Have you ever looked at two seemingly identical bottles of wine with different years printed on the labels and wondered, “What’s the difference?” If so, you’re not alone! Vintage does matter—and not just in terms of how old the wine itself is. The good news is just a little knowledge on the topic of vintages can go a long way toward enhancing your selection and enjoyment of wines.
Archive for Wine Tasting
For many of us, 2020 has been a year of challenges. For the dozens of wineries and tasting rooms comprising Southern Oregon’s vibrant wine scene, some of these challenges have been felt keenly as lockdowns and concerns about the ongoing pandemic fundamentally alter nearly every aspect of daily life. Southern Oregon’s wineries are nothing if not resilient, however, and we’re working hard to ensure wine tasting—at home or in the tasting room—remains a fun, safe, and enduring part of your Rogue Valley wine experience.
As euphoric an experience as wine tasting usually is, it can be daunting for some, especially the more casual wine appreciators. The good news is you don’t have to be a sommelier to taste wine like a pro. It just takes a little basic knowledge and perspective.
“What are tannins, and can you taste them in wine?” We get questions like this fairly often in the 2Hawk Vineyard & Winery tasting room. Found naturally in grapes, tannins are antioxidant polyphenols that impart dryness, astringency, and mouthfeel to wines. They play a crucial role in the winemaking process, starting at harvest and continuing on even as wines age in the bottle.
2Hawk Vineyard & Winery recently had the honor of hosting four wine writers on a tour of Oregon wineries in Portland, Willamette Valley, and Southern Oregon. Arranged by the Oregon Wine Board (OWB), the tour concluded on August 1 with a dinner hosted by 2Hawk. We were joined by our talented colleagues and friends Ruth Garvin, Cliff Creek Cellars; Earl and Hilda Jones, Abacela; and Dyson Demara, Hillcrest Vineyard.
A couple times a year, the 2Hawk team visits other local wineries so we can taste other wines and experience the range of hospitality available across southern Oregon. It gives us a sense of what’s going on in the local industry and shows us other places we can recommend our guests visit. Cloudy and cool weather greeted us this summer as we started our outing for a day of wine tasting, food, and fun.