One of the cool things about working at a wine shop, as many of you may suspect, is that we get the opportunity to taste a LOT of wines. Sometimes this means a lot of bad wines, and sometimes this means a lot of good wines.

Really, REALLY good wines.

This particular friday (a day in which we typically don’t do many tastings) we (Bart, Daryl, Candace) had the chance to taste some Penner-Ash Pinot Noir. Now I (Candace) already knew I was IN LOVE with this wine, back in February upon my first partaking of the ‘07 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir. We tasted both the 2007 Williamette Valley Pinot Noir and the 2007 Dussin Valley Pinot Noir.

This made an OK Friday turn into a GREAT Friday. And, I’m pretty sure even Bart agrees - it was a great lead up to his lunch.

Penner-Ash is a winery in Newberg, Oregon which is about 6 miles outside of Portland. This particular region of the country has two PRIME factors in cultivating great tasting wines - a fantastic climate (long summer days averaging 80 degrees, cool nights, and rainy winters), and perfect soil  for the fragile (and difficult) pinot noir grape. In Williamette Valley, there is actually volcanic ash in the soil, which contributes to the earthy taste of this wine. 

If you thought that California made some good pinots - you will be extremely impressed with the juice from this region. Oregon pinot noirs have been perfected over the years, and are now as competitive, if not better than, their California counterparts.

This particular winery is also very conscious of their environment, as energy conservation is very important in how they run their operation. And, who doesn’t want to support a brand that cares about our little peice of earth down here?

So, check them out online at www.pennerash.com and the next time you want a special treat or need a really great, classy gift - this is THE wine to buy.

But, make sure whoever you buy it for, is willing to share. And, if you get one for me (ahem), I’ll definitely let you have a sip! 

See you soon!

-Candace (Bart  &  Daryl)

Grace’s Wine & Spirits