A prelude to the International Association of Culinary Professionals' annual conference in Portland included a special Winemaker's dinner at the Sweet Cheeks winery in the Crow Valley.
Oregon's Unique Terroir and its American Viticultural Areas
Volcanic, Sedimentary, and Loess Terroir Make for Special Wines in the Willamette Valley and Beyond. While the Willamette Valley may be the best known AVA or American Viticultural Area, it is not the only region of Oregon producing great wines. Several unique geographical features and history contribute to specific conditions that both challenge and support the making of wine in Oregon.
The International Association of Culinary Professionals 32nd conference in Portland provided unique tasting and learning opportunities. A visit to Eugene included a winemaker’s dinner at Sweet Cheeks Winery in the Crow Valley.
The AVAs were established beginning in 2006 to help connoisseurs and wine neophytes with a framework to understand the impacts of Oregon’s unique geographic features. Coastal winds, volcanic soil, loess winds and the rainfall all combine with the latitude to create some incredible growing conditions with specific impacts on the wines. For example, cool nights stop the ripening resulting in good acidity. This balance is important to Pinot Noir. Most of the Willamette Valley was under the sea. The weight of the water compressed the fossils leaving the sedimentary soil leaving calcium and other mineral deposits. This too, contributes specific characteristics.
Some of the AVA regions include Yamhill-Carlton, Ribbon Ridge, Chehalem Mountain, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills.
Some of the wines tasted during the conference included: various Penner-Ash wines, Evesham Wood Rosé of Tempranillo, Stafford Hill Riesling, Westery Pinot Noir, Ponzi, Erath, and the Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir which is a leading example of the "Salmon-Safe" certified wines. This unique program requires vineyards to meet stewardship standards that keep harmful pesticides, and environmental runoff out of the salmon rivers.
Sweet Cheeks Winemaker Dinner
The menu for this dinner included:
- Duck Confit with Dried Cherry Relish and Duck Cracklings
- Sweet Peppers Filled with Blue Cheese Mousse and Toasted Walnuts
Red Fizz
- Seared Sea Scallops with Caviar and Citrus Beurre Noisette
2008 Chardonnay
- Grilled Marinated Lamb Loin on Potato-Havarti Gratin with Asparagus Shiitake Ragout and Ruby Port Reduction
2008 Reserve Pinot Noir
- Bananas Foster in a Martini Glass w/Cinnamon Cookie
2009 Vintage Riesling
Sweet Cheeks? Who could resist asking about the origin of the winery’s name? Who has the sweet cheeks? Turns out, it’s the hills. Yes in Crow, Oregon, there are these beautiful “curious swells” of the hills, depicted to the left of the crow on the label. Two plowed and planted vineyard hills, mounding up towards each other then down. Looking for all the world like cheeks, and the name has stuck. The new winery owners decided that it made no sense to try to find a new name as clever or sticky.
People around the table unanimously swooned over the potato gratin. The chef is Lynn Alvarez, who left the high-end restaurant scene in San Francisco for the laid back lifestyle of Eugene. She’s been a chocolatier, she’s also focused on revamping hospital food with an eye toward healthier offerings, and most recently she was the chef at Wente Vineyards, focusing on seasonal, local foods.
Winemaker dinners give one the chance to meet the owners, the staff and often the winemaker himself as well as the opportunity to chat with the chef, maybe even score a recipe.This one caused much excitement. Enjoy!
Potato and Havarti Gratin
Yield: 5-6 servings
- 1 C. heavy cream
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
- 1.5 tsp. kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1.5 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 1/8” thick)
- 4 oz. grated Havarti cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, mix together the cream, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Add in the potatoes and half of the Havarti cheese. Place into a 6”X 6” casserole and spread the remaining cheese evenly on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes until the top is browned and a knife can easily pierce the potatoes without much resistance. Let cool 10 minutes and serve.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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