• Oregon Chardonnay Celebration 2017

    Roadtripping through Oregon Wine Country
    with Food & Wine’s Ray Isle

    Saturday, February 25, 2017
    at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon

SEMINAR  2017

Saturday, February 25, 2017 | 1:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Join RAY ISLE, Food & Wine magazine’s executive wine editor, as he leads a tour through Oregon Chardonnay country. From the windy slopes of the Columbia Gorge, south through the picturesque rolling hills of the Willamette Valley, and onward to southern Oregon’s dramatic high elevation sites, taste along with Ray and our winemaker panelists.

Through imagery, words, and wine, they’ll share why Oregon’s diverse terrain provides ideal microclimates for showcasing Chardonnay’s many facets.

GRAND TASTING 2017

Saturday, February 25, 2017 | 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Taste more than 40 Oregon Chardonnays from our 2017 Featured Wineries, sampling the breadth and depth of Oregon Chardonnay. Make pit-stops along your journey to enjoy light Chardonnay-friendly hors d’œuvres.

GET TO KNOW YOUR ROAD TRIP GUIDE – RAY ISLE

Ray Isle is executive wine editor at Food & Wine, an IACP Award winner and James Beard award nominee, and the man behind Food & Wine’s “Wine Talk” wine column and “Tasting Room” blog. Ray’s articles have appeared in a wide range of national publications, and he is a regular guest on renowned media programs such as Today, The Early Show, CNBC’s On the Money, NPR’s All Things Considered, and American Public Media’s The Splendid Table. Ray’s career epiphany came to him during the 1997 Pinot noir harvest in Saratoga, California. He left academia for the wine business and never looked back!

MEET OUR DELIGHTFUL PANEL OF SPEAKERS

Along the route, you’ll get five different perspectives on Chardonnay-making. The panel will share their unique experiences making this dynamic white wine from grapes grown in a variety of microclimates. Listen, learn, ask questions, and then, test your new knowledge tasting a collection of some of Oregon’s best Chardonnay wines at our Grand Tasting.

  • Maggie Harrison

    Maggie Harrison | Antica Terra

    Having never set foot in a winery, Maggie Harrison, through dumb luck and an embarrassing show of tenacity, became the first assistant winemaker at Sine Qua Non. She apprenticed for eight wonderful and life-changing harvests and in 2004, made plans to strike out on her own and started a small syrah project called Lillian. These plans also included settling down in Santa Barbara, a place she never intended to leave. When she was invited to become the winemaker at Antica Terra she emphatically refused. But the vineyard owners were crafty. They asked Maggie if she would simply take a look at the vineyard and offer her opinion about the qualities of the site. She reluctantly agreed. Twenty-six seconds after arriving among the oaks, fossils and stunted vines she found herself hunched beneath one of the trees, phone in hand, explaining to her husband that they would be moving to Oregon.

  • Bob Morus

    Bob Morus | Phelps Creek Vineyards

    Bob Morus’ flying career brought him to Oregon. In 1989 he settled in Hood River, expressing a goal of raising wine grapes and kids. Today, the family run estate consists of 34 acres, specializing in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Another 15 acres grown on Washington’s Underwood Mountain supplies alternative whites. In the early 90s, Oregon’s wine-growing community focused on issues relating to ripening of Chardonnay. Two existing and exceptional sites were nearby Hood River Vineyards and Celilo Vineyards, both on the cool, western end of the Columbia Gorge. Research determined that for these sites, clones, as opposed to heat units, created quality Chardonnay. Taking note of experienced opinions, Bob sought new clonal selections for his vineyard. Phelps Creek Vineyards’ Chardonnay block was established in 1992 with self-rooted Dijon 75 and 76 plants. The next year a few Wente clone cuttings from Celilo were added. In 2014 the vineyard expanded to include Dijon 95, grafted to 101-14.

  • Ken Pahlow

    Ken Pahlow | Walter Scott

    Although Ken had long dreamed of making his own wine, it was not until the spring of 2008 that he launched the Walter Scott label. In 2009, he and partner Erica Landon secured fruit from select vineyards within the Willamette Valley and Walter Scott Wines became a commercial endeavor.Ken has been working in the wine industry for more than 19 years. His experience began in 1994 with production, sales and harvests at St. Innocent Winery, working under winemaker Mark Vlossak for 14 years. In 2009, Ken joined the harvest team at Patricia Green Cellars, where he also began producing Walter Scott wines. In 2010, Ken accepted a position with Evening Land Vineyards to manage their Northwest sales and distribution, during which time he worked harvest and studied alongside winemakers Isabelle Meunier and Dominique Lafon.

  • Luisa Ponzi

    Luisa Ponzi | Ponzi Vineyards

    Second generation winemaker Luisa Ponzi graduated from Portland State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science. She continued her post graduate education in viticulture and enology in Beaune, France and was awarded the Certificate Brevet Professionnel D’Oenologie et Viticulture in 1993. Luisa was the first American woman to earn such distinction. During her time in France, she had the opportunity to taste in the cellars of some of the finest Chardonnay producers in Burgundy. There, her passion for producing world class Chardonnay in Oregon began. Ponzi Vineyards has produced Chardonnay for more than four decades and for the last 20 years it has been a particular focus for Luisa. Her extensive experience has allowed her to craft wines that truly showcase the beautiful region, in a style that is uniquely Oregon.

  • Bryan Wilson

    Bryan Wilson | DANCIN Vineyards

    Soon after receiving a B.S. in Economics from University of Oregon in 1980, Bryan’s winemaking career began in Sonoma County.  While working at Chateau Souverain, Bryan met Mike Benziger and joined the Benziger family in 1984, becoming their winemaker in 1987, working with fruit from the Bien Nacido Vineyard and farms in Napa, Sonoma and Sonoma Coast.  In 1994, he had the opportunity to work alongside Warren Winiarski at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars as their associate winemaker before returning to Oregon. In 1998, Bryan became the winemaker at Silvan Ridge Winery, crafting wines from vineyards in the Rogue, Umpqua and Willamette Valleys. After assisting at two wineries in Southern Oregon during 2005-06, Bryan accepted the winemaker position at Foris Vineyards. Ten years later, Bryan is delighted to join Dan and Cindy Marca at DANCIN, having the opportunity to craft exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot noir in the foothills above Jacksonville.

2017 FEATURED WINERIES

We’re excited to present our 2017 line up of outstanding Oregon Chardonnay producers!

Adelsheim Vineyard

Alexana Estate Vineyards and Winery

Anam Cara Cellars

Antica Terra

Apolloni Vineyards

Bergström Wines

Bethel Heights Vineyard

big table farm

Brittan Vineyards

Bryn Mawr Vineyards

Carabella Vineyard

CHEHALEM

Crowley

DANCIN Vineyards

deLancellotti Family Vineyards

Division Wine Co.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon

Drouhin Oregon Roserock

Domaine Serene Vineyard and Winery

Dukes Family Vineyards

Fairsing Vineyard

Fullerton Wines

Goodfellow Family Cellars

Gran Moraine

Grochau Cellars

Haden Fig

King Estate Winery

Knudsen Vineyards

Lange

Lemelson Vineyards

Lingua Franca

Longplay Wine

Lundeen

Matzinger Davies

Monte Ferro

Montinore Estate

North Valley Vineyards

Phelps Creek Vineyards

Ponzi Vineyards

Rain Dance Vineyards

Torii Mor

twill cellars

Walter Scott

Westrey Wine Co.

WildAire

Willamette Valley Vineyards

Ticket Options:

Tickets are on sale now for the 2017 Oregon Chardonnay Celebration.
There are two options available:

Seminar & Grand Tasting
Join moderator Ray Isle and winemaker panelists for a “road trip” through Oregon wine country in wine, words, and imagery. Afterwards, mingle and taste with over 40 of Oregon’s top Chardonnay producers at our Grand Tasting.

Grand Tasting
Can’t make the whole trip? Mingle and taste with over 40 of Oregon’s top Chardonnay producers at our Grand Tasting.

Admit One
$170.00

Seminar & Grand Tasting Package

Buy Now

Saturday, February 25, 2017
1:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Questions?
Contact Us.

Admit One
$85.00

Grand Tasting

Buy Now

Saturday, February 25, 2017
3:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Questions?
Contact Us. 

MAKE IT A WEEKEND
Stay at The Allison Inn & Spa

Special room rates are available for guests attending the 2017 Oregon Chardonnay Celebration. Please contact the hotel directly by telephone at 503 – 554 – 2525 to make your reservations. Note: Special rates will not be honored by the online booking system.

Background

ABOUT THE OREGON CHARDONNAY CELEBRATION 

The sixth annual Oregon Chardonnay Celebration takes place Saturday, February 25, 2017 at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon. The Celebration educates both industry members and consumers about the varietal in a non-competitive environment. The event begins with a seated topical seminar and tasting followed by the Grand Tasting, a walkaround sampling of over 40 Oregon producers, one of the region’s largest varietal-specific tastings. Attendees have a choice of participating in both the seminar and Grand Tasting or the Grand Tasting only.

Formerly known as The Oregon Chardonnay Symposium, the Oregon Chardonnay Celebration delves deep into what makes Oregon Chardonnay unique, each year focusing on different aspects of the varietal and its place in the state. Bringing together both pioneers and the current generation of Oregon producers, the Oregon Chardonnay Celebration provides a lens through which we can view the past, present, and future of Oregon Chardonnay.

CHARDONNAY IN THE NEWS

“Although each wine was an undeniably individual expression of the Chardonnay grape, they all shared a connective thread that was decidedly Oregonian: an intensity of fruit, coupled with a firm mineral thread.” ~ Lettie Teague, These Oregon Winemakers are Making Chardonnay Cool Again

November 4, 2016 The Wall Street Journal

Tickets for Oregon Chardonnay Celebration 2017 On-Sale Now!

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