Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

A great time was had by all at a birthday party celebrating Sokol Blosser's own Lee Medina at Pearl hotspot Olea. I'd never visited the restaurant before, and my high expectations were not let down! I enjoyed a Rubytini, the bartender's special for that evening, and my date indulged in a Molto Mojito. My martini had a wonderful crisp taste and was flavored with fresh grapefruit juice. My date's mojito had a splash of fresh lime juice, putting a fun summer spin on a classic favorite. A friend of ours enjoyed Olea's Rose City martini, which has hints of rosemary flavor. I have to find out what they put in that!

We also shared a spread of cured meats and cheeses that were simply to die for. Served on a breadboard with garnishes of fresh blackberries and currants, we definitely were impressed. The prosciutto was my favorite, but all 15 or 16 choices of meats and cheeses were elegantly prepared.

Best of all was the atmosphere and the service. Although outdoor seating was offered, we sat in the restaurant area which is open and simple and hip. Our server was knowledgable and friendly and very professional. And, best of all, our friend Lee Medina had a great birthday. We'll definitely be going back there to enjoy a full dinner very soon.

Olea Restaurant
1338 NW Hoyt
Portland, Oregon 97209
Happy Hour: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner Service: 5:00 – 11:00 pm

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sokol Blosser takes the Sunset Green Award! Check out the forthcoming September issue of Sunset Magazine for the full story. In the meantime, here's an excerpt to whet your appetite. Congratulations, Susan Sokol Blosser, on all of your hard work making Sokol Blosser Winery a leader in sustainability.

"President and founder Susan Sokol Blosser has pioneered green winegrowing and making in a state that is itself in front of the movement in the industry. Just west of Dundee, Sokol Blosser Winery farms organically and uses 50 percent biodiesel fuel in its tractors and unbleached paper for labels and wine boxes. Go to the Sokol Blosser website and you can track the energy output ofrom the winery's new solar panels in real time, as well as see how many pounds of carbon dioxide it has saved the environment this year. "

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was asked recently why the clusters in the vineyard seem smaller than normal, and why some berries seem especially small. Berry size varies somewhat every year, but in some years there is more variability than in others. Often it has to do with the conditions during bloom. There are also certain clones that are known to produce large and small grapes on the same cluster, but I don't know the physiological reasons for the size differential.

I can't answer whether there is a difference in maturation or flavor content, but I do think (without any experimental proof) that years in which we have the phenomenon (hens and chicks, peas and pumpkins) that the wine generally tends to be very good. I can say that smaller berries are usually better because they have a higher surface-to-volume ratio (higher skin-to-juice ratio). The "good stuff" is in the skins and because there is less juice and more skin to the smaller berries the wine ends up more concentrated and more complex. Big berries generally tend to make more dilute, simpler wines.

So, based on the appearance of the clusters right now I think we have the potential to make excellent wines this year. So far this reminds me of 1999, which also had small clusters with big and small berries. And that was also a year with a very cool (and wet) summer. In fact, by the end of September we were afraid we might not have a vintage at all. We harvested the Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir on October 7 just to get something in, even though it wasn't really as ripe as we wanted. Then we had a beautiful October and brought in the rest a few weeks later. 1999 turned out to be a fabulous vintage; we can only hope the same thing about 2007!

As for the rain we're getting now - I think it's a good thing. We are pretty much past the point at which we need to worry about mildew and the grapes are not ripe enough yet to have to worry about botrytis. It's been such a dry year that we really need some moisture in the soil to carry the grapes through to full maturity.

Posted by Russ Rosner, Winemaker at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Purple is popping up in the Vineyard this week! This is an exciting time that means that Harvest is nearly here.

Veraison is a French term that has been adapted to modern viticulture to mean the "change of color of the grape berries". Veraison for us means a few things:

- Our berries are changing from the growth process to the ripening process.
- We won't have the threat of mildew in our Vineyard because the sugar levels in the berries have grown too high for mildew to grow.
- It's time for us to thin the number of berry clusters per vine, reducing our crop to increase the quality of fruit.
- Harvest will occur in approximately 4-5 weeks!

Veraison is a pretty time in the Vineyard - our Pinot Noir clusters turn slowly, one berry at a time, from bright green to deep red and finally to purple. Even our Pinot Gris clusters gets in on the action, turning from green to a grayish light purple. We're looking forward to watching our Vineyard burst into color - we'll keep you updated on our preparations for Harvest!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Propietor of CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen in San Francisco, Pamela S. Busch, has this to say about Oregon whites: "...a lot of unsuspecting folks realize is that Oregon, and the Willamette Valley in particular, not only makes superb pinot noir but also is home to many distinctive white wines."

Check out the article here and learn why Evolution is "consistently one [her] favorite white wines made in Oregon"!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)