09 May It’s May and it’s Oregon Wine Month! And there’s more “wine” than “month”!

It’s easy to forget the amazing variety…and quantity!…of great wine that is produced right here at our backdoor.

For that reason, I have no problem jumping on the marketing bandwagon and hailing Oregon Wine Month.

Normally, we shop for and taste wines from all regions and every country.  If it’s wine, we’re checking it out.  But during the past few weeks, our efforts have been focused on Oregon wines.   We’ve come to a conclusion:  May isn’t big enough to take this on by itself.  We might want to recruit June to help out.  There’s more worthy Oregon wine than one month can handle on its own.

Those of us who have been around this area for a decade or two (or three or four) remember when you could count the number of local wineries on both hands and one foot.  Now there are close to 800 wineries in Oregon.  They go well beyond pinot noir and pinot gris.  They also produce terrific viognier, grüner veltliner, riesling, tempranillo, pinot blanc, even malbec!   Then there are rosés of aforementioned varietals and sparkling wine also.  All in all, it’s amazing how the local industry has grown.

We’ll be reviewing a number of our local favorites throughout the month.   In the meantime, drop into most any grocery around town…especially New Seasons and Stadium/Hollywood/Hawthorne Fred Meyer…and you’ll find so much…maybe too much…quality Oregon wine.

Buy local.  Drink local.  Yay May!