by Fred McMillin for May 30, 1997 Winery of the Week King of Oregon Prologue: "At repeal of prohibition in 1933, Oregon made legal...the production of light wine from fruit. There was "Henry's Lowball" (loganberry) and "Rhubarb Rose" (roh-zay)...Then vine fever spread after 1968 when the state's Economic Commission pointed out the 'dramatic potential' for quality wine grapes"...by Leon Adams in his first edition of "The Wines of America" The Rest of the Story: The Oregon wine fever? Ed King, Jr. has an incurable case of it. He's convinced that the US market for Pinot Noir will grow remarkably in the next decade. Consequently, in the last few years he has spent tens of millions of dollars to fill that demand with a premium Pinot from Oregon. The grand scheme starts with the grapes. The estate is bringing to maturity 16 different clones of the varietal. Furthermore, there are long-term contracts with 36 other Pinot vineyards in the state. Another indication of the commitment is the use of REFRIGERATED tractor trailers to bring the harvest to the crusher. No effort is spared in making the wine, either. Grapes from different parts of the vineyards are fermented and oak-aged separately. Typically, there will be over 100 lots; King Estates blends the best and sells the rest to other vintners. The result is a bold Pinot...intense black cherry flavors, plus spice and smoke from the oak. But Ed does not live by red wine alone. At a recent tasting, my panel's BEST WHITE by a large margin was a King Estate Pinot Gris (gree). Winemaker Brad Biehl finds that his Oregon Gris produces such a rich, full-bodied wine that he omits all the bells and whistles used to enhance many Chardonnays...no fermentation in oak...no acid reduction with malolactic fermentation. It's pure Gris, and Brad is proud of it. Just the Facts Name King Estate Winery Location   Eugene, Oregon Owners Ed King, Jr. Winemaker   Will Bucklin Vineyard 350 acres in prime Pinot Noir country Phone (800)844-4441 Best Wine In a remarkably short time, Oregon Pinot Noir has achieved world acclaim, and the King Estate is fast becoming a major player in the success story. Postscript: If you enjoy matching food and wine, phone V.P. Michael Lambert's office and order the two King Estate cookbooks, one for Pinot Noir-friendly dishes, the other for Pinot Gris matchups. About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

Read more articles by Fred McMillin in the eGGsf Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend Current WineDay January WineDays February WineDays March WineDays April WineDays 05/29/97 A Tale of Two Wineries 05/28/97 Quiet! Woman at Work 05/27/97 Yorkville Fills the Bill 05/26/97 A Cab Lab 05/23/97 Winery of the Week De Loach Vineyards 05/22/97 When the Vintners Drew a Blanc 05/21/97 Barbera with Backbone 05/20/97 Make Mine Merlot 05/19/97 Waiting for Verdot (vair-dough) 05/16/97 Winery of the Week Sutter Home Winery 05/15/97 What's OVOC Zinfandel? 05/14/97 The Olympic Games White, A Reprise 05/13/97 Roy's Niche in Time 05/12/97 Meanwhile, Back at the Chateau 05/09/97 Winery of the week Gundlach-Bundschu Wine Company 05/08/97 A Pretty Pink for Mother's Day 05/07/97 Was the Wine a Success? 05/06/97 A 365-Acre Adventure 05/05/97 A Little Star 05/02/97 Winery of the week Scharffenberger Cellars 05/01/97 Pinot Noir's Kissin' Cousin

Global Gourmet | FoodDay Copyright © 1997—the electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc. All rights reserved.