by Fred McMillin for June 24, 1997 Don't Duck This Merlot Prologue: Oregon's Duck Pond Cellars '95 Merlot is our Wine of the Day. The Rest of the Story: What's this? Oregon is known for Pinot Noir, not Merlot. The latter grape has been doing much better to the north in the State of Washington. So how does Duck Pond make such a good Merlot? That's easy. They acquired 400 acres in Washington for their Merlot. Winemaker Greg Fries is very happy with the results...lots of varietal flavor not overpowered with oak...a vibrant companion for Veal Parmesan...and only twelve bucks a bottle. 1995 Merlot, Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, WA Duck Pond Cellars Dundee, Yamhill County, Oregon Phone—(503)538-3199 $12 Postscript: About the Columbia Valley: The Columbia River flow is twice that of the Nile. The Napa Valley viticultural area covers 300,000 acres. The Columbia Valley viticultural area is over ten million acres. The Wahluke Slope is a name to remember. It has a bright future; it faces south with a good slope. Hence, it's vineyards are less prone to frost damage in this cold climate. 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 May WineDays 06/23/97 Make Mine Merlot 06/20/97 Winery of the Week Weibel Vineyards 06/19/97 Gold and Grapes 06/18/97 California's Best Buy Grape 06/17/97 Fetzer Is OAK with Me 06/16/97 Do the Mendoza Cha-Cha 06/13/97 Winery of the Week Barefoot Cellars 06/12/97 Kloeckera and Friends 06/11/97 The Day Pegase Beat the French 06/10/97 The Wine That Pleased Pliny 06/09/97 King of Cabs 06/06/97 Winery of the Week Gary Farrell Wines 06/05/97 Greeks, Romans and Vichon 06/04/97 A Chardonnay Shootout 06/03/97 Now Available at the Library 06/02/97 The Saint and the Pope

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