The Wine Club met to discuss our latest finds: wines from the Pacific Northwest United States (Washington and Oregon States). We had mixed reviews of these wines – from exceptionally good (a stunner), to very good, to questionable taste. These findings will be shared in this blog. The price point for these wines was around $20.00, the least expensive $17.95 and the highest on sale $20.95 (regularly $23.95).
Our readers enjoyed the article that we shared with you last month on wines under $10.00, so we thought that we would expand on it to broaden our tasting experiences and contribute to your reading pleasure. Next month we have a new challenge….find and review the best wines under $10.00 from anywhere in the world.
Substance Winery – CS 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (A stunner and almost a perfect 10)
Reviewed by Joan and James Rayner
We chose a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. The winery is Substance and the wine is a 2019 CS, as shown on the label. The winery writes of the taste of cassis, cedar, vanilla and toast and gives the wine a 5/5 ranking for its body, 4/5 for tannins and 4/5 for flavor intensity. It contains 14.5% alcohol.
The web site, the Reverse Wine Snob, waxes eloquent about this wine, mentioning the aroma of blueberry, raspberry, black cherry, vanilla, cedar, chocolate, violets, pencil shavings—and more. Tasting leads to juicy candied cherry and other candied fruit plus licorice making it “super delicious”. The ending is dry with a lingering finish of cola and vanilla-soaked ripe berries.
The reviewer calls this wine a stunner and almost a perfect 10 and urges readers to go and get some right away. The price is usually $23.95, but this month it is on sale for $20.95.
Joan likes a hearty, rich, smooth red wine and this one fits the bill for her.
Columbia Crest – Chardonnay 2019 (Recommended)
Reviewed by Linda Hasler
Chardonnay would not be my first pick for a white wine, but I found that I had little choice. The most planted white varietals in Washington and Oregon are Chardonnay and Riesling. They are not noted for Sauvignon Blanc or other white varieties because the soil and the climate. I chose Columbia Crest Chardonnay from the state of Washington because it was from one of the most significant wineries in the U.S., its affordability $17.95 (met our budget criteria) and from its writeup which sounded attractive. I was not disappointed with the wine and would recommend it. This Chardonnay definitely has a distinctive taste and was thoroughly enjoyed. It has a 13.5% alcohol content.
The LCBO describes this Chardonnay as offering impressively articulated apple and melon with butterscotch and oak flavours. The wine complements grilled chicken or grilled pork chops.
Primarius Winery – Pinot Gris 2020 (Not Recommended)
Reviewed by Mary Mulligan
I shared this Pino Gris with my sister, who also gave her evaluation. It is from the Primarius winery in Oregon state with 13.9% alcohol and price of $23.95. The LCBO states that it goes well with pork, spicy food, mushrooms and cured meat. It has flavours of pear, apple, stone fruit, honey, petroleum, citrus, lemon, and lime.
My sister thought that the taste was unusual – a taste that we could not identify. Needless to say, we were disappointed and do not recommend this wine.
About American Viticultural Areas
The geography of American wine can be summed up in three letters: AVA. Here’s why they matter.
Understanding AVAs
Winemakers have always cared intensely about terroir: the idea that wine has unique qualities depending on where the grapes are grown—the soil, climate, altitude and so on. In America, wine drinkers are now becoming more and more knowledgeable about their own terroir, as evidenced by the push to establish more AVAs. An acronym for American Viticultural Area, AVA is a federally recognized geographic designation. The smaller the AVA, the more idiosyncratic the terroir. The movement to establish more AVAs is especially strong in California, which has 135 AVAs —14 of them approved in 2014 alone.
An American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is a specific type of appellation of origin used on wine labels. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affects how grapes are grown.
Pacific Northwest Wines
Wines of the Northwest United States (Oregon and Washington) include:
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Pinot Noir (Oregon)
- Merlot (Washington)
- Cabernet (Washington)
The region is quite cool and best suited to grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling, as well as French-American hybrids.
Oregon and Washington are the second and third largest producers of wine in the US behind California. Washington is second with more than 1,000 wineries and 400 vineyards, while Oregon is third with more than 800 wineries and 1,100 vineyards.
To learn more about the wines of the Northwest United States:
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 