John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles and in The State Journal - a statewide business weekly
Travel Notes From Your Wandering Wino
So here I am sitting in this neat coffee bar in McMinneville, Oregon - the heart of the Willamette Valley - sipping coffee instead of pinot noir, and trying to clear my head enough to post this little ditty. And, although I've certainly slurped my share of pinot noir, I have never ventured to this neck of the wine woods where they produce some of the best pinot on the planet.
I arrived in town last night from Portland via the Oregon coast (a round about, but visually satisfying way, to get here) and enjoyed a superb meal at the Joel Palmer House - one of Oregon's most famous restaurants where the emphasis is on wild mushrooms and - what else - Pinot Noir.
Owner/chef Jack Czarnecki actually wanders the hills of Oregon searching out and picking wild mushrooms, and then creates spectacular menu items using these little fungi as the centerpiece. He and his wife Heidi bought the historic Joel Palmer House in 1996 and began to create one of the most unique restaurants in the US. According to local lore, Joel Palmer was a pioneer who settled in the area in the mid-1800’s after supposedly ascending Mount Hood in the winter wearing moccasins (and I assume other clothing). He later built the house in which the restaurant is now housed.The goal of Jack and Heidi was to match their passion for mushrooms with their love of wine – particularly pinot noir -to which the earthy nuances of the wine marry incredibly well with the woodsy flavors of all manner of mushrooms. They have succeeded and here is a case in point: my appetizer course consisted of wild morels in a rich brown sauce with flecks of chili pepper flakes accompanied by a clump of crispy Phyllo dough strings (my apologies to the chef - my clumsy description of this course does not do it justice).
The wine – suggested by a very knowledgeable (and unpretentious) sommelier – was a delicious accompaniment. With earthy, dark cherry fruit flavors and perfectly balanced, the 2004 Methven Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir is a special bottle of wine. While this wine is unavailable in West Virginia, you may call the winery (503-580-1320) and order it, but keep in mind that it is very limited. Also, while the wine is drinking well now, it should continue to improve for another decade.
Suffice it to say that the remainder of the meal was terrific and I am looking forward to sharing with you in coming posts what promises to be an interesting and tasteful weekend here in Oregon.
