ONLINE TASTING: Fine Wine - Discovering Oregon

Join excited wine school founder Jimmy Smith as he unearths the delights of Oregon in the United States.

Jimmy will taste three world-class Pinot Noirs (Eyrie Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2016, Lemelson Thea's Selection Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2017 and Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2018) plus two delightful Chardonnays (Salem Wine Co. Oregon Chardonnay 2018 and Bergström Old Stones Oregon Chardonnay 2018) from the superb 2018 vintage that veteran winemaker Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars, a man who's typically blunt about a vintage's flaws, called 'a beautiful year.’ In addition we’ll taste the promising Pinot Blanc 2019 from Elk Grove in the Willamette Valley.

OREGON

Oregon is a world-class wine region with more than 700 wineries and more than 1,000 vineyards growing 72 grape varieties. It has established an international reputation for its production of wine, ranking fourth in the country behind California, Washington, and New York.

Oregon can be distinctly cool and cloudy, especially in the Willamette Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) just south of Portland, where most of the wineries are located. Due to this climate there is a focus on the famous Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grape varieties often produced in a Burgundian style. Much is made locally of the fact that Oregon shares the 45th parallel with Bordeaux – although Burgundy would have been more convenient, given the determination with which Oregon wine producers have pursued the Holy Grail of Pinot Noir. Oregon’s AVAs see much less sunshine than many other wine regions which usefully lengthens the growing season. This is why Oregon’s predominant variety is the early-ripening Pinot Noir with the majority of it grown on rocky hillsides facing south or southeast above 200 feet. This is true of virtually all sites in Willamette Valley’s AVAs regardless of the weather pattern or soil type which are producing an increasing number of world-class Pinots, with Chardonnay gaining ground too.

Tasting Date: Friday 26th March 2021 at 7:00pm (the tasting will last approximately 2 hours)

TASTING FEE STRUCTURE:

For this special two-hour tasting, an exclusive tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 75ml tasting sample of each wine, as well as tasting mat, tasting note paper and pen. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. Approximately two weeks prior to the event, we will confirm postal addresses for all kit deliveries.

DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 80REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost. 

Tasting Kit: What's Included:

• 75ml tasting sample of each wine (6 in total) contained in a sterilised glass bottle and preserved with an inert gas (designed specifically for wine preservation)
• Tasting mat
• Tasting note sheet
• West London Wine School pen

TASTING FORMAT:

Jimmy Smith will host this exclusive tasting live at 7:00pm on Friday 26th March 2021. This single-evening tasting will be approximately 2 hours in length. 

Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.

Wines Included in Tasting Kit (75ml samples of 6 wines):

• The Eyrie Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2016

• Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Blanc 2019

• Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2018

• Salem Wine Co. Oregon Chardonnay 2018

• Bergström Old Stones Oregon Chardonnay 2018

• Lemelson Thea's Selection Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2017