In a word. Or three.

Wine travel beyond the socials

This past week the PNW got a blast of spring with clear sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s. Rumor has it a few Chardonnay buds have even made an appearance. Here we go vintage 2024! And it wasn’t just the vines that came out to play, wine tasting season kicked into full gear with spring releases, tasting events, and patio furniture filling as fast as the glasses. In a word it was: Alive.

And in continuing on with my words, I hope you enjoy this week’s recommended wines and spotlights, and if you’re a paid subscriber, enjoy the BTS peak at a newly opened wine tasting room in the Willamette Valley.

In My Glass

Wine Recs & Reviews

2023 “Point of Contact” Pinot Gris from Approachment Wines

In my line of work, I buy, receive, and taste more than a fair amount of wines. So, when I intentionally seek out a wine I’ve already tried, and purchase more, you know it made an impression. And that was exactly the case with Willamette Valley-based Approachment Wines’ “Point of Contact” Pinot Gris. The grapes for this ramato-style wine (it’s an Italian thing), are harvested riper to reap more rich fruit flavors, and the 36 hours of skin contact not only renders a delightful pink-orange hue to the wine, but also lends more intense aromatics. All of that’s to say, this isn’t your typical, largely ubiquitous rosé. In fact, it’s technically not a rosé at all. This Pinot Gris has both drinkability and depth with herbaceous flavors and aromas of orchard fruits, acacia flowers, white peaches, spices, and a citrus-driven, tactile finish. Distinctive. $25

2018 Herminia, Rioja, Crianza

Whether you’re looking to support a woman-inspired wine this month, or you just want a good old dose of a traditional Spanish wine in your glass, this bottle does the trick. Herminia Casas was a women’s education activist in the early 1900s known for challenging societal norms. And while this bottle doesn’t exactly challenge any norms, it is reminiscent of a “vino tinto Rioja” you’d be poured in a tapas joint off Calle de Jesus in Madrid. For a random weeknight dinner, that’s perfecto in my book! Aged for 12 months in oak with another six months in the bottle, it’s supple, velvety, medium-bodied with fresh, juicy notes of triple berry bliss, vanilla bean, a lingering fruity finish, and best of all, it’s drinkable right out of the gate. Quintessential. $17

2013 Capezzana Villa di Carmignano

Jump on this bottle now! Seriously - go. Then, come back to finish reading.

Several years ago I had an unforgettable visit to Tenuta di Capezzana, one of the oldest wine estates in Tuscany dating back to 804 A.D. I have since continued to enjoy their wines stateside, and have arranged several tours at the estate for friends visiting Tuscany. That, incidentally, is how I came to receive this bottle as a “thank you” from a friend that visited last fall.

The Contini Bonacossi Family purchased the Capezzana property in 1920 and has been producing wine and olive oil since. As you might imagine, they have an extensive wine library. Well, it’s from that library that each year they release “10-year” wine, and in 2023, the 2013 Carmignano (a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon) was selected.

Upon opening the bottle, I was instantly transported to the cypress tree-dotted, golden, rolling hills of Tuscany with the rustic aromas of dark berries, tobacco, leather, and earth. Teetering at the peak, this wine delivers a waning, but still evident freshness of youth with the savory complexity and maturity of its age. The silky tannins and a lingering, mouth-watering finish, leave me with one word: Edging. $35.99

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In the Spotlight

Region of the Week

This past week Eola-Amity Hills AVA, a nested region within the Willamette Valley, held its annual spring tasting event, Equinox, showcasing more than 30 wineries from the region. Known for the Pacific winds that blow in through a cut in the coastal mountain range called the Van Duzer Corridor, the region sees cooler temperatures than other parts of the Valley, helping the grapes grown here to retain higher levels of natural acidity. The soils of the Eola-Amity Hills contain volcanic basalt from ancient lava flows, marine sedimentary rocks and alluvial deposits, making for shallower and rockier well-drained soils, which produce small grapes with greater concentration.

My recommended standouts:

2017 La Source Seven Springs Chardonnay from Evening Land, $105 (soon to be re-released DTC); 2021 Vincent Royer Vineyard Chardonnay, $45; 2022 Zenith Vineyard Auxerrois, $27; 2018 Brooks Estate Riesling, $43; 2011 Pinot Noir Libertine from Bethel Heights, $85; the 2021 Tekstura Gamay, $60; 2017 Cuvée One Extended Tirage from Corollary, $160 in magnum; and a notably palatable orange wine, Bryn Mawr Innovation Series “Amber II,” $30.

Wine Bar of the Week

Pops for Champagne

If you know me personally, or follow me on Instagram, chances are you’ve seen me tipping back the bubbles at Pops. Some might think it’s my second home. It’s not, but it is my favorite wine destination in Chicago for two reasons: 1) Champagne, and 2) Champagne Jesus.

This River North bubbly bar has all the feel of a ritzy Champagne hang, but without the pretension. And this local, welcoming vibe that’s so distinctly Chicago, has a lot to do with the main guy behind the bar - the kindest, most Champagne-knowledgeable, yet remarkably humble person in the biz, Michael Seward (aka Champagne Jesus). I’m not kidding here, or being overly complimentary. Just ask any of the many regulars - both international and local alike. Michael is 100-percent befitting of the nickname he’s earned pouring out the fizz - and no, it’s not just for his long hair and beard, although it certainly adds to the mystique. He’s spent his entire wine career at Pops, visited Champagne more times than he can remember, and sabered more bottles than that. And while he can tell you practically anything you might want to know about a producer, a vintage, or a bottling, if you’re just there to sip blissfully unaware, he and the entire crew at Pops will make sure you have the bubbles in the glass that best suit your tastes or the occasion. If you’re in Chicago, pop in on my friends and tell them I said hello!

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Did You Know?

This fun fact always surprises: there are actual vineyards in Antarctica. That’s right, Antarctica, home to some of the world's most freezing and unforgivable weather conditions, has vines - and penguins roaming around those vines! A lone winemaker, James Pope, has dedicated himself to crafting wine from the world’s coldest continent. Pope’s vineyard, in the Dry Valleys, is located in Southern Antarctica, not to far from the South Pole. Here Pope is testing out Riesling and a few cold-hardy hybrid grapes (also seen around Michigan and New York) called Vidal and Seyval Blanc.