007. We have bottled about four varietals from 2007. Both Rieslings, one Gewürztraminer, and one Pinot Gris. Keep in mind that we are offering a winelover’s dinner here at the winery on April 19, at 6:00 P.M., and this is always a nice way to eat gourmet food paired with our award-winning wines.Seeyou at the dinner or the winery.
Tasting Room Gets Contemporary Update.
Date: January 24,2008
Some of you already know that the winery has been working on an update to our tasting room for several months .It began with removing all carpets in August, and now is almost complete with our new paint and new choice of paint colors. The transformation from then to now is fairly dramatic, and very much appreciated by our tasting room patrons. We have lowered the visual profile in the tasting room, and it somehow seems much more inviting and warm than its earlier representation. As happens with any remodeling projects, it is never easy to live through the project,but the final paint is almost dry now and the results are remarkable. Most of the winery staff agrees that the new look is indeed inviting, brings amore tasteful air to the room, and feels very luxurious as you enter. With all the time and effort the winery has committed to making the tasting room more attractive and contemporary, we hope you will make an effort to visit us. Keep in mind that our tasting room is open 7 days a weeks,so this would make a great weekend activity .With convenient tasting room hours from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M., it will provide you with the opportunity for a pleasant getaway. One of the highlights of your tasting room visit will undoubtedly be our new Wine Bar. This bar used oak sourced from the winery property, and was hand constructed by Helmut Wetzel, our resident Elder Wine Guru. Topped by granite counters, the Wine Bar delivers elegance and style. As a bonus, you will be greeted by friendly and knowledgeable staff members, who are happy to welcome you. For those of you unfamiliar with our tasting room, there are plenty of hard-to-find wine accessories and gifts. Our tasting room makes a great shopping trip for all wine lovers.
Off-Site Wine Festivals, Events, Expos
Date: January 22, 2008
During the first four months of the New Year, there are numerous wine and food festivals to attend that usually take place on weekends. Chateau Bianca has plans to participate in events in Portland the first weekend of February, in Newport the last weekend of February, in McMinnville the second weekend of March, and in Astoria the last weekend of April. These events can often be a great way for those of you who live some distance from the winery to re-connect with the winery and possibly sample some newly released wines as well as find your personal favorites .It's a good way to introduce friends to affordable and high-quality wines. Here's a suggestion to make these events more enjoyable. Use commonsense and only sample a small amount of what's offered to you. Try and eat some food if available, and drink water when available. One of the highlights of these events can be meeting winemakers, assistant winemakers, and tasting room staff. If you can arrange to be at one of these events, it can be a way for you to stock up, meet new faces, and be entertained all at the same time. Many wineries that you may encounter maybe closed all winter and not have tasting room hours until the summer, so come support them and brighten up your winter months with some winecheer and good food. The dates for these events can usually be found on our winery website by clicking on the events icon. Many of you are always looking for ways to find that elusive bottle of "Glühwein" for your family, here's a great opportunity .The wine festivals usually allow wineries to showcase some of their wines, so don't expect to find every wine that the winery produces. Event space or booth-size often dictates what canbe brought. At the events Chateau Bianca attends, the winery tries to bring some of our most popular non-wine items: Riedel glasses, T-shirts,Grapeseed Oil, logo corkscrews, and elegant acrylic goblets and flutes. These events are also generally oriented toward adults, so it might be agood idea to leave the children at home. Also, we know from experience that if an event is being held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Saturday isoften the busiest, and Sunday the best day to plan on attending because it is usually quieter with fewer crowds.
Wetzel Wine Club
Date: January 11, 2008
As is customary at this time of the year, it is always worthwhile to re-evaluate, assess, and look ahead to the New Year. When some of the winery staff met recently, one of the topics that surfaced was how to improve our Wine Club. It was discussed at length, and we all concurred that greater value could be added to it with very little effort. Along with the changes, I decided to rename it. "The Taste of Oregon Wine Club" seemed too ambiguous to some, and it only made sense to give the new name more meaning and relevance. The more I thought about it, the stronger I felt that somehow "Wetzel", which is the name of the family that owns and operates "Chateau Bianca", should be connected to the Wine Club.Visitors to the winery often ask why they see "Wetzel Estate" on some of our wines. This designation means that the wine varietal on that wine issmall in production, and made with 100% Chateau Bianca grapes. Some of our reserve Pinot Noirs are designated with this label starting in2003. along with our Sparkling wines and Port .The Wetzel Wine Club aims to be broader , simpler to use, and include greater value by conferring more benefits Effective now, Wetzel Wine Club members receive 10% single bottle discounts in the tasting room, discounts on our Wine Lover's dinners, discounts on stays at our Bed and Breakfast, complementary tickets to our summer BBQ, and more. The Wetzel Wine Club offers a nice way to receive our wines in four convenient shipments all year long. Members select quantity, indicate color preference, and in their first shipment will receive carefully selected wines along with information on the wines and often hard to find or almost sold out wines. The current schedule for Wine club shipments is March, June, September, and December. It is a unique way to stay in touch with a winery you already know and love. Giving the Wetzel Wine Club as a gift is easy and can be done on our website or in the tasting room. If you are not a member, why not consider becoming one. Receive great wine, information, and yearlong wine satisfaction.. If you are already a member, help us spread the word to others, and let them know how worthwhile the club can be. Wine Club Members often get a head start in tasting new wine releases, and inreceiving wines not available in our tasting room. Cheers!
"Cooking with the Wines of Oregon "cookbook includes Chateau Bianca Recipe
September 30, 2007
I have to confess to a lifelong love of books and their power to focus attention and light on everyday things and still manage to entertain, amuse,and educate. I recently came across a copy of a new book called "Cooking with the Wines of Oregon". Written by a husband and wife team, it promises to be another valuable resource for Oregon Wines. Its authors ,Troy and Cheryl-Lynn Townsin, love to cook, enjoy wine, and try to introduce us to some wineries that we may not know and shed new light on those we already know. What I enjoy about the book is that it features proven recipes from many wineries, winery snapshots, grape varietal descriptions, and much more." Chateau Bianca "is featured on pages 100and 101. Our recipe is called "Chateau Bianca Pork Loins Pinot Blanc" and on the opposite page, the reader will find a summary of our winery as well as a grape varietal description of Pinot Blanc, and its characteristics as well as interesting info on the grape itself. We love to promote this grape as we suspect that it is only grown by a dozen or more wineries in the whole state. The book sells for $24.95 and was just published inAugust of 2007. There are a hundred different recipes included and many are published here for the first time. There is some first-rate photography also on display here, so this would make a wonderful gift for the wine lover in your family or for that special person who truly appreciates wine and food. At the winery, it is not unusual for us to talk about food and wine together as we all agree with the European view ofhow well food and wine work together, and how each enhance the other. Take a road trip, try some new recipes, discover some new wineries.Cooking with wine is always a healthy way to add flavor to your foods . Hope you enjoy the book and be sure to let me know which recipes have become your new favorites.
AVA's or Appellations of Oregon
Date: August 11, 2007
There seems to be considerable interest in Oregon in AVA's. The American system of AVA's is very loosely based on the French system, and bears very little resemblance to it. In Europe, where much of viticulture is so closely regulated and established, the system is known as Appellation Controlee. It means that the government sets standard grape yields, production levels, alcohol content, and so much more. It alsoassures the consumer that a wine that has a geographical area on the label is all grown, cultivated, or is from that area. In Europe, if a placename appears on the label, it is approved and sanctioned by the government, if there is an appellation system in place. In the United States,place names must still be approved, but they must also meet certain criteria. When the winery indicates on the label that the wine is from a certain area such as Willamette Valley, the wine must originate from there. The importance of the American AVA's is that it allows the wineries to show consumers that their wines are very distinct from one another because of soil differences, climate conditions, and elevations that all make the same wine taste very different. Oregon currently has 15 AVA's in use and probably the most familiar are: Oregon, Southern Oregon, The Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Applegate Valley, Columbia Valley, Columbia River Gorge, and Willamette Valley. The Willamette Valley AVA also includes six sub-AVA's that can be used. It is always better to have as much information when purchasing wine as possible, so that is why I like tosee the growth of the Oregon AVA's because they narrow down the growing areas and tell consumers where within a geographical area the grapes were grown. So when purchasing an Oregon wine, look for the growing area indicated on the label. It might be a broad area like the Willamette Valley or it might be a smaller area like Eola-Amity Hills within the Willamette Valley. Remember, it's always most important where the grapes are grown and that will often give a clue as to quality. The reputation of the winery is also important. Does it consistently produce high-quality wines? If the answer is yes, then choose a winery in a location you like and at the quality level you prefer. - Robb LeBlanc, Tasting Room Manager
A Toast to Sparkling Wine!
Date: July 18, 2007
Sparkling Wine is one of life's special libations. When the sparkling wine is produced in Champagne, a wine region in northeastern France, it can be called "Champagne". Every other wine-producing country in the world must call it something else, by law. Many names abound, but "Sparkling Wine" is the most common in English-speaking areas. Because the French have been in the business of making "Champagne" for so long, manyof their techniques are imitated, studied, duplicated, and admired. Sparkling wine is made deliberately to produce bubbles, about 49 million per bottle. Broken down even further, that's about 4 million per glass. The presence of "Carbon Dioxide" produces all these tiny bubbles. The production of "Sparkling Wine” often involves two separate fermentations. In the primary fermentation, carbon dioxide is released, but in the second it is captured in the bottle. When this occurs in the bottle, it is commonly called "Methode Champenoise", and this tradition is widely practiced. True “Champagne” is made from three traditional grapes, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The traditional blend is by these numbers: 60-70 % Pinot Noir, 20-30 % Chardonnay and the rest from Pinot Meunier. At Chateau Bianca, we produce our most popular sparkling wine called “Brut Blanc de Noir" from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. The red skins are separated immediately after pressing to prevent any red color.Thus, our version is made into a white wine from red grapes, and it is delicious, tasty, and highly recommended. Don't wait for special moments to enjoy "Sparkling Wine". It's what should be on the table every night, as it is so versatile with food, so compatible, and so charmingly bubbly.Cheers! Better Health is often a drink or two of your favorite “Sparkling Wine".
Oregon's Premier White Grape: Pinot Gris
Date: July 1, 2007
As any resident or visitor to Oregon discovers, Oregonians have adopted Pinot Gris as their first choice when choosing white wine. Surprisingly,Pinot Gris was only introduced into the Willamette Valley {Oregon's important and major grape growing area} and cultivated a mere thirty years ago. Pinot Gris enjoys similar popularity in only one other region of the world, and that region is in Alsace, France. Because Alsace had a tradition of making varietal Pinot Gris for centuries, the style of wine produced there was imitated in Oregon and very successfully. It is also interesting to point out that Alsace was always one of the few places in France to label their wines with grape variety clearly indicated. No confusion or doubt as to what grape variety was contained inside the bottle. To me it's fascinating that the style of our Oregon wines is modeled on this very dry and full flavor that is so prevalent in Alsace. You might hear people discussing Oregon's style as " Alsatian", and they would be right in thus describing it. The flavors of Pinot Gris are very evident and mouth watering. They can be juicy, very fruit forward, and instantly likeable.Oregon plantings of Pinot Gris have now surpassed Chardonnay and are only likely to increase. If you have never tasted Oregon Pinot Gris, try it and be charmed by it's ease and friendliness. It is often not widely available outside the Northwest because Oregonians consume most of what is produced. Discover a new summer wine that is food-friendly and delicious, or get reacquainted with an old friend. Pinot Gris is usually not meant to be aged, so drink it as young as possible and savor it's unique flavors . Robb Le Blanc Tasting Room Manager
Are wine ratings important?
Date: June 24, 2007
Even a casual wine drinker will often see wine scores, wine ratings, and wine endorsements. Are they meaningful at all? My advice is always to drink what you like and use any evaluations with caution. Use these ratings as a guide and never rely exclusively on them as a reason to buy any wine. Remember that price doesn't guarantee that you will like the wine, nor do wine ratings ensure satisfaction. Use them with common sense.Recently Chateau Bianca was awarded three medals for wines judged at a wine competition called "The Northwest Wine Summit 2007". Thiswas held April 22-24 at "Timberline Lodge" on Mt. Hood. This is a regional event including wines from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia.. Our "2006 Riesling , Willamette Valley" priced at $10.00, was given a gold medal, our "2006 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley" priced at$12.00, was given a silver medal, and finally our " 2004 Pinot Noir Cellar Select" priced at $20.00, was also given a silver medal. We are very proud of these wines, and it only reaffirms what we already know and that is that our wines are very well crafted , affordable, and delicious. For the consumer this often means that our wines don't linger for long in the marketplace, so seek them out and enjoy them while they are available. The next important wine competition to watch for is the "Oregon Wine Competition" held at the Oregon State Fair in September. We will try and post results for this when they become available. As summer begins, it is a good time to become reacquainted with white wines. We have at least a dozen to choose from. These wines are refreshing, light, and bursting with summertime fruit flavors. Cheers!
Oregon Pinot Noir Glass by Riedel
Date: June 16, 2007
First, let me welcome you to our enhanced website. It is yet another tool that we hope you will take advantage of , and enjoy . We hope to entertain, amuse, and educate. In "Oregon Wine Country", one of the most important developments to arrive here is the "Oregon Pinot Noir Riedel Glass". This glass is being sold exclusively at Oregon wineries and already the testimony is very loud and clear that the glass is effectiveand strikingly beautiful. It somehow manages to integrate the flavor and aroma so that the two components truly shine when tasted in the new glass design. Just a few sips from the new glass were enough to wow us all . The Riedel company, a crystal manufacturer based in Austria,committed to this new design only after extensive research and testing. The glass is already winning kudos from our tasting room visitors. It is on sale for $15.00 per glass.
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