Youngberg Hill

I never thought I would see a French wine bottled with a screw cap. Well, it has happened, and more than once.  As we consider ALL aspects of storing, transporting, serving, and drinking wine, our priorities can change.

In regards to closures, it was once believed that cork was the only way to seal wine in a bottle. Now we know that other closures may be better for the wine, the consumer, and the environment. The “right” answer may vary from wine to wine, and even change over time as we get more information.

Wine used to be transported in barrels to its destination of consumption, similar to beer. That changed with the development of glass bottles, making wine purchasing more economical and convenient.  The 750ml bottle became the standard of the industry, and remained so for many years.  Today, barrels (or kegs) are again being used to transport wine to the point of consumption and purchase.  Furthermore wine is currently available in boxes, bags, plastic bottles, and can even be purchased by going to a retailer and “filling up” your container as if you were at a gas station.  To date, none of these alternatives have jeopardized the quality of the wine.  In fact, in many cases, the quality has been enhanced, just as we have seen with the screw cap.

In what alternative packaging have you obtained your favorite wines recently?

Opinions on wine ratings can range as wide as the ratings on the bottles of wine themselves.  The most interesting thing to me is that all the attention tends to be paid to those wines that rate a 90 or above, which are considered by the rater to be outstanding or better.  Are we all drinking outstanding or better wines every night at dinner?  Are those the only bottles of wine we are purchasing at our favorite wine retailer?  Probably not.  What about the 80 to 90 point wines, considered to be very good to great wines? In most cases, those are the wines we drink on a regular basis.

Also interesting is the point to price relationship.  A producer may have a wine priced at $50 dollars receive a rating of 87, and another wine priced at $30 rated 90. How could that be? The producer certainly would argue that the higher priced wine is the higher valued (better) wine. What went wrong?

I would suggest remembering two factors when deciding to purchase wine based on ratings. First is the condition under which a wine is rated. Typically a wine is rated in a group of several wines at the same time, so a singular wine cannot help but be rated relative to the other wines being tasted.  Second, the rater is biased by what he likes and does not like.

When using ratings to make a purchase, use the critic’s description of the wine rather than the number to decide whether that is a wine you would like.  Second, use the ratings of someone whom you have found to have a similar taste to yours. If you have not identified that particular wine critic, that is when the fun begins!

If you aren’t able to visit us at Youngberg Hill to enjoy our wines in person, here is a list of retail shops where you can find our wine.  If these shops are inconvenient to you, we are happy to ship direct to wherever you are.

Of course if you are in the area, we would love for you to visit our tasting room on the Hill, and sample all of the vintages we have to offer.  We’ve recently added a beautiful deck, and the view is outrageous!
Seattle, WA – Wine World

Portland, OR ( and surrounding area) – Korkage, Primrose & Tumbleweeds, Lamb’s Stroheckers, Fred Meyer Burlingame, Whole Foods Bridgeport, Barbur World Foods, Blackbird Wine Shop, Fred Meyer Stadium, Wine Up, Whole Foods, Tanasbourne, New Seasons

Eugene, OR – Sundance, Fred Meyer, Market of Choice, Avalon

Jacksonville, OR- Corks, Jacksonville Inn, Chateaulin-Ashland

Bend, OR- Rays-Sisters, Fred Meyer, Good Drop Wine Shop, Wine Shop next to 900 Wall

Salem,OR- Fred Meyer on Commercial, Roth’s

Oregon Coast – Cellar on 10th in Astoria, Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, and Nye Beach Gallery in Newport.

Minnesota- Byerly’s Wine & Spirits Burnsville, Byerly’s Golden Valley, Byerly’s Ridgedale, Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar, Mike’s Liquor, North Loop Wine & Spirits, Skyway Wine & Spirits, Sorella Wine & Spirits, Zipps Liquor
Minneapolis: North Loop Wine & Spirits, Skyway Wine & Spirits, Sorella

Kansas- MDL Wine & Spirits (Overland Park),  Missies Discount Liquor  (Shawnee), Metcalf Discount Liquor 135th (Overland Park), Camelot Court Wine & Spirits (Leawood), Lancaster Liquor (Leawood), Lukas Liquor (Overland Park), Lionsgate Wine & Spirits (Overland Park), Rimann’s Liquor (Prairie Village), Ranchmart Wine & Spirits (Leawood)

Chicago – Tuscan Market & Wine Shop, Courtyard Wines, Wine Knows, Artale Wine Company, Everetts Liquor, The Noble Grape (will special order), Five Forks Market All Wined Up, Select Beverages

The Oregon Wine Industry continues to grow, with more wineries cropping up each year, and existing wineries expanding their production.  The state of Oregon is third in the country in number of wineries and vineyard acreage.  While Pinot Noir makes up almost 75% of wine production in Oregon, Pinot Noir consumption in the US is currently only 5% of total wine consumption.  But market research indicates that Pinot Noir is the fastest growing wine category, and Oregon Pinot Noir is just being discovered in most of the country and the world.

I believe this is all good news for the Oregon wine industry.  And with our industry contributing almost $3 billion to the state’s economy,  we are having a significant impact on Oregon’s economic picture as a whole.  When you consider associative industries like tourism and hospitality that have benefitted from the wine industry’s strength, that impact increases significantly.

In the years to come, the percentage of wine-related tourism will continue to grow as will the awareness and growth of the industry itself. This growth will show itself in restaurants, lodging, car rental, airlines, attractions, retail shops, and so on.

Here’s to the wine industry in Oregon!

Wine has been a part of our society for thousands of years.  There is evidence of wine production and consumption in the Sumerian culture some 3000 to 4500 BC.  Writers, poets, historians and the like have integrated the subject of wine into their writings, just as we today see wine as a symbol of togetherness, celebration and relaxation.  As a grower and producer of wine, I like to compare the milestones in my life to the process of growing grapes, making wine, letting it age and so forth. Let’s take a trip through life.

The nine months the grapes are developing on the vines is similar to the nine months that a baby is in the womb. The fetus is nurtured through the mother just as wine grapes are nurtured through the vine.

At harvest the grapes are transformed into wine in the winery, just as a fetus becomes a baby. In both cases, they are now independent and yet dependent on the care of the winemaker/parents.

From birth to adulthood, parents are nurturing the child, keeping it safe, and helping it develop. The winemaker is doing the same for the wine through the winemaking process and on into barrel.  In both cases, the best possible outcome will be to allow the child/wine to develop without any preconceived notion as to what it should be.

Otherwise it may not reach its full potential.  As wine ages in the barrel (and a child becomes a young adult) it begins to mature and develop the characteristics that will define it for years to come.

Once in the bottle, the wine begins the slow aging process that, if developed well, will continue to get better, just as a young adult gains knowledge and wisdom through life’s experiences and grows into a mature adult.  Wine continues to develop in the bottle, at some point reaching its prime.  After that, the wine will continue to be good for a very long time, which with any luck is just what we do, too!