Just in time for the Holiday Shopping Season, publisher and podcaster Lisa Smith welcomed Winemaker Dave back for a chat about wines for the winter celebration season. The pair talked about range of topics, including ideas for using wines tasted blind as an icebreaker game for gatherings of people who may not know each other well — or at all.
Ideal Wines for Unknown Palates
Lisa noted that it can be difficult for a host to confidently select wines when they aren’t sure what their guests’ tastes may be. Dave suggested three of our current selections.
2023 Fireworks Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir Brut
“One is we make a sparkling rosé. It’s called Fireworks. And it is our standard rosé, which has a bolder, a much more fruit-forward approach. It is dry. It is a brut. So it is not sweet at all, but what it does bring is fruitiness,” said Dave. “I think a lot of times we’re used to thinking of sparkling wines as either very, very like parchingly dry or sugary sweet. This is neither. This fits beautifully into the two because it will bring you that pink and that red fruit flavor. You’ll get the effervescence of course, that you’re expecting in a bubbly, but it doesn’t dry you out. You will still get that beautiful fruit on the back. And even though it’s not sugary sweet, it will provide that nice palate cleanser.”
2023 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc
“We have a white wine called Helios, and it is made from a grape called Seyval Blanc. That’s S-E-Y-V-A-L. It’s a grape that we are the only ones in the Willamette Valley that grow. It’s a grape you normally find back East in the Finger Lakes in New York, which is more or less where we got exposed to it,” noted Dave. “But what I love about that wine for this time of year, it’s got a bit of a heavier texture to it. What I always describe it to folks that haven’t had it is: not the flavor of Chardonnay, but just think about how thick and heavy Chardonnay can be. That’s what this will do as well. So cooler months, cooler times. This is a really nice one to have. And it also brings a lot of different, very complex fruit flavors to the party. So no matter what you’re serving, there’s so many complex flavors in this wine. You don’t usually see that in a white. This will go really, really well with just about anything.”
2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir
“And I’m going to pull out a little bit of a red wine. Oregon is well known for growing Pinot Noir. We obviously make a lot of Pinot Noir ourselves. And one of my favorites for this time of year, it’s called Jupiter. It is 100% a state-grown Pinot Noir. It will provide a warmth. It provides a savoriness. It works really, really well with or without food,” Dave explained. “One thing I talk about Pinot all the time, because a lot of folks, I believe, think that Pinot is supposed to be like, oh, they’ve had a lot of commercial bought Pinots and they’re watery. Pinot is supposed to be a light-bodied wine. It is never supposed to be a light-flavored wine. And what you’ll get out of this particular wine, especially as you will get that depth of flavor, it will work well with anything that you’re going to put on the plate, but it’s also provides that nice warmth.”
Watch the Episode
In addition to the wine recommendations, Dave explained that we offer Gift Certificates in any denomination that can be applied to wine purchases or tasting experiences. Also, with the purchase of a case of wine, Dave will happily conduct a virtual tasting.
