Photo: Courtesy of farm5.staticflickr.com
Yesterday, City Winery housed 50 Willamette Valley wine producers to show off the wares from their wineries at Pinot in the City. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first planting of Pinot Noir in Willamette Valley and the producers were excited to showcase the great wines that have been made since then. The event was also a great way to further spread the word about the Oregon Pinot Nior culture. David Millman, managing director for the winery, Domain Drouhin, explains that, while the Willamette Valley wine scene is always open to new business and supporters, many people learn about it through friends and word of mouth. Milllman was excited to, once again, be involved in Pinot in the City saying, “It is a great way to immerse yourself in the region.” Participants had the opportunity to sample wines from the many Oregon wineries as well as hear their stories and learn about their history. While technically competitors in their field, the winery representatives all seemed to know one another and were excited to be among friends. Every booth had a new friendly face offering amazing wine as well as informative back-stories on how it was made.
Oregon has drawn in winemakers from many different regions of the world for years. It first caught the attention of the Drouhin family, already a big name when it came to making Burgundy in France, in 1979 and again in 1986 when Veronique Drouhin came to Oregon after achieving a masters diploma in enology. They were captivated by Oregon’s strong sense of community and purchased land in Dundee Hills to extend their business to Willamette Valley. That sense of community as well as their family’s wine craftsmanship were very apparent when visiting their booth at City Winery. To learn more about the many wines from Willamette Valley, including Domain Drouhin, visit their website. If you want to try some of the wines yourself, visit City Winery’s website or stop by in their location at 155 Varick St.
-by Johanna Silver
