I’ve always focused more on wine regions outside the United States. It’s not that I don’t like American wines, but I find foreign wines and labels more of a challenge. I also feel I have a better understanding of American regions, climates and all the things that go with them than I do of other places such as South Africa, France and New Zealand. However, I decided I needed to take a look at some of the wine regions closer to home.

The Willamette Valley is Oregon’s leading wine region. Nearly two-thirds of the state’s wineries and vineyards call the Willamette Valley home. It is the largest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Oregon, covering 3,438,000 acres. The Willamette Valley has become a premier producing region for Pinot Noir in the United States.

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Winery: Graham Beck
Wine: Railroad Red 2007
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $9.99

In my wine readings, the name Graham Beck popped up several times. I decided it was time to track down a bottle of wine from Graham Beck. To my surprise, I didn’t have to look too far. My local wine store started carrying a few Graham Beck wines. Jonathan and I picked up a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon for $18. However, one of the wine store clerks pointed out this bottle to us for $10 so we decided to try both of them.

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Have you ever read a blog or wine review and someone mentioned tannins or acidity? Or maybe you saw those words on the back of the wine bottle. Do you have no idea what they mean, but just pretend like you do whenever they are mentioned? Don’t laugh, I met someone who admitted to this a while ago. Without getting too geeky, here’s the quick and dirty on tannins and acidity for wine drinkers.

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Winery: Domaine Saint-Martin
Wine: 2005 Burgundy
Location: Marsannay, Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $24.99

Pinot Noir has always been hit and miss for me. I’ve sampled great Pinot Noir at wine tastings, purchased a bottle only to get it home and discover it tastes completely different. I guess you could say I have a love hate relationship with this varietal. I’ve tasted Pinot Noir wines that I thought were fabulous and others I wanted to forget as soon as I took a sip. Domaine Saint-Martin was a Burgundy to remember.

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Cabernet Franc is often a forgotten grape, overlooked by “the other Cabernet” – Cabernet Sauvignon. According to DNA testing in 1997, Cabernet Franc is one of the “parents” of Cabernet Sauvignon. The other is Sauvignon Blanc. Cabernet Franc is used more as a blending grape rather than as a stand-alone varietal. However, it is still one of the the world’s 20 most planted grapes for wine.

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