A great article from our friends at Travel Oregon...

Travel Oregon, in partnership with Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, the Oregon Marine Board, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of State Lands, wants to remind Oregonians and visitors: Recreation abounds throughout the state, whether water-based recreation or otherwise. "I encourage Oregonians and our visitors to get out and enjoy all that our state has to offer," said Governor Kate Brown. "While we enjoy the arrival of summer, we all must remain vigilant in these dry months to keep Oregon's stunning landscapes verdant and scenic." Read more...

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In 2011 & 2012 the Southern Oregon wine industry partnered with the city & business leaders of Jacksonville, Oregon to facilitate growth of Southern Oregons' World of Wine grand tasting into a multi-day festival. One of the additional offerings over the last two years were classes open to both the trade & the public focused on wine education. With standing room only in classes offered in years past, the Executive Committee of the event is proud to offer the following four classes this year. We recommend getting tickets early as most classes will sell out prior to the event.

Thursday - August 22nd, 2013

Day Session - 11am to 1pm
A Sensory Exploration
Presented by Dwayne Bershaw
Dwayne Bershaw, Associate Director of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at Umpqua Community College, will lead the class on how to evaluate & identify wines. He will teach us helpful systems & tools to both identify varietals & flaws in addition to pairing wines with food. Palates attending should be prepared to explore two flights of four to five wines.


Evening Session - 630pm to 8pm
This year, the Southern Oregon World of Wine Festival is fortunate to be hosting a very special Riedel Wine Glass Seminar.  This seminar will focus on tasting local, medal-winning wines from 4 different Riedel Vinum glasses and discussing the effect of the glasses on the flavor profile. And here’s the kicker... you get to keep the glasses!  These Vinum glasses are made with 24% leaded crystal and have a retail value of over $100! 

This is an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in wine and isn’t to be missed. If you enjoy wine, but you’re not sure the wine glass makes a difference, this class is for you! Riedel (pronounced REE-dəl), is arguably the most famous and prestigious wine glass manufacturer in the world. Riedel, based in Kufstein, Austria, was established in 1756 and has been owned by the same family for more than 250 years!  They originated the concept of having glasses with characteristics designed to enhance different types of wines.  Riedel wine glasses are favored by wine professionals around the world for their unique ability to convey a wine’s true characteristics. None other than Robert Parker Jr., the world’s foremost wine critic, stated "The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot
emphasize enough what a difference they make."

As an added benefit to our Serra Vineyards & Marketplace fans we are offering you, the ability to purchase tickets to this seminar at a discounted price of $50 (versus the regular $75 price on our website).  You need only go to the festival website www.worldofwinefestival.com to purchase tickets.  Please enter the promo code “WINEGLASS” to receive the special $50 price.  $100 worth of high end wine glasses plus tastes of local medal-winning wines all for only $50!


Friday - August 23rd, 2013

Day Session - 4pm to 530pm
"Unraveling the Mystique of Terroir: Wine’s Sense of Place"
Presented by Dr. Greg Jones
Summary: The term 'terroir' is a French notion that encompasses the climate, landscape, soil, and people that contribute to the growing of great grapes and the making of fine wine. Unlike most other beverages, wine has a special quality of invoking positive images of a specific place - it is the expression of the distinctiveness and
individuality of a particular site … it's sense of place. While many of the effects of terroir on wine production are reasonably well known, other aspects and their interrelationships are more mystical. This talk will provide insights into what science knows about terroir and its role on wine typicity and wine styles and provide examples of different terroirs around the world, including Southern Oregon.


Evening Session - 6pm to 8pm
Southern Oregon vs. The Old World
Presented by Dr. Peter Adesman
Physician by day and wine educator by night, Dr. Adesman has long been revered by Southern Oregon wine nuts for his palate. In addition to commanding a cult "cork dork" following Dr. Adesman tends to be extraordinarily generous with his extremely deep cellar. As such we have coerced him into leading a side by side tasting of some of the best wines produced in the Old World next to some of the brightest stars produced in Southern Oregon. Which wines will your palate prefer? You'll have to join us to find out....seats are limited for this class and it is sure to sell out early, so get your tickets today!


Tickets for most classes cost $30 per person and seats are limited to ensure an intimate learning environment. The goal of the committee is to continue to expand & improve the quality of classes each year and to do so, we need your support & attendance! For more information & to check out all of the events happening at this years festival, please visit www.worldofwinefestival.com

The easement at the end of SE Elm Lane has provided access to the Rogue River for the past 30 years to anglers looking to bank fish for both Salmon & Steelhead. In the middle of May, this easement was closed to both the neighborhood as well as the greater Southern Oregon public due to complaints from select home owners along this section of the river. No notice was given to the neighborhood or to home owners in the area or these actions could have been contested prior to the closure. We, as neighborhood residents, citizens of Grants Pass and anglers of Southern Oregon are petitioning the City of Grants Pass to re-open this long standing public access to this unique and otherwise inaccessible (without a boat) section of the Rogue River.

We hope for a speedy response as it is the river that provides the low & fixed income residents in our neighborhood some relief from the hot summer days. Our local youth in the neighborhood would also like to point out that each day this access remains closed is one more day where neighborhood kids, out on summer vacation and without transportation, though they have already bought and paid for annual fishing licenses - can not fish.

We thank you in advance for your consideration of these matters.

Dear friends...I need your help, please click on this link and sign the petition to help us keep the Rogue River accessible to everyone! After you have signed the petition, it would be great if you could share it with as many people as possible...we all own the Rogue River and we all have the right to enjoy and fish it!

http://chn.ge/12qaddn

Dr. Elizabeth Tomasino, assistant professor of enology at OSU, is offering a four-part, comprehensive program in wine tasting and evaluation aimed for the enthusiastic beginner. 
This workshop is designed for the individual who enjoys drinking wine but also seeks more experience in wine evaluation from an expert's point of view.  You may use your new experience in wine tasting at a restaurant, tasting room, or even with friends! 
Each two-hour session will include an introduction to the topic, a brief lecture, an information packet and specific examples or standards for tasting. The second hour of the session provides a range of wines chosen to highlight the subject being discussed.

The program is divided into four sessions:

July 30, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
An introduction to wine
Wine tasting: Discovering wine styles

August 6, 6:30-8:30 PM
Taste & mouth feel of wine
Wine tasting: Understanding balance and the role of acids and tannins in wine

August 13, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Wine aroma
Wine tasting: Varietal wines

August 20, 6:30-8:30 PM
Wine spoilage
Wine tasting: Faults in wine

Participants learn about wine tasting and gain exposure to a range of wines and wine styles from around the world. Refreshments will be provided at each session and each participant will receive two Riedel Oregon Pinot Noir glasses.

Location: Room 238 Wiegand Hall, OSU

Registration Fee: $250 -(10% Discount Available for OSU Faculty & Staff)
Register by July 22!
Space is limited to 25 participants. It is not possible to sign up for individual sessions.

Registration is a two step process. Click here to be redirected to a webform. After the webform you will be prompted for your credit card.    For more information, contact Danielle Gabriel ([email protected]).

This just in from Les Martin Executive Chairman for the festival..."Following are the judges which I was fortunate to arrange for this year’s competition." - Great job Les! 

Christy Canterbury, MW – Christy is one of seven female US national Masters of Wine and an author, speaker and wine judge based in Manhattan.  She also contributes articles to Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Food Arts, Sommelier Journal and Snooth.  She is the Consulting Editor of the book Rock and Vine (February 2013 release).  Previously, Christy was the National Wine Director for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and the Global Beverage Director for Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges.

Peter Marks, MW – Peter, Vice President of Wine Education for Constellation Brands, manages the Constellation Academy of Wine team, which is responsible for Constellation Brands’ diverse wine education programs.  Peter is one of only 30 Masters of Wine residing in America and received the MW title in 1995, when he also became the first American to receive the Madame Bollinger Foundation Award, which is bestowed annually to the MW candidate with the highest blind tasting score. 

Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, MW – Jennifer is the fourth woman in the US to ever attain the international title of Master of Wine (MW).  She was also honored with an international tasting trophy for her palate and holds an additional 5 leading wine and spirits certifications.  She is the author of The One Minute Wine Master: Discover 10 Wines You’ll Like in 60 Seconds or Less and co-author of Pairing with the Masters: A Definitive Guide to Food & Wine along with Certified Master Chef Ken Arnone.  Jennifer is also the author and host of five DVD series on wine and spirits.

Over the past three months OWA has continued to represent the views of membership in a series of meetings convened to discuss commercial activity on farmland. The working group meetings include a broad range of interested parties and are chaired by Governor Kitzhaber's Natural Resources Advisor Richard Whitman. The group has been working to find consensus on sunset provisions of HB 3280 leading into the 2013 Oregon Legislative Session.  Attending on behalf of your Board have been OWA Land Use Committee Chairman and OWA Vice-President Bill Sweat, OWA President Emeritus Michael Donovan and OWA Board member Sam Tannahill. As noted in the last Land Use Bulletin on October 15, the legislative concepts unanimously adopted by the OWA Board on September 11 were presented to the working group on September 17 and have served an important role in framing the discussions. OWA's two land use surveys and statewide Listening Tour feedback have also helped OWA's Board representatives articulate membership positions. The working group is expected to meet at least one more time before the Oregon State Legislature convenes its general session on February 4 with the goal of introducing legislative language agreed to by all stakeholders. 

Concurrently OWA has also been working with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Southern Oregon Wineries Association, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, Winegrowers Association of Central Oregon, and the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers to find a path that will allow the Oregon wine industry to speak with a unified voice and present a common position to the Governor's land use working group and the Oregon State Legislature.  
  
As part of the effort, your OWA Board voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to further clarify OWA's position on the 18 special event days as follows. Special event days 1-6 will be subject to an administrative process, allowing the county to impose conditions as outlined in OWA's Legislative Concept 2. These first six events would not be subject to a local appeal and would not be a land use decision. This is a safe harbor for wineries that may want to hold an event from time to time. A special events license allowing 7-18 event days would be subject to the same administrative process, but would be treated as a land use decision subject to public notice and the opportunity for a local appeal. A final local decision would be appealable to the Land Use Board of Appeals. The OWA Board also agreed that all wineries on land zoned exclusively for farm-use, including wineries that secure conditional use permits, should be subject to the 25% income limitation outlined in Legislative Concept 3. OWA positions, adopted unanimously by your Board in Sept., which clarified marketing vs. non-marketing events and food service, remain unchanged.    
 
OWA hopes to receive endorsements from AVA's around the state in the coming weeks.

This is interesting news considering the recent numbers released by Silicon Valley Bank regarding statistics within our industry in 2012. A special thank you to our locals, Michael Donovan & others for representing the interests of Southern Oregon.

Great quiz question that stumped me today...

The term Flurbereinigung refers to what?
 

• A. Dividing German wine estates among multiple inheritors
• B. German sweet dessert wines
• C. Re-consolidating German vineyards previously split under quasi-feudal inheritance laws
• D. The process of farming steep hillside vineyards in Germany

Flurbereinigung is the post Word War II re-consolidation of land that previously, due to old inheritance laws, divided (what were previously single) German wine estates among multiple owners. Prior to Flurbereinigung, after many centuries this equal division of farmlands among heirs meant that many German farmers owned small non-adjacent vineyard plots, creating a logistic nightmare for accessing and farming those vineyards.

Thanks for the lesson localwineevents.com!
Contributor: Joe Roberts
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