Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Wine Society

		AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY A non-profit corporation Northern Virginia Chapter
	“… distilled dew and honey with the fragrance of all the fresh wild flowers of the field greeting the dawn.” -- André Simon (1877-1970) on Château d’Yquem

MAY MEETING:

On the 20th, Carl Brandhorst took us to Oregon through memories of his journey in 2003, when he carried back the various samples we tasted. Concentrating on what some may think is the best grown grape in Oregon, the Pinot Noir, he discussed the wine scene and provided a great deal of info on the area. Before the formal tasting, howver, he provided us with a challenge (not a quiz). We were presented two glasses of wine, each poured from bottles enclosed in the infamous brown paper bags and both Pinot Noirs. We had to determine their origins. Which was from California and which from France? These styles as well as the ensuing Oregonian styles made it a great evening, and many people came away with a better appreciation for the Pinot Noir grape. The wines tasted, including those from the wine challenge, are shown in the table below. As you can see we had many great Pinot Noirs to sample. Thanks again, Carl, for leading us through these wines.

Year	Producer	Appelation	Cost
2001	Patz & Hall	Russian River Valley	$31.50
2000	Gevrey Chambertin	France	$31.50
1997	Lange Three Hills Cuvée	Willamette Valley	$35.00
1997	Stangeland Estate	Willamette Valley	Winery Gift
1998	Cooper Mountain Old Vines Reserve	Willamette Valley	$48.00
1998	Van Duzer Barrel Select	Willamette Valley	$23.00
1999	Eola Hills Oak Grove Vineyards	Willamette Valley	$12.00
1999	St. InnocentShea Vineyards Unfiltered	Willamette Valley	$30.00
1999	Bethel HeightsLewman Vineyards	Willamette Valley	$42.00

JUNE MEETING:

Are you intrigued by tasting distilled dew and honey with all the floral fragrances? Well, your day is coming at our next meeting. Bob Hutton and Glenda Leister will be teaming up to present “A Tale of Two Rivers.” The meeting will feature Sauternes and Tokaji along with the appropriate food matches. Rest assured, though, the wines are fermented from grapes in very special processes that I’m sure Bob will explain. This should be a very fascinating and informative meeting. One note, though, since these wines are often referred to as "liquid gold," the cost of the meeting will probably be a bit higher than normal, but still well worth the experience!

The meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 21, 2004 at St. Mary’s Church. The gathering will begin at 7:30 p.m. while the formal meeting should get underway at 8:00 p.m. Please RSVP at least 24 hours in advance if you are planning to attend so we will have enough of everything. Call 703-941-2384 or complete the following RSVP form.

See you on the 21st, or, looking into the future, at June's meeting on the 18th!

Cheers,
Dave Barber

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